Latin America And The Caribbean Region Research Articles

Public Voices and Environmental Decisions: The Escazú Agreement in Comparative Perspective

AbstractSince the Escazú Agreement entered into force in 2021, many have looked forward to the realization of its goal of further entrenching environmental democratic rights and enabling sustainable development in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region. The severe environmental and related human rights challenges in the region have caught global attention, and the Agreement is most timely in its pursuit of contributing to addressing the situation. This article assesses the quality of, and the extent to which, the right of the public to participate in environmental decision-making processes under the Escazú Agreement can enable the regime to achieve its goal, and how best this right might be strengthened where necessary. This assessment is executed within the context of local peculiarities of the LAC region and good practice in the field, as reflected in the Aarhus Convention and the UNEP Bali Guidelines. The study finds that while aspects of the participatory right regime in the Escazú Agreement are sound – and align with or go beyond existing good practice – some key provisions require improvement in order to increase the effectiveness of the Agreement.

Methodological Guide to Forensic Hydrology

In Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, geophysical, meteorological and hydrological disasters are increasing every year. With significantly limited resources, these countries are naturally forced to absorb lessons from these disasters. One of the fundamental activities during this learning task remains the need to standardize the forensic reporting process. Like all academic disciplines, engineering is exceptional in its application to the forensic field. This feature makes it a unique input to the investigation of hydrological and environmental catastrophes. Based on the fundamental concepts of forensic investigation, ten principles for properly conducting forensic hydrology studies are proposed. The ten principles proposed are: (i) Principle of use, (ii) production, (iii) principle of exchange, (iv) recognition, (v) correspondence, (vi) reconstruction, (vii) principle of probability, (viii) uncertainty, (ix) principle of certainty, and (x) conclusion principle. A hypothetical case of urban infrastructure failure is used to explain, in detail, each of the proposed principles. This paper proposes a methodology to be considered as a reference point for a forensic hydrological analysis to be used at the LAC region.

Burden of Stroke and Population-Attributable Fractions of Risk Factors in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Background Stroke burden characterization studies in low- and middle-income countries are scarce. We estimated the burden of stroke and its risk factors in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Methods and Results We extracted GBD (Global Burden of Disease) study 2019 data on overall stroke and 3 subtypes (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage) for 20 LAC countries. We estimated absolute and age-standardized rates of disability-adjusted life years, years of life lost, years lived with disability, and deaths. The population-attributable fractions of 17 risk factors were estimated. All analyses were performed at regional and national levels by stroke subtype, sex, and age subgroups. In 2019, the LAC region had the fourth largest stroke burden worldwide (6.8million disability-adjusted life years), predominantly attributable to premature deaths (89.5% of disability-adjusted life years). Intracerebral hemorrhage was the primary cause of the overall stroke burden (42% of disability-adjusted life years), but ischemic stroke was the leading cause of disability (69% of total years lived with disability). Haiti and Honduras had the highest age-standardized rates. Older adults and men had the largest burdens, although women had the highest rate of disability. Socioeconomic development level did not influence the burden. The major risk factor clusters were metabolic (high systolic blood pressure [population-attributable fraction=53%] and high body mass index [population-attributable fraction=37%]), which were more influential in hemorrhagic events, women, and older adults. Household air pollution was an important risk factor in low-income countries in LAC. Conclusions The stroke burden and stroke-related mortality in LAC are higher than the worldwide averages. However, stroke is a highly preventable disease in this region. Up to 90% of the burden could be reduced by targeting 2 modifiable factors: blood pressure and body mass index. Further research and implementation of primary and secondary prevention interventions are needed, as well as integrated national stroke care programs for acute, subacute, and rehabilitation management in LAC.

Prevalence and socioeconomic determinants of the double burden of malnutrition in mother–child pairs in Latin America and the Caribbean

BackgroundThe double burden of malnutrition (DBM), which refers to the coexistence of overnutrition and undernutrition among populations, households or individuals, is a growing problem in low/middle-income countries. The Latin America...

Addressing the interplay of the Sendai Framework with sustainable development goals in Latin America and the Caribbean: moving forward or going backwards?

