Sustainable BusinessRecent posts
Artificial Intelligence for Health Care: Diagnosing Tropical Diseases in Remote Amazon Regions
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the global health landscape, particularly in remote Amazon regions, where a new technology can diagnose cutaneous leishmaniasis using a cellphone without requiring an internet connection.
Reimagining the Future of Finance in Latin America and the Caribbean
At the FinnLAC Forum 2025 in Miami, the IDB Group hosted over 500 industry leaders and experts to help redefine the future of finance in Latin America and the Caribbean. The event focused on improving the ability of individuals and companies to better manage their finances, withstand economic shocks, and invest in their long-term prosperity. By highlighting innovations that broaden access, strengthen resilience, and promote overall financial health, the forum set the stage for more sustainable financial systems across the region.
Fixing the Broken Rung: How Data Can Help Advance Women’s Careers in Latin America and the Caribbean
In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), the greatest disruption in women’s career progression occurs during the transition into managerial roles. A collaboration between IDB Invest and LinkedIn, within the framework of the Development Data Partnership, uses large-scale labor-market data to identify where women’s participation declines and what barriers exist across sectors and career stages.
Six Takeaways on the Growth of Palm Oil in Latin America
As I have noted before in this space, there are a number of risks and opportunities associated with palm oil. Among other negative impacts, expansion of palm oil plantations drives deforestation in many tropical countries, resulting in enormous carbon emissions. However, palm oil’s high productivity makes it a profitable investment and it has the potential to bring wealth and employment to rural areas.
Towards a new generation of public-private partnerships for Infrastructure
Latin America and the Caribbean is crying out for infrastructure improvements. An investment estimated at 5 percent of the region’s GDP—or $250 billion per year—is required to develop projects that are fundamental for economic development, not only by improving highways and bridges, but also by building hospitals and creating mobility solutions for smarter cities. Every other business sees a lack of infrastructure as a serious problem for the region.
Social Media in Latin America and the Caribbean Private Sector
*By Eric Schwartzman If you’re curious if and how the Latin America and the Caribbean private sector uses social media, this post is for you.
Three Pillars for Jamaica to Achieve Sustainable Growth
There are many encouraging signs emerging from Jamaica these days. Three of the major rating agencies provide a positive outlook for the economy, consumer confidence reached a two-year peak in 2014, and lower oil prices are helping to cut energy costs and improve the fiscal accounts. What this means is increased investment opportunities in a country that is proudly emerging from a period of economic hardship.
On International Happiness Day, Let’s Think about Women in the Workplace
“Happiness is an inside job”, said author John Powell. Well, here’s breaking news: as pretty as it sounds, there are some external constraints to happiness for more than half the world’s population. Let’s start with some of the issues that women face in the workplace, as well as three ways to start turning these around:
Three Things You Should Know About Broadband
By Mónica Fernández Alvarez de Lugo, Opportunities for the Majority at IDB; and Lucie Klarsfeld, Hystra. In the past year, MIT and NASA have been working hard to make broadband connectivity available on the moon. The results have been so positive that your connectivity on the moon is actually better than in many countries on Earth, including the United States. And this same year, Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, created internet.org, with the goal of providing connectivity to every single person around the world.
