Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya at UN ECOSOC High Level Segment
Recovery strategy demands disaggregated assessment
of the COVID impact on SDG delivery
For evolving a mid-term approach related to recovery from pandemic and achievement of SDGs – we need a robust disaggregated analysis of the multi-layered impact, understanding of the coping strategy and effectiveness of the public policies. These analyses have to relate to specific SDG targets. Policy makers and development activists have to be innovative enough to rise to this historic challenge to service the SDG commitment. Dr Debapriya Bhattatcharya, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD) made these comments speaking as a Panelist on 16 July 2021 at the High Level Segment of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (UN ECOSOC).
The session was chaired by H E Mr Munir Akram, President of the Economic and Social Council. H E Ms Daniella Tilbury, Gibraltar’s Commissioner for Sustainable Development and Future Generations moderated the session.
Dr Debapriya, also a Member, UN Committee for Development Policy (UN CDP), said that the mid-term trend can be only understood through a disaggregated and contextualised look at the impact of the pandemic in relation SDG achievement. Pandemic had a disproportionate impact on the disadvantaged persons and communities. The impacts had been gender, age, location, occupation and identity differentiated. This has aggravated further the prevailing inequalities in most of its manifestations. So aggregate averages should not distract us from the SDG tagline – nobody should be left behind.
The Chair of the Southern Voice Network, Dr Debapriya emphasised that international support measures (ISMs) will be critical in servicing the post-pandemic recovery strategy. He said that G-20’s pledges have to be implemented including debt relief, flow of ODA, market access of exports, movement of migrant workers, transfer technology and know-how, and of course COVID vaccine.
The session was also addressed by H E Mr Omar Razzaz, former Prime Minister of Jordan; H E Ms Arlette Soudan-Nonault, Minister of Environment, Sustainable Development and the Congo Basin, Republic of Congo, and Chair of the Seventh Session of the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development; H E Mr Dinesh Gunawardena, Foreign Minister of Sri Lanka; H E Mr Dag-Inge Ulstein, Minister for International Development, Norway and H E Ms Rita Schwarzeluehr-Sutter, Parliamentary State Secretary at the Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety, Germany.
Click here to find the full speech by Dr Debapriya Bhattacharya.
Click here to find more about the UN ECOSOC High Level Segment.
