Latin America Keeps
Poverty Goals in Sight Despite Harsh
Times
By Beatrice Paez
UNITED NATIONS (IPS) - Nine million more
people have fallen into poverty in Latin
American and Caribbean countries since
the global financial crisis struck,
threatening the achievement of all the
Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by
the 2015 deadline, according to a report
released Thursday by 18 U.N. agencies.
The region has almost crossed the finish
line in certain areas, but others remain
largely unfulfilled, the report said.
For example, between 2002 and 2008,
Latin America saw poverty rates drop
from 19.4 percent to 12.9 percent. While
the 2008 crisis interrupted this trend,
the social and economic policies pursued
by many governments leading up to and
following the crisis helped to cushion
the blow, said Antonio Prado, the deputy
executive secretary of the Economic
Commission for Latin America and the
Caribbean (ECLAC).
The forecast for economic growth in
Latin America this year is still
expected to be 4.5 percent.
Prado explained to IPS that, "Latin
America went through over the last six,
seven years a quite different period of
development – growth with income
distribution…We had very dynamic periods
before but without income distribution."
He added that its adoption of an
unorthodox approach - refusing to cut
social expenditures and not implementing
a sharp reduction of fiscal expenditures
- "enhanced the social resilience of the
region".
The report examines the strides and
challenges that remain for Latin America
and the Caribbean in narrowing gaps in
development between the wealthy and the
poor. It assumes a rights perspective to
ensure that inequalities are addressed
at each level, namely those based on
gender, ethnic identity, socio-economic
status and territory.
Poverty is greatest among children,
women, indigenous peoples, and
Afro-descendants and in rural areas, and
these asymmetries must be addressed,
said Prado. "We don't think it is
possible to deal with poverty in a
horizontal way, we have to consider and
distinguish the different situations,"
he told IPS.
Its measurement of poverty reduction
looks beyond the raw data - it also
assesses progress in opportunities for
productive employment and decent work,
with close attention to the employment
conditions of women and young people.
Prado reported that these groups are at
the bottom of the ranks – many belong to
sectors with low productivity and
without an increase in the jobs
available, significant economic progress
will remain elusive.
If the trend and momentum continues,
Latin America could fulfill its
objective of cutting extreme poverty in
half. Countries such as Brazil and Chile
have reached this objective, with Peru
trailing close behind.
On MDG 2, ensuring that children
complete their primary education, the
registration rates for most countries
peak at 90 percent, close to levels in
the developed world.
Prado indicated that in the area of
education, more efforts are being poured
into ensuring that educational enrolment
extends to secondary and post-secondary
education as well. "It's a necessary
target mainly because of the quality of
jobs and the question of productivity,"
he said.
The story is different for improving
maternal health (MDG 5) and
environmental sustainability (MDG 7).
Most countries have met the demand for
family planning but the report also
notes that gaps persist in access to
sexual education, modern contraceptives
and services. As for the environment,
the rate of deforestation across the
region has doubled in comparison to the
rate worldwide.
The records for MDGs 4, 5 and 6 as a
whole are mixed - there has been
progress, but these improvements have
not trickled down to all groups. Despite
a regional progress rate of 79 percent
since 2009, only about a third of these
countries may witness a reduction of the
infant mortality rate by 50 percent.
While women remain underrepresented in
occupations that afford security and
benefits, Prado is hopeful that through
the increase in their presence across
the political landscape, more policies
reflecting the concerns of women will be
advanced. Since 1990, representation for
women in parliament increased by 10
percent for Latin America, seven percent
for the Caribbean.
"We have seen progress in women's
participation in decision making and
politics, especially in parliament, for
countries like Argentina, Chile, and
Jamaica," he added. |
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