Contribution of energy services to the Millennium Development Goals and to poverty alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean: executive summary

Includes bibliography

Contribution of energy services to the millennium development goals and to poverty alleviation in Latin America and the Caribbean

Includes bibliography

Consumer confidence and economic growth: case studies of Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago

Includes bibliography

E-commerce environment and trade promotion for Latin America: policy implications from East Asian and advanced economies' experiences

Includes bibliography

Some thoughts on the role of environmental impact assessment for developing countries and ECO's role in the Americas

Includes bibliography

An assessment of the economic impact of climate change on the Agriculture, Health and Tourism sectors in Saint Lucia

This report analyses the agriculture, health and tourism sectors in Saint Lucia to assess the potential economic impacts of climate change on the sectors. The fundamental aim of this report is to assist with the development of strategies to deal with the potential impact of climate change in Saint Lucia. It also has the potential to provide essential input for identifying and preparing policies and strategies to help advance the Caribbean subregion closer to solving problems associated with climate change and attaining individual and regional sustainable development goals. Some of the key anticipated impacts of climate change for the Caribbean include elevated air and sea-surface temperatures, sea-level rise, possible changes in extreme events and a reduction in freshwater resources. The economic impact of climate change on the three sectors was estimated for the A2 and B2 IPCC scenarios until 2050. An evaluation of various adaptation strategies for each sector was also undertaken using standard evaluation techniques. The key subsectors in agriculture are expected to have mixed impacts under the A2 and B2 scenarios. Banana, fisheries and root crop outputs are expected to fall with climate change, but tree crop and vegetable production are expected to rise. In aggregate, in every decade up to 2050, these sub-sectors combined are expected to experience a gain under climate change with the highest gains under A2. By 2050, the cumulative gain under A2 is calculated as approximately US$389.35 million and approximately US$310.58 million under B2, which represents 17.93% and 14.30% of the 2008 GDP respectively. This result was unexpected and may well be attributed to the unavailability of annual data that would have informed a more robust assessment. Additionally, costs to the agriculture sector due to tropical cyclones were estimated to be $6.9 million and $6.2 million under the A2 and B2 scenarios, respectively. There are a number of possible adaptation strategies that can be employed by the agriculture sector. The most attractive adaptation options, based on the benefit-cost ratio are: (1) Designing and implementation of holistic water management plans (2) Establishment of systems of food storage and (3) Establishment of early warning systems. Government policy should focus on the development of these adaption options where they are not currently being pursued and strengthen those that have already been initiated, such as the mainstreaming of climate change issues in agricultural policy. The analysis of the health sector placed focus on gastroenteritis, schistosomiasis, ciguatera poisoning, meningococal meningitis, cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases and malnutrition. The results obtained for the A2 and B2 scenarios demonstrate the potential for climate change to add a substantial burden to the health system in the future, a factor that will further compound the country’s vulnerability to other anticipated impacts of climate change. Specifically, it was determined that the overall Value of Statistical Lives impacts were higher under the A2 scenario than the B2 scenario. A number of adaptation cost assumptions were employed to determine the damage cost estimates using benefit-cost analysis. The benefit-cost analysis suggests that expenditure on monitoring and information provision would be a highly efficient step in managing climate change and subsequent increases in disease incidence. Various locations in the world have developed forecasting systems for dengue fever and other vector-borne diseases that could be mirrored and implemented. Combining such macro-level policies with inexpensive micro-level behavioural changes may have the potential for pre-empting the re-establishment of dengue fever and other vector-borne epidemic cycles in Saint Lucia. Although temperature has the probability of generating significant excess mortality for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, the power of temperature to increase mortality largely depends on the education of the population about the harmful effects of increasing temperatures and on the existing incidence of these two diseases. For these diseases it is also suggested that a mix of macro-level efforts and micro-level behavioural changes can be employed to relieve at least part of the threat that climate change poses to human health. The same principle applies for water and food-borne diseases, with the improvement of sanitation infrastructure complementing the strengthening of individual hygiene habits. The results regarding the tourism sector imply that the tourism climatic index was likely to experience a significant downward shift in Saint Lucia under the A2 as well as the B2 scenario, indicative of deterioration in the suitability of the island for tourism. It is estimated that this shift in tourism features could cost Saint Lucia about 5 times the 2009 GDP over a 40-year horizon. In addition to changes in climatic suitability for tourism, climate change is also likely to have important supply-side effects on species, ecosystems and landscapes. Two broad areas are: (1) coral reefs, due to their intimate link to tourism, and, (2) land loss, as most hotels tend to lie along the coastline. The damage related to coral reefs was estimated at US$3.4 billion (3.6 times GDP in 2009) under the A2 scenario and US$1.7 billion (1.6 times GDP in 2009) under the B2 scenario. The damage due to land loss arising from sea level rise was estimated at US$3.5 billion (3.7 times GDP) under the A2 scenario and US$3.2 billion (3.4 times GDP) under the B2 scenario. Given the potential for significant damage to the industry a large number of potential adaptation measures were considered. Out of these a short-list of 9 potential options were selected by applying 10 evaluation criteria. Using benefit-cost analyses 3 options with positive ratios were put forward: (1) increased recommended design speeds for new tourism-related structures; (2) enhanced reef monitoring systems to provide early warning alerts of bleaching events, and, (3) deployment of artificial reefs or other fish-aggregating devices. While these options had positive benefit-cost ratios, other options were also recommended based on their non-tangible benefits. These include the employment of an irrigation network that allows for the recycling of waste water, development of national evacuation and rescue plans, providing retraining for displaced tourism workers and the revision of policies related to financing national tourism offices to accommodate the new climate realities.

