UN urges government against returning to "old normal,"

PanARMENIAN.Net - In a new framework released Monday, April 27, as a roadmap to support countries' path to social and economic recovery, the United Nations called for an extraordinary scale-up of international support and political commitment to ensure that people everywhere have access to essential services and social protection, Xinhua reveals.

The "United Nations Framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19: Shared responsibility, global solidarity and urgent action for people in need" called for protecting jobs, businesses and livelihoods to set in motion a safe recovery of societies and economies as soon as possible for a more sustainable, gender-equal, and carbon-neutral path - better than the "old normal," according to a press release obtained by Xinhua.

This new framework sets the way UN entities will deliver this vision on the ground, it said. "Decisions made in the next few months will be crucial for the progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)."

Noting that during the Ebola outbreak in 2014, more people died from the interruption of social services and the economic breakdown than from the virus itself, the framework focused on protecting the needs and rights of those most affected by the pandemic, starting with the most vulnerable countries, groups, and those who risk being left behind, said the press release.

Drawing lessons from the 2008-2009 global economic and financial crisis, the framework noted that countries with strong social protection systems and basic services suffered the least and recovered the fastest. To prevent billions of people from sliding into poverty, governments around the world will need to rapidly adapt, extend and scale-up safety "cushions," such as cash transfers, food assistance, social insurance schemes and child benefits to support families.

For the impacts of COVID-19 to be reduced, the United Nations called for an extraordinary scale-up of support to cope with the challenges ahead, including immediate social protection responses that consider differentiated impacts on vulnerable groups, children, women, men, and those in the informal sector.