The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will present tomorrow, Wednesday, July 15, its Special Report COVID-19 No. 5 on monitoring the economic and social effects of the coronavirus in the region, in which it will update its economic growth forecasts for each of the region’s countries.
The new document, entitled Addressing the growing impact of COVID-19 with a view to reactivation with equality: new projections, will also include revised estimates on the employment, poverty and inequality levels that the region will reach in 2020 due to the crisis unleashed by the COVID-19 pandemic. The new figures and projections will thereby complement and add details to the policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean presented by the United Nations Secretary-General, António Guterres, on July 9.
The report will be unveiled during a virtual press conference held by Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, speaking from Santiago, Chile at 12:00 p.m. local time (UTC/GMT -4:00).
It will be transmitted live via Webex at the following link:
https://eclac.webex.com/eclac/onstage/g.php?MTID=e59edd97086f2631591496e41f580ce97
Journalists interested in participating must register in advance. They will receive an automated email reply with instructions for connecting to the event.
The press conference will also be transmitted online via the institution’s website and its social media accounts in Spanish on Twitter (@cepal_onu) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu). Journalists will be able to submit their questions ahead of time to the email address conferenciaprensa@cepal.org, and ECLAC’s Executive Secretary will respond to them once she has finished presenting the document. Questions will only be taken until 12:30 p.m. local time.
According to the report, the negative trends seen in global economic activity have intensified, and uncertainty is growing with regard to the dynamics of the post COVID-19 recovery: the global economy will experience its biggest decline since the Second World War and GDP per capita will fall in 90% of all countries, which is unprecedented. In this context, Latin America and the Caribbean will suffer the worst contraction in the last 100 years, since both external and domestic negative effects have deepened in the region in recent months. The magnitude of the contraction in economic activity for each country in the region as well as overall figures on the social impact of the crisis will be unveiled by ECLAC’s Executive Secretary, Alicia Bárcena, during tomorrow’s event.
Members of the media are invited to participate in the virtual press conference. Journalists must connect via the Webex system (prior registration is required) as of 12:00 p.m. local time (UTC/GMT -4:00). Accredited journalists will be able to send their questions in writing via the Webex platform’s chat while the event is taking place. They can also send their queries to the email address conferenciaprensa@cepal.org. Questions will only be taken until 12:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, July 15.
The presentation will also be transmitted on ECLAC’s website and at https://live.cepal.org/.
The full electronic version of this new document by ECLAC, along with a press release and the presentation by Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, will be available on ECLAC’s website and on the webpage of the COVID-19 Observatory in Latin America and the Caribbean on Wednesday, July 15, as soon as the press conference has concluded.
What: Launch of ECLAC’s Special Report COVID-19 No. 5: Addressing the growing impact of COVID-19 with a view to reactivation with equality: new projections.
Who: Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC’s Executive Secretary.
When: Wednesday, July 15, 2020, 12:00 p.m. local time in Chile (GMT -04:00).
Where: Virtual connection via the Webex platform (prior registration required).
https://eclac.webex.com/eclac/onstage/g.php?MTID=e59edd97086f2631591496e41f580ce97
Event number: 160 862 4322
Event password: igualdad
Also via ECLAC’s website and at https://live.cepal.org/.
For queries and to arrange interviews, contact ECLAC’s Public Information Unit.
Email: prensa@cepal.org; Telephone: (56) 22210 2040.