Agricultural transformation and Gender considerations in Caribbean Economics

The aim of this paper is to provide an overview of the gender and social disparities existing in the agricultural and rural sector in Caribbean economies. In this context, agricultural transformation as occasioned by the dismantling of preferential trading arrangements is analysed to identify the most relevant gender discriminatory measures in the current agricultural development policy and programmes. The analysis seeks to provide the basis for enhancing understanding among policy makers, planners and rural development practitioners of the gender and social dimension involved in the formulation of agricultural policy and more specifically in relation to the new policy and institutional arrangements for agriculture in the region. The paper also provides insights regarding what changes should take place to create an enabling environment for more gender-based approaches to policy-making and strategic planning in agricultural development and trade in the Caribbean. The methodology centred on the review of secondary sources that provide references on the new challenges, opportunities and constraints faced by the agricultural sector, in particular small farmers, in the context of globalization and agriculture transformation. Much of the literature for this assignment was obtained from FAO Headquarters in Rome and the FAO Subregional Office in Barbados, as well as the OECS Secretariat in St. Lucia. In the process of the review exercise, due consideration was given to changes in agricultural production patterns, resources allocation and rural livelihoods. Efforts to examine the most relevant policy measures and mechanisms in-place in support to agricultural development in the region were constrained, in the main, by the absence of gender disaggregated data. Documentation as regards the situation of women and men in relation to agricultural labour, rural income and food security situation in regions were limited. The use of the internet served to bridge the communication gap between countries and institutions. The preliminary draft of the paper was presented and discussed at the FAO/ECLAC/UNIFEM regional workshop on mainstreaming gender analysis in agriculture and trade policies, for Caribbean countries, in November 2003. The second draft of the paper was informed by comments from the workshop and additional information acquired through field visits to Barbados, St. Kitts and St. Vincent in March 2004. The three day visits to each of these three countries entailed a review/appreciation of the resource, constraints and institutional capacities for gender mainstreaming within the agricultural sector at the national level. This included visits to some of the major agricultural projects and interviews with farmers (where feasible) in respect of their perspective of the current situation of the agricultural sector and the viability of their farm enterprises. As well, meetings were held with relevant/available officials within the respective ministries of agriculture to discern the gender consideration as regards agricultural policy and planning at the country level. The internet was invaluable to the task of sourcing supplementary information to satisfy the aim of the paper; in respect of the identification of concrete policy measures and actions to formulate and develop more gender/social-responsive agricultural development policies. The final revision, though thwart with resource and communication constraints, was ultimately completed in compliance with the structure and approach proposed in the terms of references for this FAO/ECLAC assignment.

Resolutions adopted by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean at its Thirty-Sixth Session

Resolution 697(XXXVI) Horizons 2030 resolution .-- Resolution 698(XXXVI) ECLAC calendar of conferences for the period 2017-2018 .-- Resolution 699(XXXVI) Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 700(XXXVI) Mexico resolution on the establishment of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development .-- Resolution 701(XXXVI) Support for the work of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning (ILPES) .-- Resolution 702(XXXVI) Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 703(XXXVI) Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 704(XXXVI) Programme of work and priorities of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for the biennium 2018-2019 .-- Resolution 705(XXXVI) Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee .-- Resolution 706(XXXVI) Application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 707(XXXVI) Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 708(XXXVI) Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 709(XXXVI) Committee on South-South Cooperation .-- Resolution 710(XXXVI) Conference on Science, Innovation and Information and Communications Technologies of the Economic Commission for Latin America and The Caribbean .-- Resolution 711(XXXVI) Implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action for Landlocked Developing Countries for the Decade 2014-2024 .-- Resolution 712(XXXVI) Regional integration of statistical and geospatial information .-- Resolution 713(XXXVI) Regional follow-up to the outcomes of conferences on financing for development .-- Resolution 714(XXXVI) Place of the next session.

Resolutions Adopted At The Thirty-Fifth Session Of The Economic Commission For Latin America And The Caribbean

Resolution 676(XXXV) ECLAC calendar of conferences for the period 2015-2016 .-- Resolution 677(XXXV) Regional Conference on Women in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 678(XXXV) Statistical Conference of the Americas of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 679(XXXV) Support for the work of the Latin American and Caribbean Institute for Economic and Social Planning .-- Resolution 680(XXXV) Caribbean Development and Cooperation Committee .-- Resolution 681(XXXV) Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 682(XXXV) Establishment of the Regional Conference on Social Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 683(XXXV) Admission of Sint Maarten as an associate member of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 684(XXXV) Programme of work and priorities of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean for the 2016-2017 biennium .-- Resolution 685(XXXV) Activities of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in relation to follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals and implementation of the outcomes of the major United Nations conferences and summits in the economic, social and related fields .-- Resolution 686(XXXV) Application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean .-- Resolution 687(XXXV) The regional dimension of the post-2015 development agenda .-- Resolution 688(XXXV) South-South cooperation .-- resolution 689(XXXV) Place of the next session .-- Resolution 690(XXXV) Lima resolution .-- Resolution 691(XXXV) Ministerial Conference on the Information Society in Latin America and the Caribbean.