The UN Secretary-General has warned that, while not being “the face” of the pandemic, children could be its “biggest victims.” Indeed, what until last year was pictured as a promising “Decade of delivery” now risks turning into a “lost decade” for development. As things stand now, the pandemic could not only halt, but even reverse progress towards the 2030 Agenda.
We are just beginning to understand more clearly what the potential impact of COVID-19 on children is, and new evidence emerges daily. To keep track of it, on 1 May we launched a Live Tracker summarising the most consequential secondary effects of the pandemic on children at a global level, which we have regularly updated as new evidence has emerged. This blog highlights some striking findings from our tracker, which are representative of some of those major impacts. At the same time, it shines a light on the issues we urgently need to know more about.