 ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia B"ena
The UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), which produced the report, stated that the new estimates depart from the trend towards poverty reduction that was prevalent in the region thanks to greater economic growth, the expansion of social spending and better income distribution.
"We can"t say that all that was attained between 2002 and 2008 has been lost," said ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia B"ena, as she presented the report, Social Panorama of Latin America 2009.
"However, the rise in poverty calls us to action. We need to rethink social protection programmes with a long-term, strategic perspective and measures that make the most of human capital and protect the income of vulnerable families and groups," she added.
ECLAC recommended, among other things, reforming social protection systems and adopting both urgent short-term measures as well as strategic long-term ones.
"In doing so, governments should avoid fiscal irresponsibility and rigid labour markets, increase taxes progressively, redistribute social spending and extend coverage of social services," the Commission stated.
The Commission also noted that the projected increase in poverty for 2009 will impede efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the globally agreed targets to slash poverty, hunger and a host of other social ills, all by 2015.
At the same time, the impact of the current crisis on poverty in the region is not expected to be as great as with previous crises, such as the Asian financial crisis in the late 1990s, it pointed out.
Source: UN News
Global 
-
The White House today denied that differences with Moscow on the U.S. antimissile shield in Europe were blocking an agreement on a new strategic nuclear weapons reduction treaty with Russia. more
-
Looking to instill discipline, experience, and honor in the country's youth, Afghan President Hamid Karzai has announced he is considering replacing Afghanistan's volunteer army with one with manned by conscripts. more
-
A former Montenegrin policeman has been chosen to receive an award for his refusal to participate in the deportation of Bosnian Muslims during the Bosnian war, RFE/RL's Balkan Service reports. more
-
Armenian President Serzh Sarkisian today urged Turkey to act on its fence-mending agreements with Yerevan, warning that a continued delay could roll back the "historic" rapprochement between the two countries, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. more
-
Representatives of Armenia's main pro-government and opposition parties have offered different assessments of Human Rights Ombudsman Armen Harutiunian's job performance, RFE/RL's Armenian Service reports. more
-
The U.S. ambassador to Moldova said today that a planned antimissile shield in neighboring Romania would only enhance the region's security and have absolutely no negative impact on Moldova, RFE/RL's Moldovan Service reports. more
-
The French government's decision this week to sell a technologically advanced battleship to Russia has put NATO in a spot. The prospect of Western-built assault ships flying Russian colors has especially unsettled some of NATO's new eastern allies, which see their large neighbor as more of a threat ... more
-
The United Nations is calling for the traditional age-old truce during the XXI Winter Olympics which open in Vancouver, Canada, this Friday, urging warring parties to lay down their arms as the Games? ancient Greek founders did some 2,700 years ago. more
-
Fourteen island developing nations in the Pacific Ocean wrapped up a United Nations-backed meeting today with a call to the global community to honour its commitments to help them weather the fallout from global economic crises and recent natural disasters. more
Comments
|
|
RSS