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Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetMigrant workers and remittances in the context of COVID-19 in sub-Saharan Africa 2020
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No results found.African migrants stimulate economic growth and development in areas of destination, transit and origin through their labour, skills transfer, consumption and investments. Their remittances also make significant contributions to food security, human capital, rural development and overall Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in areas of origin. The impact of COVID-19 affects migrant workers disproportionally. Often precarious working conditions and overcrowded living and transport arrangements increase their vulnerability to contagion and loss of employment, threatening their health and livelihoods. Those working under informal arrangements, commonly in the agriculture sector, are largely excluded from accessing real-time reliable information, social protection, healthcare and government response measures. Urban-to-rural return migration increases due to lockdowns and job losses in cities. This context poses challenges and opportunities in rural sectors, while many return migrants face stigmatization as potential carriers of the virus. A 23 percent decline in remittances flow into sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), as a result of economic downturns, restrictions in movement and challenges sending transfers to SSA, is expected to heavily impact the livelihoods of households and countries that rely on them for food and other basic expenditures, such as health and education. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetAddressing negative socioeconomic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic through social protection in Viet Nam
Supporting incomes and livelihoods with cash assistance in Dong Nai province
2024Also available in:
No results found.In late April 2021, Viet Nam faced its fourth wave of COVID-19, with over 895 000 new cases reported (FAO, 2022). COVID-19 and related restrictions hindered livelihood options and vulnerable households faced financial stress to cover basic needs. Some of them lost their income and were unable to return to home villages for a certain period of time. In addition, many people living in vulnerable households did not qualify for government social security assistance. Dong Nai is among the country’s top three provinces and city areas to be hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic and is home to over 3.2 million people, including more than 1.2 million workers, of which about 720 000 people are migrant workers from other provinces (FAO, 2022). The pandemic put a heavy burden on the provincial welfare and social protection system as hundreds lost their lives, more than 400 000 contracted workers lost their jobs, and many non-contracted workers lost their source of income because of the lockdown and other prevention and control measures (Dong Nai PPC, 2021; FAO, 2022). Additionally, due to travel restrictions, many were unable to return to their home villages and join their support networks. Thus, the intervention sought to sustain livelihoods by helping households cover basic needs during these times of hardship. Between November and December 2021, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) implemented an intervention in the context of the programme Scaling up Forecast-based Financing/ Early Warning Early Action (FbF/EWEA) and Shock Responsive Social Protection for disaster resilience in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). This brief documents the intervention which aimed to help households affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and related restrictions to cover their basic needs, including households already benefiting from existing social assistance and non-beneficiary households. More specifically, it sought to improve food security and prevent vulnerable households from resorting to negative coping mechanisms. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetImpact of COVID-19 on informal workers 2020The COVID-19 pandemic is a major economic and labour market shock, presenting significant impacts in terms of unemployment and underemployment for informal workers. In rural areas, the livelihoods of especially the self-employed and wage workers are at risk, because agri-food supply chains and markets are being disrupted due to lockdowns and restrictions of movement. Families might resort to negative coping strategies such as distress sale of assets, taking out loans from informal moneylenders, or child labour. Specific groups of workers, including women, youth, children, indigenous people, and migrant workers, who are overrepresented in the informal economy, will experience further exacerbation of their vulnerability. Response measures should foster the expansion of social protection coverage to informal workers in agriculture and rural sectors, including timely cash transfers, food or in-kind distributions. Specific measures should be tailored towards women workers with care responsibilities at home, families that may resort to child labour as a coping strategy, as well as other vulnerable subgroups. Efforts should be made to maintain agricultural supply chains and strengthen the market linkages for local producers, while promoting decent work.
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