From insights to action: Gender equality in the wake of COVID-19

INTRODUCTION

A once-in-a-century pandemic

COVID-19 continues its rampage, with more than 25 million confirmed cases globally and more than 846,000 deaths as of August 2020. Measures to slow its spread are keeping people home and halting vital daily activities. More than 1 billion children and youth are out of school, resulting in learning deficits for students, particularly those from poor households. Around 94 per cent of the world’s workers live in countries with some type of work closures.

With the global economy expected to contract by 5 per cent in 2020 and without measures to shield the most vulnerable, the number of people living in extreme poverty will increase by 96 million in 2021. The virus is continuing its dangerous upward trend globally, and the worst may yet be to come, unless urgent action is taken to understand and address its widespread impact.