DOCSLIB.ORG

Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Msmes in South Asia and East Asia Pacific in Relation to Child Rights

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on Msmes in South Asia and East Asia Pacific in Relation to Child Rights Assessing the Impacts of COVID-19 on MSMEs in South Asia and East Asia Pacific in Relation to Child Rights Final Report February, 2021 UNICEF ROSA AND EAPRO Contents 1. Executive Summary ......................................................................................................................... 7 2. Rationale for MSME Focus ............................................................................................................ 14 3. Economic Impact of COVID-19 on The Economy and MSMEs in South Asia and East Asia Pacific ..................................................................................................................................................... 16 3.1 Macroeconomic impact ................................................................................................................................... 16 3.2 Impact on MSMEs .............................................................................................................................................. 18 4. MSME Coping Measures And Their Impact On Child Rights .................................................... 21 5. Key MSME Sectors and Populations Impacted By COVID-19 ................................................... 31 6. Review of Mitigation Measures ................................................................................................... 41 6.1 Cross-cutting measures ............................................................................................................................. 45 6.2 Nutrition-specific measures ..................................................................................................................... 53 6.3 Primary healthcare-specific measures ................................................................................................... 55 6.4 Child protection-specific measures........................................................................................................ 56 6.5 Education-specific measures .................................................................................................................... 58 7. Opportunities for UNICEF ............................................................................................................. 61 Areas for further exploration ................................................................................................................................. 72 8. Country Snapshots ........................................................................................................................ 73 8.1 Afghanistan ................................................................................................................................................... 74 8.2 Bangladesh .................................................................................................................................................... 86 8.3 Nepal ............................................................................................................................................................. 103 8.4 Pakistan......................................................................................................................................................... 116 8.5 Sri Lanka ....................................................................................................................................................... 129 8.6 China.............................................................................................................................................................. 140 8.7 Indonesia ...................................................................................................................................................... 151 8.8 The Philippines ........................................................................................................................................... 165 8.9 Thailand ........................................................................................................................................................ 177 Annex I: Methodology and Definitions ............................................................................................ 191 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................................... 191 Definitions ................................................................................................................................................................. 195 Annex II: Detailed Impact of MSME Response on Child Rights ..................................................... 198 Annex III: Regional Impact Snapshots .............................................................................................. 208 Economic and Child Rights Impact Snapshot: South Asia ......................................................................... 208 Economic and Child Rights Impact Snapshot: East Asia Pacific ............................................................... 217 Figure 1: Projected real GDP growth rate ............................................................................................................. 17 Figure 2: Trend of stringency of measures over 2020 ..................................................................................... 17 Figure 3: Share of firms benefitting from COVID-19 government support by firm size .................. 19 Figure 4: Conceptual framework for impact of MSME responses on child rights ............................... 21 Figure 5: Differential in labour productivity in wages between MSMEs and large businesses ..... 22 Figure 6: Public debt burdens across South Asia and East Asia Pacific ................................................... 25 Figure 7: 2020 trends in international tourist arrivals for tourism-dependent countries................ 32 Figure 8: Distribution of job losses among youth in 2020 due to COVID-19 across sectors .......... 35 Figure 9: Potential direct and indirect measures for safeguarding child rights in the context of COVID-19’s impact on business ................................................................................................................................ 43 Figure 10: Potential measures to mitigate challenges across child rights areas in the context of COVID-19’s impact on MSMEs .................................................................................................................................. 45 Figure 11: COVID-19 cases & Stringency of measures .................................................................................... 74 Figure 12: GDP, constant prices, per cent change ........................................................................................... 74 Figure 13: COVID-19 related change in coverage of services ...................................................................... 75 Figure 14: Sectoral impact of COVID-19 in Afghanistan ................................................................................ 75 Figure 15: MSME actions impacting child rights issues in Afghanistan .................................................. 78 Figure 16: COVID-19 cases and stringency of measures ................................................................................ 86 Figure 17: GDP, constant prices, per cent change in Bangladesh ............................................................. 