THE Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has made a call for countries in the region to adopt policies that would lead to economic reactivation which guarantees women’s rights and gender equality in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to a press release, ECLAC Executive Secretary Alicia Bárcena has warned that women are the most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, and as such is advocating for a feminist social compact with equality and sustainability. She reportedly made the call on Saturday while participating in a discussion organised by the Mexican Senate.

The release noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has important effects on women’s autonomy and gender inequality. “That is why it is urgent that comprehensive public policies be adopted to achieve an economic reactivation that would guarantee women’s rights and gender equality,” it quoted Bárcena as saying, as one of the main speakers at the gathering, along with Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The virtual meeting was reportedly moderated by Malú Micher, President of the Mexican Senate’s Gender Equality Commission, and among participants were Marcelo Ebrard, Mexico’s Foreign Secretary; Olga Sánchez Cordero, the Mexican government’s Interior Secretary; María-Noel Vaeza, Regional Director of UN Women for the Americas and the Caribbean; Senator Mónica Fernández; Senator Ricardo Monreal; and President of INMUJERES Mexico, Nadine Gasman.

In her presentation, Barcena reportedly stressed that policies are needed to guarantee women’s rights and gender equality, especially for young women.

“The social impact of the pandemic has the face of a woman,” Bárcena stated. According to the release, she recalled that the economic drop expected for 2020 (-5.3%) will add 12 million more people to the ranks of the unemployed and will increase poverty by 29 million more people. According to ECLAC’s calculations, around 110 million women in the region will likely find themselves in situations of poverty.

“In addition, the confinement measures ordered due to lockdowns have fostered situations of extreme violence and have limited women’s access to health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, and those providing psychosocial support and justice. Furthermore, the crisis of care is intensifying in the region, especially for women in lower-income households. And gender wage discrimination persists among health professionals, where 72.8% of personnel are women,” Barcena explained.

“This is not a financial crisis, but rather one affecting people, health and well-being. An economic contraction has come about with both supply and demand at a standstill. To cope with this, the role of the State is indispensable, but it must be a social State, not an authoritarian one. Here the role of parliaments is essential for forging a new social compact that would guarantee a Universal Welfare State,” Bárcena indicated to the senators and other authorities present in the meeting.

“We need a feminist future, with a recovery with equality and sustainability,” ECLAC’s highest authority asserted. “We need to build back better, but with equality to forge compacts and a universal social protection system.”