The worst of the global economic crisis is yet to come though the reactivation measures have taken effect in some markets, Alicia Barcena, executive secretary of the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLA), said on Monday.

When presenting the report on "the reaction of Latin American and Caribbean governments towards the international crisis," Barcena said it is not the time to discuss an economic recovery now in spite of the current stabilizing trend of the financial markets.

She said the drop of demand has not reached its worst moment, neither the collapse of exports. Unemployment will also rise.

According to ECLA estimates, it would take even 10 years to bring the growth back to the levels before the crisis and this could trigger serious poverty.

Even if the growth is able to recover, it will not necessarily bring immediate benefits to underpaid families, Barcena said.

She added that the food crisis last year has seriously hit the poor, and family income is expected to drop while poverty could worsen.

Barcena also expressed her worry about an eventual protectionism of the developed countries, which can affect the Latin American nations depending heavily on exports.

The ECLA also found that the amount of money that emigrants have sent home has declined, a sign that many may have lost their jobs.