Presentation by honourable Gertrude Roberts, Minister for Community Development and Women's Affairs of Dominica

The escalation in world food prices and its implications for the Caribbean

During the last years, the steep increase in food prices has been one of the most distinctive characteristics of the world economy. Many factors have been hypothesized as the main drivers of this phenomenon, both structural and temporary. International food inflation has had perceptible effects on food importing countries and regions. As such, the Caribbean has suffered the impact mainly through four channels, namely, domestic inflation, imports bill and trade balance, poverty and indigence rates, and equity. This study addresses empirically these issues from a regional perspective.…

Socio-demographic vulnerability: old and new risks for communities, households and individuals

Vulnerability is an emerging issue that has been raised repeatedly in sociological analyses at the dawn of the twenty-first century and in debates on public policies aimed at alleviating poverty, promoting upward social mobility and empowering citizens. If this issue has been so topical, it is because a variety of factors, some highly controversial and others difficult to measure accurately, have contributed to the phenomenon. They include: the increasingly unstable macroeconomic context; the frequency with which households lapse into and emerge from poverty, a trend seen even among tradi…

Prevention and insurance of conflict and terrorism: issues and evidence for Latin America

Latin America has a long history of political violence that include civil wars; guerrilla movements, military intervention, coup d'état, terrorism and others form of violent confrontation. As conflict and terrorism (C-T) produces losses of human lives and destroy assets and property there is an obvious need for prevention and insurance against this kind of risk. Insurance can be provided by both the state and by the market. In countries subject to long and violent conflict there is need for direct provision of insurance and compensation to the victims of conflict and their families. Howe…

Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible inicia con llamado a fortalecer el multilateralismo y la cooperación regional

Con un llamado a fortalecer el multilateralismo, la democracia y la cooperación regional se inauguró hoy en la sede de la CEPAL en Santiago de Chile, la tercera reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, que reúne a representantes de gobiernos, sociedad civil, organismos internacionales, sector privado y academia, con el objetivo de revisar los avances y desafíos de la implementación de la Agenda 2030 en la región. El evento de alto nivel, organizado por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) y el Gobierno de Cuba -en su…

CEPAL recalca en foro OCDE importancia de Agenda 2030 para la integración y el cambio hacia un nuevo estilo de desarrollo

La Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Alicia Bárcena, reafirmó esta semana en París que la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible es una oportunidad única para cambiar el estilo de desarrollo y transitar hacia sociedades más productivas orientadas al bienestar de las personas. Bárcena se encuentra participando en la Semana de la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE) 2016 y en el Foro Económico Internacional de América Latina y el Caribe 2016, que se realizan en la capital francesa entre el 31 de mayo y el 3 de …

New ECLAC policy brief addresses implementation measures for engaging youth in sustainable development

The Caribbean is considered a relatively youthful subregion. For every five persons in the Caribbean, two are under the age of 25. Nearly 7.5 million youth between the ages of 15 and 24 live in the Caribbean. This represents almost 17% of the subregion’s total population, with the largest population of Caribbean youth residing in Haiti (2.2 million), Dominican Republic (1.9 million) and Cuba (1.4 million). With a large youth population, experts across the Caribbean agree that a clearly defined, long-term policy framework for youth development is urgently needed. Such a frame…

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…

Options for rural poverty reduction in Latin America and the Caribbean

Although most of the total population and the majority of the people living in poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean are in urban centres, poverty is, in relative terms, still a rural phenomenon in the region. The incidence of poverty and of extreme poverty is much larger in rural areas than in urban settings. As recently as 1997, more than half of all rural households were living in poverty, and close to a third of them were in extreme poverty conditions. Moreover, the fragile economic situation of most countries in the region during the past two years may well have worsened those figure…

Bridging the digital divide for persons with disabilities explored at ECLAC meeting

While ICTs can break down barriers and ensure that everyone can participate actively in society, many people with disabilities are currently not able to use computers, access the internet or handle smartphones and other mobile technology. In the Caribbean, this is particularly worrisome, given that there are approximately 1.3 million persons with a disability of some kind and around 250,000 persons with a significant disability. It is for this reason that ECLAC Caribbean undertook a study to research ways to bridge the digital divide that affects persons with disabilities. One of the solutions…

Creative industries in the Caribbean: a new road for diversification and export growth

Creative industries have become a new engine of growth and development in the world economy. This dynamic sector, which ranges from traditional arts to multimedia, has been an important driver of innovation and productivity growth. The present study argues that the creative industries can become a pillar for economic diversification and export growth in the Caribbean. The study adds to the developing literature on the creative sector by evaluating export performance in the context of constraints as well as opportunities. The Caribbean creative sector possesses a number of advantages that are r…

Skill formation in Uruguay: what are the required labour qualifications for development?

