Page 12 - Caribbean-Central America Profile 2018

REGIONAL

CARIBBEAN-CENTRAL AMERICA PROFILE 2018

contribution from net exports. Thus, growth is on economic performance in the medium and incorporation of technology and knowledge.
projected to slow to 1.9 percent in 2018. Inflation long term. Countries need to address external and fiscal
is temporarily running above the central bank’s imbalances, strengthen regional economic
target and is projected to reach 5.9 percent, on Latin America and Caribbean can’t lose sight of integration to become more competitive globally,
average, in 2017 before gradually converging to the need to build resilience to shocks –economic, and avoid unduly sacrificing investment in the
3 percent by early 2019. natural, or social, including crime and violence adjustment process. Current gaps in logistics
– and encourage greater transparency and and infrastructure are important obstacles for
According to ECLAC, the capacity of the accountability. Shifting from a procyclical to intra-regional trade.
region’s countries to generate a more dynamic countercyclical policy framework is necessary
economic growth process that is sustained to ensure sustainable and equitable long-term
over time depends on the space for adopting growth. In this context, bolstering both public
policies that support investment, which will and private investment is essential, along
be fundamental for mitigating the effects of with diversifying the productive structure to
external shocks and averting significant impacts achieve one with more value added and greater

A-6 Caribbean-Central American Action