Enhancing social inclusion in Latin America and the Caribbean

The OECD works with LAC policy makers to raise awareness about gender inequality and address the key factors holding back women’s economic empowerment in the region (entrenched social norms, discriminatory legal frameworks and a disproportionate care burden) so that women can gain autonomy and integrate the work force more fully.

Through the OECD Gender Initiative, the OECD examines existing barriers to gender equality in education, employment, entrepreneurship and public life.

The Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) measures deep-rooted discrimination in social institutions and looks at the laws and social norms that restrict women's and girl’s rights. Covering 29 countries from the LAC region, it is uniquely placed to examine the gaps that discriminatory legislation, social norms and practices create between women and men in terms of rights and opportunities.

Similarly,  Opportunity Has No Gender: Unlocking Women’s Economic Potential in LAC, an EU-OECD project, analyses educational, social and (formal and informal) employment gender disparities, with a focus on women's disproportionate responsibility for unpaid work.

The OECD supports the LAC region to better understand and harness migration flows through rigorous monitoring, as well as comparative projects that assess migration from a development perspective. With the collaboration of the Organisation of American States (OAS) we regularly bring together 19 LAC countries, as well the US and Canada, for dialogue on migration and integration policies that are based on Continuous Reporting System on International Migration in the Americas (SICREMI).

One of the most relevant assets of the LAC region is its young population. Through its Investing in Youth Reviews, new OECD Jobs Strategy and tailored policy reviews on Getting Skills Right, the OECD helps LAC countries develop policies that increase youth access to better quality and more rewarding formal sector jobs, particularly focusing on the most vulnerable youth.

The OECD co-operates at the regional and national level with LAC countries to increase the quality, efficiency and sustainability of their healthcare systems. Using the OECD Reviews of Health Systems and OECD Reviews of Public Health, the OECD helps countries identify the main challenges of their public health systems. At the same time, through targeted regional studies the OECD provides in-depth analysis and policy recommendations to strengthen healthcare policies.

The OECD is actively engaging with LAC countries to address urban policy challenges and support sustainable, inclusive, safe, and resilient urban development. The engagement of LAC countries and cities through OECD projects like the National Urban Policy Programme, the OECD Champion Mayors Initiative, and the Mining Regions and Cities Project enables us to understand and develop more diverse and tailored policy strategies for LAC contexts.