Reseña

From the first imported cases of COVID-19 in the Americas in 2020, countries across the continent experienced a setback of more than a decade in key areas such as human development, poverty, and social inequality. In response to the severe public health challenges and the resulting social and economic crises, governments in Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) turned to social security systems in an unprecedented manner.

This work examines the responses of LAC countries to the health, social, and economic crises triggered by the pandemic. It also analyzes the protection of social rights before, during, and after the crisis, comparing countries that implemented or expanded intervention programs within their social security systems with those that adopted austerity measures or refrained from implementing containment actions—that is, those that merely maintained or dismantled pre-existing social programs. Mortality from COVID-19 is also briefly addressed.

The review underscores the importance of health institutions in upholding this right, which is not only one of the fundamental pillars of social security but also a core human right. The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic also revealed the urgent need to evolve social protection systems in order to improve the safeguarding of populations. Many of the measures adopted—both in terms of social policies and operational aspects—could contribute to enabling the exercise of most of the rights encompassed by the nine branches of social security, as outlined in Convention No. 102 of the International Labour Organization.

This comparative analysis of country responses makes it possible to identify how the pandemic pushed governments to explore alternatives to
expand services and ensure the human right to social security, documenting the actions implemented by various states and regions.