Central America Leaders Advance Regional Development Plans As Area Slides Into Poverty
Dec. 12, 2020-The global pandemic and a double-dose of hurricane damage is sending Central American populations and governments into a crisis. Poverty rates are increasing. And governments are facing protests at home. This week leaders from Central American countries met to discuss the structural roots of migration and an ambitious development plan for the region.
Poverty Rising, Economies Shrinking
About 12 million people in Central America fell into poverty this year, according to Alicia Bárcena, executive secretary for the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC).
"The fiscal standing of these countries has been affected by expenditures made to confront the pandemic," Bárcena said, according to the press release. "In addition, the ETA and IOTA hurricanes ...