Equality, sustainability should guide COVID-19 recovery, say governments at regional forum

The labour market in Latin America and the Caribbean faces a slow recovery after the COVID-19 pandemic, highlighting the need for “active macro policies” and other measures to promote sustainable development alongside getting people back into the workforce. 

Economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America and the Caribbean will be slower than the return to productivity following the subprime mortgage crisis more than a decade ago, the head of the UN’s office for the region, ECLAC, said on Tuesday. 

In Latin America, where much of the region has dealt with years of sluggish growth, the economic crisis brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing millions more into poverty, says Alicia Bárcena, the head of the UN regional body for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).