PurposeThe 2030 agenda for sustainable development and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (SFDRR) constitute an overarching global milestone for creating a better sustainable future worldwide. The risk component of the agenda under the SFDRR must be better embedded into the sustainable development goals (SDGs) and integrating disaster risk management policy with broader development objectives at national and subnational levels in many countries is still a work in progress. The purpose of this paper is to analyse the progress between the SDGs and the SFDRR in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) and its complementary featuresDesign/methodology/approachComprehensive and contextualized analyses of the progress of SFDRR and SDGs related to the LAC region need to be fully addressed to examine synergies and trade-offs with the two global agendas. Based on empirical evidence from United Nations global reports, a literature review of DRR and DRM, as well as development planning evidence, this paper addresses the implications of building coherence between the SDGs and the SFDRR in the region.FindingsInterplay and connections of the two agendas are highlighted together with an analysis of coherence among indicators. Despite the richness of several indicators, the examined evidence suggests that derived from the current progress, indicators are unable to completely reflect the dynamics among disaster risk drivers for both the SFDRR and the SDGs in the region.Research limitations/implicationsData availability at UNIDSR as well as at the regional level can limit the scope of the research. When comparing and matching the agendas, results could be further improved upon new releases of data. SFDRR and SDGs have also ground for improvement and countries are doing well but still slow.Practical implicationsThe paper offers new insights and findings for decision/policy makers in Latina America and the Caribbean.Originality/valueThe paper offers an overall understanding of the progress and coherence among SFDRR and SDGs global frameworks and provides insights to identify the gaps and opportunities that need to be addressed to integrate disaster risk reduction into sustainable development planning at national and regional scales in LAC.

A Call for Biomonitoring Systems in Latin America and the Caribbean: Considerations for Potentially Toxic Metals/Metalloids.

The Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region makes up 8.4% of the world’s population. Human biomonitoring (HBM) programs, which can shed light on population-level exposure to environmental contaminants such as toxic metals and thus, improve the health of the populations are inexistent in LAC countries. We call for the creation of HBM programs in the region and identify three viable design options for HBM at the individual level, through national surveys, newborn blood collection, and biobanks. We highlight some of challenges to the implementation of HBM programs, including financial and human resources, technical constrains (laboratory), sample, and data logistics. Finally, we provide the case studies of Brazil, Chile, Mexico, and Uruguay, to illustrate a range of responses to toxic metal exposure in non-occupational populations. Although different in many respects, the individual country responses share two commonalities: 1) academic centers drive the research to raise awareness of governmental entities; 2) reference levels are adapted from international norms rather than arising from the studied populations. Well-designed and sufficiently funded biomonitoring systems need to be established in each country of the LAC region. HBM programs are key to promoting human health by informing the public and contributing to policy processes that establish sustainable environmental controls and health prevention programs.

Bibliometrics Evaluation of Scientific Journals and Country Research Output of Dental Research in Latin America Using Scimago Journal and Country Rank

Innovations in dental sciences are potentially disruptive; however, the language barrier in the case of Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) limits access to scientific studies. There is a necessity to measure the development of dental research across the LAC region, where economic power and postgraduate education access vary significantly. This article aims to analyze documents, citations, and journals and compare the SJR, H-Index, citation rates, and Co-occurrence Networks (Keywords) between dental journals published in LAC and the rest of the world, according to the report of Scimago Journal and Country Rank, between the years 1996 and 2020. Results show that Brazil leads dental research in the LAC, scoring the highest number of published documents, citations, and SJR metrics. The mean H-index and SJR of LAC dentistry journals are significantly lower than those of other regions (p < 0.03); however, there are no significant differences in the mean total citations in the last 3 years between LAC and other regions (p > 0.15). This suggests that the articles published in dentistry journals from LAC are being cited in similar proportions to the journals of other regions, but a large portion of these citations came from publications with low scientific impact.

