UN warns of worldwide poverty as 124m people impoverished due to COVID-19

The United Nations has reported that the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the challenges of making the world meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Between 119 to 124 million people have been pushed back into poverty and chronic hunger, the body disclosed.

SDGs Report 2021, launched on Tuesday at UN Headquarters in New York, showed the toll that the COVID-19 pandemic had taken on the 2030 Agenda.

According to the report issued by UN Under-Secretary-General Liu Zhenmin, the world was not on track to meet the 17 SDGs before COVID-19 struck, and now the challenge has been magnified many times over.

“It indicated that countries must take ‘critical’ steps on the road out of the pandemic during the next 18 months.

“In addition to the almost four million deaths due to the coronavirus, between 119-124 million people were pushed back into poverty and chronic hunger, and the equivalent of 255 million full-time jobs were lost

“The pandemic has halted, or reversed years, or even decades of development progress. Global extreme poverty rose for the first time since 1998,” Liu said.

Moreover, disruptions to essential health services have threatened years of progress in improving maternal and child health, increasing immunisation coverage, and reducing communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Around 90 per cent of countries are still reporting one or more significant disruptions to essential health services.

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The report also indicates that the pandemic has exposed and intensified inequalities within and between countries.

As of 17 June, around 68 vaccine shots were administered for every 100 people in Europe and Northern America – compared with fewer than two, in sub-Saharan Africa.

Millions of children risk never returning to school; while rising numbers have been forced into child marriage and child labour.

With trillions of tourist dollars lost during the pandemic shutdowns, the collapse of international tourism has disproportionally impacted struggling Small Island Developing States.

“The poorest and most vulnerable continue to be at greater risk of becoming infected by the virus and have borne the brunt of the economic fallout.

“This report paints a worrying picture regarding the state of the SDGs. Yet, it also highlights stories of resilience, adaptability and innovation during the crisis, which indicate a brighter future is possible,” Liu noted.

He added that there were signs that countries were taking steps under their recovery plans that could improve SDGs action and that the next 18 months are critical.’

The Under-Secretary-General explained that the upcoming months will determine whether the COVID-19 crisis serves as a ‘much-needed wake-up call.

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