United Nations: Recommendations for sustainable solutions

By: Nina Hoppmann
Created: 1 April 2020 - 05:04
Updated: 1 April 2020 - 05:04

With their report "SHARED RESPONSIBILITY, GLOBAL SOLIDARITY: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19", the United Nations make a global call to action to tackle the many social and economic dimensions of this crisis. 

With respect to the immediate economic effects, they state that "COVID-19 has plunged the world economy into a recession with the potential of deep consequences and historical levels of unemployment and deprivation." For the United Nations, current necessary mearues like quarantines, travel restrictions and lockdowns "have resulted in a significant reduction in demand and supply".

To propose sustainable solutions, the United Nations issue these recommendations to match the magnitude of the crisis: 

1. Advocate and support implementation of a human-centred, innovative and coordinated stimulus package reaching double-digit percentage points of the world’s gross domestic product

2. Resist the temptation to resort to protectionist measures

3. Take explicit measures to boost the economies of developing countries

4. Strengthen international public finance provision

5. Waive sanctions in this time of solidarity

Of course, these recommendations encompass a broad scale of actions by many different stakeholders and are not the only ones the United Nations give. Where do you see them put into action or how can we do it?