Consumption of Herbal Supplements or Homeopathic Remedies to Prevent COVID-19 and Intention of Vaccination for COVID-19 in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Users of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) have a lower intention to receive vaccines. Furthermore, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region are among the most affected areas by the COVID-19 pandemics and present a high proportion of CAM users. Therefore, this study evaluates the association between the consumption of herbal supplements or homeopathic remedies to prevent COVID-19 and the intention to vaccinate against COVID-19 in the LAC region. We conducted a secondary data analysis of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) survey with Facebook to assess COVID-19 beliefs, behaviours, and norms. Crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (aPR) with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using generalized linear models of the Poisson family with the log link function. The prevalence of the use of products to prevent COVID-19 was the following: consumption of herbal supplements (7.2%), use of homeopathic remedies (4.8%), and consumption of garlic, ginger, and lemon (11.8%). An association was found between using herbal supplements (19.0% vs. 12.8%; aPR = 1.44; 95% CI: 1.30–1.58), the use of homeopathic remedies (20.3% vs. 12.3%; aPR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.25–1.98), and the consumption of garlic, ginger, and lemon (18.9% vs. 11.9%; aPR = 1.55; 95% CI: 1.50–1.61) and non-intention to vaccinate against COVID-19. In the LAC population, there is an association between using herbal supplements, using homeopathic remedies and consuming garlic, ginger, and lemon to prevent infection by COVID-19 and non-intention to vaccinate against this disease. Therefore, it is necessary to design targeted strategies for groups that consume these products as preventive measures against COVID-19 to increase vaccination coverage and expand the information regarding transmission and prevention strategies for SARS-CoV-2.

Small ruminants and sustainability in Latin America & the Caribbean: Regionalization, main production systems, and a combined productive, socio-economic & ecological footprint quantification

A comprehensive evaluation of the sustainability of the Small Ruminant Production Systems (SRPS) in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is crucial to better understand their main distinctive characteristics and to propose a methodological analysis to quantify the ecological, economic and social footprint of small ruminants in the LAC region; this study aims to address such issues. Although it is complex to achieve a classification of systems integrating all the different SRPS existing in the LAC region, four main systems were proposed: Silvopastoral, Extensive Agrosilvopastoral, Intensve Agrosilvopastoral, & Intensive-Industrial. During 1998–2018, the LAC-goat-sheep annual average (AA) regarding inventory was 113.7 M heads. While sheep represented 70% of LAC inventory showing an overall decrease (−8%; 316,126 sheep yr−1), goats accounted 30%, with a global 18% rise (142,744 goats yr−1). Eight countries concentrated 90% of such census, highlighting Brazil 23% (25.87 M), Argentina 16% (18.78 M), Mexico 14% (16.43 M), & Peru 14% (15.49 M). The SRPS generated an AA of milk-meat-wool protein (MMWP) of 204.5 Mt, observing a decreased trend (−18%) mainly related to a reduction in raw wool (−45%) with concomitant increases for goat meat (7%), goat milk (27%), sheep meat (15%) & sheep milk (15%). While the SRPS-LAC-AA gross economic value of production was 1772.0 MUSD, 10 countries concentrated 95% of such value, notably Argentina 452.56 MUSD (26%), Mexico 369.11 MUSD (21%), & Brazil 328.0 MUSD (19%). Regarding the environmental impact for said period, the SRPS generated AA values of 585.5 Gg-CH4, 14,649 CH4-CO2eq, 1.73 Gg N2O, 514.1 N2O-CO2eq, 15,164.3 Total Emissions- CO2eq, & an AA-BWF of 264.3 Mm3. Regarding the DGHGE (Gg of CO2eq) emissions, 75% were generated by five countries, highlighting Brazil (3445; 23%), Argentina (2477; 16%), & Mexico (2196; 14%). While the global EV of production by the SRPS-LAC was 37,212 MUSD, the total economic cost of the DGHGE was 6516 MUSD; such cost represented 18% of the EVP-SRPS-LAC. The BWF-SRPS-LAC increased by 12%, from 246.36 Mm3 in 1998–275.58 Mm3 in 2018; the main countries were Mexico (71.73 Mm3; 27%), Brazil (46.62 Mm3; 18%), & Argentina (43.81 Mm3; 16%). Interestingly, the BWF in m3 kg−1 MMWP−1 yr−1, registered an overall increase of 36%, going from 1.11 in 1998–1.51 in 2018. When breaking down the percentage contributions of the EV-Ecological Footprint (EF), 79% corresponds to the EV-BWF and the remaining 21% to the EV-CF. The less water-efficient countries were Guatemala, Bahamas & Guyana, with respective EV-BWF values of 386%, 356% & 316%. Regarding the socioeconomic impact, when transforming the EVP-SRPS-LAC into minimum wages, a global growth of 139% was observed; from 200,000 (1998) to 478,000 (2018) annual minimum wages (AMW). Mexico displayed the highest growth while the largest AMW-contribution across years, with 172,587 AMW, an AA increase of 7243 MW and a grand total MW-contribution (GTMWC) of 3,624,307 MW across years. Our methodological approach demonstrate that the SRPS-LAC are an eco-friendly while sustainable option in the face of climate change. However, this sustainability is not homogeneous throughout the study region; further studies must address this type of environmental impact by the SRPS-LAC in a regionalized fashion within the LAC-region; it is certainly a pending assignment. According to our results, it is fundamental to generate transformation and revaluation strategies based on a circular bio-economy perspective, to better understand how these various SRPS products and services benefit the environment, the producer and his family.

Do financial incentive policies for renewable energy development increase the economic growth in Latin American and Caribbean countries?

ABSTRACT This investigation approached the impact of financial incentive policies for renewable energy development on economic growth using panel data with seventeen countries from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) from 1990 to 2016. The fixed-effects model (FE) and the quantile via moments (QvM) models were used to accomplish this investigation. The FE and the QvM models showed that the financial incentive policies for renewable energy development and consumption of green energy, public and private capital stock, and globalisation increase economic activity in the countries from the LAC region, while gender inequality reduces it. Indeed, the positive impact of financial incentive policies for renewable energy development and consumption of green energy on economic growth could be related to the possible capacity of these policies to encourage investments in green energy technologies and the consumption of green energy.

The impact of renewable energy policies on deaths from outdoor and indoor air pollution: Empirical evidence from Latin American and Caribbean countries

This investigation analysed the effect of renewable energy policies (e.g., economic instruments-fiscal/financial incentives policies, such as feed-in tariffs/premiums, grants and subsidies, loans, tax relief, taxes, and user charges) on deaths caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution in fifteen countries from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region from 1990 to 2017. The results from the panel quantile model regression showed that in the 0.10, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, and 0.90 quantiles, the variables carbon dioxide emissions, electricity consumption from new renewable energy sources, economic instruments-fiscal/financial incentives policies to enable renewable energy deployment and use, economic growth, and social globalisation reduces the air pollution deaths. In contrast, the variables electricity consumption from non-renewable energy sources, urbanisation, and economic globalisation encourages the increase of these deaths caused by outdoor and indoor air pollution in the LAC region.

Assessment of port efficiency within Latin America

The Panama Canal expansion has influenced the development of ports within the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region, intending to capitalise on economic opportunities through seaborne trade. Examining port performance is essential to ascertain the PCE impact on port efficiency within the LAC region. Stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) was used to determine the technical efficiency of the 19 major ports within the LAC from 2010 to 2018. The result indicates that, among the four (4) port performance indicators (berth length, port area, the number of cranes (STS gantry and mobile), and the number of berths), the number of STS gantry cranes and berth length had the largest and most significant impact. Some ports with high technical efficiency experienced TEU losses despite port infrastructural development and privatization. The findings also revealed that the increased competition among regional and US East and Gulf Coast ports has negatively impacted some LAC ports’ TEU volumes due to port proximity. The dynamism of the maritime sector, especially containerization, requires ports to implement value-added services and logistics centers in tandem with port performance indicators to remain sustainable and competitive in the maritime industry.

Influence of Climatic Factors on Human Hantavirus Infections in Latin America and the Caribbean: A Systematic Review.

Background: With the current climate change crisis and its influence on infectious disease transmission there is an increased desire to understand its impact on infectious diseases globally. Hantaviruses are found worldwide, causing infectious diseases such as haemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS) and hantavirus cardiopulmonary syndrome (HCPS)/hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS) in tropical regions such as Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). These regions are inherently vulnerable to climate change impacts, infectious disease outbreaks and natural disasters. Hantaviruses are zoonotic viruses present in multiple rodent hosts resident in Neotropical ecosystems within LAC and are involved in hantavirus transmission. Methods: We conducted a systematic review to assess the association of climatic factors with human hantavirus infections in the LAC region. Literature searches were conducted on MEDLINE and Web of Science databases for published studies according to Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria. The inclusion criteria included at least eight human hantavirus cases, at least one climatic factor and study from > 1 LAC geographical location. Results: In total, 383 papers were identified within the search criteria, but 13 studies met the inclusion criteria ranging from Brazil, Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Panama in Latin America and a single study from Barbados in the Caribbean. Multiple mathematical models were utilized in the selected studies with varying power to generate robust risk and case estimates of human hantavirus infections linked to climatic factors. Strong evidence of hantavirus disease association with precipitation and habitat type factors were observed, but mixed evidence was observed for temperature and humidity. Conclusions: The interaction of climate and hantavirus diseases in LAC is likely complex due to the unknown identity of all vertebrate host reservoirs, circulation of multiple hantavirus strains, agricultural practices, climatic changes and challenged public health systems. There is an increasing need for more detailed systematic research on the influence of climate and other co-related social, abiotic, and biotic factors on infectious diseases in LAC to understand the complexity of vector-borne disease transmission in the Neotropics.

