António Guterres is the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, who took office on 1 January 2017.
As COVID-19 continues to spread around the world, Latin America and the Caribbean is at a pandemic hotspot.
In a context of already acute inequalities, high levels of informal work and fragmented health services, the most vulnerable populations and Americans are once again the most affected.
Women, who constitute the majority of the most affected economic sectors, now also have to bear the burden of increased attention.
The elderly and others with disabilities are at a much higher risk of dying from the virus.
Other indigenous and other Afro-descendant peoples, as well as migrants and refugees, also suffer disproportionately as vulnerability increases.
We will have to do everything we can to restrict the spread of the virus and combat the health effects of the pandemic.
But we will also have to face unprecedented social and economic impacts.
The third-class note we publish today highlights a number of pressing and longer-term measures for improvement.
It calls on governments to do more to reduce poverty, food mistrust and malnutrition. This may come simply with the provision of a critical emergency source of income and hunger subsidies.
Education has been disrupted in the region. It is imperative to prioritize distance learning and continuity of child-centred facilities in general.
At the same time, a greater foreign one is urgently needed.
I have called for a rescue and recovery package for more than 10% of the world economy. Developed countries do it themselves with their own resources.
For Latin America and the Caribbean, the external network should provide liquidity, monetary assistance and debt relief.
Countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, and in specific small island States, should not be excluded from global aid. The external multilateral response will have to be extended to middle-income countries.
We also want to address broader structural challenges.
Reconstruct larger calls in the style of progression in Latin America and the Caribbean.
In a region where inequality is unsustainable, this means proposing comprehensive systems of social coverage that are available to all.
This creates a fair tax system, selling decent jobs, strengthening environmental sustainability and strengthening social coverage mechanisms.
This regional economic integration.
And that means women participate fully and safely in public and economic life.
Finally, the construction of new calls to strengthen democratic governance, the coverage of human rights and the rule of law, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The root causes of inequality, political instability and displacement will need to be addressed. At a time when too many citizens feel excluded, greater accountability and transparency are essential.
My total solidarity with the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean in the face of those challenges.
Solidarity and compassion be your guide.
Together we can overcome this crisis and build inclusive and sustainable societies for all.
The Manguinhos Ballet, named after its favela in Rio de Janeiro, returns to the level after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has as interpreters 250 young people and adolescents from the favela. The ballet organization provides social assistance in a network where poverty, hunger and teenage pregnancy are ongoing problems.
The pandemic has put many other people to the test, and news hounds are no exception. The coronavirus has waged war not only against the lives and well-being of others, but has also generated countless deceptions and clinical lies.
The pandemic has shown how vital it is that the right of access to data is reliable and that reliable and accurate data is freely available for government and citizen decision-making – a win-win situation.