The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted the growth of the region, the paralysis of economic activities as a result of the virus containment measures led to the closure of companies, destruction of jobs, impact on global supply chains and the collapse of markets. regional health systems. It should be noted that countries in the region had been experiencing negative growth rates prior to the arrival of the pandemic, which placed the economies in a much more vulnerable situation. Thus, the region’s average growth was 0.2% in 2019. With the arrival of the pandemic, the regional scenario for 2020 resulted in a contraction of -7.0%. However, the forecast for 2021 is more favourable, the stimulus measures taken by the governments to stimulate key sectors of the economies have had an effect, in this sense the growth rate for the end of the year is estimated at 6.3% according to IMF figures. In this context, the thematic axis: Economic Recovery, contemplates the following goal: Stimulate economic growth by strengthening regional integration processes, contributing to the design of public policies that facilitate trade and promoting the SME business ecosystem.

There are many benefits of the intensive and widespread use of digital technologies. They favor competitiveness, democratize access to information and strengthen the capacities of the public sector, ultimately allowing greater economic growth, higher levels of well-being and better opportunities for all to be achieved. Likewise, investment in infrastructure has multiple channels through which it affects the quality of life of citizens, the productivity of companies and the efficiency of the economy in general. Its specific impact on job creation is especially relevant due to its link with the policy objectives of creating local economic activity, increasing the income of vulnerable populations, and reducing inequality. However, the materialization of these benefits has not been possible given the digital and infrastructure gaps that exclude those who do not have access or skills to take advantage of them. In fact, on a global scale inequalities have deepened, social mobility has stagnated and productivity has weakened. In the specific context of Latin America and the Caribbean, these gaps are especially visible. It is estimated that 32% of the population does not have internet access, 67% of schools do not have sufficient connection speed and 50% of countries do not have an advanced digitization agenda. In general terms, the development of a digital ecosystem is located in an intermediate stage as an expression of the wide range of pending tasks. Similarly, despite the advances in infrastructure investment in public services such as drinking water, sanitation and electricity made in the region, the heterogeneity in access and quality of services is high. For example: despite the fact that drinking water coverage is around 80% in most countries, less than 60% of people choose to drink tap water. For its part, access to electricity service in the region is above 90% on average; however, there is a high disparity in the quality of the service (intermittency) and its access in rural areas.