The millennium development goals and the challenges facing Latin America and the Caribbean in making progress towards higher levels of well-being, better human capital and more equal opportunities

This document takes up a number of the points raised in the 2005 report by ECLAC and other UN agencies on the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in Latin America and the Caribbean. It provides further discussion on the type of problems and challenges facing the region in five areas that are either included in the MDGs or closely related to them (poverty, hunger and child malnutrition, education, health and children). The document makes recommendations for the region's governments and countries in these five areas.…

Poverty, hunger and food security in Central America and Panama

Food insecurity and hunger are closely associated with extreme poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean, but they should not be confused with it. A diet which is insufficient for leading a normal life and is also inadequate from a nutritional point of view affects not only those living in conditions of extreme poverty but also broader sectors and groups living in particular areas or regions of each country. Among the forms of deprivation affecting those living in a state of extreme poverty, however, the lack of access to food is the most serious problem and that which it is most urgent to er…

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…

Disability, human rights and public policy in the Caribbean: A situation analysis

This study presents a situation analysis of persons with disability in the Caribbean. It includes a compilation and analysis of national census data from 16 countries including data from both the 2000 and the 2010 census rounds. The study also assesses national laws, policies and programmes in the context of relevant international treaties and agreements. The topics covered include health and rehabilitation, accessible buildings, transport, information and communications technology, education and labour market participation. In each of these areas, good practices, gaps, and priorities for acti…

Quality of life: a compendium of social statistics of five Caribbean countries (1995-2001)

Abstract Quality of Life: A compendium of selected social statistics of five Caribbean countries (1995-2001), is the second in a series on social statistics to be published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean/Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee (ECLAC/CDCC) secretariat. The first was published in December 1995, entitled Selected demographic and social statistics, 1960- 1994, and was based on the population census data. This compendium of selected social statistics of five Caribbean countries is the first output of the fully searchable subregional…

Redoblar el compromiso y aumentar las capacidades: claves para alcanzar el cumplimiento de los ODS en complejo contexto internacional

“Ningún actor social, por sí mismo, puede lograr el cumplimiento de los Objetivos de Desarrollo Sostenible (ODS). Sin cooperación y sin alianzas no hay Agenda 2030”. Con esa sentencia del Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL, José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, se inauguraron oficialmente este martes 1 de abril los trabajos de la octava reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, principal encuentro intergubernamental sobre la Agenda 2030 en la región, que se realiza cada año bajo los auspicios de la CEPAL. Altas autoridades de gobiernos d…

National capacity building workshops in cost benefit analysis - St Lucia

The overall objective of the training is to strengthen the skills level of policymakers and technical officers of the Government of Saint Lucia in cost-benefit analysis which will enhance their ability to design and implement data-informed policies and strategies for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building a resilient economy.…

National capacity building workshops in cost benefit analysis - Grenada

The overall objective of the training is to strengthen the skills level of policymakers and technical officers of the Government of Grenada in cost-benefit analysis which will enhance their ability to design and implement data-informed policies and strategies for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building a resilient economy.…

National capacity building workshops in statistical analysis - Grenada

The overall objective of the training is to strengthen the skills level of policymakers and technical officers of the Government of Grenada in statistical analysis which will enhance their ability to design and implement data-informed policies and strategies for accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and building a resilient economy.…

Reconceptualizing social indicators in the Caribbean: a review and discussion

This document discusses the relevance, strengths and limitations of social indicators. Difficulties encountered in the analysis of such data in the Caribbean are identified and discussed. Issues related to the availability of social data for social planning and the implementation of programmes and projects are also explored.…

The Latin American social agenda in the year 2000

Now that the 1990s have ended and a new millennium is dawning, the low rate of economic growth, the region's vulnerability to international financial instability and the limited progress made in terms of equity oblige us to reflect on the social agenda for the future. An important role in that agenda will continue to be played by the efforts to overcome poverty and indigence, conditioned to a large extent by the region's capacity for economic change and its dynamism in creating large numbers of jobs of higher quality in terms of productivity and income. At the same time, in view of t…

