Documents
Ninth Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean, Chaired by Argentina, Washington DC, 2017
The Policy Discussion Briefs were prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as the basis for discussion in the Ninth RFM Meeting.
The briefs address the issues linked to SME finance, the withdrawal of correspondent banking relationships, the challenges to financial inclusion, the contribution of Fintech to financial inclusion, the importance of women’s financial inclusion, and the resetting of the trade integration agenda in Latin America and the Caribbean.
Eighth Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean, chaired by Paraguay, held in Washington DC, 2016
The Policy Discussion Notes were prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, and the Economic Commission of America. America and the Caribbean of the United Nations (ECLAC), as a basis for discussion at the Eighth Meeting of the RFM.
The notes present the role of cyclical and structural policies to generate growth, and the challenges for regional integration in the context of the economic slowdown. In particular, the notes address the institutional and regulatory business architecture, the role of physical and logistic integration, and the challenges for financial integration.
The Policy Discussion Briefs were prepared by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the World Bank Group (WBG), CAF – Development Bank of Latin America, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as the basis for discussion in the Seventh RFM Meeting.
The briefs address the issues linked to labor markets and their role in increasing growth, the subject of public-private partnerships (PPPs), the macroeconomic risks of PPPs in infrastructure, the importance of a reform agenda to improve public management, and fiscal policy challenges in reconciling cyclical tendencies with growth in the medium and long term.
Sixth Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean, Chaired by Colombia, Washington, DC, 2014
This Policy Discussion Brief was prepared jointly by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), the World Bank, and the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as the basis for discussion in the Sixth RFM Meeting.
The brief provides insight into how the rise of the economies of the South is shaping growth prospects for Latin America and the Caribbean, examines the internationalization of the region through global value chains, and discusses the avenues for integration and regional financial cooperation.
Fifth Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean, Chaired by Colombia, held in Washington, DC, 2013
This policy discussion brief has been prepared jointly by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), World Bank, and United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) as the basis for discussion among the Ministers during the Fifth Meeting of Finance Ministers of the Americas and the Caribbean, held in Washington DC, on October 9, 2013.
The document addresses the importance of boosting productivity in the region through structural reforms, the creation of an enabling environment for entrepreneurship and innovation, as well as of lowering inequality and informality.
World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
This brief discusses four inter-related issues: (i) the value of complementarities between integration software and hardware; (ii) the key interventions of a policy menu for deepening integration; (iii) the expected returns by 2020 of an ambitious program of reforms and investment in integration; and (iv) an operational framework for locking-in investment in integration projects.
World Bank, Inter-American Development Bank and United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
This brief discusses the actions needed to promote physical infrastructure and reduce intra-regional trade costs, as formally requested in the Second Annual Meeting held in Chile in 2009, and offers some questions to be considered by the Ministers in order to lay the ground for future action.
World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank
This document provides an overview of the rationale for coordinating policy interventions at the regional level and the need to increase the provision of regional public goods. In particular, it reviews the main policy issues identified by the Ministers as priorities in the First Meeting in the areas of infrastructure and energy efficiency, assesses the main bottlenecks for enhanced regional cooperation and offers some questions to be considered by the Ministers in order to lay the ground for future action.
International Monetary Fund (versión en inglés solamente)
The paper assesses the implications of the debate on financial sector reform for LAC countries, and presents policy options for improving financial regulation in the long run. It focuses specifically on the key priorities for action as proposed by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) and the G20, with the support of international financial institutions, namely: (i) expansion of the perimeter of regulation; (ii) improvement of cross-border and cross-functional regulation and cooperation; (iii) re-examination of existing regulatory and institutional practices to reduce pro-cyclicality; (iv) strengthening of public disclosure practices; and (v) greater flexibility of central banks to provide liquidity and focus attention on credit and asset price booms.
World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (versión en inglés solamente)
The paper presents some ideas on how governments can use existing technologies and new financial mechanisms to meet growing energy needs, while reducing greenhouse gas emissions across all sectors of the economy. In a context of financial crisis, special emphasis is put on efforts to ensure regional cooperation and integration in the energy sector in order to meet development goals and combat climate change.
World Bank and Inter-American Development Bank (versión en inglés solamente)
Given the potential effects of rising food prices on the wellbeing of the poor, the study analyzes the impact of transport and logistics costs on food prices in the LAC region. It provides an overview of the hurdles faced by importers and consumers as food products move through the logistics chain, and highlights areas for potential governmental action to improve the efficiency of logistics and transport systems in the region.
A Proposal by the Mexican Minister of Finance,
Mr. Agustín Carstens Carstens (versión en inglés solamente)
This paper examines the impacts of the worsening global crisis, especially in what regards the rise of food and fuel prices, and discusses potential measures to be implemented by the region to lessen the negative effects on their economies.
This paper examines the need and requirements to develop a new strategic agenda within the region in order to strengthen its position as a community of countries.
This paper examines the role of tax competition in Latin America, arguing that tax systems in the region have to operate in a more competitive environment. It examines five related issues: (i) What is the Influence of Taxes on Location Decisions?; (ii) How to Design Tax Policy for Foreign Direct Investment?; (iii) How to Address Mobile Tax Bases?; (iv) What Lessons can be learned on the Use of Tax Incentives?; (v) How to deal with Competition from Tax Havens in the Latin American Region?