Protection response under the restriction of COVID-19

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COVID-19 pandemic has taken the entire world by surprise, creating the greatest global catastrophe since WWII, impacting all spheres of our societies, including health, economy, social protection, as well as security, and human rights. The virus affects people and communities indiscriminately in all parts of the world, with particularly strong impact on poorer communities, especially those already suffering from the humanitarian consequences caused by conflicts, social-economic problems or disasters. As of 7 October 2020, over…

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The Condition of the Girl Child worldwide

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This year’s “indifesa” Dossier cannot help but address the global consequences of the pandemic. With almost all countries imposing lockdowns of varying intensities, schools and health centres have closed, workshops, seminars or awareness sessions have been impossible to organise, and millions of girls and young women confined to isolation. Nowadays, there is already a worrying rise in abuse, forced marriages, school dropouts, cyberbullying, online sexual violence and female genital mutilation. This report offers a significant…

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Protecting land and natural resources tenure rights in the era of COVID-19 by heeding the lessons from the past

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The COVID-19 pandemic has caused severe disruptions in food supply chains, undermining the ability of small food producers to access their land and the natural resources they need, thereby rendering them more vulnerable to encroachment on their tenure rights. This pandemic is requiring all stakeholders to evaluate and plan for how to protect the tenure rights of small food producers, particularly women, indigenous peoples (IPs) and other vulnerable groups, to avoid additional devastating effects that…

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Fighting inequality in the time of COVID-19: The Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index 2020

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COVID-19 hit a world woefully unprepared to fight it, because countries had failed to choose policies to fight inequality. Only one in six countries assessed for the CRI Index 2020 were spending enough on health, only a third of the global workforce had adequate social protection, and inmore than100 countries at least one in three workers had no labour protection such as sick pay. As a result, many have faced death and destitution, and inequality…

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“The greatest need was to be listened to”: The importance of mental and psychosocial support during COVID-19

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Early in 2020, as the world was beginning to realise the magnitude of the humanitarian and societal consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, we began to see the huge psychological implications of the virus itself and the measures to prevent it. Worries and fears about losing loved ones, becoming sick or about health systems being over-loaded continue to be common among the people we support. Moreover, measures imposed by governments to prevent the spread of the…

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Solidarity with the people and governments of Africa in tackling COVID-19

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Africa has responded swiftly to the COVID-19 pandemic and, as of now, reported cases are lower than early pessimistic estimates. It is too early to know the full impact of COVID-19 on Africa. To date, the experience has been varied. Moreover, as with other regions, there is not one homogenous narrative around the COVID-19 pandemic in Africa. The pandemic is affecting African countries differently, given varied strengths and vulnerabilities. There are causes for concern, but…

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Spreading disease, spreading conflict? COVID-19, climate change and security risks

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At the intersection of health, climate and conflict risks, four key pathways through which COVID-19 can exacerbate climate-related security risks stand out: Increased pressure on livelihoods and resources. The combination of COVID-19 and climate change impacts can put additional stress on livelihoods and resources, and reduce adaptive capacity, which in turn can exacerbate conflict risks. Negative impacts on migration as an adaptation strategy. Measures to contain the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic can increase the…

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Policy Brief: COVID-19 and Universal Health Coverage

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In the space of nine months, COVID-19 has spread to more than 190 countries, with over 30 million cases reported. Over one million lives have been lost. The pandemic has laid bare long-ignored risks, including inadequate health systems, gaps in social protection and structural inequalities. It has also brought home the importance of basic public health, and strong health systems and emergency preparedness, as well as the resilience of a population in the face of…

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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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