2M CONFIRMED COVID-19 CASES IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN AS OF 21 JUNE
83.4M PEOPLE PROJECTED TO BE LIVING IN EXTREME POVERTY BY THE END OF 2020
53.7M SEVERELY FOOD-INSECURE PEOPLE IN LATIN AMERICA
- ECLAC, FAO
Cases are referenced from PAHO/WHO 21 June COVID-19 Report - https://bit.ly/3fDCwwK
As of 21 June, PAHO/WHO report 2,028,322 cases and 93,908 deaths in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as 1,105,661 recovered cases.
EXTREME POVERTY & FOOD INSECURITY ON THE RISE
ECLAC and FAO warn that Latin America and the Caribbean could see a regional reduction in GDP of 5.3 per cent, the largest drop in a century, which could lead to 83.4 million people living in extreme poverty by the end of 2020, an increase of 16 million people compared to 2019. With 53.7 million severely food-insecure people in Latin America, the crisis’ potential impact on hunger is significant. Food prices are already rising, while incomes are decreasing due to rising unemployment; millions are unable to buy enough food or food with equal nutritional value, threatening to reverse 15 years of progress in the fight against hunger in a matter of months. ECLAC and FAO are proposing an Anti-Hunger Grant that could be implemented as cash transfers or vouchers for the entire population in extreme poverty for a value of .45 per cent of regional GDP, which would have an estimated cost of US$23.5 billion.
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.