Impact of COVID-19 on violence against women and girls through the lens of civil society and women’s organizations

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CSOs are reporting an alarming increase in violence against women and girls as a direct result of social isolation measures, across all five regions that the UNTF EVAW operates in, and this is occurring in multiple forms. In addition, there are multiple pathways through which risk factors for VAW/G have exacerbated, and will increase the likelihood of violence, and CSOs have drawn our attention to the compounded effect of these pathways because none of the…

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Implementing the global compact on refugees for children: Examples of child-focused work

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Children make up 52% of all refugees globally, yet they are not sufficiently protected, and their care and development needs often go unmet. Children in refugee situations face many potential dangers, such as violence, abuse, exploitation, discrimination, separation from their families, trafficking and military recruitment. The impact of these experiences can be devastating and long-lasting. Children have different needs from adults and these needs can only be identified and met if they are approached in…

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‘We are subjects, not objects in health’: Communities taking action on COVID-19

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This document provides evidence of practical and affirmative options of people-centered, participatory forms of community organizing and engagement in diverse areas of prevention, care and wider social protection in responding to COVID-19. The 42 case studies from different regions intend to inspire, inform and support.   Download

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Early lessons from COVID-19 response and shifts in authority: public trust, policy legitimacy and political inclusion

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In attempts to reverse the spread and prepare the curative care sector, and under huge uncertainties, many governments have responded to the COVID-19 outbreak with either voluntary or mandatory physical isolation and distancing measures. These have put state-society relationships in any political system under great pressure. In addition, many countries have shifted public decision-making authority from the democratic institutions to temporarily concentrated executive arrangements. With specialist expertise involvement, these arrangements enabled quick and invasive regulatory…

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Global Dialogue on Responding to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Economic Crisis: Building Back Better Aligned to the SDGs and the Paris Agreement

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The COVID-19 crisis provides an early glimpse of how the climate and biodiversity crises will affect the world. The impacts of the pandemic and economic lockdown have led to a stark decline in development gains, dispro-portionately affecting low-income and vulnerable households, communities and countries. Disparities have sharpened within countries and between developed and developing countries; the latter has experienced a “perfect storm” of unem-ployment, capital flight, loss of remittances, and increasing debt leading to the…

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Coming Out Stronger from COVID-19: Policy Options on Migrant Health and Immigration

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People on the move are among the highly vulnerable groups to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) crisis. The disproportionate impact on this group, which includes immigrants and those still crossing borders, shows in the unprecedented, multiple challenges they face in health, livelihood, and additionally for those fleeing war and persecution, in access to protection. These heighten their risk of infection, which has implications on the health of their families and communities. It is urgent for governments…

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Note on Protection of Migrants in Light of the COVID-19 Pandemic

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As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, states are facing an unprecedented public health challenge, which has forced them to adopt stringent measures. Against this backdrop, the management of migratory movements adds another layer of complexity – migrants must not be disproportionately affected either by the pandemic itself or by the measures legitimately adopted by states in their response. Many governments are already developing innovative and solidarity-based solutions to ensure migrants, irrespective of their legal status, are…

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A Restriction of responsibility-sharing: Exploring the impact of COVID-19 on the Global Compact on Refugees

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This report examines the current and potential use of the GCR to address COVID-19 and its impacts, as well as the impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of the GCR itself. It provides analysis of and reflections on the effects of the pandemic and concomitant challenges on different aspects of the GCR, ranging from shrinking asylum space and restricted responsibility-sharing to how the Compact features in public advocacy surrounding pandemic responses. Questions explored in the…

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For a more equal world post-COVID-19: Focus on the financial gatekeepers

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Inequality has been one of the defining issues of our times. Gaps between the rich and poor have widened even in the world’s wealthiest nations, where the post-2008 crisis economic recovery often failed to prioritise those most in need. A recent selection of research by Transparency International shows that the COVID-19 pandemic risks becoming another such disruption. It also makes clear the urgent need for global action to stop that from happening. Recent revelations from…

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COVID-19 and Inequality: The Great Divide

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This week, the world hit an agonising milestone as the one millionth COVID-19 death was recorded. But the ongoing pandemic threatens to scar our societies in other ways, too. “Without urgent action, we risk deepening the divide – globally – between the rich and poor,” the head of International Monetary Fund (IMF), Kristalina Georgieva warned this week of the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Even before the pandemic, inequality between and within countries had been…

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