The Middle East Facing the New Coronavirus Variants
Report: 16 to 30 November 2021
This report is also available in Arabic.
An undated electron microscope image shows SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19, isolated from a patient in the US. ©Reuters / NIAID-RML handout.
The World Health Organization held a special emergency meeting to discuss the emergence of a new COVID strain that may be deadlier than the others that preceded it. Although the organization stated that there is no reason to panic, the WHO did confirm that the variant has already been observed to have “a large number of mutations,” raising questions and concerns over how that will impact diagnostics, therapeutics, and vaccinations.
1- The socio-economic situation
Egypt
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-279,184 corona confirmed cases
-208,192 recovered
-16,002 deaths
Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs of Egypt for European Affairs Badr Abdel Aty, and Assistant State Secretary for the Middle East and North Africa Division Ambassador Maya Tissafi (Asharq Al-Awsat).
With no other way to put it: Egypt is booming and at al large scale. During this month, the country succeeded in attracting new agreements that would allow it to streamline the buildup of its economy and better position itself with the rest of the world. On one hand, the country hosted the 21st summit of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa in its new administrative capital, thus gathering 21 African countries. Participants discussed the use of digital-economy tools to facilitate business practices, enhancing member states’ resilience against the economic repercussions of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Egypt’s strategy to increase trade between Egypt and COMESA members. On the other hand, Egypt managed to agree with Switzerland on the need to advance political and economic relations further and to increase Egyptian exports to Switzerland and inbound investments from Switzerland.
Egypt also achieved a major breakthrough with international organizations. For instance, the World Bank approved a US$360 million Development Policy Financing (DPF) loan to support Egypt’s post-pandemic recovery and enhance the country’s prospects for sustainable and inclusive growth. Moreover, USAID signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to support cultural heritage and sustainable tourism in Egypt, mainly in Historic Cairo and Luxor. Such an endeavor is highly beneficial for a country who attracts millions of tourists on a yearly basis.
Jordan
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-748,685 corona confirmed cases
-732,475 recovered
-9,703 deaths
View of Wadi Al Mujib in the Jordan Valley (Shutterstock).
After taking severe blows to its economy, Jordan is finally recovering from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic by relying on fiscal and monetary measures and an accelerated vaccination drive. As a result, the IMF predicted that is set to grow by 2 percent and 2.7 per cent next year. Moreover, Jordan is also willing to evolve into a green-economy; a step lauded by many financing international organizations and nations invested in cost reduction, sustainability, and renewable energy. Jordan and the UAE for instance, are to start a mega energy-for-water project as of the beginning of 2022 which would be part of a solution for the two countries’ water needs. On the same note, Jordan is set to receive €70 million ($78.9 million) from the European Investment Bank to increase efficiency in the use of water resources.
Iraq
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-1,311,093 corona confirmed cases
-1,217,982 recovered
-16,999 deaths
Oil exports will reach 3.4 million barrels per day www.arabnews.com/.
Despite the series of events which have resulted from the political confrontation happening in the country, Iraq is still recording positive macroeconomic indicators. For instance, Iraq’s external debt has dropped from $133 billion in September 2020 to 20 Billion dollars. Moreover, oil exports will reach 3.4 million barrels per day (bpd) in the first quarter of 2022 thus boosting oil production revenue. Being a member of OPEC, Iraq plans to incrementally increase that number.
Unfortunately, Iraq is suffering from the effects of climate change and has been facing major obstacles in trying to reboot its agriculture. Luckily international partners are investing in that domain. For instance, PepsiCo Inc and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) announced a new partnership to support farmers in Iraq impacted by conflict and climate change and help build a more sustainable agricultural supply chain in the region, particularly for potato crops.
Lebanon
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-544,002 corona confirmed cases
-531,156 recovered
-7,835 deaths
UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Olivier De Schutter said he had seen 'scenes I never expected to see in a middle-income country' during his visit to Lebanon [Courtesy Marwan Tahtah/United Nations handout].
Despite Lebanon’s ‘carefuly engineered’ banking system is, it turned out to be a laughable reality. People money’s worth and life savings continuosly devaluating as the dollar’s worth in the parallel gradually increases. People’s livelihoods and jobs are in jeapordy as several local and iconic businesses have closed down. United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights Olivier De Schutter blasted Lebanese Central Bank Governor Riad Salameh for not recognizing the bank’s role in the country’s crippling economic crisis. He clarified that commercial banks and the Central Bank (BDL) are one of the problems that placed Lebanon in this dire situation. For years, the central bank have offered high interest rates to investers and encouraged commercial banks to feed it dollars and the government to spend beyond its capabilities. Unfortunately, this made the banking system severly unstable which had international observers question its functionality. As a result, the expected happened, people lost their entire life savings, and while the egoes of those who engineered this system remain high. After all, they all know better than all the international organizations such as the IMF and the World Bank.
