More than ever, social protection is a critical instrument in these pressing times. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the gaps in risk and redistribution directly related to the high informality rates that characterise Latin America and the Caribbean region (LAC). The pandemic has also exacerbated existing inequalities within and between countries and has exposed prevalent vulnerabilities aggravating its negative consequences. These inequalities refer not only to income but also to access to education, health, labour participation and other dimensions. As Stiglitz (2020) stated, “Unfortunately, as bad as inequality had been before the pandemic, and as forcefully as the pandemic has exposed the inequalities in our society, the post-pandemic world could experience even greater inequalities unless governments do something