SANTIAGO, Dec. 20 (Xinhua) -- The economy of Latin America and the Caribbean will grow 1.7 percent in 2019, in an international scenario of greater uncertainty, the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) announced on Thursday.

The figure is lower than the 1.8-percent rise predicted by the UN agency in October.

ECLAC, based in Santiago, Chile, projected that the region will close 2018 with an average growth of 1.2 percent, lower than the 1.3 percent forecast in October.

Meanwhile, the group also foresaw greater uncertainty for economies in 2019 coming from various fronts.

This will have an impact on the growth of the economies of the region, which requires "public policies to strengthen sources of growth and face the uncertainty on global level," ECLAC executive secretary Alicia Barcena said.

ECLAC said that the region will face a complex global economic scene, with a reduction in the dynamics of growth in developed and emerging economies.

An increase in the volatility of international financial markets and the structural weakening of the world's trade are also expected.

The group als estimated that Central America will grow 3.3 percent, South America 1.4 percent and the Caribbean 2.1 percent in 2019.

Meanwhile, the largest economies in the region, Brazil and Mexico, are predicted to grow 2 and 2.1 percent, respectively.