BACKGROUND
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Permanent Secretariat of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic System (SELA) share the interest in supporting regional integration processes as relevant mechanisms for the economic and political development of Latin America and the Caribbean. The Permanent Secretariat of SELA and ECLAC have promoted research to increase knowledge about the advances made in different subregional integration mechanisms in various fields of interest to the region. Therefore, they are organizing a seminar for reflection and discussion on the future of integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In the “Seminar: Prospective vision of Latin American and Caribbean integration”, both institutions will present the main results of some research studies on the status of integration processes, as well as the main challenges and opportunities for the region. In 2016, SELA worked on the design of an integration index for Latin America and the Caribbean (INTALC) to measure the degree of integration of the countries in the region and monitor its evolution. New topics were incorporated into this index with the inclusion of dimensions that are not traditional in this type of indicators, such as social, migration, labour and cultural matters. Furthermore, ECLAC has worked on various documents related to regional integration, including the analysis of intra-regional trade, its typology according to its technological contents and regional value added.
This seminar aims to discuss the status and future of integration processes in Latin America and the Caribbean. To that end, participants will be able to analyse recent studies on integration schemes and challenges posed by the international environment, intra-regional trade and future scenarios, with the participation of experts in the various integration mechanisms, as well as international organizations.
The event will feature round tables on regional and subregional integration schemes that contribute to the strengthening of integrationist ties of the countries in the region. The contents of this activity are based on the following four topics: regional and subregional integration mechanisms and organizations; SELA’s follow-up report on integration mechanisms; tools for monitoring, analyzing and measuring regional integration; challenges posed by the international environment; and prospects for Latin American and Caribbean integration processes.
