UN suggests list of 55 measures for post-Covid Brazil

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Prioritizing the reopening of safe schools. Guaranteeing universal basic income. Connecting all children and adolescents to the internet by 2030. Offering attractive green credit lines and investing in smart cities. These are some of the 55 measures for Brazil to overcome the crisis caused by Covid-19 and promote short and long term recovery.

This is suggested in the report released on Wednesday, September 29, by United Nations (UN) agencies and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Entitled ‘Covid-19 and Sustainable Development: Assessing the crisis with an eye on recovery’, the work is the result of a task force of experts and had the cooperation of UNDP, UNICEF and UNESCO.

In the study, the group analyzes the repercussions of the coronavirus in several sectors, such as health, education, economy, and environment. On the other hand, it also states that the recovery process would represent a “historic opportunity to reimagine societies” and “achieve a better future for all.”

The researchers consider the pandemic “the worst systemic crisis ever experienced on the planet” since the UN was founded. Given the scenario, experts project a global retreat (-0.018) in the 2020 Human Development Index (HDI) – the first expected downward trend for the indicator since 1990.

However, the impacts would have been “disproportionate,” “deepened inequalities” and hindered the “achievement of human and sustainable development established by the 2030 United Nations Agenda” in Brazil and worldwide. “While all countries are affected, more unequal societies suffer the most from the consequences,” the report says.

“The most vulnerable – countries and populations – have greater difficulty in recovering and the scenario, complicated as it is (due to the 2008 economic crisis), has become even more critical, since many resources will need to be mobilized to rescue the direct and indirect victims of the disease,” it says.

For Brazil, the report analyzes 94 indicators of vulnerability and response capacity to the pandemic, from which it establishes the guidelines for recovery. “Effective recovery will depend on joint efforts to strengthen health systems, reinforce social protection, create economic opportunities, expand multilateral cooperation, and promote social cohesion.”

LACK OF EDUCATION AND TECHNOLOGY

At least 147 countries have closed schools because of the pandemic, which would represent more than 1.4 billion students affected, or about 86% of the world’s student population. In Brazil, UNICEF estimates that 5.5 million children and adolescents were denied the right to education in 2020. “If at the start of the pandemic they were not considered as direct risk groups, they are in fact the hidden victims of Covid-19,” the report says.

For some of the children, the suspension of school activities also impacts food security and access to health, water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure. “The impacts for children and adolescents can last a lifetime,” the study states. “Without neglecting the essential measures to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus, we need to be clear about the impacts of closing schools for a long period on learning, nutrition – since many of them depend on school meals – and the safety of children and adolescents, particularly the most vulnerable.”

Another challenge is unequal access to technology, which can lead to increased dropout rates, child labor, and teen pregnancy, according to the report. “With massive school closures, technology-mediated remote learning presents itself as an alternative for the continuity of learning,” it states. “In Brazil, 28% of families do not have access to the Internet, a percentage that increases as income decreases and reaches 48% in rural areas.”

Policies suggested by the researchers include reopening schools, establishing partnerships for digital inclusion, maintaining health services, and creating job opportunities for youths aged 14 to 24. “Without coordinated action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the effects of the pandemic, the consequences for this segment now, and for society as a whole in the future, will be severe.”

SOCIAL PROTECTION AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

The report also points out that the pandemic has further exposed inequality in Brazil, with differences in access to “social protection, public health services, employment, and to income and adequate housing.” “Social protection can be a crucial tool not only to help families keep afloat in the short term, but also to fight inequality more broadly,” it says.

The researchers suggest a focus on eliminating inequality. Measures include cash transfer and financial inclusion policies, fiscal stimulus, and investment in universal sanitation. “It is estimated that the federal government’s emergency package will total an expenditure of R$524 (US$97) billion by 2020,” they say. “To ensure a resilient and inclusive recovery at all levels, Brazil must also continue to address systemic development challenges.”

In parallel, recovery and the response to the coronavirus must be in line with climate issues and environmental protection, according to the experts. Clean energy matrix, incentives for family farming and investments in sustainable projects are initiatives advocated by the report. “Many of these solutions have cascading effects, with benefits for health and the economy, while building resilience to future disasters,” it says.

“Brazil needs to create a recovery that ‘rebuilds better,’ which means not only immediately restoring economies and livelihoods, but also safeguarding long-term prosperity,” the report says. “This requires a new generation of public policies and social transformations that will facilitate the transition to a less unequal, more resilient society with controlled impacts on nature. The future starts today, not tomorrow.”