GCSPF Newsletter # 37 - May 2020 - COVID-19

A proposal for the decade of action on the Sustainable Development Goals 2020-2030
More than two thirds of the world’s population are still denied a life in dignity and social security: the GCSPF calls for action on social protection financing to deliver on the human right to social protection and the international commitment to guarantee social protection floors for all (SDG 1.3) at a time when the world is richer than ever before.
The central idea of this proposal is to create a solidarity based Global Financing Mechanism for Social Protection to support countries design, implement and, in specific cases, finance national floors of social protection. Social Protection Floors (SPFs) are a direct and fast-acting mechanism to reduce poverty that can save millions of lives and alleviate misery in further millions of cases. Read more

In the face of the unprecedented spread of COVID-19, we strongly support the appeal by the United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres for countries to promote responses to the pandemic based on the respect of the rights and dignity of older people as well as global solidarity. In this regard, we welcome the release of the Policy Brief of the United Nations Secretary-General on the impact of COVID-19 on older people. Read the Statement in English, Spanish or French

Coronavirus has caused a crisis unseen in modern times. Across the globe the virus is devastating, with overwhelming human and economic cost. Roughly one-third of patients who are hospitalised due to coronavirus require intensive care; in many countries in sub-Saharan Africa existing healthcare systems will find this impossible to respond to. For example, in South Sudan, a country with 11 million people, there are only 24 intensive care beds and 4 ventilators. Somalia, home to 15.8 million people, only has 15 intensive care beds. And Sierra Leone only has 13 intensive care beds for a population of 7.9 million. Read more

Between 23 March and 8 April 2020, WIEGO conducted a rapid assessment to understand how COVID-19 and the related public health measures are impacting informal workers in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The rapid assessment included interviews with 21 national or local member-based organizations (MBOs), five regional and global networks of informal workers organizations, as well as a research institute and an NGO that work closely with informal workers. Read more

If countries in Latin America and the Caribbean do not undertake an unprecedented redistributive effort to respond to COVID-19, they may face a profound human rights crisis, says the Initiative for Human Rights Principles in Fiscal Policy (comprised of six human rights organizations and the regional fiscal justice network).
Fiscal policy is a key tool to strengthen healthcare systems and tackle COVID-19, after years of deterioration due to austerity measures. Fiscal policy is also essential to provide economic and social safeguards to make social distancing and quarantine measures viable and humane, and to prevent a deep economic recession. Read more

COVID-19 continues to spread across the world with a trajectory difficult to predict. The health, humanitarian and socio-economic policies we implement will determine how quickly and strongly we recover. Regularly updated assessment of the global impact of COVID-19 on economies and labour markets, together with policy recommendations for lessening its effects and aiding a fast recovery. Read more

Join the Webinar on the "Impact of COVID-19 on child poverty in Africa and beyond". COVID-19 pandemic is causing a socio-economic crisis of unprecedented scale. At the global level, the outbreak might push up to 66 million additional children into extreme poverty. How is the crisis unfolding in the African continent and how is it impacting the poorest children and their families?
Bringing the lived experiences of children in Africa, this webinar will highlight how these experiences can inform policy responses and propose actions to mitigate the impacts of this disaster on children living in poverty. The webinar is organized by three member organizations of the Global Coalition to End Child Poverty - ATD Fourth World, the African Child Policy Forum and UNICEF.
Date: Thursday, May 14, 2020 - Time: 9-10:30 AM New York / 4-5:30 PM Nairobi Time
Please register by May 13th here

The current Covid-19 crisis is having and will continue to have clear impacts on care work, in both the private and the public domain. A number of questions arise:
* What are the impacts of the current Covid-19 on the care system and care workers?
* How can and are social protection systems responding to the impacts of the pandemic on care work, in both the private and the public sphere?
* What do experiences from other health crises, such as Zika in Latin America, tell us about care work, gender and social protection?
* To which extent can the crisis and policy responses be gender-transformative? Can they change for example traditional divisions of labour or how we value care work?
Date: 19 May, 2020 - 9:00 (EDT/GMT-4) Read more

How to administer pension payments during the COVID-19 pandemic available now in English, Spanish and Russian

How older people can safely collect pension payments during the COVID-19 pandemic available now in English, Spanish and Russian