The Contribution of the Regional UN Economic Commissions to Regional Integration Processes: The Case of ECLAC

This paper deals with the role the regional UN Economic Commissions have played in support of regional integration processes in the past and explores their possible role in the future. Indeed, all regional UN Commissions have a track record of support to regional cooperation and integration in different policy areas, although there is some variation in terms of intensity, modalities as well as direction of this support. The regional commission which has probably been most prominent in this area is ECLAC. The roles that this commission has played in the first and second ‘waves’ of regional integration in Latin America, and the role it is currently playing, are analysed in depth in this paper. The author concludes the paper with a reflection on the potential role of ECLAC and other regional commissions in the future.