The COVID-19 pandemic hit hard Latin American and Caribbean countries with an average interannualeconomic contraction of 7,7% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in 2020 (ECLAC, 2021a). This dropin economic activity is the deepest economic drop in at least 120 years. The economic crisis has led tosignificant social impact. The unemployment rate reached 10,7% in 2020 (up by 2,6 percentage points)and a massive contingent of people left the labour market (ECLAC, 2021b). The prognostics for 2021 andthe following years are harsh. The region is expected to recover the pre-pandemic levels of economicactivity (GDP) only in 2024 (ECLAC, 2021a). An urgent response is needed, not only because of the recent(short-term) events associated with the pandemic, but also because there are deep structural (long-term)divides that ought to be addressed in order to help Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) economies tobecome more economically resilient and dynamic, socially inclusive and environmentally sustainable.