Inputs of the Commission for Social Development to the 2021 HLPF and ECOSOC on the theme “Sustainable and resilient recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic that promotes the economic, social and environmental dimensions of sustainable development: building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development.”

These draft inputs are based on the outcome of the 59th session of the Commission, in response to the letter of the President of ECOSOC that also suggested a template for inputs.

Overview

The 59th session of the Commission for Social Development took place from 8-17 February 2021, with the priority theme of “Socially Just Transition Towards Sustainable Development: The Role of Digital Technologies on social development and well-being of all”.

The Commission also reviewed relevant United Nations plans and programmes of action pertaining to the situation of social groups, the social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development. The Commission held a high-level panel discussion on the priority theme, a Ministerial Forum under the theme of “Promoting multilateralism to realize inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery from COVID-19 in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development and its social dimensions”, a high-level panel discussion on Emerging Issues: “social policy to promote a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable recovery: building back better post-COVID-19 for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”, a multi-stakeholder forum on the priority theme to share solutions, and an interactive dialogue with senior officials of the United Nations system on the priority theme. 25 Ministers and Vice Ministers participated in the general discussion of the Commission.

The Commission adopted four draft resolutions on: future organization and methods of work of the Commission; social dimensions of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development; socially just transition towards sustainable development: the role of digital technologies on social development and well-being of all; and policies and programmes involving youth. The first three are recommended for adoption by the Economic and Social Council. The Commission decided that the priority theme for its 60th session would be “Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all: eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda”.

“Impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the implementation of the SDGs under review in the 2021 HLPF from the vantage point of your intergovernmental body, bearing in mind the interlinkages with other SDGs”

[The SGDs listed in brackets are for clarity of reference. Can be deleted when submit to ECOSOC]

• The COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the well-being of people in all spheres of their life, especially in health, livelihoods, food security, and education. It has exacerbated poverty, hunger, and economic and social inequalities within and among countries, reversing hard-won development gains and hampering progress towards achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and all its Goals and targets.

• The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development provides the blueprint for recover better from the pandemic and build more inclusive, equitable, resilient, and sustainable societies where no one is left behind, by making sustainable long-term investments to eradicate poverty in all its forms and address inequality in all its dimensions. There is an urgent need to accelerate action on all levels and by all stakeholders to fulfil the vision and Goals of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. At the start of the Decade of Action to deliver the SDGs, the visions, principles and commitments made at the World Summit for Social Development remain as relevant as ever.

• Member States reaffirmed their commitment to implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development for all by ensuring that no one would be left behind and reaching the furthest behind first, and by recognizing human rights and that the dignity of the human person is fundamental.

Health, poverty, hunger and inequality

• The WHO reports 116,363,935 confirmed cases of COVID-19, including 2,587,225 deaths worldwide, as of 8 March 2021. [SDG 3]

• Extreme poverty is expected to increase in all countries, particularly in LLDCs and SIDS that rely heavily on tourism, remittances and external capital flows. Global extreme poverty is projected to increase in 2020 for the first time since 1998, with an additional 88 million to 115 million people worldwide falling into poverty. [SDG1]

• The number of food insecure people could almost double (from 135 million in 2019 to 265 million) by the end of 2020, mainly in low and middle-income countries, mainly due to the inability of vulnerable families to purchase food because job and income losses. [SDG2]

• Although economic growth is projected to bounce back in 2021, the benefits of such growth are more likely to go to higher income groups than the rest of the population. [SDG1 & 10]

• The most marginalized and disadvantaged are being most affected by COVID-19. Closures of micro- and small-enterprises, layoffs and rising unemployment of women, young and lower-skilled workers, and severe human capacity losses among disadvantaged households due to school closures and lack of access to ICTs may further accelerate the widening of within country inequalities. Workplace closures, reductions in working hours and a decline in labour and non-labour sources of income have severely undermined the economic security and livelihoods of people, especially when those losses are not compensated for by other forms of income, such as social transfers. This will further dampen aggregated demand, reduce productivity and lower social mobility, thus making it more difficult to achieve inclusive growth, which is necessary to reduce poverty and inequality. Poor countries are also less equipped to respond to the negative impacts of COVID-19 pandemic. [SDG 8 and 10]

• The International Labour Organization Centenary Declaration for the Future of Work is of particular relevance in addressing these challenges and ensuring a socially just transition towards sustainable development. [SDG 8]

Digital divide

• COVID-19 has accelerated the pace of digital transformation, yet for all their promises and potential, digital technologies are not benefiting everyone equally. The digital divide is exacerbating the risk of increased inequalities and exclusion of those who are not digitally connected. Digital divides exist both between and within countries, with intersected rural-urban digital divide, gender digital divide, and digital divide between youth and older persons. [SDG10]

“Actions, policy guidance, progress, challenges and areas requiring urgent attention in relation to the SDGs and to the theme within the area under the purview of your intergovernmental body.”

