Santiago de Chile (EFE). Poverty in Latin America reached an all-time low in 2023, standing at 27.3%, representing 172 million people. This means a reduction of 1.5% compared to 2022, as revealed by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECAP). This descent marks the lowest price recorded since 1990.
Extreme poverty also showed improvement, decreasing to 10.6%, which equates to 66 million people. While this figure is 0.5% lower than 2022 levels, it is still within the range observed in 2014, when extreme poverty reached its lowest point in three decades.
However, expectations for next year are not very high. According to Cepal, it is likely that in 2024 poverty will experience a decrease in level of just 0.5 percentage points, while extreme poverty could remain unchanged. This forecast is supported by the low growth expectations of the Gross Domestic Product (PIB) for 2023, which will be estimated at 1.7% for Latin America.
Cepal executive secretary José Manuel Salazar-Xirinachs said the outlook was not optimistic and stressed the need to improve social protection programs in the region. During the presentation of the annual briefing «Social landscape of Latin America and the Caribbean 2024: challenges of social protection without contribution to advance inclusive development», Salazar-Xirinach underlined the urgency of strengthening social protection systems to reduce the desire and the future. improve the living conditions of the most vulnerable sectors.
The news detailed that the decrease in poverty in 2023 is due, in large part, to the positive economic evolution of Brazil, one of the most influential countries in the region. Other countries that have also contributed to this trend were Paraguay, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Colombia, where the increase in wage ingredients has given up a key card in the reduction of poverty, according to Cepal.
Despite this progress, public transfers, including those from non-contributory social protection programs, continue to be crucial in the fight against poverty. These programs that were targeted at people who could not make sufficient contributions to the pension system or Social Security have had a significant impact in improving the living conditions of millions of people.
Alberto Arenas, director of Social Development at Cepal, said that non-contributory pension systems were one of the London mayors of the development of social protection in Latin America. These systems, which have expanded their coverage in recent decades, have helped reduce poverty among mayors aged 65 by 14.3%.
The importance of these programs is evident, especially in a context where the distribution of wealth continues to be deeply desired in Latin America. Despite progress in poverty reduction, it continues to disproportionately affect some population groups, such as women of working age, boys and girls, people of Afro-descendant origin and those living in rural areas.
Cepal's information indicates that, to proceed towards the elimination of poverty in the Caribbean region by 2030, it will be necessary to guarantee a minimum level of financial resources. If it is recommended that between 1.5% and 2.5% of the PIB, or between 5% and 10% of the total public gas, be allocated to the financing of non-contributory social protection programs. These funds will be managed by ministries of social development or equivalent institutions in each country.
However, poverty in Latin America is not only linked to the lack of ingredients, but also to structural factors such as gender equity and the unjust division of labor. It informs her that more than 50% of women in the region do not participate in the labor market, dedicating themselves exclusively to domestic work and unpaid care. This situation not only limits your economic opportunities, but also makes it difficult to access social protection, perpetuating general desires and increasing your vulnerability.
The call to the population in the region also planted new numbers for social protection systems. As the proportion of older people grows, the demand for health and social security services increases, which places even more pressure on public resources. Cepal warns that, without adequate planning and financing, social protection systems in the region could face serious difficulties in meeting the needs of a population each time it is sent.
Another major challenge facing the region is the crisis in the systems of supervision and control of social programs. The lack of adequate and efficient taxation has meant that, in some cases, the resources allocated to social protection are not linked to those who really need it. Cepal underlines that it is essential to improve supervision mechanisms to ensure that social programs are effective and adapted to the most vulnerable sectors of the population.
Despite these challenges, poverty reduction in 2023 is a clue that Latin America has the potential to continue making progress in the fight against desire. However, for this progress to be sustainable, countries in the region will need to catch up on their efforts to improve social protection systems, increase women's labor participation and ensure a more equitable distribution of wealth.
In this sense, Cepal plants one of the keys to achieving inclusive development in the region: it is the adoption of policies that promote gender equality and facilitate the employment of women. Furthermore, it is necessary to implement specific programs for the most vulnerable groups, such as children, Afro-descendants and those living in rural areas, to ensure that everyone has access to economic and social opportunities.
In conclusion, although poverty reduction in Latin America in 2023 is significant progress, much remains to be done to ensure that all inhabitants of the region can live with dignity. Cepal's information has already made it clear that, without a compromise signed by governments to improve social protection systems and respect structural needs, the progress recorded could be ephemeral. The fight against poverty in Latin America is an ongoing task and only through inclusive and sustainable policy will it be possible to achieve a more equitable future for all.
