Social protection
Strengthening national social protection systems to fight against children inequality.
- Available in:
- Español
- English
Although the region has undertaken strong efforts in the last decade, the eradication of poverty and extreme poverty, as well as the reduction of inequality, continue to be one of the main challenges in Latin America and the Caribbean. Between 2002 and 2018, the number of people living in poverty fell from 226 to 182 million - a reduction of almost 20 percent. However, the number of people living in extreme poverty in the same period increased from 57 to 63 million.
In this context, from UNICEF we deploy a series of efforts to assist the most deprived population, taking children and adolescents at the center of our actions. These efforts are framed within four key components of social protection: (i) social transfers, (ii) programs to guarantee access to basic services, (iii) social and care support, and (iv) legislative and policy reform to guarantee equity and non-discrimination. In particular, UNICEF seeks to provide assistance to countries in the region through the country offices to advocate and design comprehensive effective interventions for children, prioritizing the most vulnerable population and taking into account the realities of each country.
Likewise, we seek to contribute in generating the conditions so that the countries of the region are prepared to respond to emergencies through multiple mechanisms. Among them, promote measures to make households less vulnerable to disasters, as well as the implementation of assistance programs in the context of emergencies.
Technical notes on social protection and COVID-19
Resources
Las prestaciones familiares públicas en América Latina (available only in Spanish)
Análisis y propuestas de mejora para ampliar la Asignación Universal por Hijo (available only in Spanish)
