In the latest report published by the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), called “Repercussions in Latin America and the Caribbean of the war in Ukraine: how to face this new crisis?”, it was warned about the increase in monetary poverty, which would go from 29.8% to 33.7% in 2022, while extreme poverty would rise from 10.4% to 14.9% this year, especially in Paraguay and other nations such as Mexico and Brazil.
In this sense, the ECLAC analysis revealed that some 7.8 million people in Latin America and the Caribbean are in crisis due to inflation and the slowdown in economic growth. After the pandemic and the emergence of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine, millions of Latin Americans are at risk of falling into food insecurity.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) points out that food insecurity means for a person the risk of not having access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their daily energy needs and food preferences to lead a life active and healthy.
EVOLUTION OF POVERTY
Iván Ojeda, head of the National Institute of Statistics (INE), pointed out regarding the behavior of poverty in Paraguay that since 2016 the need rates had been decreasing until the pandemic entered.
“Between 2016 and 2018, extreme poverty fell from 5.7% to 3.9%, a figure at which this indicator currently remains. There are 283,000 Paraguayans affected by extreme poverty, which in urban areas do not reach G. 10,000 per day and in rural areas they do not reach G. 9,500”; he detailed it.
In relation to total poverty, during 2016 this indicator rose to 26.4%, but in 2019 it fell to 23%. However, with the entry of the pandemic, this percentage increased again and reached 26.9%, a figure at which it remains today.
The head of the INE highlighted that programs such as Pytyvõ, Ñangareko, the pension for Older Adults and Tekoporã managed to “prevent” around 500,000 people from entering the extreme poverty line.
Read More: “Without health or education it will not be possible to reduce poverty”.
URGENT PUBLIC POLICIES
The economist Verónica Serafini had pointed out to El Independiente that poverty reduction requires short- and long-term measures, differentiated by age and sex.
“In the first place, it must be guaranteed that 100% of children and adolescents have an income that allows them to lead a decent life, stay in school, receive health care, and be free of child labor and violence. Only in this way will they be able to escape from the trap they are in today. In the case of adults, jobs that guarantee income and social security are required”, he had expressed.
Along the same lines, the professional added that audits must be strengthened to reduce evasion, promote family farming and implement better policies for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises.
“All this with a gender focus. Almost half of women do not have a paid job. Unfortunately, they are condemned to poverty and dependency”, she had indicated.
In addition, Serafini had stressed that the introduction of comprehensive public policies with wide coverage must be urgently initiated, “universalizing” existing programs such as Tekoporã.
“This kind of programs must be universalized and aspects such as health and education must be integrated. Without these rights they are not universal, there is no chance of reducing poverty in the long term”, she concluded.
