175 million poor people in Latin America

Poverty

Poverty went from affecting 168 million people to 175 million in Latin America, according to the executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Alicia Bárcena.

In a presentation before the V Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) held in the Dominican Republic, Bárcena referred to unemployment, which has also increased, especially in South America.

According to the executive of ECLAC, poverty increased by one percentage point, from 28.2% to 29.2%, so he said: "We must be very careful because our region's achievements in terms of poverty must be maintained, and that will only be achieved if we shield the presumed social spending ".

Although one in three Latin Americans is at risk of falling into poverty, Bárcena said that the economy in the region will have a slight rebound of 1.3%, driven mainly by the dynamism of the economies of the Dominican Republic, Panama and Saint Kitts and Nevis.

In her lecture, the executive secretary of ECLAC also spoke about a new reality that generates uncertainty: the arrival of Donald Trump to the presidency of the United States.

In this regard, he noted that integration at this time "is more important than ever" and proposed to El Salvador, which will assume the temporary presidency of CELAC tomorrow, a meeting in the first half of 2017 to analyze the impact on Latin America and the Caribbean. the Caribbean of Trump's actions.

"Given the uncertainty, I believe that integration is more necessary than ever, it is very important that we find those productive chains that can integrate us," said Bárcena, who also expressed concern on issues such as climate change, trade and social inequality, as well as tax evasion and avoidance.

Source: INFOBAE