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Add to Preferred SourcesAs COVID-19 continues to spread throughout the world, Latin America and the Caribbean have become a “hotspot of the pandemic”, the UN chief said releasing a new policy initiative on how best to recover in a region already embroiled in poverty, hunger, unemployment, and inequality.
The UN brief reveals that several countries in the region, are now among those with the highest per capita infection rates worldwide and shines a light on how the crisis is impacting vulnerable groups, including indigenous communities and women.
“The most vulnerable populations and individuals are once again being hit the hardest,” Secretary-General António Guterres said on the pandemic’s effect throughout a zone grappling with fragmented health services – even before the coronavirus.
The UN chief emphasized the impact of the coronavirus on women across the region, who make up the majority of the workforce and now bear the brunt of additional caregiving. He highlighted the plight of older persons and individuals with disabilities, who are at greater risk; and indigenous peoples, those of African descent, migrants, and refugees, who are suffering disproportionately.
It is projected that there will be a 9.1 percent contraction in the gross domestic product (GDP), which will be the largest in a century.
While stressing the need to “do everything possible to limit the spread of the virus and tackle the health effects of the pandemic”, Mr. Guterres noted that “we must also address the unprecedented social and economic impacts.”
The policy brief underlines an array of urgent and longer-term steps for better recovery, including the prioritization of distance learning and continued child-centered services to mitigate education interruptions.
Governments within the region are also being asked to do more to reduce poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition, such as by providing basic emergency income and anti-hunger grants.
Mr. Guterres also flagged the urgent need for greater international support.
“Latin American and Caribbean countries – and in particular small island developing States – should not be excluded from global assistance”, he asserted. “The international multilateral response needs to be extended to middle-income countries”.
Broader structural challenges must be addressed to build back better and transform the region’s development model.
Against the backdrop of pervasive inequality, accessible and comprehensive welfare systems must be developed, fair taxation systems created, decent jobs promoted, environmental sustainability strengthened, and social protection mechanisms reinforced, according to the UN chief.
Moreover, regional economic integration is required, with “women participating fully and safely in public and economic life”, he stressed.
“Building back better demands strengthening democratic governance, human rights protection and the rule of law, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”, Mr. Guterres spelled out.
The Secretary-General maintained that the root causes of inequality, political instability and displacement must be addressed, while underscoring that at a time when too many citizens feel excluded, “greater accountability and transparency are crucial”.
Read the full Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean.
Original source: UN News
Published on 09 July 2020