El Salvador’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in August 2018 was the third such change in Latin America following the end of the informal truce that had restrained the PRC’s diplomatic competition with Taiwan between 2008 and 2016.
This briefing, which is published under the Global Economy and Finance Programme’s ‘Rebuilding International Economic Cooperation’ project, highlights how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating economic and social insecurity for more than 2 billion people employed in the informal sector, and adding to global inequality. A radical rethink of the nature of work and social insurance is needed.
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has recently pledged to put climate change at the heart of its work. A laggard to date, the IMF has to catch up fast to ensure that the world community can meet its climate change and development goals in a manner that doesn’t bring havoc to the global financial system.
In Latin America, International Women’s Month focused heavily on issues related to femicide and gender-based violence. On March 8, International Women’s Day saw large, defiant gatherings and protests against gender violence and inequality. In the weeks that followed, continued protests, reports, and court cases capped off a year in which COVID-19 profoundly affected women across the region.
The beginning of 2021 has brought with it a deepening of the health, economic, and social crises in Brazil. With the 2022 elections on the horizon, political players consider several approaches to lift Brazil from crisis.
