Status of Implementation of the Almaty Programme of Action in South America

Includes bibliography.

Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e Caribe 2014: integração regional e cadeias de valor num cenário externo desafiante. Documento informativo

A edição 2014 do Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e do Caribe, “Integração regional e cadeias de valor num cenário externo desafiante”, se divide em quatro capítulos. O primeiro capítulo examina os principais aspectos da conjuntura internacional e suas repercussões no comercio mundial e regional. O segundo capítulo apresenta uma análise da participação da América Latina e do Caribe nas cadeias globais de valor. Esse capítulo também analisa três aspectos microeconômicos centrais relativos à contribuição que a participação nas cadeias de valor podería representar para a mudança estrutural com maior inclusão. O capítulo três identifica diversos âmbitos em que a integração e a cooperação regional podem contribuir para fortalecer a integração produtiva entre as economias da América Latina e do Caribe. Finalmente, o quarto capítulo analisa as relações intrarregionais e extrarregionais dos países da Comunidade do Caribe (CARICOM), considerando a necessidade de fortalecer a integração regional no âmbito produtivo mediante o aproveitamento de outros vínculos além dos meramente comerciais. Também se examinam as diferenças existentes entre os países em matéria de renda, população e estrutura produtiva e exportadora, no contexto de uma acentuada vulnerabilidade macroeconômica.

Política económica - comercio e inversiones - de Guatemala hacia la República Popular China: hacia una estrategia en el corto, mediano y largo plazo

La República Popular China ha cobrado un enorme y creciente protagonismo internacional, no sólo en los ámbitos del comercio y la inversión, sino que también en el financiero, tecnológico y cultural, por lo que es relevante que los países de la subregión centroamericana analicen sus relaciones con este país. Actualmente China se ha convertido en el segundo socio comercial de la región latinoamericana y en una fuente relevante de la inversión extranjera directa (IED). En este contexto el presente documento analiza las relaciones de Guatemala con China, particularmente en el ámbito del comercio y la inversión, con el objetivo de presentar criterios y aspectos relevantes a considerar para una estrategia de Guatemala en el corto, mediano y largo plazo. El documento también analiza las principales características del comercio y las inversiones de China en la subregión centroamericana. Se busca contribuir a un diálogo interno sobre la temática en Guatemala, así como a la posibilidad de un futuro encuentro entre ambos países. Del análisis se desprenden 25 propuestas que reflejan la importancia de una dedicada preparación para diseñar una estrategia desde el plano nacional y subregional, para el relacionamiento con China, con especial énfasis en aspectos como la atracción de IED y la participación en el comercio con ese país.

Panorama de la Inserción Internacional de América Latina y el Caribe 2014: integración regional y cadenas de valor en un escenario externo desafiante

La edición 2014 del Panorama de la Inserción Internacional de América Latina y el Caribe “Integración regional y cadenas de valor en un escenario externo desafiante”, se divide en cuatro capítulos. En el primer capítulo, se revisan los principales rasgos de la coyuntura internacional y sus repercusiones en el comercio mundial y regional. En el segundo capítulo se presenta un análisis de la participación de América Latina y el Caribe en las cadenas internacionales de valor. En este capítulo también se analizan tres aspectos microeconómicos centrales relativos al aporte que representa la participación en las cadenas de valor para el cambio estructural con mayor inclusión. En el capítulo tres se identifican diversos ámbitos en que la integración y la cooperación regionales pueden contribuir a fortalecer la integración productiva entre las economías de América Latina y el Caribe. Finalmente, en el cuarto capítulo se analizan las relaciones intrarregionales y extrarregionales de los países de la Comunidad del Caribe (CARICOM), considerando la necesidad de fortalecer la integración regional en el ámbito productivo mediante el aprovechamiento de vínculos más allá de los meramente comerciales. También se pasa revista a las diferencias existentes entre países en materia de ingresos, población y estructura productiva y exportadora, en el contexto de una marcada vulnerabilidad macroeconómica.

Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2014: Regional integration and value chains in a challenging external environment

The 2014 edition of Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy: Regional integration and value chains amid challenging external conditions has four chapters. Chapter I examines the main features of the international context and their repercussions for world and regional trade. Chapter II looks at Latin American and Caribbean participation in global value chains and confirms that the region, with the exception of Mexico and Central America, has only limited linkages with the three major regional value chains of Asia, Europe and North America. This chapter also looks at how participation in value chains may contribute to more inclusive structural change, by analysing three core microeconomic aspects. Chapter III identifies various spheres in which regional integration and cooperation can help strengthen production integration between the economies of Latin America and the Caribbean. The fourth chapter explores the intra- and extraregional trade relations of the countries of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) and considers how to strengthen production integration in the subregion by taking advantage of linkages beyond trade and building on commercial and production complementarities among the members. The chapter also reviews the differences between the countries in terms of income, population and production and export structure, in a context of marked macroeconomic vulnerability.

The Panama Canal turns 100: history and possible future scenarios

This issue of the FAL Bulletin sets out a brief history of the Panama Canal, its construction and its social and political impact on Panama, within the context of international trade at the time. This issue also reviews the recovery of the canal by the Republic of Panama and subsequent major events, including the decision to expand the canal and the start-up of work on the expansion project.

The employment situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Recovery of employment: towards a sustainable model

The adverse effects on Latin America and the Caribbean of the global economic and financial crisis, the worst since the 1930s, have been considerably less than was once feared. Although a run of growth was cut short in 2009 and regional output shrank by 1.9%, the impact of the crisis was limited by the application of countercyclical fiscal and monetary policies by many of the region’s governments. The recovery in the economies, particularly in South America, has gone hand-in-hand with the rapid resurgence of the emerging economies of Asia, with all the favourable consequences this has had for global trade. A similar pattern may be observed regarding the impact of the crisis on labour markets in Latin America and the Caribbean. Although millions of people lost their jobs or had to trade down to lower-quality work, levels of employment (including formal employment) fell by less than originally foreseen. At the same time, real wages rose slightly in a context of falling inflation. The labour market thus stabilized domestic demand, and this contributed to the recovery that began in many countries in late 2009. Improved international trade and financing conditions, and the pick-up in domestic demand driven by macroeconomic policies, have led different commentators to estimate growth in the region’s economy at some 6% in 2010. As detailed in the first part of this edition of the Bulletin, the upturn has been manifested at the regional level by the creation of formal employment, a rise in the employment rate, a decline in joblessness and a moderate increase in real wages. Specifically, it is estimatedthat the regional unemployment rate will have dropped by 0.6 percentage points, from 8.1% in 2009 to 7.5% in 2010. The performance of different countries and subregions has been very uneven, however. On the one hand, there is Brazil, where high economic growth has been accompanied by vigorous creation of formal jobs and the unemployment rate has dropped to levels not seen in a long time. Other countries in South America have benefited from strong demand for natural resources from the Asian countries. Combined with higher domestic demand, this has raised their economic growth rates and had a positive impact on employment indicators. On the other hand, the recovery is still very weak in certain countries and subregions, particularly in the Caribbean, with employment indicators continuing to worsen.Thus, the recovery in the region’s economy in 2010 may be characterized as dynamic but uneven. Growth estimates for 2011 are less favourable. The risks associated with the imbalances in the world economy and the withdrawal of countercyclical fiscal packages are likely to cause the region to grow more slowly in 2011. Accordingly, a small further reduction of between 0.2 and 0.4 percentage points in the unemployment rate is projected for 2011. However, these indicators of recovery do not guarantee growth with decent work in the long term. To bolster the improvement in labour market indicators and generate more productive employment and decent work, the region’s countries need to strengthen their macroeconomic policies, improve regional and global policy coordination, identify and remove bottlenecks in the labour market itself and enhance instruments designed to promote greater equality. Like the rest of the world, the Latin American and Caribbean region is also confronted with the challenge of transforming the way it produces so that its economies can develop along tracks that are sustainable in the long term. Climate change and the consequent challenge of developing and strengthening low-carbon production and consumption patterns will also affect the way people work. A great challenge ahead is to create green jobs that combine decent work with environmentally sustainable production patterns. From this perspective, the second part of this Bulletin discusses the green jobs approach, offering some information on the challenges and opportunities involved in moving towards a sustainable economy in the region and presenting a set of options for addressing environmental issues and the repercussions of climate change in the world of work. Although the debate about the green jobs concept is fairly new in the region, examples already exist and a number of countries have moved ahead with the application of policies and programmes in this area. Costa Rica has formulated a National Climate Change Strategy, for example, whose foremost achievements include professional training in natural-resource management. In Brazil, fuel production from biomass has increased and social housing with solar panelling is being built. A number of other countries in the region are making progress in areas such as ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and infrastructure for climate change adaptation, and in formalizing the work of people who recycle household waste. The shift towards a more environmentally sustainable economy may cause jobs to be destroyed in some economic sectors and created in others. The working world will inevitably undergo major changes. If the issue is approached by way of social dialogue and appropriate public policies, there is a chance to use this shift to create more decent jobs, thereby contributing to growth in the economy, the construction of higher levels of equality and protection for the environment.

