Mexico.- One cascade of crises has exacerbated inequalities and deprivations from the region of Latin America and the Caribbean. According to Cepal and its recent report Social Panorama 2022, it is estimated that in the region there are 201 million people who live in a situation poverty, of which 82 million are in extreme poverty. “This is not the time for gradual changes, but for transformative and ambitious policies,” José Manuel Salazar, ECLAC’s executive secretary, said at a virtual press conference.
Report
According to the data in the report, it is projected that By the end of 2022, poverty will be at 32.1 percent of the population and extreme poverty at 13.1 percent.that is, a slight decrease of the level of poverty and a slight increase in extreme poverty compared to last year.
In 2021, the poverty rate in Latin America reached 32.3 percent of the total population of the region and 12.9 percent of extreme poverty. Despite this, the ECLAC study indicates that the data is far from returning to the level prior to the pandemic.
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According to the data, in 2019 there were 186 million people in poverty and 70 million in extreme poverty, which means a rate of 30.4 percent and 11.4 percent, respectively.
Children population
In the analysis of the poverty indices by groups, the report indicates that more than 45 percent of the child and adolescent population lives in poverty. In fact, the poverty rate for women between the ages of 20 and 59 is higher than that of men in all countries, and the indigenous and Afro-descendant population is considered the poorest.
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The executive secretary of ECLAC mentioned that the various external shocks, the slowdown in economic growth, the weak recovery of employment and rising inflation deepen and prolong the social crisis in Latin America and the Caribbean. “It has not been possible to reverse the impacts of the pandemic in terms of poverty and extreme povertyand the countries face a silent crisis in education that affects the future of the new generations”, he warned.
Education
Precisely one of the social axes most impacted by the pandemic and currently suffering from its effects is education.
The 2022 Social Panorama report for Latin America and the Caribbean points out that the region had the longest educational blackout internationally. On average, there were 70 weeks of school closures, compared to 41 weeks for the rest of the world.
Consequently, he points out that increased pre-existing inequalities in terms of access, inclusion and quality, due to lack of access to connectivity, equipment and digital skills. If ECLAC does not act now, it warns of the risk of a permanent scar on the educational and employment trajectories of the region’s younger generations.
Means
In 2021, the report indicates that spending on education reached 4.1 percent of GDP, that is, 30.5 percent of total social spending in Latin America and the Caribbean. In Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic, average social spending reached 10.5 percent of GDP and in the Caribbean, 14.1 percent. Faced with these indicators, José Manuel Salazar added, during the conference, that the region faces a prolonged social crisis triggered by the covid-19 pandemic and that despite the progress of recent decades, the countries dragged deep debts in social inclusion and in the quality of education prior to the health crisis.
“Investing in education is one of the keys to inclusive growth and sustainable development,” he added.
For his part, the economist Jaime Jiménez Santos agreed in an interview for Debate, noting that currently investment must be made in transversal axes such as education. He pointed out that access to this right is a way to reduce poverty rates because it provides the population with tools to be able to get ahead.
“That education that also generates opportunities for progress,” he said. Otherwise, she mentioned that this scar from previous lags will not only remain there, but it can even generate greater injuries.
Poverty
For the specialist, the problem of poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean has a lot to do with income distribution. He recalled that the Latin American region has always had the lowest development rates.
“He got on late, in the last wagons. When we want to recover, other countries already have an advantage. Which countries? Those that are most attractive to invest with large corporations”.
In this regard, he emphasized that Latin America must generate more opportunities by laying the foundations, mainly in education, health and security.
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