Impact of COVID-19 in Africa
It is too early to know the full impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) on Africa. To date the experience has been varied. There are causes for concern but also reasons for hope. Early estimates were pessimistic regarding the pandemic’s impact on the continent. But the relatively low numbers of COVID-19 cases reported thus far have raised hopes that African countries may be spared the worst of the pandemic. While the virus is present in all African countries most countries have recorded fewer than 1000 cases. The African Union acted swiftly endorsing a joint continental strategy in February and complementing efforts by Member States and Regional Economic Communities by providing a public health platform. The e-book for this policy brief has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.
Education During COVID-19 and Beyond
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has created the largest disruption of education systems in history affecting nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries and all continents. Closures of schools and other learning spaces have impacted 94 per cent of the world’s student population up to 99 per cent in low and lower-middle income countries. Learning losses also threaten to extend beyond this generation and erase decades of progress not least in support of girls and young women’s educational access and retention. Some 23.8 million additional children and youth (from pre-primary to tertiary) may drop out or not have access to school next year due to the pandemic’s economic impact alone.
COVID-19 and the Care Economy
This brief presents emerging evidence on the impact of the global COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic on the care economy. Complementing a separate UN Women brief on COVID-19 and economic recovery this brief highlights key measures needed to address the increase in unpaid care work as a result of the pandemic ensure adequate compensation and decent working conditions for paid care workers and enable the participation of paid and unpaid caregivers in the policy decisions that affect them. It makes recommendations to be considered by all stakeholders from governments to international organizations and the private sector with examples of actions already taken. In addition to considering the immediate impacts of the pandemic on care systems it shines a light on the opportunity to “build back better” through sustained investments in gender-responsive social protection and care systems.
COVID-19 and Women’s Leadership
This brief shines a light on the critical role of women’s leadership in responding to COVID-19 (coronavirus) and preparing for a more equitable recovery. Across the globe women are at the helm of institutions carrying out effective and inclusive COVID-19 responses from the highest levels of decision-making to frontline service delivery. At the same time the brief recognizes pre-existing and new constraints to women’s participation and leadership and advocates for measures to facilitate women’s influence over decision-making processes. It makes recommendations to be considered by national regional and international policymakers. In addition to considering the pandemic’s immediate impacts on women’s political participation the brief demonstrates the opportunity to “build back better” by including and supporting women and the organizations and networks that represent them in the decision-making processes that will ultimately shape the post-pandemic future.
COVID-19 pandemic and gender aspects
The year 2020 marks two important landmarks in gender equality achievement: the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action and the 20th year of implementing Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security. Unfortunately the Covid-19 pandemic caused cancellation and postponement of many important international meetings including a shortened version of the 64th session of the Commission on the Status of Women but it is also risking to heavily jeopardize the progress made over recent years.
COVID-19 and Universal Health Coverage
In the space of nine months COVID-19 (coronavirus) has spread to more than 190 countries with over 30 million cases reported. Over one million lives have been lost. The pandemic has laid bare long-ignored risks including inadequate health systems gaps in social protection and structural inequalities. It has also brought home the importance of basic public health and strong health systems and emergency preparedness as well as the resilience of a population in the face of a new virus or pandemic lending ever greater urgency to the quest for universal health coverage (UHC). Health is a fundamental human right and universal health coverage is a critical tool for achieving health for all. Universal health coverage is defined as a situation where all individuals and communities receive the health services they need without undue financial hardship. However at least half of the world’s population still do not have full coverage of essential health services and over 800 million people spend at least 10 per cent of their household budgets to pay for health. It will be important to remove as much as possible financial barriers to accessing health services. This is challenging during an economic recession but COVID-19 has shown that effective epidemic control benefits the economy. It has also exposed the down sides of financing health coverage primarily through wage-based contributions. In the context of a global economic crisis where unemployment increases and where entitlement to services is linked to such contributions access to health services is reduced at the time people need it the most.
Focus: Byblos et la COVID-19
Fondée il y a quelque 8 900 ans Byblos au Liban est l’une des plus anciennes villes au monde qui a été continuellement habitée.
Close-Up: Byblos and COVID-19
Byblos in Lebanon is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world founded some 8900 years ago.
Covid-19 Impacts on the Forest Sector in Countries in the Western Balkans
With a focus on Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia
This report summarizes the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the forest sector of countries in the Western Balkans (WB) (Albania Bosnia and Herzegovina Montenegro North Macedonia and Serbia) during the first three quarters of 2020. It focuses on production export import consumption prices and employment of the main wood products: roundwood sawnwood wood-based panels wooden furniture paper and paperboards. It also covers recovery measures implemented by Western Balkan governments. This report employs economic indicators for the period January-September 2020 alongside data from various sources such as official statistics international data bases (COMTRADE EUROSTAT FAO UNECE) domestic organizations as well as interviews with forest products companies of all sizes which were used for their views on the impact of COVID-19.
Waste Management during the COVID-19 Pandemic
From Response to Recovery
The report reviews the existing practices of healthcare waste management under the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and to identify best available or appropriate waste management practices that are operationally and technically in line with local conditions. The report considers various approaches identifies best practices and technologies and provides recommendations for policy-makers and practitioners to improve waste management during the COVID-19. Drawing insight from numerous consultations the report gives particular attention to developing countries and cities which may already lack adequate waste management.