Panorama da Inserção Internacional da América Latina e Caribe 2013: Lenta pós-crise, meganegociações comerciais e cadeias de valor: o espaço de ação regional. Documento informativo

A edição 2013 do Panorama da inserção internacional da América Latina e Caribe, intitulado “Lenta pós-crise, meganegociações comerciais e cadeias de valor: o espaço de ação regional”, se divide em três capítulos. O primeiro capítulo revisa os principais traços da persistente debilidade que mostram a economia e o comércio mundial. Em seguida, se examina a evolução e as perspectivas do comércio mundial e regional. No segundo capítulo faz-se um exame das principais transformações da organização da produção e do comércio mundial associadas ao fenômeno das redes internacionais de produção, que estão na raiz das atuais negociações megarregionais. À continuação se revisam três processos de particular importância: o Acordo Transatlântico sobre Comércio e Investimento entre os Estados Unidos e a União Europeia; o Acordo de Associação Transpacífico, que inclui 12 países de América Latina, América do Norte, Ásia e Oceania; e a Associação Econômica Integral Regional, que reúne dez países membros da Associação de Nações do Sudeste Asiático (ASEAN), Austrália, China, Índia, Japão, Nova Zelândia e República da Coreia. O capítulo III analisa a participação dos países da América Latina e do Caribe em redes internacionais de produção e cadeias de valor.

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2009

Includes bibliography.

Panorama Económico y Social de la Comunidad de Estados Latinoamericanos y Caribeños 2014

Prólogo de Alicia Bárcena

Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States 2014

This issue of the Economic and Social Panorama of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States is a contribution by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) to the third Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), to be held in San José in January 2015. This document is based on excerpts from some of the annual flagships published by the Commission in 2014: Statistical Yearbook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 (LC/G.2582-P); Demographic Observatory 2013 (LC/G.2615-P); Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2014 (LC/G.2619-P); Preliminary Overview of the Economies of Latin America and the Caribbean 2014 (LC/G.2632-P); Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean 2013 (LC/G.2615-P); Latin America and the Caribbean in the World Economy 2014 (LG/G.2625-P) “Social Panorama Social of Latin America 2014. Briefing Paper”; as well as the Gender Equality Observatory of Latin America and the Caribbean. Annual Report 2013-2014 (LC/G.2626).

El desafío de la sostenibilidad ambiental en América Latina y el Caribe. Textos seleccionados 2012-2014

Prólogo de Alicia Bárcena.

Relaciones económicas entre América Latina y el Caribe y la República de Corea: avances y oportunidades

Prologo de Alicia Barcena