ECLAC Will Launch Social Panorama of Latin America 2016

On Tuesday, May 30, 2017, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will launch a new edition of its flagship annual report on issues of social development. The report, published since 1991, will be unveiled at the regional organization’s headquarters in Santiago, Chile.

The institution’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena, will present the document Social Panorama of Latin America 2016 at a press conference at 11:00 a.m. The launch will be broadcast live online via ECLAC’s website at: ://www.cepal.org/en.

The study focuses on the measurement and analysis of diverse dimensions of social inequality in Latin America, which, according to ECLAC, is one of the main obstacles getting in the way of development. Upon signing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development promoted by the United Nations in 2015, all the countries of the region made a commitment to advance toward significantly reducing inequality.

The different chapters of the report address income disparities and the functional distribution of income; the evolution of social spending and challenges for financing policies; time distribution as an important dimension for analyzing inequality; and the reality of Afro-descendant populations in Latin America: who they are, where they are and in what numbers; what institutional and regulatory frameworks protect them; and what types of inequalities and discrimination they face, among other issues.

The document also examines inequalities over the cycle of life. Inter- and intra-generational gaps are analyzed for each stage (childhood and adolescence, youth, adulthood and old age) across dimensions related to health, education, work and social protection.

The media are invited to attend the press conference at ECLAC’s headquarters (Av. Dag Hammarskjöld 3477, Celso Furtado room, Vitacura, Santiago, Chile). Journalists must have their press credentials or identity documents to gain access to the premises.

For queries or to arrange interviews, contact ECLAC’s Public Information Unit.

Email: prensa@cepal.org; Telephone: (56 2) 2210 2040.

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