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UN Executive Office of the Secretary-General (EOSG) Policy Briefs and Papers
These briefs and papers from the Secretary-General of the United Nations feature advisories, guidelines, resources and materials about the vast array of issues of international concern that are on the Organization's agenda. In these, the Secretary-General seeks to advance the interests of the world's peoples, in particular the poor and vulnerable among them, and the principles and ideals on which the Organization was founded.
1 - 20 of 25 results
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Investing in Jobs and Social Protection for Poverty Eradication and a Sustainable Recovery
Publication Date: October 2021More LessThe COVID-19 pandemic is the most serious global public health and socioeconomic crisis the world has faced in the past century, exacerbating pre-existing and systemic inequalities and threatening the long-term livelihoods and well-being of hundreds of millions, if not billions, of people. Recovery trends between advanced and developing economies are deeply uneven, spurred by vast differences in access to vaccines, the fiscal capacity and ability of governments to respond, supply chain failures, a growing digital divide, the impacts of the growing complexity of conflict and displacement, and the threat of a looming debt crisis. This two-track recovery is now creating a great divergence, which, if not corrected, will undermine trust and solidarity and fuel conflict and forced migration, and make the world more vulnerable to future crises, including climate change.
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Transforming Extractive Industries for Sustainable Development
Publication Date: June 2021More LessExtractive industries have immense potential to drive growth, support sustainable development, and reduce poverty in developing countries. Yet, the actual contribution of extractive industries to sustainable development in countries rich in raw materials has often been mired by financial, economic, governance, social and environmental concerns. The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has caused an extraordinary socioeconomic worldwide crisis, resulting a contraction of world GDP, and the first increase in extreme poverty since 1998. The purpose of this policy brief is to capitalize on the opportunity provided by COVID-19 to build back better by identifying concrete recommendations for transforming the extractives sector into an engine for sustainable development, which can support a just transition to a netzero, circular, and inclusive global economy.
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Liquidity and Debt Solutions to Invest in the SDGs: The Time to Act is Now
Publication Date: May 2021More LessCOVID-19 has caused an extraordinary socio-economic crisis throughout the world. More than a year into the coronavirus pandemic, the world is still in firefighting mode. Long-term economic scarring effects and an uneven recovery, potentially leading to a sharply diverging world, are also increasingly coming into focus. The severe fiscal impacts of the crisis are triggering debt distress in a growing number of countries, severely limiting the ability of many countries to invest in recovery, climate action, and the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The purpose of this policy brief is to take stock of the global policy response since April 2020, assess remaining gaps and challenges for their implementation, and propose updates to the original recommendations in light of developments over the last year.
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COVID-19 and Universal Health Coverage
Publication Date: October 2020More LessIn 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.
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COVID-19 in an Urban World
Author: United NationsPublication Date: September 2020More LessThe remarkable growth of cities in recent decades has intensified a number of humanity’s most pressing challenges. It has also presented many of our greatest opportunities to protect people, prosperity and planet. COVID-19 (coronavirus) has laid bare – and indeed heightened – both these challenges and these opportunities. With an estimated 90 percent of all reported COVID-19 cases, urban areas have become the epicentre of the pandemic. In the near term, for many cities, the COVID-19 health crisis has expanded to a crisis of urban access, urban equity, urban finance, safety, joblessness, public services, infrastructure and transport, all of which are dis-proportionally affecting the most vulnerable in society.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on South-East Asia
Author: United NationsPublication Date: September 2020More LessThe health, economic and political impact of COVID-19 (coronavirus) has been significant across South-East Asia, but the virus has not spread as rapidly here as in other parts of the world. There is much to learn from the response to date of countries in the subregion as governments have acted swiftly and despite limited fiscal space to contain the pandemic and avoid its worst effects. This policy brief examines how the eleven countries of South-East Asia are coping with the immediate impacts of COVID-19, focusing on the subregion’s socio-economic response and providing four sets of recommendations for a recovery that leads to a more sustainable, resilient and inclusive future.
