(Newswire.net — December 6, 2020) —
Repercussions from the corona virus pandemic have already been severe, however, the UN warns that by year 2030 more than 1 billion people could be living in extreme poverty.
A recent study done by the United Nations Development Programe that was released earlier this week expects the economic recovery from the effects caused by the global pandemic to last for over a decade.
David Beasley, chief of the World Food Programme said at a UN General Assembly held on Friday that “2021 is literally going to be catastrophic”. He stressed that economic contractions have already begun to emerge and that “because we’ve spent $19 trillion, that money may not, and will not most likely be available for 2021”.
COVID-19 has made life harder for everyone and the UN estimates that 1 in 33 people around the world will require humanitarian assistance in 2021, which marks a 40% increase since the beginning of this year. Already vulnerable groups have been hit the hardest such as women and girls, those with disabilities, the elderly and those with mental health needs. Gender based violence, domestic violence and sex trafficking are on the rise.
Beasley also argued that one of the driving factors for the worrying trends are global governmental lockdown policies, stating “the cure could be worse than the disease”. He also noted that man made conflict was also on the rise.
The UN report argued that focused investments are the key to preventing the rise of extreme poverty. Solutions such as temporary basic income, social protection programs and investments in the care economy could be the “conditions for creating radically different futures”.