United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
Specialized body of the United Nations
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Through United Nations, Sustainable Development Goals and Bogotá
ECLAC was established in 1948 as the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLA). In 1984, a resolution was passed to include the countries of the Caribbean in the name. It reports to the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Executive secretaries
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Themes and programmes
Implementing Sustainable Development Goals
A mapping of ECLAC's activities to the Sustainable Development Goals (in 2023) shows that its current work emphasizes four SDGs; namely, SDG 17 on partnerships, SDG 8 on decent work, SDG 10 on reduced inequalities, and SDG 16 on peace and justice. In practice, ECLAC strives toward its own regional paradigm, called Global Environmental Keynesianism, which promotes multidimensional equality as the purpose of development. The commission seeks to balance the new SDGs with its earlier focus on equality and to better emphasize the environmental dimension of economic development.
ECLAC has been working on a debt-swap strategy since 2016, titled the Debt for Climate Adaptation Swap and Caribbean Resilience Fund. This fund aims to reduce the debt and fiscal constraints for investment in green industries, stimulate growth, promote economic transformation, and expand fiscal space for public investment such as for the SDGs.
Locations
- Santiago, Chile (headquarters)
- Mexico City, Mexico (Central American subregional headquarters)
- Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (Caribbean subregional headquarters)
- Bogotá, Colombia (country office)
- Brasília, Brazil (country office)
- Buenos Aires, Argentina (country office)
- Montevideo, Uruguay (country office)
- Washington, DC, United States of America (liaison office)
Member states
The following are all member states of ECLAC:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Bolivia (Plurinational State of)
- Brazil
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Cuba
- Dominica
- Dominican Republic
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- France
- Germany
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Italy
- Jamaica
- Japan
- Mexico
- Netherlands
- Nicaragua
- Norway
- Panama
- Paraguay
- Peru
- Portugal
- Saint Kitts and Nevis
- Saint Lucia
- Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
- Republic of Korea
- Spain
- Suriname
- Turkey
- Trinidad and Tobago
- United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
- Uruguay
- Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of
Associate members
The following are all associate members of ECLAC:
- Anguilla
- Aruba
- Bermuda
- British Virgin Islands
- Cayman Islands
- Curaçao
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Montserrat
- Puerto Rico
- Sint Maarten
- Turks and Caicos Islands
- United States Virgin Islands
- French Guiana
Former member states
Foreign investment
A number of the political governments of the region maintain foreign direct investment promotion agencies in partnership with entities such as the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies. Additionally ECLAC/CEPAL cooperates on regional annual conferences with CAF – Development Bank of Latin America and the Caribbean and the bloc overlaps with the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States based in Uruguay.