Latin America and the Caribbean: Effective Governance, beyond Recovery

Latin America and the Caribbean: Effective Governance, beyond Recovery

January 14, 2021

Latin America and the Caribbean has been hard hit by COVID-19. The consequences derived from the pandemic in the economic, social and political spheres refer to pre-existing institutional conditions in the region, including low trust in institutions, political and social polarization, perception of State capture and weakened political parties.

COVID-19 goes beyond a health crisis and must be understood as a crisis of governance. Between September and November 2020, UNDP organized seven consultations with a variety of actors in the region. It was concluded that the magnitude of the governance crisis requires recognizing that it is an unprecedented crisis. From the consultations it is concluded that innovative solutions are required and that to achieve the required changes it is necessary to act differently. Based on the UNDP approach that development for Latin America and the Caribbean is a three-lane highway - productivity, inclusion and resilience - with effective governance as the necessary pavement, 8 principles and 5 propositions collected during the consultations are proposed. This document that arises as a result of the regional consultations carried out which includes the aforementioned principles.