ECLAC Analyzes the Behavior of the Region’s Foreign Trade during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) will present next Friday, January 22 its annual flagship report entitled International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2020, which examines the behavior of the foreign trade of the region's economies in the last year, with the most recent figures available on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in distinct countries.

More specifically, this edition of the document is composed of three chapters, examining the evolution of global and regional trade after the outbreak of the coronavirus disease, analyzing the evolution of intraregional trade with a long-term view, and examining how international trade can contribute to gender equality when accompanied by the proper policies.

The report will be presented during a virtual press conference held by Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC's Executive Secretary, speaking from Santiago, Chile at 11:00 a.m. local time (UTC/GMT -3:00).

According to the report, in 2020 the region's trade notched its worst performance since the global financial crisis of 2009, mainly due to the abrupt drop in global demand prompted by the pandemic. Furthermore, the restrictions on cross-border movement of merchandise and people, imposed by governments to halt the spread of the virus, also affected transportation and the logistics of international trade. Alicia Bárcena will reveal the specific magnitude of the declines in the main regional trade indicators during the press conference.

The press conference will be transmitted live via Zoom at the following link:

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0dicjUNkTlevcQtDcdI1og

Journalists interested in participating must register in advance. They will receive an automated email with instructions for joining the event.

The press conference will also be transmitted online via the institution's website and its social media accounts on Twitter (@cepal_onu) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/cepal.onu). Journalists will be able to submit their questions ahead of time to the email address [e-mail], and ECLAC's Executive Secretary will respond to them once she has finished presenting the document. Questions will only be taken until 11:30 a.m. local time.

Members of the media are invited to participate in this virtual press conference. Journalists must connect via Zoom (prior registration is required) as of 11:00 a.m. local time (UTC/GMT -3:00). Accredited journalists will be able to send their questions in writing via the Zoom platform's chat while the event is taking place. They can also send their queries to the email address [e-mail]. Questions will only be taken until 11:30 a.m. local time on Friday, January 22.

The presentation will also be transmitted on ECLAC's website and at https://live.cepal.org/.

The full electronic version of this new annual report by ECLAC, along with a press release and the presentation by Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena, will be available on ECLAC's website and on the webpage of the COVID-19 Observatory in Latin America and the Caribbean on Friday, January 22, as soon as the press conference has concluded.

What: Launch of ECLAC's annual flagship report: International Trade Outlook for Latin America and the Caribbean 2020.

Who: Alicia Bárcena, ECLAC's Executive Secretary.

When: Friday, January 22, 2021, 11:00 a.m. local time in Chile (GMT -3:00).

Where: Virtual connection via the Zoom platform (prior registration required).

https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_0dicjUNkTlevcQtDcdI1og

Also via ECLAC's website and at https://live.cepal.org/.

For queries and to arrange interviews, contact ECLAC's Public Information Unit.

Email: [e-mail]; Telephone: [phone].