87 Figure 18: COVID-19 related change in coverage of services in Bangladesh ........................................ 87 Figure 19: Sectoral impact of COVID-19 in Bangladesh ................................................................................. 88 Figure 20: Revenue decline faced by SMEs in Bangladesh ............................................................................ 91 Figure 21: Revenue decline faced by RMG SMEs in Bangladesh ................................................................ 91 Figure 22: Key child rights indicators for Bangladesh in 2019 .................................................................... 94 Figure 23: MSME actions impacting child rights issues in Bangladesh .................................................... 95 Figure 24: Social security schemes in Bangladesh and levels of investment307 .................................... 96 Figure 25: COVID-19 cases & Stringency of measures .................................................................................. 103 Figure 26: GDP, constant prices, per cent change ......................................................................................... 103 Figure 27: COVID-19 related change in coverage of services .................................................................... 104 Figure 28: Sectoral impact of COVID-19 in Nepal ........................................................................................... 104 Figure 29: MSME actions impacting child rights issues in Nepal ............................................................. 109 Figure 30: COVID-19 cases & Stringency of measures in Pakistan .......................................................... 116 Figure 31: GDP, constant prices, per cent change in Pakistan .................................................................. 117 Figure 32: COVID-19 related change in coverage of services in Pakistan............................................. 117 Figure 33: Sectoral impact of COVID-19 in Pakistan...................................................................................... 118
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Appendix to Human Rights During the Pandemic
    ............................................................................................................................. ............................................... Contents APPENDIX: GRAPHS FOR EACH COUNTRY ....................................................................................... 4 American Samoa ............................................................................................................ 5 Angola ........................................................................................................................... 6 Australia ...................................................................................................................... 11 Brazil ........................................................................................................................... 16 Cook Islands ................................................................................................................ 21 Democratic Republic of Congo ...................................................................................... 26 Fiji ............................................................................................................................... 31 French Polynesia .......................................................................................................... 36 Federated States of Micronesia ..................................................................................... 41 Guam ..........................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • AP-February-2021
    FEBRUARY ISSUE 2021 Puradsi Media. Phoenix - the Next Generation © All Rights Reserved Puradsi Media – Phoenix the Next Generation 1 a FEBRUARY ISSUE 2021 Puradsi Media. Phoenix - the Next Generation P2P - A Rebirth: Perception and consequences from AP Journalists’ point of view A combined editorial piece by key members of our Akkinip Paravaikal team to cross-examine the effects upon the Tamils’ struggle for liberation. Proceed to page 03 for more. “Today we are faced with a critical and complex situation, unprecedented in the history of our liberation struggle. We are living in a political void, without war, without a stable peace, without the conditions of normalcy, without an interim or permanent solution to the ethnic conflict. Our liberation struggle will be seriously undermined if this political vacuum continues indefinitely.” (2004) National Leader of Tamil Eelam © All Rights Reserved Puradsi Media – Phoenix the Next Generation 2 a FEBRUARY ISSUE 2021 Puradsi Media. Phoenix - the Next Generation P2P - A Rebirth: Perception and consequences from AP Journalists’ point of view Akkinip Paravaikal Editors’ note: All opinions presented are those of the AP team members. Resistance has become an undeniable component of the Eelam Tamils’ livelihood for decades. However, moments of mass uprising have periodically emerged in reinvigorating their collective psyche. In that regard, ‘Pottuvil to Polikandy’ or ‘P2P’ emerged as a march conducted by Tamils between the 2 furthermost points of the occupied Tamil homeland between 03.02.2021 - 07.02.2021, thus rejecting the SL state and asserting Tamil sovereignty through physically portraying the continuity of the Eelam Tamils’ territorial integrity. Through demanding issues pertaining to Tamils’ grievances, the campaign gained momentum on an unprecedented scale.
    [Show full text]
  • Taking Stock of Regional Democratic Trends in Asia and the Pacific
    Taking Stock of Regional Democratic Trends in Asia and the Pacific Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic The Global State of Democracy Special Brief, December 2020 IN FOCUS The Global State of Democracy Special Brief, December 2020 Taking Stock of Regional Democratic Trends in Asia and the Pacific Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic Key facts and findings • Prior to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, organizations and courts, conduct their work. In countries across Asia and the Pacific faced a range a number of countries, for example, government of democratic challenges. Chief among these ministries, electoral commissions, legislators, were continuing political fragility, violent conflict, health officials and civil society have developed recurrent military interference in the political sphere, innovative new online tools for keeping the public enduring hybridity, deepening autocratization, informed about national efforts to combat the creeping ethnonationalism, advancing populist pandemic. And some legislatures are figuring out leadership, democratic backsliding, shrinking new ways to hold government to account in the civic space, the spread of disinformation, and absence of real-time parliamentary meetings. weakened checks and balances. The crisis conditions engendered by the pandemic risk further • The consideration of political regime type in entrenching and/or intensifying the negative debates around ways of containing the pandemic democratic trends observable in the region prior to also assumes particular relevance in Asia and the COVID-19 outbreak. the Pacific, a region that houses high-performing democracies, such as New Zealand and the Republic • Across the region, governments have been using of Korea (South Korea), a mid-range performer the conditions created by the pandemic to expand (Taiwan), and also non-democratic regimes, such as executive power and restrict individual rights.
