Education in the time of COVID-19

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has caused an unprecedented crisis in all areas. In the field of education, this emergency has led to the massive closure of face-to-face activities of educational institutions in more than 190 countries in order to prevent the spread of the virus and mitigate its impact. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has argued that even before the pandemic hit, the social situation in the region was deteriorating, owing to rising rates of poverty and extreme poverty, the persistence of inequalities and growing social discontent…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 11: Impacts and opportunities in fresh food production

The agrifood sector, has not been immune to the Coronavirus, whose string of effects has interrupted the normal operation of food chains. In the agrifood sector, unprecedented problems have led to unprecedented challenges. In Latin America and the Caribbean, food production has not stopped; the workers, although with difficulties, appear at their workplaces. Therefore, when we evaluate in detail the impacts of COVID-19 on primary production, it seems evident that these have not been critical. However, we cannot lose sight of the coming agricultural seasons and monitor, with even more zeal, the…

The effects of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic on international trade and logistics

This Special Report is the sixth in a series by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the evolution and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. It includes estimates regarding the pandemic’s impact on exports, imports, transportation and logistics in the region’s countries. The COVID-19 outbreak occurred in a context of sluggish global trade that has been dragging on since the 2008–2009 financial crisis. The rapid spread of COVID-19 and the measures taken by governments to contain it have had serious consequences for the world’s ma…

Effects of the quarantines and activity restrictions related to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) on air quality in Latin America's cities

Air pollution represents a major environmental health hazard. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it is responsible for 300,000 deaths every year in the Americas, and 9 in every 10 people are breathing polluted air at this very moment. The air pollutants that are most harmful to human and environmental health are coarse particulate matter (PM10) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and sulfur dioxide (SO2). The concentrations of these pollutants in city air are then determined by the environmental conditions prevailing in each case. As multiple factors are …

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.8

Health and the economy: A convergence needed to address COVID-19 and retake the path of sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean

This joint report by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is issued at a time when several countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have become the epicentre of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. The region is particularly vulnerable because of its high levels of labour informality, urbanization, poverty and inequality, and its weak health and social protection systems, in addition to the fact that it has large population groups living in vulnerable conditions and who require special attention. While t…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 10: Food consumption patterns and malnutrition

The COVID-19 pandemic points out some changes in the consumption patterns of the population. It appears that consumers have tended to prefer less nutritious, less fresh and more economical diets. Such a decision could be explained by a significant decrease in household income and the mobility restrictions imposed to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus. We know that poor nutrition implies a higher risk of disease. In Latin America and the Caribbean, we have recently seen alarming figures of malnutrition due to overweight, obesity and undernutrition. This is an even more serious public h…

Addressing the growing impact of COVID-19 with a view to reactivation with equality: New projections

This Special Report is the fifth in a series by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the evolution and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The key messages are: Economic activity in the world is falling by more than what was foreseen several months ago as a result of the crisis stemming from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), and this increases negative external effects on Latin America and the Caribbean through trade channels, the terms of trade, tourism and remittances. In addition, the region is currently at the epicenter …

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 9: How to reduce food loss and waste

The ongoing pandemic has threatened the food and nutritional security of millions of Latin Americans and Caribbean people. These interruptions in the links of the value chain of the agri-food system have resulted in greater food loss and waste. We are not yet in a position to say when the rate of contagion will decrease, or when we will return to normal. Such uncertainty makes it imperative to analyze how food losses and waste affect food systems, how how this can be prevented.…

Recovery measures for the tourism sector in Latin America and the Caribbean present an opportunity to promote sustainability and resilience

Tourism in the region has come to a temporary standstill, beginning in April 2020, as a result of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This paralysis has not only hit Caribbean economies and employment hard, but also many local communities in Latin America. In this brief, the contribution of tourism to exports, gross domestic product (GDP) and employment is reviewed, together with the recent downturn in this activity in the region. An impact scenario shows that the slump in tourism may cause total GDP growth in the Caribbean and Latin America to fall by 8 percentage points and 1 percen…

Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 2020: Fiscal policy amid the crisis arising from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has generated a health, human and economic crisis without precedent in the past century. The region has responded rapidly, adopting packages of fiscal measures of diverse magnitude and scope. In this context, fiscal policy must play a key role in mitigating the human and economic impact in the short term, while also continuing to provide the impulse for achieving sustainable and inclusive growth in a post-COVID-19 world. As well as analysing the fiscal policy challenges of the current crisis, the Fiscal Panorama of Latin America and the Caribbean, 20…

Sectors and businesses facing COVID-19: Emergency and reactivation

This Special Report “Sectors and businesses facing COVID-19: emergency and reactivation” is the fourth in a series by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) on the evolution and impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean. The economic crisis generated by coronavirus disease (COVID-19) is having a major impact on the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean and is hitting a productive and business structure with weaknesses that have been building up for decades. Before the pandemic, the region’s production structure already showed great …

The Hummingbird Vol.7 No.7

Preventing the COVID-19 crisis from becoming a food crisis: Urgent measures against hunger in Latin America and the Caribbean

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic affects the activities of the food system (food production, processing, distribution, marketing and consumption) and its outcomes —particularly food security and social well-being. The United Nations Secretary-General has drawn attention to the need for an immediate response to avoid a food crisis. This report, co-edited by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), offers policy recommendations for sustaining demand and administering the food trade during…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 8: The opportunity for digital transformation

The impacts of COVID-19 are growing daily. The pandemic has triggered not only a health crisis, but also an economic one. Its consequences and duration are still unknown, but we know that its impact on poverty rates and food security has no recent precedent. In such a scenario – in which achieving economic, social and environmental sustainability is increasingly indispensable for the planet – the agrifood system needs urgent and innovative solutions. In this respect, digitalization is a recommendable path to follow. Digitization has become a key driver for rural transformation, creating new op…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 7: The role of social protection measures

As the pandemic has progressed, governments have had to face new challenges. While countries initially focused on mitigating the effects of severe health restrictions, over the weeks, their attention has shifted to a particularly serious threat: the economic and social crisis. Unfortunately, the outlook is not encouraging. Resources must be directed to those most affected by this crisis, the vulnerable population, in this case, people without sources of income (the unemployed, the elderly, children and dependents) and informal workers, a group composed mainly of young people, women, migrants a…

The COVID-19 pandemic could increase child labour in Latin America and the Caribbean. Technical Note N° 1

Currently the world is going through an unprecedented health, social, human and economic crisis due to the pandemic caused by the disease COVID-19. Even though in the current health crisis derived from COVID-19, the frequency of infection and mortality in the child population are lower than in other age groups, children are being affected by the socioeconomic impacts and, in some cases, by mitigation measures that may inadvertently cause more harm than benefit. The pandemic will exacerbate existing vulnerabilities, including an increased risk of child marriage1, child labour, and teenage pregn…

Compiling national accounts, balance-of-payments and foreign trade statistics in the framework of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) health emergency

In the context of the global coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is preparing a series of short publications with relevant policy recommendations for this period. This note includes several recommendations for the continued collection of information linked to national accounts, balance-of-payments and foreign trade statistics.…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 6: Contingency plan for an eventual food supply crisis

If the health and economic crisis triggered by the current pandemic spreads over time, the region as a whole is likely to experience an unprecedented food supply crisis sooner or later. Such a scenario requires that we take the necessary precautions and prepare strategies to deal with a crisis of this magnitude, regardless of whether it eventually happens or not. Every crisis requires the development of contingency plans, whose primary objective is to predefine and prepare actions in response to the multiple effects of a disaster, catastrophe or crisis. Concerning the current crisis, contingen…

Food systems and COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean N° 5: Impact and risks in the labour market

The agrifood sector is key in Latin America and the Caribbean in terms of contribution to the economy and employment generation. Hence, the interruption of food systems normal functioning can have severe consequences on poverty levels and food security. The first case of COVID-19 in the region is still recent, and the fluctuations in agrifood employment are not extreme; even so, we cannot be confident. We must continue to monitor the employment indicators in the sector. Only in this way can we identify the sector’s risks and challenges, and implement early and appropriate measures. It should b…