Representative of UNDP finds Georgia’s approach in terms of fighting against pandemic exemplary
By Khatia Bzhalava
Wednesday, May 13
The United Nation Development Program(UNDP) will technically guide the UN’s effort in terms of converting and recovering the economics of the countries. The UN considers Covid-19 not only as a healthcare crisis but as a development crisis as well. According to this, the UN elaborated plan, which intends to support countries’ attempts to protect the community from the social-economic results of Pandemic.
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner highlighted Georgia’s approach in handling the epidemic.
According to the UN Pandemic made it clear that traditional economic models are vulnerable and unsustainable.
Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres clarified that we should not revert back to where we were prior to the pandemic, where the communities were vulnerable to the crisis. As he stated, “we ought to build a better world.”
Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Achim Steiner highlighted that alongside lifting economic restrictions, Georgia also pays attention to the post-crisis development agenda.
“The PM of Georgia Giorgi Gakharia stated that in parallel with protecting the well-being of the community, economical survival and swift recovery represents one of the main purposes of the government. We are ready to learn from this experience and actively operate to assure that our community overcomes the crisis and becomes even stronger,” said Steiner.
As Louisa Winton, the Resident Representative of the UNDP in Georgia stated, events implemented in response to the Pandemic saved many lives in Georgia. According to her, soon this example will be acknowledged as the best practice.
The UN focuses on five key streams in its response, which places communities at the centre of recovery efforts:
- Protecting the existing health services and strengthening health systems’ capacity to respond to COVID-19;
- Helping people cope in adversity through social protection and basic services;
- Protecting jobs, supporting small and medium-sized enterprises, and informal sector workers through economic recovery programmes;
- Guiding the necessary surge in fiscal and financial stimulus to make macroeconomic policies work for the most vulnerable and strengthening multilateral and regional responses;
- Promoting social cohesion and investing in community-led resilience and response systems.
The financial requirements of the Fund are projected at $1 billion in the first nine months and will be subsequently reviewed. Georgia is in the of 46 countries that will benefit from this fund. UN representatives to Georgia will receive $1 million in the near future to protect the most vulnerable groups of the Georgian community from socio-economic shock caused by the Pandemic.
UNDP support includes raising awareness of Georgian population about preventing coronavirus as well as distributing protective items and providing other types of assistance to Abkhazia and settlements of displaced persons.
