UN chief in Bangladesh Mia Seppo has said that the recovery from the Covid-19 crisis “must lead to a different economy”.
“Everything we do during and after this crisis must be with a strong focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, climate change and the many other global challenges we face,” she told Bangladesh Post in an interview.
The UN which is turning 75 this year is facing the greatest challenge since its formation now due to the pandemic.
But the UN resident coordinator, Seppo, said the pandemic is not the only challenge they are facing though.
“...there are multiple others, including climate change, which we must address if humanity is to move forward into a more equal, inclusive, and sustainable world,” she said.
The UN Secretary General also said that the world must tackle the devastating social and economic dimensions of this pandemic crisis, with a focus on those most affected women, older people, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium-sized enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups.
“We would like to hear from the people of Bangladesh as to how they envision a post COVID-19 world and what they think the greatest challenges are that should be addressed,” Seppo said when asked what would be the role of UN in the post-pandemic Bangladesh.
“We’ve launched a short online survey people can fill out un75.online. The responses from the survey will help shape our priorities moving forward and I hope that there are plenty of voices from Bangladesh helping to shape our future,” she said.
As of Thursday, Bangladesh confirmed 28,511 coronavirus cases and 408 deaths.
The government has eased the lockdown allowing businesses to reopen before the Eid-ul-Fitr festival. Inter-districts movement is visible.Mia Seppo warned the government of possible second wave of cases if things are not planned properly.
“Without careful planning and in the absence of scaled up public health and clinical care capacities, the premature lifting of physical distancing measures is likely to lead to an uncontrolled resurgence in COVID 19 transmission and an amplified second wave of cases,” she said.
“There needs to be a balance between controlling the spread of the virus and managing the socioeconomic impacts of it, therefore there is a need to plan for a gradual transition away from such restrictions.”
The global lockdown is seriously impacting the businesses and economy of the country. The World Food Programme has warned that this epidemic could double the number of people worldwide sitting on the brink of starvation to 265 million.
Mia Seppo, however, said Bangladesh is in the “fortunate position of being a food producing nation”.
She also appreciated the government’s decision to keep the agricultural sector open which, she said is “vital” to ensure future food security for the country.
“The Prime Minister (Sheikh Hasina) has often highlighted the importance of future food security and keeping the agricultural sector running is helping to ensure this food security,” she said.
The UN, however, did not predict about the future of the crisis.
“It’s difficult to predict how the situation will play out both here in Bangladesh and globally, however we know that this is the greatest test humanity has faced since the formation of the United Nations,” Mia Seppo said.
“Even if the virus itself is defeated, the world will face many challenges to return to where it was pre-COVID-19 with potential long-term effects on the global economy, individual countries, and individuals themselves.
“The poorest and most vulnerable in our societies are the ones who will be worst affected by these long-term impacts.
“In the short-term, the UN is working with the government of Bangladesh to complement existing support to the most vulnerable people, including through food distributions,” she said.
“The UN has also adapted existing development programmes where possible to ensure support can continue as it’s needed now more than ever.
“The UN has supported the government of Bangladesh in scaling up social protection and improving the targeting of the most vulnerable groups to ensure they are getting the support they need during this period,” she said.