New tobacco and nicotine products in Latin America and the Caribbean: assessing the market and regulatory environment

ObjectiveTo document the regulatory environment of new tobacco and nicotine products (NTNPs), including electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS) and heated tobacco products (HTPs), in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC).MethodsReview...

Measuring the economic efficiency performance in Latin American and Caribbean countries: An empirical evidence from stochastic production frontier and data envelopment analysis

The development of the global economy has raised concerns about economic efficiency and productivity. In this context, understanding the concepts of economic efficiency and productivity and the knowledge of the techniques available for their measurement are also of fundamental importance. Thus, the objective of the present study is to measure the economic efficiency performance of 14 countries from the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) region in the period from 1990 to 2017. Analysing the economic performance of these countries with linear Cobb-Douglas production function, two methods were used: the parametric stochastic frontier analysis (SFA) and non-parametric data envelopment analysis (DEA). Both approaches (SFA and DEA) show that Panama is the most economically efficient country in the LAC region, followed by Chile. Concerning other countries, the choice between the SFA and DEA models affects the ratings. Results indicate that Brazil (SFA) and Nicaragua (DAE) are the least economically efficient LAC countries.

Economic effects of climate change on agricultural production and productivity in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC)

AbstractClimate projections indicate that temperatures in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) will rise by between 1.6 °C and 4 °C by the end of the century while changes in precipitation levels are expected to vary significantly across the region. This article estimates the impact of climate change on total factor productivity (TFP) and production. It combines data from the University of East Anglia's Climatic Research Unit (CRU), the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on 28 LAC countries for a 54‐year period (1961–2014) in order to inform policy makers of the cost of output losses in the absence of viable climate adaptation strategies. We use estimates of a random‐parameter stochastic production frontier (SPF) model specification to capture heterogeneity in technology and partial output elasticities across countries and unobserved environmental characteristics. Results show that change in output is mainly driven by an average annual TFP growth rate of .95%. Climate change induces significant reductions (9.03–12.7%) in productivity over the 2015–2050 period. In terms of output, these losses range from USD $14.7 to $31.4 billion dollars in the LAC region, depending on the scenario and the discount rate used.

A bibliometric analysis of COVID-19 research in Latin America and the Caribbean

Introduction: Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) is one of the regions most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Yet, there is scarce literature addressing the research strategies developed in LAC to face COVID-19. Objective: To quantify and assess the production of scientific publications about COVID-19 in 32 countries of LAC between January 1 and July 31, 2020. Materials and methods: Bibliometric study. Scientific papers on COVID-19 conducted in LAC or reporting data pertaining to LAC and published between January 1 to July 31, 2020, were searched in the Scopus, PubMed, and LILACS databases. A subgroup analysis including only original research articles was performed to determine the contribution of LAC countries to research on COVID-19, and standardization measures (# of articles per million people) were applied to compare the country-specific production of this type of articles. Results: A total of 1 291 publications were retrieved. Overall, most of them were non-original research articles (81.72%), and the countries with the highest scientific production were Brazil (43.91%) and Mexico (9.14%). However, after applying the standardization measures, Chile was the country with the highest production of original articles (0.58 per million inhabitants). Regarding original studies (n=236), cross-sectional design was the most common (25.84%). Diagnosis and treatment of the disease was the main research focus (n=354; 27.42%). However, in the subgroup analysis (n=236), epidemiology and surveillance were the most prevalent research focus (n=57; 24.15%). Conclusions: During the study period, non-original research articles were predominant in the scientific production of the LAC region, and interventional studies were scarce among original articles, while the cross-sectional design predominated. Further research with a better quality of evidence should be performed in these countries to contribute to the making of health policies aimed at easing the burden of COVID-19 in the region and preparing for future pandemics.

