The Economic Commission for Latin America was established on the twenty fifth of February, 1948, and is one of the United Nations five regional commissions. The thirty three Latin American and Caribbean countries are members of ECLAC including Saint Lucia, Barbados, Guyana, Jamaica, Dominican Republic, Barbuda, Antigua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, Haiti, Trinidad and Tobago, Bahamas, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Cuba, Grenada and Suriname along with Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, Japan, Canada, Germany, France, Korea, Spain and the Netherlands.

There are also eight Associate Members of ECLAC: Aruba, British Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico, Anguilla, Turks and Caicos Islands, Montserrat, Cayman Islands and the United States Virgin Islands.

The Economic Commission for Latin America provides a wide range of services including:

Organising intergovernmental conferences, seminars and workshops
Promoting social and economic development and integration
Undertakes research and studies
Gathers data and information pertaining to the social and economic development of the region
Brings a regional perspective to global issues and concerns
Sponsors training and organises expert group meetings
Interprets data and information relating to the region

The Economic Commission for Latin America is comprised of a number of divisions and units including Economic and Social Development divisions, Gender Affairs division, International Trade and Integration, Statistics and Economic projections, Developmental Studies unit, Economic and Social Planning, Human Settlements and Sustainable Development, Population and Social Planning division. The Spanish acronym for ECLA is CEPAL.

The Economic Commission for Latin America
Av. Dag Hammarskjold 3477
Vitacura
Santiago de Chile