The present discussion paper draws attention to the value of the legal empowerment approach for Latin America and the Caribbean and its complementarity with existing poverty and inequality reduction strategies. It highlights the most salient and relevant elements of legal empowerment, establishes connections with already existing UNDP programmes and strategies in the region and offers specific examples of successful legal empowerment strategies pursued and supported by UNDP in other regions of the world. The purpose is to identify opportunities for engagement at both the regional and country levels and examine ways in which programming and regional strategies initiated in other parts of the world may provide useful models.