Guterres: COVID-19 Opportunity to Build Back Better

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his participation in the African Union summit on February 8, 2020 (AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his participation in the African Union summit on February 8, 2020 (AFP)
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Guterres: COVID-19 Opportunity to Build Back Better

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his participation in the African Union summit on February 8, 2020 (AFP)
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his participation in the African Union summit on February 8, 2020 (AFP)

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.



French Politicians Condemn Mosque Stabbing Attack

A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
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French Politicians Condemn Mosque Stabbing Attack

A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)
A protestor holds a sign reading "Justice for Aboubakar, Islamophobia kills" during a gathering in tribute to Aboubakar, the worshipper killed in a mosque at La Grand-Combe, and against Islamophobia, at the Place de la Republique in Paris on April 27, 2025. (Photo by Alain JOCARD / AFP)

French politicians on Sunday condemned an attack in which a man was stabbed to death while praying at a mosque in southern France, an incident that was captured on video and disseminated on Snapchat.
President Emmanuel Macron offered his support to the man's family and to the French Muslim community, writing in a post on X: "Racism and religiously motivated hatred will never belong in France."
Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau on Sunday visited the town of Ales where Friday's attack took place and met with religious leaders, Reuters reported.
He said the suspect, who was still at large, had made anti-Muslim comments and had said he wanted to kill others. "So there is a fascination with violence," Retailleau told French broadcaster BFM TV.
The town's prosecutor told reporters on Sunday the suspect had been identified. The suspect's brother had been questioned by investigators on Saturday.
A march to commemorate the victim took place in the nearby town of La Grand-Combe, on Sunday afternoon and a demonstration against Islamophobia was expected in Paris in the evening.
France, a country that prides itself on its homegrown secularism known as "laicite," has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up around 10% of the country's population.