In late April 2020, the UN launched an operational framework to implement its recommendations on responding urgently to the social and economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. The UN Development Programme (UNDP) will coordinate the UN teams in 162 countries and territories. The teams will activate the recovery plan over 12-18 months.

The UN’s global framework sets out a strategy for urgent socio-economic response based on five pillars:

• Protecting health services and systems;
• Social protection and basic services;
• Protecting jobs and small and medium sized enterprises, and the most vulnerable productive actors;
• Macroeconomic response and multilateral collaboration; and
• Social cohesion and community resilience.

Health and humanitarian funds and strategies to manage pandemic impacts were launched in March, followed by the establishment of the COVID-19 Response and Recovery Fund and a report serving as a call to action, titled, ‘Shared responsibility, global solidarity: Responding to the socio-economic impacts of COVID-19.’

As he launched the Fund and Report, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the 2030 Agenda and its 17 SDGs must be used as a road map to enable the recovery from the COVID-19 crisis to “lead to a different economy” – more equal, inclusive and sustainable, to be more resilient to pandemics, climate change, and other global challenges. [UNDP press release] [Publication: A UN framework for the immediate socio-economic response to COVID-19]