Across the globe, Governments are now confronted with the major challenge of putting in place appropriate exit strategies to come out of COVID-19 pandemic. What is the role of trade unions during lockdowns, shutdowns and re-opening? Learn more here...

Investment flows are expected to slowly recover starting 2022, led by global value chains (GVCs) restructuring for resilience, replenishment of capital stock and recovery of the global economy.

The increasing spread of the coronavirus across countries has prompted many governments to introduce unprecedented measures to contain the epidemic. These are priority measures that are imposed by a sanitary situation, which leave little room for other options as health should remain the primary concern. These measures have led to many businesses being shut down temporarily, widespread restrictions on travel and mobility, financial market turmoil, an erosion of confidence and heighted uncertainty. In a rapidly changing environment, it is extremely difficult to quantify the exact magnitude of the impact of these measures on GDP growth, but is clear that they imply sharp contractions in the level of output, household spending, corporate investment and international trade. This note provides illustrative estimates of the initial direct impact of shutdowns, based on an analysis of sectoral output and consumption patterns across countries and an assumption of common effects within each sector and spending category in all countries.

Migrant workers can be vulnerable to abuse and exploitation during migration and employment due to factors including unethical recruitment, migration status, fear of deportation, or the inability to find alternative employment, particularly during the current COVID-19 crisis.

The Montreal Recommendations on Recruitment: A Roadmap towards Better Regulation provides clear guidance to policymakers on how to protect migrant workers during recruitment, migration, and employment. It is designed to help develop comprehensive, multi-faceted approaches to promote ethical recruitment, enhance transparency and accountability, and improve the migration and employment outcomes for all stakeholders.

The expanded facility includes both a one-time temporary coverage of COVID-19 given the unprecedented magnitude of the present outbreak, and a longer-term ex ante coverage for future pandemics and epidemics. The expanded facility seeks to improve countries’ public contingent liabilities management. For the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, countries can request up to $90 million or 0.6% of GDP, whichever is less. Beyond the present outbreak, countries can request coverage for future public health emergencies for up to $100 million or 1% of GDP, whichever is less.

Kremer and the Institute’s Director General, Manuel Otero, will discuss the opportunities available to increase agricultural productivity through the use of digital tools: a fundamental way to support the sector within the context of the current pandemic as well as transform rural areas into areas of progress that generate job opportunities.

"Covid-19 has not only created a health crisis, but also an economic crisis in the long term. For many people, the pandemic is also generating a food security crisis. In the midst of this situation and the emergency measures that have been adopted, we must look ahead and find opportunities to shape the future”, explained.

“La igualdad es una declaración política. Tenemos que huir de la cultura del privilegio, que naturaliza las desigualdades y hace creer que las personas no son iguales. Necesitamos un nuevo pacto social, un nuevo Estado de bienestar que consagre la protección social universal, con acceso a sistemas de salud de calidad, y reconstruir con igualdad y sostenibilidad”, declaró Alicia Bárcena.

First, countries should designate food and nutrition services as essential, while also implementing protections for those who work in the sector.

“It means preserving critical humanitarian food, livelihood and nutrition assistance to vulnerable groups”, the Secretary-General continued, “and it means positioning food in food-crisis countries to reinforce and scale up social protection systems.”

Mr. Guterres added that relief and stimulus packages must reach the most vulnerable, including small-scale food producers and rural businesses.

The PAHO Director noted, “In South America, our response to the pandemic will be impacted by the arrival of winter, while hurricane season will complicate our efforts in North and Central America, and especially in the Caribbean.”

“This is a problem for patients because respiratory illnesses leave them at greater risk of severe COVID-19 infection. It’s also a challenge for strained health systems that will have to cope with the dual burden of a coronavirus pandemic and a spike in other respiratory illnesses. It does not help that the similar symptoms will make diagnosing COVID-19 even harder,” Dr. Etienne told journalists in a briefing.

The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) approved a budget support loan to El Salvador of $250 million to strengthen the efficiency and effectiveness of public policy and fiscal management to address the health and economic crisis caused by COVID-19.

The program supports the introduction of temporary measures to protect the income of vulnerable households and to increase the liquidity of firms during the health and economic crisis, among which the allocation of a monetary contribution to low-income households, suspension temporary payment of domiciliary services, and the postponement of the payment of taxes for certain groups of companies and shops.

“Our increasingly unsustainable use of marine resources for economic activities has hurt the health of our oceans, seas and coasts,” said Pamela Coke-Hamilton, UNCTAD’s director of international trade. 

“The COVID-19 crisis offers an opportunity to turn this around as we rebuild sectors of the blue economy,” she added.

Back in September, the world committed to a landmark political declaration on universal health coverage. Now, in the throes of the COVID-19 crisis, the President of the UN General Assembly has reiterated the importance of investing in health as “an investment in human capital, social and economic development and the empowerment of all people”.

The PAHO guidance notes that these groups face singular challenges, such as higher poverty levels, lack of access to some basic services such as water and sanitation, and cultural barriers, including language barriers. Other factors that can increase their vulnerability include health service access barriers, a higher prevalence of chronic diseases, less access to social safety nets, mistrust caused by a history of racism, and high levels of informal labor among members of these communities.

The COVID-19 pandemic is worsening globally, with more than 136,000 cases recorded on Sunday: the highest number in a single day, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).

“More than six months into this pandemic, this is not the time for any country to take its foot off the pedal”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking on Monday during his regular briefing on the crisis.

The ILO has urged governments, immigration, health and maritime authorities to work together to recognize seafarers as ‘key workers’ who ensure the flow of trade and the movement of vital medical supplies, safety equipment, food and other critical goods during the pandemic.

During a videoconference, representatives of financial institutions, development organizations and donors informed the ministers of funding alternatives and resources available to strengthen agriculture, with special emphasis on food security, resilience, economic recovery, technological innovation, sustainable use of resources and the preservation of biodiversity, among other areas.

The meeting was organized by the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA) and the Secretariat of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), as part of their efforts to strengthen agriculture in the region. 

Economic activity among advanced economies is anticipated to shrink 7% in 2020 as domestic demand and supply, trade, and finance have been severely disrupted. Emerging market and developing economies (EMDEs) are expected to shrink by 2.5% this year, their first contraction as a group in at least sixty years. Per capita incomes are expected to decline by 3.6%, which will tip millions of people into extreme poverty this year.

“I am saddened to see some backsliding on efforts to phase out fossil fuel support. This rise in production subsidies seems set to continue in 2020 with some countries targeting state aid to fossil fuel and related industries,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría. “Subsidising fossil fuels is an inefficient use of public money and serves to worsen greenhouse emissions and air pollution. While our foremost concern today must be to support economies and societies through the Covid-19 crisis, we should seize this opportunity to reform subsidies and use public funds in a way that best benefits people and the planet.” 

Additionally, people over 60, or who have underlying health conditions, should wear medical masks in these settings, while all workers in clinical areas of health facilities should also use them – not just those who deal with COVID-19 patients.

However, WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, warned against putting too much faith in masks, stressing that they are only part of a comprehensive strategy to defeat the disease. 

The virus of false information and fake news which has proliferated globally as the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, has not spared the crisis-wracked South American country, Venezuela. But the United Nations there is countering the misinformation by making sure that Venezuelans receive trustworthy and reliable information about the deadly virus.