MDGs in LAC is a bulletin for and by the MDG Community of Practice in the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. It seeks to provide readers with a comprehensive, concise and interactive resource on MDGs with emphasis on the LAC region. The bulletin features a selection of MDG best practice briefs from countries in the region, in addition to current news, relevant publications and links. MDGs in LAC is produced by UNDP's Regional Centre and Regional Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean.

MDGs in LAC #9, December 2011

This new edition of MDGs in LAC features a new section on the post-2015 development agenda; this segment includes the latest news on meetings and discussions on the topic and a look at how UN agencies and other organizations are contributing to the debate. The bulletin presents three best practice briefs from Mexico, Uruguay and Argentina. Mexico’s brief describes a new system for monitoring MDG information. The article from Uruguay describes the Viví Cultura project, an MDG Fund joint programme, which is promoting the MDGs at the local level through audiovisual arts. For Argentina, the brief illustrates an interagency programme between UNDP, UNFPA and UNAIDS that aims at reducing abortion complications – the main cause of maternal mortality. This number of the bulletin provides updates on the MDG Acceleration Framework process from Belize, Peru, Costa Rica, Colombia and Venezuela and how their UN Country Teams are applying or implementing this tool at both the national and local levels in different development sectors. Finally, the bulletin includes recent publications on topics related to the MDGs in and outside Latin America and the Caribbean describing recent events on these topics.

MDGs in LAC #8, September 2011

The September edition of MDGs in LAC presents two good practice briefs: El Salvador and Venezuela. In El Salvador we share an experience where UNDP joined PAHO, UNICEF, and WFP to promote food availability and diversification, as well as to increase household incomes, particularly in those headed by women through the MDG Fund Joint Programme “Childhood, Food Security and Nutrition”. The brief of UNDP Venezuela on the other hand describes a project they have been working within the UNS to train political candidates to the national congress on MDGs through a series of discussion boards called “The MDG Caravan”. This issue also includes a series of events that took place around the world and an important number of publications focused on the MDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean. This issue of the bulletin includes an update of our site in Teamworks, as well as updated MDG Links.

MDGs in LAC #7, July 2011

In addition to the latest news, events and publications regarding the MDGs of relevance for the region, the 7th edition of the “MDGS in LAC” bulletin includes a new section with a selection of job offers within UNDP – and eventually other agencies –, in the areas of Poverty and MDGs in Latin America and the Caribbean. The “MAF Corner” includes not only the latest news and events regarding the MAF, but also brief updates on the application of this framework in the region (in Colombia, Belize and El Salvador). The “Best Practice Briefs” emphasize the experiences of the Dominican Republic and Colombia. The former illustrates the creation of strategic alliances among all participants of the organic banana value chain and its implications on the increase of efficiency and productivity of small producers in the Dominican Republic. The Colombia brief describes the results of a study indicating how Afrocolombians face much higher levels of poverty and social disadvantages than the rest of the population. The latest data on the progress towards the MDGs in the section “MDG Bites” is from the World Bank Global Monitoring Report 2011. Lastly, the bulletin highlights the updated Teamworks space MDGs in LAC, designed to address knowledge management needs relevant to the progress of the MDGs in the region, by incorporating new information and spaces to share ideas and tools. .

MDGs in LAC #6, April 2011

This issue brings to the table experiences from the region, related to capacity development, MDG localization and the relevance of MDGs in national planning. The first brief provides details on the new Virtual School´s Human Development and MDG Course that took place in the State of Chiapas. Following that is an illustration of the Cuban experience on the joint project between the National Bureau of Statistics (ONE), UNDP Cuba, and other UNS Agencies, to strengthen national capacities to improve MDG monitoring at the local level. The third brief on Costa Rica examines how the just released National Development Plan 2011-2014 goes beyond the official MDG indicators, analyzes their evolution, and proposes actions and nationally tailored targets to accomplish the MDG. The MAF Corner presents the latest version of the MAF toolkit and shows the links between the MAF and the UNDAF processes. The information for the MDG Bites section was extracted from the latest MDG National reports released by each country, maximizing the hard work each national team makes to consolidate and analyze information on MDG progress. The rest of the sections are relevant as well for regional and thematic purposes.

