Modern services —digitally delivered services such as computer, financial and business services— have been the most dynamic category of international trade in the past decade. However, Latin America and the Caribbean is still a marginal player in global trade in modern services.

Industrial policy is as relevant today as it has been in the past for Latin America and the Caribbean. Steps towards development depend on a rational, inclusive, and sustainable industrial policy, guided by intensive use of information, that allows the definition and dissemination of indicators which are useful for decision-making. To this end, ECLAC makes available a group of statistical indicators on manufacturing calculated based on the repository of national economic surveys which allows the elaboration and dissemination of regional intermediate indicators by economic activity.

The COVID-19 pandemic has generated a silent educational crisis that threatens to affect the educational and labour trajectories of children, adolescents, and young people. Prior to the pandemic, education in the region was already facing significant inclusion and quality challenges. Hence, it is necessary to take advantage of the opportunity not only to recover but also to transform the region's education systems.