Conflict in the time of Coronavirus: Why a global ceasefire could offer a window of opportunity for inclusive, locally-led peace

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The coronavirus pandemic is making the human and economic cost of conflict clear. At the very moment where we need all of our resources to overcome the virus, wars continue to increase food insecurity, destroy healthcare systems, drive displacement and deny people their livelihoods. To compound this, the global economic devastation caused by coronavirus is going to be felt most acutely by the people already living in the margins, including the two billion people living…

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Ensuring the public’s right to know in the COVID-19 pandemic

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In responding to the COVID-19 outbreak, many governments have taken measures that limit access to information held by public bodies relating to the pandemic and other crucial areas of public interest. For many of those governments, ensuring public access to information is often not seen as important or as a priority because public functions and services are being reduced or reallocated. For others, secrecy is being imposed to try and limit criticism of poor decision-making…

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Covid-19 and the shrinking space for dissent

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This opinion piece argues that there is a global pattern showing that the new emergency powers invoked by governments to tackle the global pandemic can just as easily be used by would-be autocrats to stifle debate, evade scrutiny, and consolidate their own power.   Read more

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Policy Brief: The Impact of COVID-19 on older persons

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This policy brief elaborates on the impacts of COVID-19 and identifies both immediate and longer term policy and programmatic responses needed to protect older people.   Download

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The Economic Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic in South Sudan

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The COVID-19 outbreak presents three lessons for South Sudan, with 156 confirmed cases to-date. First, the government’s policy to clamp down on social gatherings is not as effective as assumed. Granted the streets are indeed empty now compared to the pre-policy period, but the crowds have shifted elsewhere—residences, neighborhoods’ tea stalls, recreational clubs, and commercial facilities, including supermarkets and banks. This certainly sustains the potential risk of spreading the COVID-19 pandemic. Second, firms and individuals…

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COVID-19 will change the way the UN conducts peacekeeping operations in the future

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The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly disrupted UN peacekeeping operations. In the short-term, activities have been reduced to the most critical, rotations have been frozen, and most staff are working remotely. Most of the missions have adapted remarkably well, but even more extreme changes are likely in the medium term, as the global economic recession that will follow in the wake of the virus may force UN peace operations to drastically contract in size and scope….

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COVID-19 lockdowns are imposing substantial economic costs on countries in Africa

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Low and middle-income countries (LMICs) are suffering rapid and substantial economic costs from the spread of COVID-19 and related lockdown measures. James Thurlow describes initial assessments of economy-wide impacts in some African countries and their varied effects on different sectors and types of households. He also highlights challenges for governments in moving from crisis responses to policies for medium- and longer-term economic recovery. These assessments are done by teams of IFPRI researchers and country partners…

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COVID-19 Policy responses for those small enough to fail – part 2

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This post highlights key considerations for designing COVID-19 policy responses to support those ‘small enough to fail’ – particularly micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and informal sector workers – and to rebuild economies in ways that reduce their vulnerability in the long run.   Read more

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Gender Matters: COVID-19’s Outsized Impact on Displaced Women and Girls

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This article argues that within already vulnerable displaced communities, women and girls are at even greater risk. Cultural norms, underrepresentation, and a host of other challenges further marginalize them socially, politically, and economically. As a result, forced displacement uniquely and disproportionately affects women and girls, as does this pandemic. The article provides analysis and recommendations for Governments where IDPs, asylum seekers, refugees, and stateless people reside, and for INGOs, national NGOs and donors working with…

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Interview: How Covid-19 could undo years of progress in the developing world

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Professor Charlotte Watts is the chief scientific adviser for the Department of International Development (Dfid) and a member of the Government’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage). In this interview, she talks about how developing countries could be affected by the pandemic – and why the UK’s response needs to address both domestic and international concerns.   Read more

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