By Rachel Sadon
On November 14, the Inter-American Dialogue hosted a discussion with former president of Chile Michelle Bachelet on what has to be done to protect the world's vulnerable populations in this time of global economic downturn. President Bachelet, now serving as UN undersecretary general and executive director of UN women, drew on a report recently released by the UN advisory group on social protection, entitled Social Protection Floor for a Fair and Inclusive Globalization.
Latin America has made progress in fighting poverty and reducing inequality in recent years, but these gains may now be at risk. Although most countries of the region have managed to sustain economic growth in the midst of the financial crisis, there is no guarantee that their solid performance will continue. Our discussion will address the question of whether the countries of Latin America should be doing more to prepare for a more severe slowdown. What policies might be most helpful?
MORE INFORMATION: http://www.thedialogue.org/page.cfm?pageID=32&pubID=2797
