Before getting into whether the forecast released Wednesday by the U.N. Economic Commission on Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) is realistic or too optimistic, let's look at the key points of the report. According to the study, Latin America's recovery will follow a grim 2009: the region's economy will contract by 1.9 percent this year, and unemployment in the region is expected to reach 9 percent by the end of the year, adding another three illion people to the 180 million living below the poverty line. Read more here. Semana International delivers news about Colombia in English. Find more in our home.