The lockdown measures and travel restrictions caused millions to lose their jobs and incomes, exposed inequalities in access to basic services and resources, and heightened the risks to safety and human rights for many. [...] For instance, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the movement restrictions imposed to contain the spread of COVID-19 risk bringing even more food insecurity to a country where malnutrition is already pervasive due to drought, flooding and pest infestation, as well as decades of conflict and the prevalence of other diseases such as malaria, cholera and Ebola (WFP, 2020). [...] Wherever we highlight the interplay of climate change and the pandemic in this paper, we also need to keep in mind the risk of multiple burdens increasing the disease’s impact while severely lowering response capacities – this is a risk in and of itself. [...] In many cases, responses to the COVID-19 crisis have increased the precariousness of living and health conditions of migrants and refugees, and resulted in the violation of their rights. [...] We recommend governments and bilateral and multilateral donors to: Integrate analyses of risks and vulnerabilities: Because of the strong links between the impacts of COVID-19 and existing socio-economic, political and environmental drivers of fragility and conflict, including climate change, the first step is to understand risks and vulnerabilities in an integrated and systemic way.
- Pages
- 29
- Published in
- Germany
