Global trade is showing signs of bouncing back from a deep, COVID-19-induced slump, the World Trade Organization (WTO) has said, with the caveat that any recovery could be badly disrupted by the future course of the pandemic and how societies react.

While the COVID-19 pandemic has “profoundly tested” global commitment to protecting refugees and forcibly displaced people, it has also shown the value of including refugees in national responses and safety nets to the benefit of all, UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs said today. 

Transmission of COVID19 in the Americas remains very active, with some countries suffering recurrent spikes in cases and the virus spreading in new and different ways, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Director Carissa F Etienne, said today. 

ECLAC’s Executive Secretary participated in a regional conference organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina and the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, focused on the prospects for triangular cooperation in Latin America and the Caribbean.

ECLAC launched its Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean 2020, an annual report in which it reaffirms that international cooperation, through better distribution of global liquidity, must underpin the expansion of policy space in the region.

La pandemia del coronavirus ha interrumpido o trastornado los servicios de salud críticos en el 93% de los países, revela una encuesta de la agencia sanitaria mundial, que destaca la urgencia de aumentar los presupuestos para ese rubro de la sanidad pública.

La Asamblea de ALIDE convocará a la Banca de Desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe para evaluar en reunión virtual el desempeño en la mitigación de la crisis COVID-19 y la ruta para la recuperación económica. Los máximos representantes de las entidades financieras, dialogarán acerca de las diversas experiencias afrontadas durante la pandemia en apoyo a sectores productivos y sociales. 

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93% of countries worldwide while the demand for mental health is increasing, according to a new WHO survey. The survey of 130 countries provides the first global data showing the devastating impact of COVID-19 on access to mental health services and underscores the urgent need for increased funding.

The ALIDE General Assembly will bring the Development Bank System of Latin America and the Caribbean to evaluate in a digital meeting the performance in mitigating the COVID-19 crisis and the path to economic recovery. High level representatives from the financial institutions will discuss the various experiences faced during the pandemic.

Governments throughout the region have put in place temporary bans on forced evictions amid the pandemic. But some of these regulations either have already expired or are slated to in the coming weeks, raising concerns over a spike in evictions.

Where such measures remain on the books, they are not always enforced, with many landlords simply throwing tenants who are behind on the rent out onto the streets – where keeping safe from the coronavirus is that much more difficult. 

Los gobiernos de la región han impuesto prohibiciones temporales a los desalojos forzosos en medio de la pandemia. Pero algunas de estas regulaciones ya han expirado o se espera que expiren en las próximas semanas, lo que genera preocupaciones sobre un aumento en los desalojos.

Donde tales medidas de prohibición de desalojo permanecen, no siempre se aplican, ya que muchos propietarios simplemente arrojan a los inquilinos que están atrasados ​​en el alquiler a las calles, donde mantenerse a salvo del coronavirus es mucho más difícil.

The Covid-19 pandemic is a major test for governments around the world. We study the political consequences of (mis-)managing the Covid crisis by constructing a high-frequency dataset of government approval for 35 countries. In the first weeks after the outbreak, approval rates for incumbents increase strongly, consistent with a global “rally around the flag” effect. Approval, however, drops again in countries where Covid cases continue to grow. This is especially true for governments that do not implement stringent policies to control the number of infections. Overall, the evidence suggests that loose pandemic policies are politically costly. Governments that placed more weight on health rather than short-term economic outcomes obtained higher approval.

New commitments from governments, international organizations and the private sector support unified approach to end pandemic, backing a response of unprecedented scale, scope and speed­—through the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator­—as pandemic claims more than 1 million lives

La iniciativa global para las vacunas COVID-19 es la mejor opción para reactivar la economía mundial, sostiene el titular de la ONU. Su financiación equivale al consumo mundial de cigarrillos durante dos semanas, apunta el director de la OMS.   

Health systems in the Americas are not adequately responding to the needs of older adults and must be adapted in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, say experts at the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). For the International Day of Older Persons on October 1, the organization is calling for comprehensive, person-centered, integrated care and primary health services that are responsive to older people´s needs. 

Following the Ministerial meeting of the International Contact Group (ICG) on 17 September, in particular the decision of the Group to work for improving electoral conditions in Venezuela, two EEAS officials travelled to Caracas, Venezuela last week. The aim of the visit was to discuss directly the situation in the country and reiterate the EU’s position that electoral conditions now in place do not allow for fair, democratic, competitive elections on 6th of December. The mission underlined the EU position for a peaceful, democratic, Venezuelan-owned solution to the country’s crisis.

It says that during this crisis "34 million workers lost their jobs (some temporarily)", according to available information from nine countries that represent more than 80 per cent of the economically active population of the region. The employment rate reached 51.1 per cent in the first quarter, a reduction of 5.4 percentage points compared to the data for the same period of the previous year, which represents "a historical minimum value."

The report also highlights that as of the third quarter of 2020, levels of economic activity have slightly improved. Data reveals a beginning of recovery in employment and a return of some workers to the labour force.

One priority, then, is to reenergize the organization—to act rather than react. Even as the COVID-19 crisis continues to create a world of uncertainty, the goal must be to rebuild for the longer term. Companies that are strong and resilient will be better placed to survive and prosper. Those are qualities that can’t be taken for granted; they need to be cultivated.

As Covid-19 vaccines move into phase 3 clinical trials, enthusiasm about the innovative and sophisticated technologies being used needs to be replaced by consideration of the actions and messages that will foster trust among clinicians and the public. Although vast investments have been made in developing safe and effective vaccines, it is important to remember that it is the act of vaccination itself that prevents harm and saves lives. Considered fully, the question “When will we have a Covid-19 vaccine?” makes clear the many ways in which efforts related to both the “when” and the “we” can affect vaccination uptake. Recognizing the significance of both aspects of the question can help public health officials and scientists both to hone current messaging related to Covid-19 vaccines and to build a better foundation for clinicians who will be educating patients and parents about vaccination.

Just as COVID-19 has disproportionately impacted some communities more than others, globally, the virus has had an oversized negative impact on migrant workers.

Perhaps surprisingly, despite the bleak experience for foreign overseas workers during the pandemic, the effect on remittances—the flow of money they send back home—has, in many cases, proven resilient. But that trend may yet be upended.