The Middle East Plagued by the Pandemic, Poverty and Unemployment Rates
International Endeavors to Contain Post-Covid-19 Stage
Is the End of the Pandemic Near?
Source: The Independent Arabia - Picture: Reuters.
The Middle East continues to suffer from the Covid-19 pandemic and all of its countries are registering continuous daily increases in infection and death rates. Hence, appeals to advance vaccination campaigns and the demands for equitable distribution of vaccines between the different countries continue, as was mentioned in the final statement of the executive committee meeting of the Middle East Council of Churches which was held on the 11th of February, with the goal of ending the pandemic and preparing for the containment of the next stage of the pandemic which has caused a massive increase in poverty and unemployment. This appeal accompanies the decisions of the World Health Organization regular conference held on the 9th of February 2022, entitled “Health For All By All” for the post-Covid-19 stage and a future with or without the pandemic.
In this context, countries around the world have been witnessing a drop in poverty rates since the early 90s. However, the Orient is still far from these numbers. Furthermore, the Middle East and North Africa region has been the only region to register an increase in poverty rates since 2013, according to the latest World Bank report. According to the same source, poverty rates have increased from 2.4% to 7.2% between 2011 and 2018.
All this data and these stringent circumstances distill the situation of the region before the Coivd-19 outbreak. What is the state of the region during the pandemic and what comes next? And what is the reality of the Middle East which is already struggling under the weight of its economic crises?
An Economic and Humanitarian Situation, from Bad to Worse
The World Bank published in the end of 2021 a new report, entitled: “Distributional Impacts of COVID-19 in the Middle East and North Africa Region” which shone a light on the repercussions of the pandemic in the Middle East and in North Africa and the unforeseen turmoil that has prevailed in the region. The results of the report reveal that the Covid-19 outbreak has led to a large increase in poverty rates, a widening of the inequality gap, the appearance of a group of “new poor”, and changes in the labor market at both the intensive (how hard people work) and extensive (how many people work) margins. This in addition to a decrease in income rates, the lack of food safety and a reinforcement of vulnerabilities.
The Arabic quote means: Unemployed - Source: Al Ghad Newspaper website
On another level, the report indicates that recovery can lead to an increase in inequalities and a lack of equity, especially since the informal economy (where a significant number of low income workers work) usually recovers at a much slower pace. And in preparation for the post-pandemic, the report affirms the importance of vaccination campaigns and on their significance in achieving economic recovery amidst the low vaccination rates of the different countries of the region.
According to the report, recovery can be achieved through specific economic strategies designed to enact changes in policies and institutions at the lowest cost. That is why the report suggests a group of solutions that can contribute in alleviating the pervasive burdens, such as; improving the business environment and easing government regulations on the economy, enhancing competitiveness, openness to trade, increasing the productivity of workers in the informal economy, reorienting the focus of support in the energy sector in particular and removing barriers to women’s participation in the economy.
Sanitary Conditions are Raising Red Flags
Amidst the economic collapse and the crushing poverty afflicting countries in the Middle East, the rates of infections and deaths from Covid-19 are reaching record numbers. According to the World Health Organization, the infection rate has seen a massive jump in the past six weeks, surpassing the daily average of 110000 cases per day. The death rate has also seen an increase in the past three weeks but remains lower than the previous waves, reaching an average of 345 deaths per day.
In a regular conference for the WHO held on the 9th of February 2022, Regional Director Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari indicated that the Covid-19 virus is still devastating every country and all of humanity without discrimination, affirming the importance of vaccinations. He added: “Vaccines are still among the best tools to save lives. Despite several challenges, more than 35% of the region’s population is now fully vaccinated despite the fact that the rates for full vaccinations vary greatly from country to country, as they range from 1% to 94%.”
Dr. Mandhari reported that the WHO has succeeded these past two years in completing projects that aim to enhance community partnerships with the goal of fighting the coronavirus. The organization has also managed to establish mechanisms designed to express the voices of civil society and relay the voice of the communities. They have additionally organized training workshops in order to build the capabilities of societal partners like religious leaderships, medical staffs and society leaders…
He warned: “The road ahead is still long… the responsibility lies with everyone,” and concluded “ within the framework of our regional vision for 2023 – Health for all by all – this pandemic will not end without solidarity and teamwork on behalf of everyone, including local communities and individuals”.
Building a Vision for a Post-Covid-19 Reality
Amidst the economic and social challenges facing the region despite the ongoing endeavors to ensure universal social protection, the opportunities to reflect on the lessons learned for the future of this social security according to UNICEF remain somewhat limited at the senior policy level.
A ministerial forum titled “The future of Social Protection in the Arab Region: building a vision for a post-COVID-19 reality” was held on the 30th of November 2021 which brought together the ministers tasked with social protection in the Arab region, representatives of employers, workers' organizations, civil society and specialized experts organized by the United Nations Issue-based Coalition on Social Protection (IBC), which is coordinated by UNICEF and the International Labor Organization, in cooperation with the Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) and with the support of the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and the Social Protection Platform (socialprotection.org).
Within the framework of the lessons learned from the Covid-19 pandemic in the area of social protection, the forum’s goal is to formulate a vision of social protection and a declaration of principles for the States of the Arab region in the post-Covid-19 recovery phase, and identify priority areas for United Nations support.
The forum covered several topics, such as:
- Coverage, right to social protection for all through comprehensive social protection systems aimed at not neglecting anyone.
- Shock response, enhancing the capacity of social protection systems to respond to future shocks.
- Funding, for comprehensive, appropriate and sustainable post-Covid-19 social protection systems.
- Governance, integrated and coordinated social protection approaches to achieve greater impact.
To that end, a Declaration of Principles adopted by the participating ministers which includes key guidelines for social protection post-Covid-19 was issued. This declaration will contribute to guiding policy-making for countries and international partners in the Arab region.
Despite all the endeavors aimed at eradicating the Coivd-19 virus, the end of the pandemic is still unclear as of yet. However, world leader have launched on the 9th of February 2022 a campaign to end Covid-19 as a global emergency for 2022, by closing the funding gap of 16 billion dollars and other expenses estimated at 6.8 billion dollars, in order to purchase the primary tools for fighting the virus and distributing it on low and middle-income countries.
Communication and Public Relations Department