MDGs in LAC #5, February 2011

This first issue of 2011 introduces a new section, “The MAF Corner”; this section was put together to promote activities around the “MDG Acceleration Framework” (MAF), a new methodology developed by UNDP to accelerate progress towards the Goals. For the Best Practice Briefs Section experiences were selected from UNDP Barbados, Ecuador, and Paraguay. For Barbados and the OECS, the action plan for localizing and achieving the MDGs is described, as well as the process through which the UNCT ensured that all goals, targets and indicators were relevant to the social, cultural and economic environment of every individual territory within the region. UNDP Ecuador’s strategy on strengthening local financial structures with public-private participation is also illustrated. The third brief provides detail on Paraguay’s steps to support the making of the National MDG Report – which will be released this year. For this issue of the bulletin, the MDG Bites section uses goal-by-goal commitments made by Heads of State and Government Delegates during the 2010 MDG Summit. The rest of the sections have been updated as well.

MDGs in LAC #4, November 2010

The fourth issue of MDGs in LAC comes with a special section, “After the Summit”, highlighting a series of commitments and new initiatives that resulted from the 2010 MDG Summit. Within the Best Practice Briefs, we received success stories from Ecuador, Panama, and Peru. UNDP Ecuador presents a European Union financed Migration and Development Initiative to strengthen the organic coffee production chain in one of the country´s provinces, while UNDP Panamá describes its interest in accelerating their MDG progress through the identification of main bottlenecks at the local level, particularly in goals that are lagging the most. Lastly, in collaboration with UNAIDS and important media outlets in the country, UNDP Peru outlines the campaign it supported against the discrimination of the HIV/AIDS Positive Population. This time, the MDG Bites section was nurtured by a new publications on MDG advancement in LAC and the segment on Publications displays an interesting array of documents relevant to poverty and social policy issues. The rest of the sections have been updated as well.

MDGs in LAC #3, September 2010

This issue highlights the 2010 MDG Summit, with details on the Summit side events, the Outcome Document negotiations, and other useful information on the Summit. It features Best Practice Briefs on the Netherlands Antilles, Guatemala and Guyana. A joint project between the Netherlands Antilles government and UNDP solidified NA’s commitment to achieving the MDGs. The partnership between the Tigo Foundation and the UN System resulted in the creation of the Millennium Schools Program to provide healthy school environments. Guyana is nearing the publication of its second MDG National Report, which is expected to be more engaging as it outlines challenges and corresponding solutions. This issue includes updates on MDG News from HQ and from the region, relevant publications (featuring the main global Reports on MDGs, plus our new Knowledge Management series), and offers updated MDG Links.

MDGs in LAC #2, July 2010

This issue debuts a section on examples of MDG-related statistics from the region: “MDG Bites: Fast Facts from the region”. As Best Practice Briefs, the cases of Bolivia, Chile and Panama are featured. Initiatives led by UN Volunteers in the Bolivian Oruro Department helped incorporate the indigenous community’s “Good Living” philosophy” into its development plan and local MDG strategy. Chile has turned its focus to sub-national MDG initiatives to address disparities noted in its second MDGR and facilitate the identification of priority areas. Panama reinforced its commitment to achieving the MDGs as it called for greater co-leadership from the government and Civil Society actors during the III MDG Progress Report.

MDGs in LAC #1, November 2009

The inaugural issue of MDGs in LAC offers Best Practice Briefs on Colombia´s localization strategy, Jamaica´s economic strategy and program initiatives in Nicaragua aimed at achieving MDG 1. It also introduces the first "beta" version of the LAC MDG Observatory, a country by country scorecard tool based on official data from National MDG Reports and official MDG Updates, and aims at providing a bird's eye view on goal-by-goal MDG progress across countries in the region. .