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| Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre | |
|---|---|
| Name | Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre |
| Native name | Centro Latinoamericano y Caribeño de Demografía |
| Formation | 1957 |
| Type | Intergovernmental organization |
| Headquarters | Santiago, Chile |
| Region served | Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Parent organization | ECLAC |
Latin American and Caribbean Demographic Centre is a regional research and training institution focused on population studies in Latin America and the Caribbean. It operates within the multilateral system associated with ECLAC, linking demographic research to policy debates involving entities such as UNFPA, WHO, IDB, PAHO and national statistical offices of Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Colombia and Peru. The Centre produces analyses used by international agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, UNHCR and regional bodies like the Andean Community and the CARICOM.
Founded in 1957 during a period of expansion in postwar international institutions, the Centre emerged alongside organizations such as UNESCO, ILO and World Bank initiatives to build statistical capacity. Early collaborations involved scholars connected to Paul Ehrlich, Kingsley Davis, Alfred Sauvy-adjacent networks and national census offices in Chile, Argentina and Uruguay. During the 1970s and 1980s the Centre engaged with policy processes influenced by UNCTAD debates, the ICPD preparatory activities and research agendas from Harvard University, LSE and El Colegio de México. In the 1990s it expanded ties with World Bank programs, IDB projects and civil society organizations such as Médecins Sans Frontières, Oxfam and regional think tanks including CEBRAP and CEDES.
The Centre's declared mission aligns with mandates from ECLAC, UNFPA and regional development plans promoted by OAS and CARICOM. Objectives emphasize producing demographic evidence to inform policy in areas linked to population dynamics debated in forums like the ICPD and the World Population Conference. The Centre prioritizes technical support for national statistical offices in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Costa Rica and Dominican Republic while contributing to agendas advanced by UNDP, UNICEF and PAHO on issues such as fertility trends, migration flows documented by IOM, ageing populations discussed in OECD reports, and urbanization patterns studied by Habitat III participants.
The Centre is organized into thematic divisions mirroring structures found in institutions like ECLAC, UNFPA and national ministries such as Chile's Ministry of Health and INEGI (Mexico). Its governance includes a board with representatives from member states similar to mechanisms in UNGA subsidiary bodies, technical committees that coordinate with PAHO, WHO and IOM, and research units led by scholars trained in programs at LSE, Harvard University, Oxford and UBA. Administrative links connect to funding partners such as the World Bank, IDB, bilateral donors including USAID and multilateral funds like Global Fund.
The Centre issues peer-reviewed reports, working papers and statistical bulletins similar in function to publications from Population Council, Institute for Fiscal Studies, Brookings Institution and CEPAL studies. Topics include fertility transitions researched within frameworks used by Ansley Coale-influenced demography, migration analyses comparable to work by Douglas Massey and ageing studies drawing on methodologies from UNDESA. Its outputs appear alongside journals such as Demography, Population and Development Review and Revista Latinoamericana de Población and inform regional indicators compiled by World Bank and OECD. Collaborative monographs have been produced with universities like El Colegio de México, UNAM, UWI and research centers including CEBRAP and FLACSO.
The Centre conducts capacity-building programs modeled after training initiatives at UNFPA, ECLAC and ILO and partners with academic programs at LSE, Harvard University, UC Berkeley and Universidad de Chile. It offers short courses for staff from national statistical offices such as INEGI (Mexico), IBGE (Brazil), DANE (Colombia) and ministries like Peru's Ministry of Health, and specialized workshops on census methodologies used by UNSD. Scholarships and fellowships have been awarded in collaboration with institutions like Ford Foundation, Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.
The Centre maintains formal and ad hoc partnerships with international agencies including UNFPA, WHO, PAHO, IOM, UNICEF and ECLAC; multilateral banks such as World Bank and IDB; universities including UNAM, UWI, Harvard University and Oxford; and regional bodies like CARICOM and the Andean Community. Collaborative projects have linked the Centre to NGOs such as Oxfam, Médecins Sans Frontières and Red Cross national societies, as well as to statistical networks involving UNECLAC-affiliated national offices and research consortia akin to Population Council and LASA.
The Centre's research has influenced policy decisions by member states and multilateral agencies including UNDP, UNICEF, World Bank and IDB, shaping discussions on migration policies associated with IOM and health policy interlocutors like PAHO and WHO. Critics drawn from academic circles at UNAM, UBA and think tanks such as CEPR and Brookings Institution have argued that regional demographic models can reproduce methodological biases noted by scholars like Doreen Massey and Amartya Sen, and that partnerships with funders like World Bank and USAID may influence agendas. Debates in forums like ICPD and publications in Population and Development Review reflect tensions over normative assumptions, data transparency issues raised by Transparency International and differing priorities between member states such as Cuba, Brazil and Chile.