This archive report was first published on 24 April 2020.
The COVID-19 pandemic has cast a shadow over the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with many economies in the region struggling to cope with the crisis.
According to Dr. Mama Keita, the director of the Kigali-based UN Economic Commission for Africa in Eastern Africa, the pandemic may have a devastating impact on every SDG, including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, and others.
Dr. Keita agreed with the International Labour Organisation's projections of job losses, citing the inescapable revision of pre-crisis economic growth projections in the region.
“These two impacts are likely to have strong repercussions on many other SDGs as they will be touching incomes to both the State and households, thereby reducing their capacities to promote the attainment of many other SDGs,” Dr. Keita warned.
Earlier, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres had warned of the profound social, economic, and political consequences of the pandemic, citing postponement of elections, lockdowns, and spiralling unemployment.
The SDGs symbolise an opportunity to set the world on a sustainable course and ensure a life of dignity for all in the next decade.