Palestine
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-313,015 corona confirmed cases
-306,532 recovered
-3,555 deaths
An Egyptian truck loaded with gravel enters through the Rafah border crossing, between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, as building material for the Qatari grant projects begin arriving, in the southern Gaza Strip, Dec. 29, 2012. - Said Khatib/AFP via Getty Images.
Although the Palestinian economy has shown some signs of improvement, there are serious obstacles such as high unemployment and deteriorating socioeconomic conditions. The United Nations Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process (UNSCO) released a report which sited that the economic and fiscal situation in the occupied Palestinian territories remains “dire”. Although organizations such as UNRWA have been active within the Palestinian territory to assist them, aid remains not enough to reverse the effects of a besieged economy. Nevertheless, its Arabic brethren Egypt and Qatar signed an economic agreement that would allow Egypt to supply fuel and construction material to the Gaza Strip, through Qatari funding, under an agreement that would revive the Gaza Strip’s economy and contribute to paying the salaries of government employees. Hopefully, this will partially alleviate the socioeconomic burdens hurdling Palestinians.
Syria
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-25,287 corona confirmed cases
-21,774 recovered
-1,859 deaths
Syria's Minister of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection Amr Salem holds a press conference in Damascus, Syria, November 3, 2021. /CGTN.
Between the energy deal that aims to provide a cut to Syria and the normalization attempts by Gulf states with Syria, the country is still under economic threat. The fuel shortage crisis continued to worsen across Syria. The Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection (MoITCP) increased the price of subsidized industrial and commercial diesel from SYP 750/liter to SYP 1,700/liter for private industrial facilities and private commercial and service activities. The energy shortage prompted the Syrian Ministry of Internal Trade and Consumer Protection (MoITCP) set the price of domestic and industrial butane gas cylinders for consumers and all sectors outside the electronic card at SYP 30,600/10 kg and SYP 49,000/16 kg. The economy has plummeted to the point that the government has announced that it will exclude segments of the population from its list of beneficiaries based on income level.
Syria however, has taken some out-of-the box initiative by signing contracts with a group of companies from the United Arab Emirates to build a 300 megawatt photovoltaic power station in a Damascus suburb. Also, the Ministry of Electricity announced that it has contracted an Iranian engineering firm to rehabilitate the Mhardeh Power Plant in Hama. On the international front, Syria has signed a Memo of Understanding (MoU) with Pakistan on formation of joint working group for commercial and economic affairs, including representatives from the ministries and the bodies concerned of the two countries.
Cyprus
Corona cases, deaths and recovered are distributed as follows:
-74,174 corona confirmed cases
-72,199 recovered
-374 deaths
"Cyprus is recovering faster than expected and conditions are set for sustained growth in the medium-term, although subject to the evolution of the pandemic and the implementation risks of the EU funds.” DBRS Morningstar Vice President Javier Rouillet commented.
Over the past few months, nothing but positive forecasts regarding Cyprus’s economy has been shared by various rating agencies. However, the well renowned DBRS Morningstar agency, declared that Cyprus have been improving at a better rate than anticipated. According to the agency, Cyprus will continue to maintain its favorable medium-term growth prospects, amend its public finances and continue with efforts to streamline and polish its banking system, despite the presence of risks and challenges.
The report made by the agency did not mention however the great policy direction the country is moving in: Green Energy. This is quite normal seeing that such a strategy needs some time to be implemented and to yield results. As such, Cyprus might achieve even better ratings in the future.
2- The refugee situation
Egypt
Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry participated in the international ministerial conference on the United Nations Ministerial Agency for Palestine Refusals (UNRWA), were he confirmed the country’s renewed support for refugees.[1]
Jordan
The UNHCR states that there are currently 672,023 registered refugees in Jordan up until the beginning of November.
The proportion of Syrian displaced people registered within the UNHCR for November, are distributed as follows:
-198,868 in Amman Governorate (29.6%)
-168,048 in Mafraq Governorate (25%)
-136,727 in Irbid Governorate (20.4%)
-98,385 in Zarqa Governorate (14.7%)
-17,982 in Balqa Governorate (2.7%)
-13,308 in Madaba Governorate (2%)
-9,336 in Jarash Governorate (1.4%)
-8,565 in Karak Governorate (1.3%)
-8,347 in Maan Governorate (1.2%)
-6,446 in Ajlun Governorate (1.0%)
-3,778 in Aqaba Governorate (0.6%)
-1,647 in Tafilah Governorate (0.3%)
During this month, Jordan's foreign minister Ayman Safadi who was in Brussels for a conference to raise money for Palestinian refugees, called for more support in hosting hundreds of thousands of Palestinian and Syrian refugees.
Iraq
The UNHCR states that there are currently 250,419 registered Syrian refugees in Iraq.
