<p><b>The coronavirus pandemic threatens to plunge millions in the Arab region into poverty and food insecurity.</b>......
</p><p>Covid-19 will be responsible for pushing a further 8.3 million people in&nbsp; the Arab region into poverty, according to a new policy brief issued on 19th Oct. by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia(ESCWA)&nbsp;<span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">And the pandemic could also bump up the number of undernourished people there by some two million.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">Current estimates show that there are some 101.4 million in the region who already live in poverty, according to official criteria, and around 52 million undernourished.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">“The consequences of this crisis will be particularly severe on vulnerable groups”,</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">&nbsp;said&nbsp;</span><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">ESCWA Executive Secretary, Rola Dashti, pointing especially to “women and young adults, and those working in the informal sector who have no access to social protection and unemployment insurance”.&nbsp;</span></p><p style="text-align: left; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Because of a high dependence on food imports within the Arab world, a disruption in global medical supplies to deal with the pandemic, will also have a severe impact on food security there, says ESCWA.&nbsp;</span><span style="font-size: 14px;">Meanwhile, in addition to food loss and waste, worth around $60 billion annually across the region, the brief highlighted other likely economic losses, due to knock-on effects of the virus.</span></p><p style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><img src="/media/django-summernote/2022-10-25/f0475eb9-5678-4d6b-aae5-c6979cbcbe97.png" style="width: 698.013px;"><br></p><h3 style="font-family: &quot;Roboto Condensed&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: calc(1.275rem + 0.3vw); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: 12px;">A volunteer provides food to a child in a residential neighbourhood of Karbala in Iraq after the imposition of curfews due to the coronavirus. UNDP Iraq/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-deen UNDP Iraq/Abdullah Dhiaa Al-deen</span><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247);"><font color="#000000"><br></font></span></span></h3><h3 style="font-family: &quot;Roboto Condensed&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: calc(1.275rem + 0.3vw); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247);"><font color="#000000"><br></font></span></span></h3><h3 style="font-family: &quot;Roboto Condensed&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(51, 51, 51); margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: calc(1.275rem + 0.3vw); text-align: justify;"><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: 14px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247);"><font color="#000000">What action can be taken to lessen the impact?</font></span></span></h3><div><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: justify;">According to ESCWA:</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><ul><li><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">reducing food loss and waste by 50 per cent would not only increase household income by some $20 billion, but also significantly improve food availability, reduce food imports and improve the balance of trade throughout the whole region</span></li></ul><div><span style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br></span></div><div><ul><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Ms. Dashti encouraged Arab Governments to ensure “a swift emergency response to protect their people from falling into poverty and food insecurity owing to the impact of COVID-19</span></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Last week, she</span> <span style="font-size: 14px;">called for the establishment of a regional social solidarity fund to care for vulnerable countries.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">“The regional emergency response must support national efforts and mobilize resources and expertise to protect the poor and vulnerable”, concluded the Executive Secretary.&nbsp;</span></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">At the same time, Khalid Abu-Ismail, Senior Economist at ESCWA, highlighted four measures that can be taken to mitigate the crisis, beginning with extending credit to small businesses and enterprises.</span></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">He also stressed the importance of building on social networks and expanding on cash and other transfers to the poor and vulnerable and encouraged countries to give “more access to the food insecure population” through the existing voucher system</span></li><li style="margin-bottom: 1rem; font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><span style="font-size: 14px;">Mr. Abu-Ismail also highlighted the importance of other initiatives such as Arab Food Security Emergency Funds. As one of five UN regional commissions, ESCWA supports inclusive and sustainable economic and social development in Arab States and works on enhancing regional integration.&nbsp;</span><div><div id="block-content-footer" class="block block-simple-block block-simple-block-content-footer block-content-footer"><div class="content block__content"><h2 class="block-title" style="font-family: &quot;Roboto Condensed&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-weight: 700; line-height: 1.3; color: rgb(77, 77, 77); margin-top: 0px; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: calc(1.3rem + 0.6vw); text-transform: uppercase;">&nbsp;</h2></div></div><span style="text-align: justify;"><br></span><span style="font-weight: 700;"><span style="font-size: 18px; background-color: rgb(247, 247, 247);"><font color="#000000"><br></font></span></span></div><div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-content-fields-block-body" id="block-views-block-content-fields-block-body"><div class="content block__content"><div class="view view-content-fields view-id-content_fields view-display-id-block_body js-view-dom-id-c3e23f8810fb700cee121ebc1b33b6893ef005316018a30648ef4384223f488e"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-field-news-story"><div class="field-content"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--one-column-text paragraph--view-mode--default" style="margin-top: 1rem; 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padding: 0px;"><h3 style="font-family: &quot;Roboto Condensed&quot;, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.3; margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem; font-size: calc(1.275rem + 0.3vw); text-align: justify;"><br></h3><p style="margin-bottom: 1rem; text-align: justify;"><br></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></li></ul><div class="views-element-container block block-views block-views-block-content-fields-block-body" id="block-views-block-content-fields-block-body" style="font-family: Roboto, &quot;Helvetica Neue&quot;, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><div class="content block__content"><div class="view view-content-fields view-id-content_fields view-display-id-block_body js-view-dom-id-c3e23f8810fb700cee121ebc1b33b6893ef005316018a30648ef4384223f488e"><div class="view-content"><div class="views-row"><div class="views-field views-field-field-news-story"><div class="field-content"><div class="paragraph paragraph--type--one-column-text paragraph--view-mode--default" style="margin-top: 1rem; margin-bottom: 1rem;"><div class="lc-section lc-section-838 layoutcomponents-one-column container lc-inline_section-edit" style="width: 750px; padding-right: 0px; padding-left: 0px; max-width: 48.375rem; height: auto;"><div class="lc-inline_container-section-edit"><div class="row lc-container-cols lc-inline_row-edit" style="--bs-gutter-x:1.5rem; --bs-gutter-y:0; display: flex; flex-wrap: wrap; margin-top: calc(-1 * var(--bs-gutter-y)); margin-right: calc(-0.5 * var(--bs-gutter-x)); margin-left: calc(-0.5 * var(--bs-gutter-x));"><div class="lc-inline_column_first-edit layoutcomponent-column col-md" style="flex: 1 0 0%; width: 773.996px; max-width: 100%; padding-right: calc(var(--bs-gutter-x) * 0.5); padding-left: calc(var(--bs-gutter-x) * 0.5); margin-top: var(--bs-gutter-y); -webkit-box-flex: 1; z-index: 1;"><div data-region="first" class="layout-builder__region js-layout-builder-region lc-inline_column_first-content-edit"><div class="block block-layout-builder block-field-block-paragraph-one-column-text-field-text-column"><div class="content block__content"><div class="clearfix text-formatted field field--name-field-text-column field--type-text-long field--label-hidden field__item" style="margin: 0px; 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