Caribbean & Central America
Caribbean & Central America - December 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Progress made on Comprehensive Development Plan, but its future remains unclear
- Costa Rica’s balancing act: budget cuts and economic growth
- New report sheds light on forced migration of Nicaraguans to Costa Rica
Caribbean
- Security concerns mount as UN ends its peacekeeping presence
- Tensions rise ahead of election
- Trinidad rejects IMF as Jamaica graduates with flying colours
- Bouterse sentenced for murder ahead of elections
- A change in the mood music
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
Foreign ministers from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador met in September at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, to discuss the implementation of the Comprehensive Development Plan for Central America.
Caribbean & Central America - November 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Guatemala’s Cicig shuts its doors
- Belize pleases US with Taiwan policy
- Worsening drought could cripple Central America
Caribbean
- Roosevelt looking for resounding victory in Dominica
- Towards a contested election in Guyana
- Harris highlights St Kitts & Nevis’s economic success but warns on resilience
- New report points to the Caribbean’s “extreme vulnerability” to climate change
- Cuban economy feels the heat from tighter US sanctions
- Some Cuban retailers begin to sell goods priced in US-dollars
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
In recent years Central America has been ravaged by drought and changing weather patterns which have far reaching consequences in the region and beyond. We begin this November edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America by looking at how years of poor rainfall have affected millions of subsistence farmers, pushing many into food insecurity and forcing a vast number of people to migrate in order to survive.
Caribbean & Central America - October 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Internal displacement in the Northern Triangle
- Guatemala’s child malnutrition epidemic hits hard
- AI will shake up Central America’s labour market
- Alvarado looks to private sector to improve Costa Rica’s infrastructure competitiveness
Caribbean
- Focus on building Caribbean hurricane resilience
- Strong Guyanese growth ahead of first oil, but political difficulties persist
- The search goes on in Suriname
- Venezuelan migration to the English-speaking Caribbean
- Russia courts Suriname
- Trinidad still at odds with the US
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
The World Economic Forum’s global competitiveness report for 2017-2018 ranked Costa Rica 62nd out of 137 countries for infrastructure competitiveness.
Caribbean & Central America - September 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Struggling to address dengue, especially Honduras
- Emerging legislation to protect Central America’s human rights defenders
- Icefi warns on Central America’s tax revenue
Caribbean
- Guyana’s ‘must-win’ election
- The struggle to reduce debt beginning to pay off
- Caribbean Pointers
- US reinforces its support for Guyana
- Trinidad’s UNC plays race card
- Internecine conflict wracks DR’s ruling party ahead of elections
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
Attacks on indigenous human rights defenders have drastically increased in recent years and new legislation to protect them is becoming key to overcoming the level of impunity under which this violence occurs.
Caribbean & Central America - August 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Nicaragua’s amnesty law attracts condemnation
- Costa Rica seeks to end emissions
- Demands for better frameworks for environment, human rights and mining in Central America
Caribbean
- Elections are coming in Guyana
- Caricom leaders rail against blacklisting
- Concerns about effectiveness of Trinidad’s anti-gang legislation
- Jamaica’s continuing reliance on states of emergency
Highlights
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
With scrutiny increasing on Latin America’s ability to mitigate and overcome the effects of climate change – and nowhere more so than in Central America’s ‘Dry Corridor’ – the environmental sustainability of key economic sectors has emerged as a vital challenge.
Caribbean & Central America - July 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- Honduras: Hernández back under pressure over drug allegations
- Crisis continues to impact Nicaragua’s economy
- More of the same in Guatemala?
- Eclac report shows mixed findings on inequality and wealth distribution
Caribbean
- GUYANA: The IMF positive at crucial political juncture
- SURINAME: Ruling NDP sees drop in support
- Barbados: Government promises new anti-corruption laws
- Guyana looking to update security pact with Brazil
Highlights
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
In this July edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at Nicaragua where, more than a year since the start of the crackdown by President Daniel Ortega on his political opponents, the economic consequences for the country are clearer than ever.
Caribbean & Central America - June 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele’s economic challenge
- REGION: Development plan for Mexico and the Northern Triangle
- GUATEMALA: Spike in attacks on human rights defenders
- REGION: Report reveals Central American nations highly vulnerable to climate change
- HONDURAS: The IMF is still a bogeyman in Latin America
Caribbean
- HAITI: Energy crisis adds to mounting problems for Moïse
- GUYANA: An unwelcome intrusion
- BARBADOS: Towards a new opposition party
- DOMINICA: Strong economic recovery as Dominica heads towards election
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Highlights
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
In this June edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at El Salvador where at the start of the month Nayib Bukele took office as the country’s new president.
Caribbean & Central America - May 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- PANAMA: Canal issues - people and water
- REGION: How big is people trafficking?
- GUATEMALA: Cicig report reveals illicit networks of power in Guatemalan congress
- REGION: Multilateral effort seeks to tackle coffee leaf rust
Caribbean
- CUBA: Helms-Burton Act becomes reality for Cuba
- GUYANA: Good growth, but maybe not enough
- JAMAICA: Kingston continues to get good marks from IMF
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
In this May edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at Panama.
Caribbean & Central America - April 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- PANAMA: All eyes on Cortizo
- EL SALVADOR: Bukele pivots towards Washington
- NICARAGUA: Fighting poverty or buying votes
- HONDURAS: US policy on Central America confuses, dismays
- REGION: LGBTQ+ legal rights in the Caribbean and Latin America – a comparison
Caribbean
- GUYANA: Uncertainty set to continue
- CARICOM: Splits widen over Venezuela
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Highlights
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
In this April edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at Panama where, if the polls are to be believed, one of the country’s seven presidential candidates fighting the 5 May elections is way out in front.
Caribbean & Central America - March 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- EL SALVADOR: The battle between new and old politics
- GUATEMALA: EITI suspension highlights mining problems
- REGION: Media concentration continues to hamper Central American democracy
Caribbean
- CUBA: New constitution, old hat
- GUYANA: Economic prospects dogged by political uncertainty
- BARBADOS: IMF still happy with Barbados
- GRENADA: IMF praises Grenada for post-hurricane policies
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
In this March edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at El Salvador.
Caribbean & Central America - February 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- GUATEMALA: Washington and the slow-motion coup d’état
- REGION: Mexico changes tack on migration
- REGION: Northern Triangle customs union promises increased regional integration
- HONDURAS: Latest political reforms leave critical matters still unresolved
Caribbean
- HAITI-DOMINICAN REPUBLIC: Migration woes continue to affect Haiti-Dominican Republic relations
- CARICOM: The Caribbean stands by Maduro
- GUYANA: The PPP/C picks successor to Jagdeo
- SURINAME: Politics outranks the IMF
- BELIZE: Opposition urges ‘No’ vote in referendum
Highlights
- Economic Highlights
In this February edition of Latin American Regional Report: Caribbean & Central America, we begin by looking at Guatemala which, at the very least, is immersed in a constitutional crisis.
Caribbean & Central America - January 2019
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- Introduction
Central America
- GUATEMALA: Pockets of fiscal impropriety?
- PANAMA: Is Nito in pole position?
- REGION: Guatemala’s Fuego volcano disaster exposes region’s vulnerability to natural catastrophes
- REGION: Medical tourism continues to take off
Caribbean
- CUBA: Sixty years on, Ground Zero for Cuba and the US
- GUYANA: Ethnic divisions harden ahead of crucial election
- CARIBBEAN POINTERS
Highlights
- ECONOMIC HIGHLIGHTS
Effective from 1 January, Guatemala has a new public sector budget.