Structural fragilities hampering social development and realization of 2030 Agenda needs urgent attention

• Despite achievements in the implementation of the Copenhagen Declaration and the Programme of Action, more than 25 years after the World Summit for Social Development, progress has been slow and uneven, and major gaps remain. The current trajectory of economic development has led not to shared prosperity for all, but to high and rising inequalities within and among countries, aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as environmental degradation, adverse effects of climate change, extreme weather events, including natural disasters, drought, desertification, biodiversity loss, food shortages, water scarcity, wildfires, sea level rise and depletion of the oceans, and unsustainable consumption and production patterns. Least developed and developing countries face particular challenges. [SDG 12, 13]

Measures taken to address impacts of COVID-19

• Over 170 countries have taken swift emergency response measures to counter the crisis’ negative impact. Fiscal stimulus packages have typically included additional spending and forgone revenue (including temporary tax cuts), the extension of social protection benefits to those who were previously not covered, the provision of support or interest-free loans to small businesses and the provision of liquidity support to protect jobs.

• Social protection measures, although often temporary, included: the expansion of unemployment benefits, special allowances and grants, income and job protection, and health protection. Additional measures to support the most vulnerable included: cash transfers programmes, food assistance programmes, social insurance and child benefits to support families.

• Measures taken to prevent job losses included: the provision of wage subsidies, the expansion or introduction of partial unemployment benefits to compensate for crisis-induced reductions in working hours, the provision of employment services to complement income support for unemployed workers, and the relaxation of job-seeking preconditions associated with unemployment insurance payments.

• Other measures to guarantee income security to workers included: short-time work schemes, extended publicly financed sickness benefits to workers, and expanding statutory sick pay and sickness benefits. Some countries have addressed the particular vulnerability of older persons and persons with disabilities by introducing old-age, survivor and disability benefits, through advancing the payment, or increasing the level, of pensions.

“An assessment of the situation regarding the principle of ‘ensuring that no one is left behind’ at the global, regional and national levels against of background of the COVID-19 pandemic in achieving the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs, within the respective area addressed by your intergovernmental bodies”

• COVID-19 and related restrictions have hit persons in vulnerable situations the hardest. The COVID-19 pandemic is predicted to create a new category of poor people who will live in middle-income countries, in urban areas and are younger, better educated and less likely to work in agriculture. Many have insufficient financial assets to keep their family above the poverty line when faced with a sudden loss of income.

• Low-skilled, low-wage workers are among some of the hardest hit, in particular in food and accommodation; retail and wholesale; business services and administration and manufacturing sectors. Workers in informal jobs face higher health and safety risks due to the nature of their work and the lack of social protection, rights at work, and the economic security, and they are more vulnerable to income loss.

• Women are disproportionately represented among the new poor because nearly 60 per cent of them work in the informal economy and thus have a greater risk of falling into poverty. Female workers are also highly concentrated in the sectors hardest hit.

• Migrant workers and refugees often work in sectors with high levels of temporary, informal or unprotected work. Some have been forced to return to their countries of origin because of heightened discrimination and xenophobia, job losses and a lack of access to support measures. Limits on the movement of seasonal and migrant workers have led to labour shortages and lost income. A sharp decline of the remittances of migrant workers (by 20 per cent in 2020) has had a rippling effect on their families and communities.

• COVID-19 has also further exacerbated the challenges faced by indigenous peoples, who already experience marginalization and extreme poverty. Growing numbers of indigenous peoples are falling into extreme poverty. Indigenous communities face a grave health threat due to poor access to health care, significantly higher rates of communicable and non-communicable diseases and lack of access to essential services, sanitation and other key preventive measures.

• The pandemic is not only threatening the lives of older persons, but also risks significantly lowering their incomes and living standards. Older persons may rely on multiple income sources, including paid work, savings and financial support from families and pensions, all of which may be jeopardized as a result of the COVID-19 crisis. Older women are particularly vulnerable as they represent nearly 65 per cent of the world population above retirement age who do not have a regular pension.

• The COVID-19 has significant impacts on youth employment, education and training and further exacerbates existing inequalities in learning opportunities and access to labour market. Since the onset of the pandemic, one out of every six young people worldwide has stopped working, while those still employed have experienced a 42 per cent drop in income. Moreover, many young people are not adequately included in social protection systems because of requirements in terms of contributions, formal employment, or age.

• Persons with disabilities are less likely to be employed and, if employed, are more likely to work in the informal sector without social protection. COVID-19 measures affect them directly because of the loss of jobs and incomes, but also indirectly through the loss of income sustained by family members of the same household, further increasing the vulnerability of persons with disabilities.

• Almost all children have been directly affected by school closures, which have put their education at risk. Unequal access to remote learning options has meant that some have fared better than others. In some countries, school closures risk causing spikes in child labour and neglect. Girls are at increased risk of school dropout, sexual abuse, early pregnancy, and early and forced marriage. In addition, malnutrition is a threat to the approximately 370 million most disadvantaged children who missed out on school meals in the first half of 2020.

