Washington DC –
The 33 Latin American countries starting their speeches this Tuesday before the 77th General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) with the presidents of Brazil, Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador and Chile before the forum of nations, arrive – like the rest of the nations – in times of economic turbulence and inequality.
High inflation has reached historic highs in over 40 years in economic powers such as the United States, with the June record up to Inflation of 9.1%.– It was a blow to the pockets of Latin Americans who are still experiencing a slow post-pandemic recovery.
The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), in its most recent report, said that the region faces “a scenario of low growth and accelerating inflation presented by the global economy” which, together with a lower trade growth, the tightening of global financial conditions will negatively affect the countries of the region ”.
The economy will grow on a regional average by 2.7%, according to the ‘Economic Survey of Latin America and the Caribbean: Dynamics and Challenges to Promote a Sustainable and Inclusive Recovery‘, growth that would be well below the rebound effect the region experienced in 2021 after reopening after closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“In a context of multiple objectives and growing restrictions, coordination of macroeconomic policies is necessary to support the acceleration of growth, investments, the reduction of poverty and inequalities, confronting the inflationary dynamics”, declared Mario Cimoli, secretary interim executive of ECLAC, presenting the report at the end of August.
Unsustainable denial of climate change
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently warned that this General Assembly “comes together at a time of great danger” because “geostrategic gaps are the widest since at least the Cold War”, which makes it difficult to answer. to the “dramatic challenges we have to face”.
Our world is upset by war, upset by climate chaos, marked by hatred “.
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The head of the highest global consensus body said this is a context marked by the effects of climate change, which has triggered waves of migration, aggravated poverty in large regions of the world and, most dangerously, widened inequalities.
“Our world is rocked by war, rocked by climate chaos, marked by hatred and shamed by poverty, hunger and inequality (…) the cost of living crisis is affecting the most difficult people and communities, poorer, with dramatic effects, “Guterres said recently at a press conference.
Guterres expressed concern that developing countries lack budget space “and lack access to the financial resources needed to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and protect their population from the devastating impact of climate change.”
In this context, Latin American nations participate in the meeting of presidents, government delegations and civil society, which this year meet in New York entitled: “A watershed moment: transformative solutions for interconnected challenges”.
A transversal inequality in the region
A study conducted by researchers Germán Alarco Tosoni and César Castillo of the Universidad del Pacífico, in Peru, reflects how the inequality gaps widened in the American subcontinent by measuring various indicators from the 1980s until the arrival of the pandemic.
Inequality is understood as the effect of the distribution of the country’s wealth, at opposite poles: a small minority accumulates more and more wealth and resources, while large segments are left behind. Even when the cost of living rises and wages are insufficient to meet basic needs that accumulate over time with a “devastating” effect, according to experts.
“The high inequality has negative economic, social and political impacts, even the International Monetary Fund (IMF) states that it economically generates lower and less sustainable growth in the long term”, explains the report published in the global network of libraries SciELO.
The researchers argue that “high inequality” tends to promote the formation of “asset price bubbles, as demand growth is driven more by consumer credit than wages and salaries.”
Academics from the Universidad del Pacífico believe that “high wealth and income inequality” is a global trend with implications that can have repercussions for up to a decade to come and that in Latin America they will worsen “by sharing this feature with climate change , environmental degradation and aging of the population.
Analytical look from Washington
Cynthia Arnson, former Latin American Program Director at Woodrow Wilson Center in Washington DC, told the voice of america that the Latin American region arrives at the General Assembly in a situation similar to the rest of the emerging markets of the planet with economies under strong inflationary pressure, never seen in the last 25 years.
“The prices of the basic basket are on the rise, especially affecting the poor and the food security of tens of millions of people. Inflation together with the increase in interest rates already affects public debt ”, explains the expert.
For Cynthia Arnson, who currently works as a researcher at the Woodrow Wilson Center in the US capital, it is unfortunate that such crucial issues in the Central American region as setbacks in democratic institutions and human rights violations are not mentioned in the discussion. global.
“Unfortunately, authoritarianism and the violation of human rights in Central America will not be a topic in the General Assembly, much less in a meeting of presidents and national authorities,” Arson points out.
For his part, Eric Eric Farnsworth, vice president of the Council of the Americas (AS / COA), center for economic analysis on Latin America in the capital of the United States, explained to the VOA that in the context of the 77th General Assembly of the Latin American UN does not appear at first sight to have a leading role for various factors, even if interventions by “notable” presidents are expected.
“Brazil will try to show that the destruction of the Amazon is not as serious as reported, Colombia will denounce the war on drugs, Mexico could present a peace plan for Ukraine which will be ignored. And Gabriel Boric will probably discuss environmental issues. “
However, for Farnsworth it is not expected that the leaders of the region address the topic of “China in a meaningful way” and that there will certainly be demands on developed nations to “do more” to help with climate change and economic recovery, but I don’t anticipate much progress on the big issues, “says the vice president of AS / COA.
The perspective from Central America
El Salvador’s former representative to the United Nations and El Salvador’s ambassador to the United States, Rubén Zamora, told the voice of america that there are organizations in the United Nations such as the human rights organization that will set the agenda of the 77th General Assembly.
It is very difficult to define the course of the theme ”
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“It is very difficult to define the direction of the issue, however there are UN agencies that are more neutral regarding ideologies. Human rights, for example, are making very serious statements in both El Salvador and Nicaragua, “Zamora said.
On 15 September, the plenary session of the European Parliament condemned by an overwhelming majority the “repression” in Nicaragua against citizens and religious.
Hours later, the president of El Salvador announced his intention to re-elect himself in the presidential elections of 2024. A path impossible to follow according to three articles of that country’s constitution.
This landscape causes international relations experts, such as Napoleon Campos, to ensure that the “recovery of multilateralism” in the world will be crucial in the United Nations General Assembly. One, because of his breakup after the Russian invasion of Ukraine and two because that vision is about to be lost in Central America.
“In countries such as Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador it seems that this focus on multilateralism has been lost and the actions carried out by the ruling power are believed to have supremacy over international commitments,” Campos said. voice of america.
Nicaragua and El Salvador were the only countries in the Central American region that remained silent in the face of international condemnation of Russia for the war in Eastern Europe. “Apparently these countries do not condemn the breakdowns of the international system,” added the expert.
The Assembly will not fail to promote more convictions, Campos said, which will leave room for Central America to take the side of the democratic majority or to isolate itself from it.
“The violation of human rights that occurs in Nicaragua and the path taken by El Salvador continue the unfortunate events that led (…) to the announcement by President Nayib Bukele that he was willing to violate the letter of the Constitution in order to elections are a fact that predicts only a further deterioration of the country’s political situation, which has already worsened ”, underlined Campos.
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