Markets in Crises (MiC): Statement on COVID-19

The Markets in Crises (MiC) Community of Practice was formed in 2013 to bring together a wide range of stakeholders engaged with markets in crisis environments (including NGOs, donors, academics, UN agencies, and the private sector) in order to create space for mutual exchange, learning, and constructive feedback on market-related topics and to bridge the divide between the humanitarian response and development communities. Today, as we all face a truly global humanitarian and development crisis, the role of the MiC is more relevant than ever. It is important to remember that even though the COVID-19 pandemic is most immediately a health crisis, the secondary and broader effects will be financial and economic. Unlike most humanitarian crises, assets and infrastructure have not been lost; people are not facing catastrophic food insecurity - yet. What have been (and will continue to be) devastated are incomes, livelihoods and the rhythms of normal life.