United Nations
ECLAC Commission on Geopolitics, Globalization and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean
Why this report?
The post-war world order—based on multilateral institutions, common rules, and expanding globalization—has given way to a new phase characterized by great power rivalry, the weaponization of economic relations, and the erosion of multilateralism.
Although the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean cannot fully control these transformations, they have resources and options to navigate the new global landscape, advance their development, and strengthen their international agency. Their success will depend on their ability to design appropriate strategies and strengthen their governance and institutions.
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The report, in four readings
Why read this report?
| Governments | To promote public policies that enable the countries of the region to successfully navigate the new geopolitical context. | |
| Private sector | To understand how global disruptions are reshaping markets, value chains, and the region's assets, and to anticipate the risks and opportunities they entail. | |
| Academia and civil society | To access a rigorous analysis of the transformations redefining the world order and the institutional capacities needed to navigate it. | Regional and international organizations | To explore how the region can increase its international influence through regional cooperation and the diversification of its economic, political, and cooperation ties. |
Origins of the Commission
Why did ECLAC convene this Commission?
José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs
Executive Secretary of ECLAC
Mindful of the major geopolitical transformations under way, in late 2024 I convened an independent high-level commission to help us deepen the analysis of the new international order (or disorder) and to formulate recommendations for the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on how to navigate it, avoiding the greatest risks and leveraging the opportunities presented.
The ECLAC Commission on Geopolitics, Globalization and Development for Latin America and the Caribbean began its work in early 2025. The result of that effort is the book that we are pleased to present today.
I trust that this report will stand as a valuable contribution to our institution’s long tradition of helping the countries of the region to achieve more productive, inclusive and sustainable development, amid complex global conditions at present and in the coming decades.
The commission
Meet the Commission’s Members
Co-Chairs of the commission
The commissioners
Josep Borrell
High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (2019–2024)
Leonardo Lomelí
Rector of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
Aloizio Mercadante
President of Brazil’s National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES)
Keith Nurse
President of the College of Science, Technology and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (2022 - 2025)
Shannon O'Neil
Senior Vice President of Studies and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR)
Harsha Vardhana Singh
Deputy Director-General of the World Trade Organization (2005-2013)
Vera Songwe
Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (2017-2022)
Visual record
Photo gallery
Commissioners at work building the report
Contact & resources
Press contact
For inquiries related to the Commission and the report, please contact the ECLAC Public Information Unit:
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E-mail: prensa@cepal.org
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Telephone: (56) 22210 2040
Media kit
Press
The report in the media
Below is a selection of the international media coverage received by the Commission's report. The links lead to the respective media outlets' websites.
Repensar el desarrollo en la nueva era de rivalidad geopolítica.
-- Columna de opinión de José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs, Secretario Ejecutivo de la CEPAL, El País Chile
Cepal plantea estrategia de «cooperación regional» ante «rupturas» en geopolítica global.
-- Revista Summa, Costa Rica
CEPAL propõe 10 medidas para América Latina e Caribe enfrentarem nova era geopolítica.
-- Jornal Grande Bahia, Brazil