UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has warned that the COVID-19 pandemic could exacerbate various difficulties, economic shocks, and long-standing conflicts in the Arab region.
He, however, stressed that the region is blessed with tremendous diversity and potential that can be invested as an opportunity to build back better.
In his recently released policy brief on COVID-19 and Arab Region, Guterres outlined four sets of priorities to help these countries build back better and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by the 2030 deadline.
First, “slow the spread of the disease, end the conflict and attend to the most vulnerable.”
Second, “build back better by bolstering the capacity of vulnerable groups and deepening social protection reforms for greater equality and inclusion.”
Third, “boost economic recovery through more diversified and green economic models.”
Finally, “prioritize human rights, ensure a vibrant civil society and free media, and create more accountable institutions that will increase citizen trust and strengthen the social contract.”
He further expected the region’s economy to contract by 5.7 percent in 2020.
“With millions more pushed down the economic ladder, fully one-quarter of the Arab population may live in poverty,” he noted, warning that “in a region already rife with tensions and inequalities, this will have profound consequences on political and social stability.”
“Some communities are especially hard hit, including women, migrants — who represent 40 percent of the workforce — and the 55 million people who already rely on life-saving humanitarian assistance.”
He said those caught in armed conflict face particular challenges, especially the 26 million refugees and internally displaced persons, who are among the most exposed to the virus.
The regional economy has suffered multiple shocks — from the virus, as well as the sharp drop in oil prices, remittances, and tourism, he added.
High dependence on oil resources, tourism, and remittances – sectors that are negatively impacted by the pandemic, in addition to protracted conflict, further aggravate the impact of COVID-19 on the Arab region, the brief read.
“Arab countries whose economies are already vulnerable, were made even more so by the COVID-19 crisis.”
Guterres stressed that vulnerable groups, including refugees, migrants, displaced persons, women, young people, the unemployed, those living in slums, and workers in the informal sector, are at risk of becoming even poorer in the absence of universal social protection floors.
About 17 million jobs have been lost, he noted, to be added to the 14.3 million unemployed in the region pre-COVID-19.
