ReliefWeb

Key Concerns

We urge governments, donors, and the global humanitarian community to:

• increase funding interventions addressing the most vulnerable populations, such as internally displaced persons and refugees, especially children

• scale up efforts to strengthen prevention and reporting of gender-based violence

• document and estimate the cost of the long-term impact of school closures and propose mitigation methods to overcome the long-term impacts for advocacy purposes

• support national governments to safely open schools and put in place systems curtailing COVID-19 transmission so that children can return to school

• advocate for accelerated vaccine access for the poorest and most vulnerable, as rich governments rush to pre-order stockpiles of promising vaccines, and address financial and logistical challenges faced by governments to stock up on antiretroviral drugs, which are limiting service provision and may result in people living with HIV and AIDS failing to adhere to treatment

• amplify the voices of children whose well-being has been affected by conflict and lockdowns, and advocate for regional economic blocs to facilitate civilian protections and expedite conflict resolution

• maintain focus on water, sanitation, and hygiene interventions – the Africa Development Bank estimates that more than 40% of the population across sub-Saharan Africa still lacks access to clean water, a prerequisite in hygiene and containment of COVID-19.