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COVID-19 and Transforming Tourism
Author: United NationsPublication Date: August 2020More LessTourism provides livelihoods for millions of people and allows billions more to appreciate their own and different cultures, as well as the natural world. For some countries, it can represent over 20 per cent of their GDP and, overall, it is the third largest export sector of the global economy. Tourism is one of the sectors most affected by the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic, impacting economies, livelihoods, public services and opportunities on all continents. While sustaining the livelihoods dependent on the sector must be a priority, rebuilding tourism is also an opportunity for transformation with a focus on leveraging its impact on destinations visited and building more resilient communities and businesses through innovation, digitalization, sustainability, and partnerships.
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Education During COVID-19 and Beyond
Author: United NationsPublication Date: August 2020More LessThe 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.
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كوفيد-19 والمنطقة العربية
Author: United NationsPublication Date: July 2020More LessThe COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has exposed serious fault lines and vulnerabilities in societies, institutions and economies all around the world. The Arab region, home to 436 million people, initially kept transmission and mortality rates lower than the global average but more recent trends are cause for concern, especially in light of fragmented health care and insufficient primary care in many countries. The pandemic has also magnified many decades-long challenges. These include violence and conflict; inequalities; unemployment; poverty; inadequate social safety nets; human rights concerns; insufficiently responsive institutions and governance systems; and an economic model that has not yet met the aspirations of all. The response to the COVID-19 crisis can also be used to address some of the long-standing structural weaknesses in the region, notably to build back better in line with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development through stronger support to local authorities, while strengthening democracy, safeguarding human rights, and achieving and sustaining peace.
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El impacto del COVID-19 en América Latina y el Caribe
Author: United NationsPublication Date: July 2020More LessAmérica Latina y el Caribe se han convertido en zonas críticas de la pandemia de COVID-19, exacerbada por estructuras de protección social débiles, sistemas de salud fragmentados y profundas desigualdades. El COVID‑19 provocará en la región la peor recesión de los últimos 100 años y se estima que generará una contracción del 9,1% del producto interno bruto (PIB) regional en 2020. Esto podría aumentar el número de personas en situación de pobreza en América Latina en 45 millones (hasta llegar a un total de 230 millones de personas) y el número de personas en situación de extrema pobreza en 28 millones (llegando a un total de 96 millones de personas), poniéndolas en riesgo de desnutrición. En una región que experimentó un número significativo de crisis políticas y protestas en 2019, el aumento de las desigualdades, la exclusión y la discriminación en el contexto de la pandemia afectará negativamente el goce de los derechos humanos y los avances democráticos; situación que, de no atenderse, podría eventualmente derivar en malestar social y disturbios. La recuperación posterior a la pandemia debería ser una oportunidad para transformar el modelo de desarrollo de América Latina y el Caribe y, al mismo tiempo, fortalecer la democracia, salvaguardar los derechos humanos y mantener la paz, en consonancia con la Agenda 2030 para el Desarrollo Sostenible.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on the Arab Region
Author: United NationsPublication Date: July 2020More LessThe COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has exposed serious fault lines and vulnerabilities in societies, institutions and economies all around the world. The Arab region, home to 436 million people, initially kept transmission and mortality rates lower than the global average but more recent trends are cause for concern, especially in light of fragmented health care and insufficient primary care in many countries. The pandemic has also magnified many decades-long challenges. These include violence and conflict; inequalities; unemployment; poverty; inadequate social safety nets; human rights concerns; insufficiently responsive institutions and governance systems; and an economic model that has not yet met the aspirations of all. The response to the COVID-19 crisis can also be used to address some of the long-standing structural weaknesses in the region, notably to build back better in line with the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development through stronger support to local authorities, while strengthening democracy, safeguarding human rights, and achieving and sustaining peace.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Latin America and the Caribbean
