Latin America and the Caribbean: Abrupt Recession due to Covid-19

The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the steepest recession in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean, Antonio Guterres, UN Secretary-General, said Tuesday at the ECLAC virtual session.

In his speech at the 38th Session of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), he emphasized the region has over 44 million unemployed people, over 45 million living in poverty, and about 28 million in abject poverty.

The 2020 has placed the world to an unprecedented setting and now no country and person can escape from the pandemic, he said.

Such a panorama puts cooperation and multilateralism at the center of our efforts, Guterres said and also stressed that ‘solidarity is today more than ever before our only lifeline.’

Solidarity I speak about implies understanding the effects and response possibilities the developing countries differ from compared to the impacts and options of developed countries, he said.

In addition, Guterres added, it also requires to understand that women and informal sector workers, the elderly and people living in abject poverty must be protected and supported to a greater extent.

To overcome and recover from the health crisis, we really need strengthened health systems and global health coverage. This means guaranteeing the vaccine is seen as an accessible and affordable global public good for all people, Guterres stressed.

In this regard, he urged all nations to take steps to provide much-needed additional resources and mobilize all partners to seek for a truly global response.