Established in 1950, the ECLAC office in Washington, D.C. serves as liaison with the governments of the United States, Canada, and international organizations based in Washington, D.C., such as the IMF, World Bank, IDB, OAS, and PAHO.
The office supports intergovernmental processes dealing with hemispheric issues and contributes to fostering cooperation and sharing information and good practices. It is the focal point and provides support to the Summit of the Americas process and participates in the InterAmerican Task Force (IATF) on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)..
The ECLAC Washington Office provides relevant and timely analysis of developments in the United States economy and global financial markets to assist countries of the region in evaluating critical policy issues. It monitors access to international financial markets, as well as trends in trade and barriers to trade. The office also maintains and updates the Observatory of Latin American and Caribbean Bond Issuance, Spreads, and Credit Ratings.
Gender mainstreaming is a focus of the office, reflected in the participation in the task force on women’s empowerment and leadership, along with other United Nations entities, and in the preparation of inputs on gender and innovative financing mechanisms. The gender perspective is included in the analysis whenever pertinent.
Finally, the office also disseminates ECLAC publications and policy recommendations at events, conferences, academic settings, and think tanks.