UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo has said the approach regarding reopening economic activities in any country will have to be highly localised taking lessons learned elsewhere in the world to minimise the risk of further spreading of coronavirus and saving lives being lost, reports UNB.
"You see countries are talking different approaches to reopening the economy. I don't think these approaches can be same around the world," she told UNB in an interview. The UNRC said countries need to be mindful of lessons learned elsewhere noting that it is a question of global learning.
The UN welcomed the immediate actions taken by the government to address the impact on the poor and other vulnerable groups. Seppo also appreciated the packages that are put in place by the government to maintain the very "impressive growth trajectory" of Bangladesh.
"Around the world, this is the biggest challenge (to keep economy unhurt). This is a shock to global economy. This is a shock to national economy," she said. Responding to a question on recovery agenda, Seppo said Bangladesh has a very open economy relying on the global supply chain.
"Bangladesh is part of global economy and planning for that is going to be the key," said the UNRC. She acknowledged that Bangladesh has a very extensive system of social protection which is good but the COVID-19 crisis put new people at risk who might not be part of the existing social protection system. "We need to see who’re the vulnerable and who need supports."
Seppo said they hope to be helpful in looking at how the current programmes are targeted making sure that no one is left behind. She said a large number of people who work in informal sector, including day-labourers, micro and small enterprises also need to be taken care of during this crisis. The UNRC said they are very much worried about misinformation noting that it puts life at risk.
"It's important to make sure people are aware of how they can protect themselves," Seppo said adding that it needs to be made sure that there is no unnecessary panic. UN Secretary-General António Guterres earlier said while it is a time for science and solidarity, a “global ‘misinfo-demic’ is spreading.” He saluted the journalists and others who are fact-checking the mountain of misleading stories and social media posts.