The COVID-19 socio-economic crisis: a blueprint for action
The COVID-19 pandemic is casting a long shadow in countries across the world and has quickly moved beyond a health crisis alone. As the UN Secretary General stated in The Impact of COVID-19 on Children : “Children are not the face of this pandemic. But they risk being among its biggest victims.” To understand the complex socio-economic impact of…, The picture today, In East Asia and Pacific, many governments have implemented strong policies to contain the spread of the disease and COVID-19-related deaths. Infections have remained low in comparison to many developed countries, but the impact of those interventions are being felt across the region in a profound way. Children today are vulnerable. Many are out…, After the pandemic, a new danger to address, As the world’s attempt was to flatten the curve of the virus, it is now equally important to flatten the curve of the socio-economic impact on children and their families, a curve with a higher deadly potential for children and their families. Shutdowns cause a daisy chain of lost incomes. If a factory worker loses their job, they will not buy…, Recover., To curb the immediate impact of the pandemic, governments should urgently scale up unconditional cash transfer programmes to reach all children during the lockdown and immediate aftermath. This would help parents like Suthat Namgasa in Thailand to be able to provide for their children tomorrow. Governments must be bold and ensure they reach and…, Rebound., As countries are getting ready to restart their economies, there is an unprecedented political support and strong fiscal space for social expenditures that needs to be directed to child friendly solutions. Governments in this region have announced a broad range of stimulus measures, including packages to support the most vulnerable through social…, Reimagine. , All evidence suggests that this crisis is going to drag on, with significant risks to both mounting rates of poverty and inequality between and within countries. Without a daring vision we not only risk losing the hard-won developmental gains in recent years in the region, we risk losing a generation of future thinkers, leaders, workers, and…
East Asia and Pacific