The proportion of displaced Syrian people registered within the UNHCR up until the beginning of November, are distributed as follows:
-126,900 in Erbil (50.7%)
-85,261 in Dahuk (34.0%)
-32,041 in Sulaymaniyah (12.8%)
-1,448 in Anbar (0.6%)
-4,769 in other areas (1.9%)[2]
The United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) welcomed a timely and generous contribution of US$19.24 million from the U.S. Agency for International Development’s Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (USAID-BHA) to provide life-saving assistance to 181,000 displaced Iraqis and 72,000 Syrian refugees. [3]
Migrants who returned to Iraq after being stranded at the Polish-Belarusian border for weeks have reported severe abuses by Polish and Belarusian police.[4]
Lebanon
Since the beginning of November, the number of registered Syrian refugees in Lebanon is 844,056.
Refugees in Lebanon are distributed as follows:
-329,223 in Bekaa (39.0%)
-229,123 in North Lebanon (27.1%)
-194,878 in Beirut (23.1%)
-90,832 in South Lebanon (10.8%)[5]
The UNICEF and U.S. Embassy of Beirut delivered 97 tons of urgently needed medical supplies for the Lebanese health sector.[6]
As part of its shelter support mission, the UNHCR fixed homes to help Lebanese and refugees weather crisis, in the small town of Sarafand.
UNICEF commenced the renovation and rebuilding of Quarantina University Public Hospital, heavily damaged in the Beirut port explosions. The new building, to be completed in early 2022, includes units for pediatrics, obstetrics and maternity, surgery and intensive care, and a primary health care center.[7]
Syria
According to the statement issued by WFP- OCHA and the Food and Agricultural Agency, the decade-long conflict and more recent crises caused by severe economic decline have caused 12 million Syrians to face food insecurity, with another 1.8 million people at risk of “sliding into hunger”.
Climate events, such as poor rainfall and unusually high temperatures, have had a drastic effect on many aspects of Syrians’ lives, particularly in the country’s north-east. There is a number of increasing impacts of the drought: unprecedentedly diminished water levels in the Euphrates River—which provides electricity to some three million people and drinking water to more than five million people in north-east Syria—have contributed to power outages, reduced access to clean drinking water, loss of crops, and an increase in water-borne diseases. [8]
The United Nations has sounded the alarm over the recent water crisis and drought-like conditions affecting Syria, coupled with existing damage and neglect of farmlands and irrigation systems as a result of a decade of crisis. Around 40 percent of the irrigated agricultural areas are no longer able to rely on availability of water.[9]
The Syrian Network for Human Rights said that at least 29,661 children have been killed in Syria since March 2011, including 181 due to torture, in addition to 5,036 Children who are still detained or forcibly disappeared.[10]
Sources have reported that hundreds of civilians, mostly children, suffer from “Leishmaniasis”, northern al-Raqqah which are under the control of Turkish-backed factions. This development coincided with the lack of medical care in “Peace Spring” areas.[11]
Explosive hazard contamination remains a further deterrent to returns and civilian movement, although some families have reported being forced to return due to financial constraints.
Cyprus
Cyprus says the vast majority of increased refugee flow is from occupied parts of the breakaway north state. As a result it called for immediate support from the EU.[12]
Pope Francis expressed his intention to Cypriot authorities to offer asylum seekers on the island nation refuge in the Vatican.[13]
Communication and Public Relations Department
[1] Daily News Egypt, November 17, 2021, https://dailynewsegypt.com/2021/11/17/egypt-confirms-support-for-unrwa-to-continue-serving-palestinian-refugees/
[2] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/5
[3] Relief Web, Nov 23, 2021, https://reliefweb.int/report/iraq/united-states-supports-wfp-s-assistance-vulnerable-families-iraq-enarku
[4] Info Migrants, Nov 12, 2021, https://www.infomigrants.net/en/post/36657/returned-iraqi-migrants-claim-they-were-tortured-in-belarus-and-poland
[5] https://data2.unhcr.org/en/situations/syria/location/71
[6] OCHA, Nov. 19, 2021, https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/unicef-and-us-embassy-beirut-deliver-97-tons-urgently-needed-medical-supplies
[7] OCHA, Nov.17, 2021, https://reliefweb.int/report/lebanon/unicef-lebanon-humanitarian-situation-report-no-1-january-june-2021
[8] security council report, November 2021 Monthly Forecast
[9] WFP, Syria mVAM Bulletin #60, 11 Nov
[10] Syriahr, 20 Nov
[11]Syriahr, 19 Nov
[12] The National News, Nov. 11, 2021, https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/uk-news/2021/11/11/cyprus-calls-for-eu-help-to-deport-influx-of-asylum-seekers/
[13] Ekathimerini, Nov. 24, 2021, https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1172397/pope-to-take-cyprus-refugees/