Author: United NationsPublication Date: July 2020More LessLatin America and the Caribbean has become a hotspot of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, exacerbated by weak social protection, fragmented health systems and profound inequalities. COVID-19 will result in the worst recession in the region in a century, causing a 9.1% contraction in regional GDP in 2020. This could push the number of poor up by 45 million (to a total of 230 million) and the number of extremely poor by 28 million (to 96 million in total), putting them at risk of undernutrition. In a region which experienced a significant number of political crises and protests in 2019, increasing inequalities, exclusion and discrimination in the context of COVID-19 affect adversely the enjoyment of human rights and democratic developments, potentially even leading to civil unrest, if left unaddressed. Recovery from the pandemic should be an occasion to transform the development model of Latin America and the Caribbean while strengthening democracy, safeguarding human rights and sustaining peace, in line with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
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The World of Work and COVID-19
Author: United NationsPublication Date: July 2020More LessThe 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.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition
Author: United NationsPublication Date: June 2020More LessThe COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic is a health and human crisis threatening the food security and nutrition of millions of people around the world. Hundreds of millions of people were already suffering from hunger and malnutrition before the virus hit and, unless immediate action is taken, we could see a global food emergency. In the longer term, the combined effects of COVID-19 itself, as well as corresponding mitigation measures and the emerging global recession could, without large-scale coordinated action, disrupt the functioning of food systems. Such disruption can result in consequences for health and nutrition of a severity and scale unseen for more than half a century.
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Impact of COVID-19 in Africa
Author: United NationsPublication Date: June 2020More LessIt 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 1,000 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.
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COVID-19 and People on the Move
Author: United NationsPublication Date: June 2020More LessCOVID-19 (coronavirus) leaves few lives and places untouched. But its impact is harshest for those groups who were already in vulnerable situations before the crisis. This is particularly true for many people on the move, such as migrants in irregular situations, migrant workers with precarious livelihoods, or working in the informal economy, victims of trafficking in persons as well as people fleeing their homes because of persecution, war, violence, human rights violations or disaster, whether within their own countries — internally displaced persons (IDPs) — or across international borders — refugees and asylum-seekers. 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.
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COVID-19 and the Need for Action on Mental Health
Author: United NationsPublication Date: May 2020More LessAlthough the COVID-19 (coronavirus) crisis is, in the first instance, a physical health crisis, it has the seeds of a major mental health crisis as well, if action is not taken. Good mental health is critical to the functioning of society at the best of times. It must be front and centre of every country’s response to and recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. The mental health and wellbeing of whole societies have been severely impacted by this crisis and are priorities to be addressed urgently. Rapid implementation of recommended actions will be essential to ensure people and societies are better protected from the mental health impact of COVID-19. 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.
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The Impact of COVID-19 on Women
Author: United NationsPublication Date: May 2020More LessThis 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.
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Shared Responsibility, Global Solidarity: Responding to the Socio-economic Impacts of COVID-19
Author: United NationsPublication Date: May 2020More LessThis report is a call to action, for the immediate health response required to suppress transmission of the virus to end the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic; and to tackle the many social and economic dimensions of this crisis. It is, above all, a call to focus on people – women, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and on vulnerable groups who are already at risk. 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.
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Debt and COVID-19: A Global Response in Solidarity
Author: United NationsPublication Date: May 2020More LessSince the global financial crisis of 2008, public external debt in many developing countries has increased. The increasing indebtedness reflected the funding required to finance domestic investment-savings gaps. It was also encouraged by the long period of unusually low international interest rates and unprecedented levels of global liquidity associated with quantitative easing. Developing countries, including least developed countries (LDCs), increased access to commercial financing. Lending by non-Paris Club official creditors also increased. The negative economic, social and financial impacts will likely outlast the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic and hit hardest poor, developing and highly indebted countries. Beyond dealing with the immediate pandemic, additional resources will also be needed to stimulate demand, regenerate jobs and restore supply capacity to pre-crisis levels, let alone to achieve the SDGs. 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.
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