A Framework for Improving Policy Priorities in Managing COVID-19 Challenges in Developing Countries.

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges to societies and threatened humanity and global resilience. All countries are challenged, but low-income and developing countries are facing a more challenging situation than others due to their limited health infrastructure, limited financial and human resources, and limited capacity of governments to respond. Further, the interconnected nature of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis demands an integrated approach and coordinated action, which complicates decision making even more. Identifying the best set of policies and instruments to address COVID-19 challenges, and aligning them with broader social goals will be critically important for sustainable recovery from the pandemic. The key practical challenge facing the policy makers of developing countries is how to prioritize policies to achieve the interconnected goals of managing the health crisis, recovering the economy, and achieving environmental sustainability. We present a framework for identifying and prioritizing policy actions to address the COVID-19 challenges and ensure sustainable recovery. The framework outlines principles and criteria and provides insights into developing shared policy goals, identifying smart strategies, assessing policy compatibility, aligning policy instruments, and factoring sustainability into short and long-term policy decisions. This framework can assist policy makers in linking short and long-term goals, mapping the interactions of different policy options, and assessing anticipated consequences and cross-sectoral implications. This will enable policy makers to prioritize policy choices and allocate limited resources in such a way that they are directed toward actions that generate synergy and co-benefits, have multiplier effects, and achieve interconnected solutions for health, the economy and environment.

Socio-Economic Implications of COVID-19 Pandemic in South Asia: Emerging Risks and Growing Challenges.

The dramatic spread of COVID-19 has threatened human lives, disrupted livelihoods, and affected trade, economy and businesses across the globe. The global economy has begun to show major disruptions and is heading toward a severe recession with an unprecedented economic crisis. As the global economy is highly integrated and interdependent through the global supply chains, it has been profoundly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Although all countries have faced difficulties due to Covid-19, South Asian countries in particular have had to deal with a more challenging situation due to their large population, weak health facilities, high poverty rates, low socio-economic conditions, poor social protection systems, limited access to water and sanitation, and inadequate living space, necessary to maintain physical distancing and take other required measures to contain this pandemic. To contain the spread of the virus, South Asian countries have imposed stringent lockdowns, which have consequently affected the lives and livelihoods of millions of people in the region, where a third of world's poor live. Against this backdrop, this paper examines the existing and prospective impacts, risks and challenges of Covid-19 on key social and economic sectors including migration, tourism, informal sector, agriculture and rural livelihoods. The analysis revealed that COVID-19 is likely to affect economic growth, increase fiscal deficit and monetary burden, increase the risks of macroeconomic instability, decrease migration and remittance, reduce income from travel and tourism, and result in dwindling micro-small and medium industries and informal businesses. This is likely to deepen poverty and increase unemployment and the risks of hunger and food insecurity. If not addressed properly, this may reinforce existing inequalities, break social harmony, and increase tension and turbulence. The economic and social costs of the COVID-19 outbreak are therefore likely to be significant and long-lasting in South Asia.

Twin Challenges of COVID-19 Pandemic and Climate Change for Agriculture and Food Security in South Asia

South Asia is one of the most densely populated regions in the world. With 5% of the global agricultural land, South Asian farmers have to feed over 20% of the global population. South Asia is also one of the poorest regions in the word with about one-third of the world's poor living in this region. Climate change has become a pressing issue in south Asia ravaging agriculture and threatening food security. Climate change is affecting the fundamental basis of agriculture through changes in temperature, rainfall and weather, and by intensifying the occurrences of floods, droughts and heat stress. Like climate change, a pandemic is a global risk. The novel Corona virus (COVID-19) has further disrupted many activities in agriculture and supply chains in South Asia, further compounding the challenges of food and nutrition security and sustaining livelihoods. South Asian farmers are now facing double challenges of addressing the impacts of changing climate and managing the disruption arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The unprecedented challenge posed by the COVID-19 requires very urgent and decisive actions to ensure food and nutrition security and save people's lives and livelihoods. Regional and global cooperation are also necessary to address the ripple effects of COVID-19 and climate change. South Asian countries must act collectively to share experiences and improve the disrupted agriculture supply chain. Strategies and approaches are needed to address both the coronavirus and climate crises. Currently, there is a unique opportunity to use the disruptive forces of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated recovery policies to accelerate the transition to a more sustainable and resilient food systems. Some of the short-term support to address COVID-19 challenges can be linked to long-term sustainable food production by investing in natural capital to improve long-term productivity and resilience.