SUSTAINABILITY 

Economic reactivation. On July 30, the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) published a report that proposes a three-phase approach to control the pandemic and reactivate the economy. The report recommends moving towards promoting sustainable and inclusive development with the aim of avoiding “a food and humanitarian crisis.” Among the recommendations of both organizations the adoption of industrial policies stands out, which implies “greater environmental sustainability to combat climate change, taking into account the health of ecosystems,” with the goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions and moving towards more just and resilient societies, among other things. It is expected that, in the coming months, the different executive and legislative powers of Latin America will consider these recommendations in the consolidation of measures to plan the economic reactivation of their countries in the face of the social, productive and health crisis generated by COVID-19. 

The report maintains that, only if the COVID-19 contagion curve flattens can the economies of the region be reactivated. In this sense, it proposes an approach that includes the adoption of health, economic, social and productive policies aimed at controlling and mitigating the effects of the pandemic, reactivating with protection and rebuilding in a sustainable and inclusive way. According to the data provided by these organizations, inequality adds to the level of poverty, informality and limited access to health, and explains the social costs that the pandemic is causing in Latin America. 

To face the pandemic and its effects in the short and long term, ECLAC and PAHO maintain that there will be no possible reactivation without a plan to prevent the spike in infections. In that sense, they propose that health measures aimed at controlling the pandemic be implemented in conjunction with other social, economic and productive measures. Among the recommendations are the acceleration of digital transformation, the promotion of green investment, the consolidation of universal social protection systems and changes in the productive matrix. 

Next steps

Based on the report published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (CEPAL, in Spanish) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), these organizations urge the governments of the region to accompany their opening policies with economic reactivation and reconstruction measures. Along these lines, countries are called upon to build more sustainable and inclusive societies while paying attention to vulnerable sectors. The expectation is that in the short and medium term, governments will continue to implement emergency revenues that guarantee the basic rights of all citizens. In addition, the economic reconstruction stage is expected to include sustainable investment towards agroecological and energy transition.