Over 100 million people worldwide have found themselves below the poverty line due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 4 billion do not have any social assistance, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said
UNITED NATIONS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 12th October, 2021) Over 100 million people worldwide have found themselves below the poverty line due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and more than 4 billion do not have any social assistance, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said.
"The pandemic has forced more than one hundred million people into poverty. More than four billion people have little or no social support; no healthcare; no income protection when they so urgently need it," Guterres said on Monday, speaking at an International Monetary Fund event devoted to the COVID-19 crisis.
Unequal vaccine distribution dooms the global community to millions of new deaths and prolongs the economic downturn that hits poorer countries the hardest, the UN chief warned.
"We need a bold collective push to end the pandemic, and deliver a sustainable and inclusive global recovery," he noted.
Though the world is now in the middle of the economic recovery, with GDP growth at 5-6%, many developing countries fall behind. While strong economies invest almost 28% of GDP in recovery projects, less developed countries can allocate only an average 1.8% of GDP, according to Guterres.
