The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) - the Spanish acronym is CEPAL - is one of the five regional commissions of the United Nations. It was founded in 1948 with the purpose of contributing to the economic development of Latin America, coordinating actions directed towards this end, and reinforcing economic ties among countries and with other nations of the world. The promotion of the region's social development was later included among its primary objectives.
ECLAC unveiled in February 2024 its Digital Development Observatory (DDO), a new instrument that aims to produce, gather and analyze relevant data and information to identify trends, evaluate progress and support policy formulation and implementation on digital transformation in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The DDO’s website contains more than 100 indicators and qualitative information in 12 thematic areas seen as key for countries’ digital transformation, including connectivity and digital inclusion, businesses and productive digital transformation, e-commerce and digital services, digital skills, digital government and artificial intelligence.
The Observatory also compiles information on national digital agendas, as well as the Digital Agenda for Latin America and the Caribbean (eLAC).
Digital transformation is increasingly modifying people's daily lives and their opportunities in the productive, social and cultural world (Velázquez, Martínez and Palma, 2020). Artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, cloud data and platforms are among these digital technologies (Palma 2024), and their potential impacts are still being determined.
24 September 2024
Policy benchmarks for digital transformation of people-centred cities