Development Policy and Multilateralism after COVID-19
Committee for Development Policy (CDP) - Policy Note
This Policy Note assembles analysis by members of the UN Committee for Development Policy and their co-authors on different angles of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis and the challenges and opportunities it presents for development policy and multilateralism. The document addresses among other issues: new ways of designing the relationship between governments and private actors that puts public interest at the center; principles and concrete ideas for a multilateral response to COVID-19 as well as for a new multilateralism going forward; and how to respond to COVID-19 in a context of severe inequalities including gender-based inequalities.
COVID-19: Lockdown Exit Strategies for Africa
In the current context of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic policymakers are confronted with decisions that may prove to be among the most difficult of their careers. To contain the COVID-19 pandemic unprecedented measures are being taken globally. In Africa at least 42 countries have imposed partial or full lockdowns on the movements and activities of their people. Experience around the world suggests that such interventions effectively suppress the spread of COVID-19. The lockdowns however pose considerable economic costs that in turn threaten lives put livelihoods at risk and exacerbate poverty. Consequently there is great interest in exit strategies for the COVID-19 lockdowns that preserve lives while protecting livelihoods. The challenge is that critical decision-making in these times is fraught with uncertainty. The present report sets out some of the exit strategies being proposed and tried around the world and outlines the risks involved for African countries.
United Nations Comprehensive Response to COVID-19
Saving Lives, Protecting Societies, Recovering Better
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is more than a health crisis; it is an economic crisis a humanitarian crisis a security crisis and a human rights crisis. This crisis has highlighted severe fragilities and inequalities within and among nations. Coming out of this crisis will require a whole-of-society whole-of-government and whole-of-the-world approach driven by compassion and solidarity. The Response sets out what we can and must do to deliver a global response that leaves no-one behind reduce our vulnerability to future pandemics build resilience to future shocks - above all climate change and overcome the severe and systemic inequalities exposed by the pandemic. It promotes three pillars of operation - delivery of a large-scale coordinated and comprehensive health response; adoption of policies that address the devastating socioeconomic humanitarian and human rights aspects of the crisis; and a recovery process that builds back better.
The Impact of COVID-19 on Women
This policy brief focuses on the impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and the issues affecting women such as economic impacts health unpaid care work gender-based violence - exploring how women and girls’ lives are changing in the face of COVID-19 and outlining suggested priority measures to accompany both the immediate response and longer-term recovery efforts. The e-book for this policy brief has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.
Impact of COVID-19 on SDG Progress
COVID-19 (coronavirus) is having a devastating impact on all 17 Goals and threatening the achievements already made in many areas. While the virus has impacted everyone it is the poorest and most vulnerable who are affected disproportionally by the pandemic. To recover from the COVID-19 pandemic we must put people at the centre of the response to achieve more equitable and resilient outcomes for all. The SDGs and the Paris Agreement are our compass to a transformative recovery that reduces the risk of future crises and brings the inclusive and sustainable development.
Cyber-crime during the COVID-19 pandemic
The pandemic of COVID-19 and the imposed lockdown has led to more people to be confined at home with many more hours to spend online each day and increasingly relying on the Internet to access services they normally obtain offline.
The World of Work and COVID-19
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has turned the world of work upside down. It is having a dramatic effect on the jobs livelihoods and well-being of workers and their families and on enterprises across the globe particularly the small and medium sized. While certain sectors and industries have successfully moved online pointing the way towards exciting innovations in the world of work millions of workers have lost their livelihoods and many more – especially women who are concentrated in highly exposed sectors – remain at risk. This policy brief presents the stark consequences of COVID-19 in an already precarious world of work and provides practical options to recover better.
Addressing the Economic Fallout of COVID-19
This brief presents emerging evidence of the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic’s impact on women’s economic empowerment. Complementing a separate UN Women policy brief on “COVID-19 and the care economy” it considers the immediate gendered economic impacts including widening socioeconomic divides and shifting national and international priorities for the allocation of resources as well as the long-term implications for women’s employment and livelihoods. The brief makes recommendations to be considered by all stakeholders from governments to international organizations the private sector and civil society organizations in order to guarantee the economic rights of women during the public health crisis and in plans for recovery and resilience. Drawing on the latest available research and data the brief highlights examples of action already being taken.
COVID-19 and Women’s Rights Organizations
A Disability-Inclusive Response to COVID-19
The global crisis of COVID-19 (coronavirus) is deepening pre-existing inequalities exposing the extent of exclusion and highlighting that work on disability inclusion is imperative. People with disabilities—one billion people—are one of the most excluded groups in our society and are among the hardest hit in this crisis in terms of fatalities. This Policy Brief highlights the impact of COVID-19 on persons with disabilities and in doing so outlines key actions and recommendations to make the response and recovery inclusive of persons with disabilities. While the brief contains specific recommendations focusing on key sectors it identifies four overarching areas of action that are applicable for all. The e-book for this policy brief has been converted into an accessible format for the visually impaired and people with print reading disabilities. It is fully compatible with leading screen-reader technologies such as JAWS and NVDA.