This issue of the Monitor for 2020 focuses on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19, with a feature piece by the secretary-general of the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), H.E Wamkele Keabetswe Mene, who argues that the AfCFTA will be one of Africa’s post-COVID-19 recovery tools. It also features the executive director of the World Food Programme (WFP), Dr David Beasley, who calls for more action as the toxic combination of conflict, climate change and…

This paper examines key policy and programmatic considerations for international health and employment interventions responding to COVID-19 in conflict-affected countries. It outlines a range of important peacebuilding considerations and highlights significant contributions the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) are making to mitigate the impacts of the pandemic. By doing so, this paper aims to shed light on the risks and resilience factors that are particularly relevant in countries recently or…

Health clusters and partners are facing considerable technical and operational challenges in humanitarian settings to safely deliver COVID-19 response and maintain essential health services. Increased operational challenges such as movement restrictions, diversion of human resources, supplies and funding as well as increased operational costs contribute to the disruption in availability and utilization of essential health services. Furthermore, fear and mistrust of health care being provided as well as stigma related to COVID-19 has, in many…

It’s been nine months since the first COVID-19 case was documented in South Sudan in April 2020 and aid agencies have had to work alongside communities across the county with varying and shifting perspectives since in responding to the pandemic. This blog, written by CSRF Project Officer Lona Morgan, explores the changing perceptions of COVID-19 amongst South Sudanese communities starting from the period when news of COVID-19 first emerged in the country (March 2020), three…

Even before the pandemic, many families and communities struggled to provide their children with the good nutrition necessary for their physical and mental development. Now, the most vulnerable children are set to fall even further behind. Unless we take immediate action, we will see many more children die from preventable causes, and children and adults in the most vulnerable communities will face a global food and nutrition emergency that is unprecedented in our times. We…

As 2020 draws to a close, the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Without urgent action, global poverty and inequality will deepen dramatically. Hundreds of millions of people have already lost their jobs, gone further into debt or skipped meals for months. Research by Oxfam and Development Pathways shows that over 2 billion people have had no support from their governments in their time of need. Our analysis shows…

This report provides a comprehensive summary of global progress on improving water, sanitation, hygiene, waste management and environmental cleaning (WASH) in health care facilities and is intended to stimulate solution-driven country and partner actions to further address major gaps. It illustrates how stakeholders in the WASH and health sectors are increasingly working together in specific countries, with the ultimate aim of delivering safe, quality essential health services.   Download

The consequences of COVID-19 and efforts to contain it have led to one of the most serious recessions in recent history, characterized by, among others, a decline in economic growth, decreased trade, low business revenues and massive layoffs. Projections indicate that, in the next two years, the global economy is expected to lose nearly US$ 8.5 trillion in economic output due to the pandemic. Understandably, the immediate focus for governments is economic recovery. There is…

The coronavirus1 pandemic is the biggest global upheaval of our age and will have profound implications across all countries and all areas of our lives. Despite being less at risk of severe illness caused directly by the disease, children are not exempt. Children alive today will forever be ‘the Covid Generation’, their lives deeply marked by its impacts. Their generation carries our hopes for a brighter future; but there is a real risk that –…

During the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, prolonged school closures may result in a reversal of educational gains, limiting children’s educational and vocational opportunities as well as their social and emotional interactions and development. The longer a student stays out of school, the higher the risk of dropping out. Additionally, students who are out of school – and particularly girls – are at increased risk of vulnerabilities (e.g. subject to greater rates of violence and exploitation,…