UNDP and Hackster, the largest online open-source hardware community, have mobilized some of the biggest names in the technology world, with support from Amazon Web Services, Arduino, Arm, Avnet, Edge Impulse, Google, Microsoft, NVIDIA, NVP, Nordic Semiconductor, Soracom, and The Things Industries. In partnership, we are launching the COVID-19 Detect & Protect Challenge.

Many governments are taking unprecedented measures to track, trace and contain the spread of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19), by turning to digital technologies and advanced analytics to collect, process and share data for effective front-line responses.  •While the exceptional measures implemented or envisaged in some countries may ultimately prove effective in limiting the spread of the virus, some approaches have proven controversial in  terms  of  their  risk  of  violating  privacy  and  other  fundamental  rights  of  citizens,  particularly  when such measures lack transparency and public consultation. •Privacy enforcement authorities have generally endorsed a pragmatic and contextual approach at times of crisis or a state of emergency, and exercised enforcement discretion recalling that respect  for  fundamental  data  protection  and  privacy  principles  do  not  stand  in  the  way  of  necessary and proportionate front-line responses to COVID-19.•Policy makers, in consultation with privacy enforcement authorities, must assess the possible trade-offs in data utilization during this crisis (reconciling the risks and benefits), but must ensure that  any  extraordinary  measures  are proportionate  to  the  risks  and  are  implemented with  full  transparency,  accountability  and  a commitment  to  immediately cease  or  reverse  exceptional  uses of data when the crisis is over.

As the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues, governments and emergency services are focusing on immediate needs: boosting capacity in hospitals, addressing hunger, and protecting firms and families from eviction and bankruptcy. The majority of the funds flowing so far from the World Bank, the IMF, other regional development banks, or central banks seek to provide funds for protective gear at hospitals, stabilize financial institutions, pay companies to provide goods and services to essential workers, or provide direct cash support to households.

The fight against COVID-19 is at a crucial tipping point, so the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Hackster.io, an Avnet company and the largest online open-source technology hardware community, are taking action. The two organizations have partnered to launch the COVID-19 Detect and Protect Challenge to create open-source technology that developing countries can leverage in the fight against this global pandemic.

The coronavirus pandemic has reminded us all of the vital importance of drinking water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, and, above all, to remind us that we have a pending task to ensure that these services reach all of our citizens.

The impact of COVID-19 could accentuate already existing inequalities in countries like Peru. For this reason, although this country is still only at the initial stage of the emergency, it is necessary to look towards the indigenous world as soon as possible. This includes the communities that live closest to the cities, those living in isolation and those who have had initial contact.  

Amid the coronavirus pandemic, lockdowns and aggressive social-distancing measures are required to save lives and countries across Latin America and the Caribbean have put them in place.
As a result of the changing macroeconomic conditions, financing costs for emerging markets have risen and commodity prices have fallen.
There will be large drops in GDP, but this is not a normal recession, so typical countercyclical demand management, both fiscal and monetary, is likely inconducive. Policies should be aimed to provide relief, maintain economic stability and the core of the economy intact for the recovery.

With the global spread of COVID-19, businesses are facing bankruptcy at an unprecedented scale, resulting in job losses for millions. In this context, confidence in the durability of the global economy, and by extension the norms and institutions that support it, are being tested like never before. How businesses respond to the crisis—especially those firms who receive state support to continue operations—will shape public attitudes towards the private sector for years to come.

Tackling CORONA Virus, contributing to a global effort

La institución ofrece la posibilidad de reasignar los desembolsos de recursos ya aprobados para otras iniciativas. El financiamiento permitirá apoyar a los países miembros en sus planes de protección de la población y la reactivación económica.

