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A bulldozer at a lithium pilot plant in Bolivia. (AP)

Just don’t call it white gold. Rising demand for lithium could be a boon for Latin America, home to most of the world’s proven reserves. Of course, reaping lithium’s benefits means getting it out of the ground and into the supply chain, “a tricky, tricky thing,” says Emily Hersh. The Luna Lithium CEO covers the likelihood of a regional lithium OPEC and how the hot commodity helps leaders win headlines to the detriment of production. Listen to the Latin America in Focus episode.

A for effort. So far, COVAX has shipped 91 million doses to Latin America, meaning 1 in 11 shots administered there came via the global initiative. Still, supply woes and funding issues have led to delays in meeting delivery targets. Learn how COVAX works and see where it’s sent doses in the region.

Check overall vaccine progress in the region.

What’s coming up for Latin America?

February 5: President of Ecuador Guillermo Lasso is slated to meet with his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping to talk debt, vaccines, and trade. Argentina’s Alberto Fernández will also meet with Xi on February 6.
February 6: Ticos tee up for elections. See our poll tracker and read about candidates and top issues.

THEY SAID WHAT?

—Peru’s Interior Minister Avelino Guillén, who resigned from President Pedro Castillo’s cabinet amid a dramatic cabinet reshuffling that was the president’s third in just six months

DON'T MISS THIS

In a week of busy diplomatic news for President Jair Bolsonaro, the Brazilian leader said that, Ukraine crisis or not, he plans to meet with Vladimir Putin in Moscow in late February. Then, in a meeting of what some would consider opposites, he hosted Castillo to ink a border accord and try on his Peruvian counterpart’s famed hat. (The Guardian, El Comercio)

Silver linings: The pandemic accelerated the growth of Latin America’s start-up sector. (The Economist)
In Paraguay, nine media outlets came together to explore the far-reaching, long-lasting impact of a former dictator’s massive land giveaway. (via El Surtidor)
Mexico’s controversial choices for ambassadors to Panama make waves for bilateral ties. (El País, La Estrella de Panamá)
“All roads lead to recession” for Latin America’s top economies. (Bloomberg)

FAST STAT

27.1%

Year-on-year rise in remittances to Mexico in 2021, bringing the total amount of cash migrants sent home to an all-time high of $51.6 billion. As the Associated Press reports, that total surpassed nearly all other sources of national income, including tourism and oil exports.

ICYMI from Americas Quarterly: Máximo Kirchner's big gamble. AQ’s podcast covers Covid's impact on Latin American schools. Three risks to investors in Mexico’s energy reform. Peru’s latest crisis under Castillo. The long OECD road ahead for Argentina, Brazil, and Peru. Uruguay’s controversial turn toward law and order.

ALGO BANANAS

Why did the bananas cross the road? via Mark Tomasovic

Our email is named after the mountain-running messengers of the Inca Empire.

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