The equity gap: a second assessment

Second regional conference in follow-up to the World Summit for Social Development. Santiago, Chile, 15-17 May 2000 Summary The courses of action recommended at the World Summit for Social Development coincide with the general thrust of the action taken by the Governments of the region in the economic and social spheres during the 1990s. The objective of this document is to weigh the positive and negative aspects of the situation in Latin America and the Caribbean with regard to poverty reduction, productive job creation and social integration within the wider context of economic changes and s…

Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL se reunió con el Presidente de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León

En el marco de su visita oficial al país, el Secretario Ejecutivo de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, se reunió hoy en Ciudad de Guatemala con el Presidente de la República de Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, encuentro en el que dialogaron sobre la agenda actual de cooperación entre el Gobierno y el organismo regional de las Naciones Unidas y exploraron áreas de colaboración para el desarrollo de esta nación centroamericana. La CEPAL ha enfatizado la importancia de que los países de América Latina y el Caribe dinamicen su crecimi…

O Secretário Executivo da CEPAL se reuniu com o Presidente da Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León

No contexto de sua visita oficial ao país, o Secretário Executivo da Comissão Econômica para a América Latina e o Caribe (CEPAL), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, se reuniu hoje na Cidade da Guatemala com o Presidente da República da Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León; nesse encontro dialogaram sobre a agenda atual de cooperação entre o governo e o organismo regional das Nações Unidas e exploraram áreas de colaboração para o desenvolvimento dessa nação centro-americana. A CEPAL enfatizou a importância de que os países da América Latina e do Caribe dinamizem seu crescimento e o tornem mais inclu…

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary Met with Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo de León

In the framework of his official visit to the country, the Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, met today in Guatemala City with the President of the Republic of Guatemala, Bernardo Arévalo de León, where they discussed the current cooperation agenda between the Government and the United Nations regional organization and explored areas of collaboration for the Central American nation’s development. ECLAC has stressed the importance of Latin American and Caribbean countries invigorating their growth and making…

Violence against women in couples: Latin America and the Caribbean. A proposal for measuring its incidence and trends

The present document was prepared by the ECLAC Women and Development Unit for the International Meeting on Gender Statistics and Indicators for Measuring the Incidence of and Trends in Violence against Women in Latin America and the Caribbean (La Paz, Bolivia, 21-23 November 2001). The document reflects the inputs which the participants provided for the working paper submitted by ECLAC at that event. It is a tool for measuring the incidence of violence against women in intimate relationships, as well as the main characteristics of the phenomenon. The first part describes how the problem of vi…

Establishing social statistical databases for evidenced-based social policy formulation in the Caribbean

Abstract The paper presents the challenges and lessons learnt from the Project Development of Social Statistical Databases and the Methodological Approaches for a Social Vulnerability Index (SVI); for Small Island Developing States' (NET/00/035);, which was undertaken by the Social Development Unit of the ECLAC/CDCC secretariat. The Project aims to make available to social planners and decision makers in the Caribbean, a body of social statistics comprised of data sets being generated by national central statistical offices of the ECLAC/CDCC member States. The paper situates the Pro…

Advancing the Decade of Action for Sustainable Development in the Caribbean

Inauguración de la octava reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible

Sr. Félix Denegri, Viceministro de Relaciones Exteriores del Perú, en su calidad de Presidente del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, Sr. Li Junhua, Secretario General Adjunto de Asuntos Económicos y Sociales de las Naciones Unidas, Señores y señoras Ministras, ministros y representantes de los gobiernos miembros del Foro y de la CEPAL, Autoridades nacionales y cuerpo diplomático, Coordinadoras y coordinadores residentes, Directoras, directores y colegas de la CEPAL, Colegas del sistema de las Naciones Unidas, Representantes de la…

Social protection for the poor in Latin America

Confronted with recurrent macroeconomic shocks, governments in Latin America and the Caribbean have increasingly been concerned about establishing or strengthening systems of social protection and safety net programmes. The goal of these programmes is to help mitigate the impact of shocks on the poor before they occur, and to help the poor cope with the shocks once they have occurred. In this paper, we focus on publicly funded or mandated safety nets functioning as risk-coping mechanisms. The paper reviews the characteristics of a good safety net, in comparison with the main types of safety ne…