At the global level, trade in services has been the most dynamic sector, with an average growth rate about double that in the primary and manufacturing sectors. However, the three activities have a completely different composition in terms of type of labour, services being the most skill-intensive. In Uruguay, the formation of human resources shows several weaknesses; which leads one to ask: Is Uruguay prepared to take advantage of the opportunities open in the global market? If not, what are the consequences? A simulation exercise was tried consisting of an increase in external demand for ski…

Países de América Latina y el Caribe reivindican el Foro de Desarrollo Sostenible como espacio indispensable para la integración y la cooperación regional

Representantes de los 33 países de América Latina y el Caribe reivindicaron el Foro de Desarrollo Sostenible como espacio indispensable para la integración y la cooperación regional en medio de la incertidumbre global, durante la Quinta Reunión del encuentro intergubernamental que fue inaugurado hoy por el Presidente de Costa Rica, Carlos Alvarado, la Vicesecretaria General de las Naciones Unidas, Amina Mohammed, y la Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Alicia Bárcena. La Quinta Reunión del Foro de los países de América Latina y el Caribe sobr…

The Case for Economic Restructuring Post-COVID-19 in the Caribbean

Since the global crisis of 2008-2009, there has been less confidence in the primacy of markets to lead sustainable development among developing countries in general and small island developing States (SIDS) in particular. It is acknowledged that markets need discipline and an institutional context that can support private gains while reducing social costs and delivering less inequality. Prompted by declining competitiveness in leading sectors, and a commitment to addressing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), governments in the subregion have been developing long-term plan…

Mortgage loans and access to housing for low-income households in Latin America

On the basis of a study on mortgage loan options available in eight Latin American countries, this article identifies two pending tasks for most of the countries: the need to make long-term funds available to mitigate the risk of a mismatch of maturities and rates, and the need to harmonize profitability criteria for lenders with the criterion of access to credit for the low-income population. The paper recommends the creation of linkages between the housing finance market and the capital market through secondary mortgage markets, for which the housing finance market must use instruments other…

Primer Ministro de China propuso en la CEPAL foro de cooperación de alto nivel con América Latina y el Caribe

Ver galería de fotos (26 de junio, 2012) Para profundizar la relación estratégica con la región, el Primer Ministro chino Wen Jiabao propuso hoy la creación del foro de cooperación China-América Latina y el establecimiento de un mecanismo de diálogo periódico con la troika de cancilleres de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños (CELAC), convocando a la primera reunión en el curso de 2012. La Secretaria Ejecutiva de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), Alicia Bárcena, dio la bienvenida a nombre de la institución a Wen Jiabao, quien dirigió desde la sede …

Annotated provisional agenda. Twenty-ninth meeting of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Council for Planning of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES)

In-Person Training in Gender Statistics for Turks and Caicos Islands

The overall objective of this technical assistance is to improve the technical capacity of staff and management of the Department of Gender Affairs, the Department of Statistics, and other Ministries, Departments and Agencies of the Government of Turks and Caicos Islands to collect, analyze, utilize and disseminate sex-disaggregated data in accordance with international standards and best practices.…

Costa Rica acogerá quinta reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible

Costa Rica acogerá, del 7 al 9 de marzo de 2022, la quinta reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible, en la que altas autoridades y representantes de gobiernos, del Sistema de las Naciones Unidas, instituciones internacionales, sector privado, academia y sociedad civil se darán cita para revisar los avances y desafíos de la implementación de la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible en la región. El encuentro intergubernamental será inaugurado el lunes 7 de marzo a las 08:00 a.m. hora de Costa Rica (GMT-6) por Carlos Alvarado, Presidente de …

Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible abre mañana con presencia de todos los países de la región

La tercera reunión del Foro de los Países de América Latina y el Caribe sobre el Desarrollo Sostenible será inaugurada oficialmente mañana miércoles 24 de abril en la sede de la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL) en Santiago de Chile, con la participación de autoridades y delegaciones de todos los países de la región y de organismos de las Naciones Unidas. Ya está confirmada la asistencia al encuentro -que se realiza del 22 al 26 de abril- de más de mil personas entre representantes de gobiernos, instituciones internacionales, sector privado, academia y sociedad civil.…