Some Latin American leaders criticized the decision to exclude Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela from the Summit of the Americas in Los Angeles. They also mourn the absences of the leaders of Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Guatemala, and Bolivia and the exclusion of three autocratic nations. Belize’s prime minister, John Briceño, said, “The future of the Western Hemisphere is a question […]
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has reported a fall in tax revenues in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). The bank reported an eight percent drop on average in nominal terms and a 0.8 percent decrease as a share of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2020. It attributed the decrease to the coronavirus pandemic. However, in a new report, the […]
PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne said this approach should take into consideration the local epidemiological situation, which can change rapidly. Dr. Etienne said before reopening schools, countries must ensure institutions can maintain COVID-19 prevention and infection control measures, including physical distancing, hand hygiene, and mask-wearing. She noted that PAHO has developed guidelines for reopening schools and is working with member […]
According to a new World Bank report, 4.7 million people have pushed out of the middle class and into vulnerability or poverty in Latin America and the Caribbean last year, thus reversing decades of social gains. The report notes the impact would have proved more dire if the effect of a massive, temporary social transfer program in Brazil is excluded […]
Alicia Bárcena, the head of the UN regional body for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has raised concerns regarding the disproportionate impact that the pandemic is having on indigenous people in the region. “This is a bad time for this region: we are the epicenter of the pandemic, and extreme poverty rates are going up. Poverty is expected to […]
A press release report from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) indicates that Latin America and the Caribbean will suffer an unprecedented economic shock from a sharp downturn in tourism. The report launches a new global Tourism Dependency Index for countries, including 35 Latin American and Caribbean economies. Using shock simulations applied to activity in the tourism sector, the IDB highlights […]
Latin America has now become the epicenter of the COVID-19 disease. In a breakdown of the cases in the region, PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne noted, “two of the three countries with the highest number of reported cases are now in the Americas.” “There can be no doubt our region has become the epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic,” she added. […]
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is now declaring Latin America the new epicenter of the COVID-19 pandemic as cases in that region “continue to rise” by the thousands daily. PAHO Director Dr. Carissa Etienne, at a recent virtual news briefing, said, “two of the three countries with the highest number of reported cases are now in the Americas. There […]
The IMF, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank have predicted tough times ahead for the Caribbean and Latin American countries this year. The IMF says the region is likely to see a 5.2% decline in growth while The World Bank says Gross Domestic Product is expected to be -4.6%. Those forecast to see the worst are Grenada and […]
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has said growth in the Caribbean and Latin America is slowing down and that the region is expected to record a 0.2 percent growth this year. The Washington-based financial institution has attributed the low growth to continued trade tensions, slower global growth, subdued commodity prices, and in some large regional economies, high policy uncertainty. In […]