“Various measures and policy recommendations on building an inclusive and effective path for the achievement of the 2030 Agenda in the context of the decade of action and delivery for sustainable development”

Universal access to basic social services and social protection

· Promote affordable and equitable access to basic services, in particular quality formal and non-formal education, at all levels, as well as programmes that promote equality and inclusion and health-care services, including through the acceleration of the transition towards equitable access to universal health coverage, access to affordable housing, nutrition and food, and access to employment and decent work, information and communications technology and infrastructure, through advancing gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls.

· Strengthen nationally appropriate social protection systems for all to address multiple, often interrelated and complex causes of poverty and inequality by easing the burden of certain expenditure during periods of unemployment, contributing to health-related goals, gender equality and decent work, and facilitating the full inclusion of persons with disabilities.

· Promote universal access to social services and providing nationally appropriate social protection floors to reduce inequality and poverty, addressing social exclusion and promoting inclusive economic growth.

· Provide universal age-, disability-, gender-responsive and family-oriented social protection systems, including, as appropriate, targeted cash transfers for people and families in vulnerable situations, such as when headed by a single parent, in particular those headed by women.

Decent work

· Expand work opportunities and productivity in both rural and urban sectors by achieving and recovering economic growth, investing in human resource development, promoting technologies that generate productive employment, and encouraging self-employment, entrepreneurship and small and medium-sized enterprises.

· Adopt labour market policies that strengthen institutions and provide adequate labour protection to all workers, including through social dialogue, especially the most disadvantaged, including through minimum wage policies, while taking into account the role of workers’ and employers’ organizations, as applicable, as part of policies to boost income growth for the vast majority of workers, taking into consideration the specific circumstances of each country.

· Address challenges faced by those working in informal or vulnerable jobs, by investing in the creation of more decent work opportunities, including providing access to decent jobs in the formal sector.

· Reduce to less than 3 per cent the transaction costs of migrant remittances and eliminate corridors with costs higher than 5 per cent, including through the use of digital technologies.

Gender equality

• Implement policies that ensure women’s economic empowerment by supporting the full and productive participation of women in the labour market, including women with disabilities and those living in poverty and female heads of household, and to promote equal pay for equal work or work of equal value, the equal sharing of responsibilities between parents, access to childcare facilities, and work-family balance.

· Support the digital entrepreneurship of women, including in e-commerce, including for micro-, small and medium-sized enterprises, to develop local solutions and relevant content and promote innovation and decent job creation.

· Work towards closing the gender digital divide and promoting equal access to information and communications technologies and to the Internet for women and girls, enhance their digital skills and competences, and explore appropriate ways to address any potential negative impact of new technologies on gender equality.

Closing digital divides and promoting digital inclusion

• Close the digital divides and promote digital inclusion, by taking into account national and regional contexts and addressing the challenges associated with access, affordability, digital literacy and digital skills, and awareness and by ensuring that the benefits of new technologies are available to all, taking into account the needs of those who are vulnerable or in vulnerable situations.

• Promote digital inclusion, by implementing inclusive policies and measures that aim to tackle the challenges associated with equal access, in particular, the lack of affordability, including by, where appropriate, considering providing targeted subsidies, proportionate taxation or the provision of a basic digital basket, as well as engage in multi-stakeholder cooperation, national and regional broadband strategies, and facilitate public-private partnerships in order to significantly increase access to information and communications technology, address specific barriers to inclusion by promoting the availability and supply of information and communications technology, and strive to provide universal and affordable access to the Internet, and also notes the potential of relevant regional and international initiatives to achieve this goal.

• Address the lack of efficient, affordable and accessible digital technology infrastructure, especially in rural and remote areas, and engaging the private sector as a relevant partner to enhance infrastructure finance and network deployment.

• Seek to achieve universal connectivity to ensure that every person has affordable access to quality broadband Internet by 2030, including by catalyzing essential partnerships, as well to apply an age-, disability-, gender-responsive and family-oriented approach to all interventions on digital technologies.

• Develop, as appropriate, a holistic approach and targeted strategies and policies to address specific barriers to digital inclusion and close the digital divides. These should consider national and regional contexts and address the challenges associated with access, affordability, digital literacy and digital skills, and awareness.

• Increase access of all women and girls to digital technologies to foster their education and training to enhance their digital skills and competences, as well as the productivity and mobility of women in the labour market;

• Enhance efficiency, accountability and transparency of social protection systems, public services and sustainable infrastructure through enhanced use of information and communications technologies for the benefit of all women and girls, including for those hardest to reach and who face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination.

• Strengthen investment in lifelong education, digital literacy, including building digital skills of young people as a way to boosting their future employability and social inclusion.

• Harness scientific research and expertise and realize the potential of technology to realize the 2030 Agenda.

• Address the major impediments that developing countries face in engaging with and accessing new technologies, such as an appropriate enabling environment, sufficient resources, infrastructure, education, capacity, investment and connectivity, as well as issues related to technology ownership, setting standards and technology flows.

• The United Nations system should continue to support Member States in their pursuit of socially just transitions towards sustainable development and facilitate international cooperation in the field of digital technologies for developing countries, upon their request, with the aim of achieving the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.