‘Bold and creative’ solutions needed for a sustainable, post-pandemic economy

During the first in a series of roundtable discussions on responding and recovering better from the global crisis, this one with women economists, Secretary-General António Guterres painted a grim picture of acute suffering, saying that extreme poverty and hunger are set to increase drastically. Many healthcare systems are already at breaking point; and a whole generation of children is missing out on education. 

“The pandemic threatens not just to put the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development on hold, but to reverse progress that has already been made”, he said.

Unless the world acts now, the COVID-19 pandemic and accompanying global recession, will trigger “years of depressed and disrupted economic growth”, the UN chief warned. 

FINDING SOLUTIONS

According to the UN chief, “we need the insights and perspectives of all”, including “prominent and innovative” women economists, to create “inclusive, resilient and gender-equal societies” to address the climate crisis and other global challenges. 

“We need concrete, radical and implementable solutions”, spelled out the Secretary-General, voicing hope that the series of roundtables will stimulate new ideas and “a totally different debate in relation to the classic ones we have witnessed in the recent past”. 

MUCH NEEDED TRANSFORMATION

The transformation must “break the inequality and environmental degradation enchantment that darken our future”, Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed shared, pushing for a new global economy “based on sustainable consumption and production, on sustainable infrastructure that gives access to all to the opportunities of the future”.

Above article is an excerpt from The United Nations. Click here to view the full article.