Post Pandemic Covid-19 Economic Recovery: Enabling Latin America and the Caribbean to better harness e-commerce and digital trade

Abstract

This report shows that Latin America and the Caribbean faces critical policy challenges going forward. It must accelerate the digital transformation to allow businesses and consumers to adapt to a new normal and leverage pandemic recovery to create stronger economies, and also tackle long-standing barriers to adopting digital technologies and bridging digital divides. These have impeded sustained and equitable economic growth even before the pandemic struck. This crisis should be a wake-up call for governments, the private sector, civil society, and international development partners to come together and take concerted actions to advance on consistent, long-term, and sustainable e-commerce strategies that are at the forefront of national and regional productive development agendas. Just as digital solutions allowed countries to overcome the increased role of distance within the context of the pandemic in shaping consumption and business, they should also be harnessed to increase regional economic integration beyond this emergency situation.