The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 2

Innovative financing instruments in Latin America and the Caribbean

In the aftermath of the global financial crisis (2008–2009), the external financing needs of Latin America and the Caribbean increased significantly, reflecting a process of external debt accumulation in all developing regions, exacerbated by the impacts of COVID-19. The region is now the most indebted in the developing world, with a debt profile that makes it highly vulnerable to changes in international lending conditions and to perceptions of risk. This has placed a major constraint on government responses to the COVID-19 emergency and undermines their capacity to build forward better. This…

Project presentation

The Joint Program “Support for the development of an Integrated National Financing Framework for the SDGs in Cuba” (CIFFRA) is part of the more than 60 experiences implemented worldwide to finance the 2030 Agenda under the global framework agreed upon by world leaders in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in 2015. CIFFRA is part of the initiatives funded by the Joint SDG Fund of the United Nations System (Joint SDG Fund). CIFFRA Policy Notes represent an effort by the project's Technical Committee to document, executively, its main progress, results and messages. This first note is dedicated t…

Report of the twenty-ninth session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean

Bonos de impacto: coordinación e innovación para el financiamiento de inversiones con resultados sociales

Los bonos de impacto son un innovador mecanismo de financiamiento que busca atraer inversión privada hacia políticas públicas sociales, con énfasis en intervenciones preventivas o de atención temprana parala salud, la educación y la administración de justicia. Asimismo, ofrecen la posibilidad de compartir algunos de los riesgos inherentes a la innovación de políticas, y su financiamiento, con inversionistas privados. Destacando el potencial de los bonos de impacto como un mecanismo para encontrar soluciones innovadoras a los desafíos de la política social, este documento evalúa el papel de los…

Caribbean Outlook 3: Economic recovery and repositioning in the era of COVID-19. Policy Brief

The economies of the subregion were hard hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, particularly those dependent on tourism. As a result, the Caribbean has seen a reversal of the hard-won gains achieved in growing their economies and reducing unemployment and inequality. The inflation stemming from pandemic supply chain disruption, which has been exacerbated by the war in Ukraine, has made the sustained uptick in economic performance beyond pre-pandemic levels unlikely, notwithstanding strong growth estimates for 2021 and 2022. The last two years have taught the region that continued ‘business as usual’ is…

Improving broadband quality and affordability in the Caribbean: Policies to advance digital inclusion in the subregion. Policy Brief

In this digitally transforming world, digital inclusion is becoming increasingly important to social inclusion and sustainable development. Affordable access to broadband is an essential precondition to digital inclusion. Internet quality, as measured by speed and other indicators, is also important, as digital inclusion is ultimately about ensuring equal access to the benefits and opportunities offered by digital technologies and the Internet. This policy brief provides insight into Internet speed and affordability across the Caribbean, and offers some recommendations for policymakers working…

Estudio de impacto económico de las inversiones y el financiamiento para el recambio de flota de autobuses sostenibles en Costa Rica

En este estudio de impacto económico, social, ambiental y financiero de la incorporación de autobuses eléctricos en Costa Rica se incluyen simulaciones que muestran el comportamiento futuro de la flota de autobuses ante el avance de la electrificación en diferentes escenarios, así como una evaluación de su rentabilidad financiera y económica mediante el análisis convencional de rentabilidad —con el costo total de la propiedad— y una innovadora modelización que incorpora la variable regulatoria para precisar las particularidades del caso de Costa Rica. El estudio simula y muestra los niveles re…

Digital Divides and Inclusion in the Caribbean “New Normal”

The Hummingbird Vol. 9 No. 12

Director's Desk: Digital Divides and Inclusion in the Caribbean “New Normal”

The pace of the digital transformation of the Caribbean has increased rapidly since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, with more governments, businesses and individuals using information and communication technologies (ICTs) than ever before. However, as the digital realm has become more important, the cost of exclusion from it has also increased, and threatens to deepen inequalities in the subregion.…

Importance is Stressed of Investing in Comprehensive, Public Care Policies and Systems Aimed at Achieving Gender Equality and Promoting Their Financial Sustainability

For more than four decades, ECLAC’s Member States have agreed upon the Regional Gender Agenda, aimed at guaranteeing the rights of women, moving towards achieving their autonomy and laying the foundation for building societies with equality. In this framework, the government delegates and specialists attending the XV Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean, which is taking place in Buenos Aires, Argentina, stressed today the importance of investing in comprehensive, public care policies and systems geared towards achieving gender equality and promoting their financial s…

Recalcan importancia de invertir en políticas y sistemas públicos integrales de cuidados orientados a alcanzar la igualdad de género y promover su sostenibilidad financiera

Por más de cuatro décadas, los Estados miembros de la CEPAL han acordado la Agenda Regional de Género, orientada a garantizar los derechos de las mujeres, avanzar hacia el logro de su autonomía y generar las bases para construir sociedades con igualdad. En este marco, los delegados gubernamentales y especialistas asistentes a la XV Conferencia Regional sobre la Mujer de América Latina y el Caribe, que se realiza en Buenos Aires, Argentina, recalcaron hoy la importancia de invertir en políticas y sistemas públicos integrales de cuidados orientados a alcanzar la igualdad de género y promover su …

Hacia la transformación del modelo de desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe

En 2022, los países de América Latina y el Caribe enfrentan los efectos de una serie de choques que han deteriorado sus condiciones de inversión y producción, entre ellos la crisis financiera global, las tensiones económicas entre grandes polos de la economía mundial, la pandemia de COVID-19, la guerra en Ucrania y el resurgimiento de la inflación, en un contexto en el que se agudiza la emergencia ambiental y se acelera la revolución tecnológica. Numerosos analistas y organismos internacionales hablan de una serie de crisis en cascada entre las que se citan crisis climática, de salud, de emple…

Towards transformation of the development model in Latin America and the Caribbean: production, inclusion and sustainability

Hacia la transformación del modelo de desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe: producción, inclusión y sostenibilidad

Suriname assumes chair of Caribbean Development Cooperation Committee

The 29th session of the Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (CDCC) concluded on 14 October in Paramaribo, Suriname. Some of the most urgent and challenging issues facing the Caribbean were discussed at this meeting, inspiring a commitment to strategic action-oriented follow-up, to assure more dynamic sustainable development process. Convened by ECLAC Caribbean, the CDCC meeting is held every two years and gathers Caribbean Prime Ministers, Ministers and distinguished government officials, with a focus on strengthening their countries’ institutional and technical capacities to impr…

ECLAC convenes Caribbean Development Roundtable meeting in Suriname

What: Seventh (7th) meeting of the Caribbean Development Roundtable. When: 12 to 13 October 2022 (Opening ceremony at 8 am). Where: The Royal Torarica Hotel, Kleine Waterstraat 10, Paramaribo, Suriname. Background Information The Caribbean Development Roundtable brings together regional and international development thinkers and practitioners, leaders and senior policymakers from ECLAC member States and associate member countries, representatives of the UN System, regional and international financial institutions, academia, and civil society, including the private sector, as well as o…

The Hummingbird Vol. 9 No. 10

Experts Address New Challenges of International Cooperation and Their Impact on Latin America and the Caribbean’s Development

Experts from international and multilateral organizations, along with government officials from various Latin American and Caribbean countries, participated in a high-level seminar on the new challenges of international cooperation and their importance for furthering the region’s development in a complex context such as the current one. The event, entitled New challenges and new perspectives on international cooperation: Development approaches from Latin America and the Caribbean, took place on September 13-14 at the headquarters of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (…