The Hummingbird Vol. 11 No. 2

Early childhood, inequalities and rights in Latin America and the Caribbean

A focus on early childhood is crucial for any inclusive social development strategy. Notwithstanding legislative and scientific progress and new child-oriented social agendas and policies, children aged between 0 and 8 continue to be disproportionately affected by poverty and vulnerability. The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic exacerbated inequalities and has created urgent new needs in what was already a vulnerable context for a population that is at a developmentally critical stage of life. The consequences for the economy, care and education services, food insecurity, maternal mortal…

Artificial Intelligence for Caribbean Sustainable Development

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 10

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 11

Report of the second regional seminar on social development. Social security (pensions and health) and the protracted crisis: an opportunity to combat inequality in the framework of a welfare state in Latin America and the Caribbean

This document is the report of the Second Regional Seminar on Social Development “Social security and protracted crisis: an opportunity to combat inequality in the framework of a welfare state in Latin America and the Caribbean”. This seminar was organised by the Social Development Division of ECLAC in collaboration with the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and in partnership with the German Cooperation and the European Union’s Transitional Development Facility Project,1 and was held on 30 and 31 August and 1 September 2022. In its sec…

CEPAL Review No. 140

Informality, social protection and welfare during the COVID-19 crisis in four Latin American countries

We compare the effects of labour market shocks and social policy responses on people’s welfare following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in Argentina, Brazil, Chile and Uruguay. We assess the role of formal and informal sector labour incomes and social transfers in the changes observed in the distribution of income and welfare. We worked with harmonized household survey microdata and performed a microdecomposition analysis by income source. In all four countries, the loss of earnings was the main mechanism behind the loss of income, and developments in the informal sector were crucial in…

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 8

Income support and social protection in Latin America and the Caribbean: debates on policy options

In the area of social protection systems, the Latin American and Caribbean region is characterized by structural gaps in coverage and sufficiency, owed especially to widespread labour informality. To offset these deficits, the region has accumulated vast experience in social protection through the introduction of cash and in-kind transfers as non-contributory social protection. In addition, in light of the profound impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic and an unfavourable economic and labour context, the discussion on mechanisms for ensuring adequate income levels in the regio…

Employment Situation in Latin America and the Caribbean: Towards the creation of better jobs in the post-pandemic era

In 2022, the main labour indicators for the region —participation rate, unemployment rate, employment rate and number of employed— recovered and returned to 2019 levels. Employment policies that, since 2020, were aimed at job creation in general shifted in 2021 to target the segments hardest-hit by the pandemic, further boosting the recovery in employment in the economy as a whole and among young people and women in particular. A return to pre-pandemic levels is not enough. High levels of informal employment and wide gender gaps persist, and wages and productivity have returned to pre-pandemic…

Addressing Key Challenges to Sustainable Growth and Development in the Caribbean

Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2022. Executive summary: accessible format

The Executive summary of Social Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean 2022, accessible format, has four chapters. Chapter I presents the relevant macroeconomic background in terms of the evolution of per capita GDP, employment, household income distribution and the consumer price index, and looks at how income inequality and poverty have changed over the past two decades (2002–2021). The chapter also discusses changes that occurred in social stratification during the pandemic. Chapter II addresses the worrying silent crisis of education as another of the pandemic’s major consequences, as…

Summary of the Chair. Sixth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

The Hummingbird Vol. 10 No. 5

Intergovernmentally agreed conclusions and recommendations of the Sixth meeting of the Forum of the Countries of Latin America and the Caribbean on Sustainable Development

Halfway to 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and recommendations for acceleration. Summary

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are halfway through the time frame set for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that underpin the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The progress towards the Goals and targets was drastically hampered by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has taken a heavy toll across the globe since 2020 and undermined efforts to achieve the Agenda in many regions of the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean, hardest hit by the pandemic. The last biennium has also been marked by global developments that have advers…

Halfway to 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean: progress and recommendations for acceleration

The countries of Latin America and the Caribbean are halfway through the time frame set for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that underpin the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The progress towards the Goals and targets was drastically hampered by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, which has taken a heavy toll across the globe since 2020 and undermined efforts to achieve the Agenda in many regions of the world, including Latin America and the Caribbean, hardest hit by the pandemic. The last biennium has also been marked by global developments that have advers…

International Decade for People of African Descent: brief review of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean

People of African descent suffer high levels of inequality and deprivation which, as the figures presented in this report show, have been exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic. This publication seeks to capture the perspectives of people of African descent and document some of their contributions and strategies for addressing the socio-health and economic crisis. To this end, the United Nations prioritizes the integration of a human rights approach in all responses to the pandemic and offers recommendations to combat structural racial discrimination and promote reconstruction with equality.…

Report of the Fourth session of the Regional Conference on Population and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean