COVID-19 The Secretary-General of the United Nations has also said that, in the knowledge that there
is no system of global governance, the only possible way out of the crisis is through effective international cooperation, and has stressed that “multilateralism is not only a matter of confronting shared threats; it is about seizing common opportunities. We now have the opportunity to build back better than in the past” (Guterres, 2020b).
In the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, there is a need to prepare and lead with
a regional voice in the post-pandemic global arena. Until now, the region’s action has been timorous, and it should be strengthened.
F. The need for transformational leadership In Latin America and the Caribbean, the exercise of political leadership needs to enjoy social
legitimacy and societies need to be inclusive, in order to face the health crisis as successfully as possible and to overcome as quickly as possible the serious economic and social damage associated with the pandemic, through post-COVID-19 social, fiscal, productive and environmental governance compacts, among other measures. It is important for governments to bear in mind that, in some parts of the region, the discontent prior to the pandemic led to a build-up of social energy that will not disappear after the crisis, energy that society as a whole will have to manage by opening up institutional, democratic and fair paths of dialogue and social consultation. Within this complex social framework, ECLAC proposes that the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean consider the following: • Achieve greater certainty based on strong, determined and quality political action to successfully address the economic and social effects of the pandemic. The preparation and adoption of compacts require the political leadership and management to promote and facilitate institutional spaces specifically for forging broad social and political coalitions. Such leadership and management must also serve to recognize and coexist with the collective conflicts that stakeholders face today as part of their adherence to different social groups, since, as Bobbio (1986, p. 49) points out, in a system that is consensus-based and not top-down, some form of dissent is inevitable. Compacts must be devised in a sovereign manner by various means, in accordance with the institutional culture and the democratic practices and values that have guided and given meaning to the work of citizens, social and political organizations, the government, parliaments and the courts, among other bodies, in each country. Recognizing national sovereignty in this area, it is essential that social compacts be based on a democratic culture that, among other things, respects plurality and human rights, considers the gender perspective and leaves no one behind, in order to achieve the greatest possible representation and social legitimacy.11 The legitimacy and sustainability of these agreements is ensured not only by the broad-based involvement and representation of the different stakeholders, but also by the subsequent fulfilment of what is agreed, which will facilitate coexistence and the resolution of the redistributive conflicts that will inevitably exist. • Reinstitute or strengthen the right to welfare, and its provision as a social duty of the State. It is time for the State to resume its role as a provider of social goods and services, and for the public sector to illustrate and promote a collective identity and common goals. Strengthening the State, as well as the role of the public sector, must be a means of opening up institutional paths to achieving greater social inclusion on the road to a culture of equality. Among the most urgent needs facing the region today, is that of recognizing and defending the progress made in the area of social protection policies and programmes, and of addressing the remaining challenges, in order to strengthen social protection systems and ensure their universalization. • Building partnerships between governments, the private sector and civil society in the countries of the region. These inclusive alliances should be built on the basis of the shared vision and common objectives set out in the social, fiscal, productive and environmental sustainability compacts. The public sector will be responsible for instituting and guiding
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According to the conflict transformation approach, one alternative is to create local interaction platforms in an effort to lay and maintain a foundation on which processes of change can be instituted, working on the immediate manifestation of and deeper issues underpinning conflicts. All actors should be invited to be involved in these platforms: those directly involved, active representatives of the various groups that have an interest in the results of the process, and businesses and grassroots social organizations, among others.
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