The population of Central America and the Dominican Republic has grown by 34.7% in the last two decades, and for the year 2020, the population was 59.6 million inhabitants, corresponding to 15 million more people than in the year 2000 .
According to data from the World Bank (2021), the pandemic has generated a regional economic contraction of 6.7% on average due to COVID-19 and the expectation of growth of 3% will not mitigate the direct and indirect lag that it came to generate the pandemic in terms of education, generating a decrease in access to better jobs and economic conditions. Additionally, the contraction is generating very gradual progress in achieving the goals established in the Sustainable Development Goals and their environmental and social indicators.
According to Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), there is a 10-year setback in the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), of Latin America due to the effect of COVID, with the appearance of 45 million new poor in the region. This situation, added to the negative effects of climate change, generates significant pressure in the region in terms of human development.
The author is a Sustainability Partner for Deloitte Spanish Latin America
It is based on the needs to strengthen our economies, where the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), incorporated within a Sustainability Strategy, has a highly relevant role, being a tool that can generate a positive and regenerative impact of great value for our communities and social-environmental settings. However, it is essential that Sustainability Strategies are consistent with the type of business so that they can last over time, generating tangible, measurable and credible value.
From the context of the pandemic, where many companies have significantly reduced their operations in order to survive for more than 24 months, CSR is not currently a priority issue due to the economic losses of many businesses during this time. However, by aligning, ordering and managing organizations their issues of reputation, business continuity and environmental, social and economic risks, considerable benefits can be generated internally and externally to the organizations.
A Sustainability strategy that incorporates CSR, of which the collaborators feel part of and consider it their own, is aligned with the strategic and business objectives, which in turn can generate operating and cost savings and promote a corporate image. and positive reputation that produce better competitiveness through value, are considered components for better management and accountability within the current context of the pandemic, which is getting closer to its end.