Air Pollution: A Neglected Risk Factor for Dementia in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) rises with increasing age and polluted air. Currently, at least 172 million people breathe unhealthy levels of air pollution in LAC countries. Several cohort studies have indicated that air pollution increases the risk of developing dementia and neurodegenerative diseases, but the mechanisms underlying the association are still not clear. Air pollution causes and aggravates five established risk factors for dementia (obesity, hypertension, stroke, diabetes mellitus, and heart diseases) and is linked to three other risk factors (physical inactivity, cognitive inactivity, and depression). Some of these risk factors could be mediating the association between air pollution and dementia. Reducing the risks for dementia is crucial and urgently needed in LAC countries. There is room for improving air quality in many urban areas in the LAC region and other low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), a routealready explored by many urban areas in developing regions. Moreover, reducing air pollution has proved to improve health outcomes before. In this article, we propose that despite the ongoing and valid scientific discussion, if air pollution can or cannot directly affect the brain and cause or aggravate dementia, we are ready to consider air pollution as a potentially modifiable risk factor for dementia in LAC and possibly in other LMICs. We suggest that controlling and reducing current air pollution levels in LAC and other LMIC regions now could strongly contribute.

Impact of the Panama Canal expansion on Latin American and Caribbean ports: difference in difference (DID) method

The expanded Panama Canal opened on June 26, 2016. This expansion is the third set of locks that enabled the canal to double its capacity through the addition of new traffic lanes, which allowed neo-Panamax and some post-Panamax vessels to transit across the canal. The widening of the canal has increased maritime traffic within Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). Major ports in the regions have made huge investments in port expansion and infrastructural development to accommodate neo-Panamax vessels. In this study, we investigated the impact of the Panama Canal expansion (PCE) on the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) ports by using the Difference in Difference (DID) method. This impact was evaluated for 100 major and regular ports within the three sub-regions of LAC, namely Caribbean, Central, and South America, before and after the treatment effect, that is, the PCE. The findings from the model revealed that the average container port throughput (TEUs) for the treated ports (DTrp) was more than that of the controlled ports (CONTp) with transshipment hub, Central America, and South America having 20%, 12%, and 34% growth, respectively, since the PCE (the treatment) except for the Caribbean ports (DTrp), which experienced losses of 8% within the LAC region from 2010 to 2019.

COVID-19, sustainable development challenges of Latin America and the Caribbean, and the potential engines for an SDGs-based recovery

Objetivoo objetivo deste manuscrito é examinar o impacto do COVID-19 na região da América Latina e do Caribe e discutir mecanismos imperativos para uma potencial recuperação regional.Metodologiaeste estudo discute conceitualmente os efeitos do COVID-19 na região da América Latina e do Caribe e destaca áreas potenciais para recuperação.Resultadosa região da América Latina e do Caribe (LAC) tem um histórico de desafios estruturais de desenvolvimento – devido à desigualdade digital, degradação ambiental, erosão da democracia e dívida financeira – que levaram a um profundo descontentamento entre as pessoas na região da LAC, e essa insatisfação foi intensificada pelas crises decorrentes da pandemia COVID-19. A região da LAC pode aumentar sua resiliência e recuperar seu caminho para o desenvolvimento sustentável consolidando cadeias de valor regionais com impacto econômico e social, atraindo Investimento Estrangeiro Direto (IED) com foco em sustentabilidade e fomentando o desenvolvimento estrutural para facilitar a expansão das empresas da LAC para mercados internacionais (“multilatinas”)Originalidadea recuperação da crise LAC COVID-19 requer responsabilidade compartilhada, solidariedade global, cooperação urgente e imediata e transformações estruturais para permitir uma integração regional mais profunda. Essa integração deve se concentrar em cadeias de valor baseadas em impacto para serem resilientemente adaptáveis às mudanças nas realidades globais e nos contextos locais árduos. Este manuscrito oferece caminhos integrativos para uma potencial recuperação regional.Implicações/limitações da pesquisaexistem alguns estudos preliminares sobre o impacto econômico e social do COVID-19 na região da LAC; no entanto, as estratégias que as economias emergentes e em desenvolvimento podem seguir para se recuperar prontamente ainda estão em discussão. A incerteza e a heterogeneidade das economias em desenvolvimento e emergentes, assim como as ações multidimensionais necessárias requerem adaptações e ajustes locais.