IICA  launches blog where experts discuss food vulnerability and the impact of covid -19 on agriculture

This document offers tools to help journalists practice responsible coverage of the pandemic using evidence-based information. It also proposes ways to approach coverage and encourages journalists to provide advice and solutions that can help reduce health risks and save lives

El Observatorio CAF del Ecosistema Digital, a la luz de los desafíos socioeconómicos que supone la pandemia del COVID-19, presenta dos publicaciones que con base en evidencia empírica evalúan la posición y oportunidades de América Latina en términos del grado de preparación de su infraestructura digital y el nivel de digitalización para afrontarlos.

Este artículo forma parte de una serie en la que expertos de la OCDE y líderes de pensamiento de todo el mundo y sectores de la sociedad, abordan la crisis del coronavirus (COVID-19), debatiendo y desarrollando soluciones para el momento actual y el futuro. 

COVID-19 and the world of work. Second edition Updated estimates and analysis

Líneas de crédito y préstamos para apoyar a las pequeñas y medianas empresas a través de los bancos comerciales al sector de la salud y los demás afectados por la emergencia sanitaria, apoyo a los bancos locales de desarrollo, garantías, fondos nacionales de garantías, y asistencia técnica; son algunas de las iniciativas que CAF está implementando para apoyar la recuperación económica de América Latina.

El Presidente Ejecutivo del Banco Centroamericano de Integración Económica (BCIE), Dr. Dante Mossi, confirmó la llegada de 182,000 pruebas detección temprana del COVID-19 para ser distribuidos inmediatamente a los países de la región.

Governments all over the world are undertaking emergency financing measures to support their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. One question that has emerged in policy discussions is whether the public sector wage bill, which accounts for roughly 8% of GDP and 30% of government expenditures globally, should be cut to finance some of this emergency response? Governments in Brazil and Uruguay, for example, are considering cutting public sector salaries, and Montenegro has suspended payments for some civil servant allowances. Is this a good idea?

El Secretario General de la OEA, en calidad de Presidente del Grupo de Trabajo Conjunto de Cumbres (GTCC), y en coordinación con la OPS, convocó el viernes 3 de abril de 2020 a las altas autoridades de las organizaciones internacionales y regionales que conforman el GTCC, a una reunión virtual para abordar sus esfuerzos frente a la pandemia y discutir una respuesta coordinada y conjunta en apoyo a las necesidades y actuales acciones de los Estados Miembros, así como en el marco de su proceso de recuperación. Los miembros del GTCC acordaron reunirse periódicamente para asegurar una coordinación continua y actualizar la información compartida que muestre un panorama de las acciones de la comunidad interamericana en apoyo a los países de la región. Ver comunicado. Desde la Secretaría de Cumbres, como Secretaría Técnica del Proceso de Cumbres, y del GTCC, se prepara la realización y el seguimiento de las referidas reuniones de las altas autoridades del GTCC.  Además de la OEA y la OPS, integran el GTCC el Banco Interamericano de Desarrollo (BID), la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe (CEPAL), la OPS, el Banco Mundial, el Instituto Interamericano de Cooperación para la Agricultura (IICA),  el Banco de Desarrollo de América  Latina (CAF), el Banco de Desarrollo del Caribe (CDB), el Banco Centroamericano para la Integración Económica (CABEI), la Organización Internacional para las Migraciones (OIM), la Organización Internacional del Trabajo (OIT), el Programa de Naciones Unidas para el Desarrollo (PNUD) y la Organización para la Cooperación y el Desarrollo Económicos (OCDE).

The response to the coronavirus crisis has revealed the shortage of personal protective equipment and critical medical devices. According to the WHO, the worldwide capacity to supply needed items through traditional suppliers is under stress. To produce and provide supplies directly in the service of local first responders, maker communities across Latin America, the Caribbean, and around the world have mobilized to share open source designs and pool their production capacity in the midst of an extremely environment complex. This has involved working around obstacles such as restricted movement and limited materials, unestablished rules and procedures, and constant iteration of designs to ensure the pieces produced are  sufficiently effective enough to provide real support.