UNITED NATIONS, Apr 28 (APP):Amid deepening global crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has unveiled a new women-led initiative that mobilizes support to save lives and protect livelihoods.
At a virtual press conference, she said that the COVID-19 had dealt a “especially severe blow” to developing countries, particularly those in humanitarian or conflict settings.
“In the face of a sweeping threat of such historic magnitude, our collective response must be equally historic and urgent”, she said, launching ‘Rise for All’, a social and economic recovery initiative that brings women leaders together in calling the world to action and in support of the UN Response and Recovery Fund and Framework.
While bearing the brunt of the pandemic, women are also on the frontline, saving lives as first responders in hospitals, finding solutions as innovators and standing up to the crisis as political leaders.
She welcomed the leaders who have put themselves to the fore: the President of Ethiopia, Sahle-Work Zewde, the Prime Minister of Norway and Sustainable Development Goals Advocate of the Secretary-General, Erna Solberg, Sustainable Development Goals Advocate of the Secretary-General Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, UN Women Goodwill Ambassador of Pakistan Muniba Mazari, and Sustainable Development Goals Advocate of the Secretary-General Dia Mirza, a along with the Executive Directors of UNICEF, Henrietta Fore, of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, and of UNFPA, Natalia Kanem.
Ms Mohammed, the UN deputy chief, said that “now more than ever, we must come together to overcome this global threat that affects us all”.
Meanwhile, Ms Mohammed explained that the UN Framework complements existing UN efforts to support countries, including the health response led by the World Health Organization (WHO), and the humanitarian response detailed in the COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan.
Centered around five interconnected streams of work, it ensures a universal, country-sensitive response that conveys a “fundamental commitment to environmental sustainability and gender equality”, according to the deputy UN chief.
“It reflects the call of the 2030 agenda to build more resilient societies and a future that is sustainable, inclusive, and just”, she said.
Over the next 12 to 18 months, the framework aims to guide action under the leadership of UN Resident Coordinators leading Country Teams, and WHO’s technical guidance and integrated programmatic responses of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
The UN Framework is aligned with the Secretary-General’s call for global solidarity and his COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund, which launched earlier this month, seeks to mobilize $1 billion to support its first nine months of operation and $2 billion overall.
“We need to move fast”, Ms Mohammad warned, saying “normal development timeliness, for donors and the UN alike, will simply not work”.
“Yet, much more is needed”, she stressed, urging others to “contribute generously to this appeal and heed the call to action by women leaders rising in solidarity to ensure no one is left behind”.
In closing she maintained that the UN is fully committed to supporting people and governments everywhere along the way.
“Together, we will win the fight against COVID-19 and come out stronger,” concluded the Deputy Secretary-General.
UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner, who also co-chairs the UN Sustainable Development Group, elaborated that the five pillars of the UN Framework is not only measured in monetary terms, but in livelihoods, vulnerabilities and confidence in government to lead economies and societies “through this process”.
Steiner spelled out that UNDP’s “single most important priority right now”, is the necessity to help governments structure their responses, mobilize international support and look at domestic financial responsibilities to underwrite needed investments.
“And ultimately through this work, [we] also help countries design into their recovery strategies, the DNA of a build-back-better strategy”, he said.