    [Show full text]
  • Covid-19 Pandemic and the Subsequent Effect on Public Tranport in Asia
    Discussion paper issued without formal editing FOR PARTICIPANTS ONLY 10 November 2020 ENGLISH ONLY UNITED NATIONS CENTRE FOR REGIONAL DEVELOPMENT In collaboration with Ministry of the Environment, Government of Japan United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia & the Pacific INTERGOVERNMENTAL 13th REGIONAL ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT (EST) FORUM IN ASIA 10-11 NOVEMBER 2020 Virtual meeting via video conference in Webex platform COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE SUBSEQUENT EFFECT ON PUBLIC TRANPORT IN ASIA (Background Paper for Joint ESCAP-UNCRD Policy Dialogue 1) Final Draft ------------------------------------- This background paper has been prepared by Dipanju Buragohain, Madan B. Regmi and Ganesh Raj Joshi for the 13th Regional EST Forum in Asia. The views expressed herein are those of the authors only and do not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations. Disclaimer: The designations employed and the presentation of the material in this report do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. Moreover, the views expressed do not necessarily represent the decision or the stated policy of the UNCRD, nor does citing of trade names or commercial processes constitute endorsement. COVID-19 PANDEMIC AND THE SUBSEQUENT EFFECT ON PUBLIC TRANPORT IN ASIA1 Dipanju Buragohain1, Madan B. Regmi1 and Ganesh Raj Joshi2 1United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific 2United Nations Centre for Regional Development Abstract: Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) outbreak was first reported in Wuhan, P.
    [Show full text]
  • SRI LANKA Presidential Election
    i SRI LANKA Presidential Election 16 November 2019 Contents Letter of Transmittal ........................................................................ iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS ............................................... vi Recommendations ..................................................................... vii Chapter 1 ....................................................................................... 1 INTRODUCTION ................................................................................ 1 Activities .................................................................................. 2 Chapter 2 ....................................................................................... 3 POLITICAL BACKGROUND .................................................................... 3 2015 Presidential Election ............................................................. 3 19th Amendment to the Constitution ................................................ 3 2015 Parliamentary Election ........................................................... 4 Key developments in the lead up to the 2019 Presidential Election ............. 4 2019 Presidential Election ............................................................. 5 Chapter 3 ....................................................................................... 7 ELECTORAL FRAMEWORK AND ELECTION ADMINISTRATION .......................... 7 Background ............................................................................... 7 The Legal Framework, Regional and
    [Show full text]
  • Abstract Book, First National Conference on Zoology 2020
    First National Conference on Zoology Biodiversity in a Changing World 28-30 November 2020 Abstracts Organized By Supported By: Foreword It is our pleasure to welcome you to the First National Conference on Zoology: Biodiversity in a Changing World on November 28–30, 2020 on a virtual platform. This conference is organized by the Central Department of Zoology and its Alumni on the occasion of the 55th Anniversary of the Department. This conference is supported by the IUCN Nepal, National Trust for Nature Conservation, WWF Nepal and Zoological Society of London Nepal office. The Central Department of Zoology envisioned three important strategies; teaching, research and extension of its strategic plan 2019 – 2023. The First National Conference is one of the most important extension activities of the Department in collaboration with leading conservation organizations of the country. We believe extension activities including national conference will help to mainstream zoology and make priority agenda of the government for research, faunal conservation, national development and employment. The main theme of the conference is “Biodiversity in a Changing World”, which is of utmost importance given global changes that species, ecosystem processes, landscapes and also people currently have to face together. Excessive exploitation of biological resources as well as global changes and the degradation of the natural environment have large-scale effects, some of which directly lead to the extinction of species and impacts on the health of people. The Conference provides us with the opportunity to meet, connect and learn from each other, share latest research results, and eventually envisage feasible means of conciliating human development and protect health of ecosystem and people with biodiversity conservation.
    [Show full text]
  • The Maritime Relations of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka: Part One
    December 2014 29 April 2021 The Maritime Relations of India, the Maldives and Sri Lanka: Part One Raj Mittal FDI Associate Key Points The Maldives, Sri Lanka and India share a maritime neighbourhood in the Indian Ocean (IO). Indian Maritime Security Strategy (NSP 1.2) is clear that India’s maritime neighbourhood and its navy are important facets of its political and economic relationships with countries in that region. The Maldives and Sri Lanka are strategically located close to major sea lines of communication. India considers the Maldives and Sri Lanka as being in its sphere of influence, which makes China’s increasing footprint in the island countries a major concern for New Delhi. Arguably possessing the region’s most developed navy and coast guard, India is perceived as the first responder and security provider in the IO, but to be effective in that role, India needs to further engage with the Maldives and Sri Lanka. Summary India perceives the Maldives and Sri Lanka as being in its sphere of interest, which makes China’s increasing footprint in those countries a cause for concern in India. The Maldives and Sri Lanka have initiated “India First” policies which complement India’s “Neighbourhood First” equivalent. While India cannot keep China out of the Maldives and Sri Lanka, it should capitalise on its proximity, first-responder image and historical and cultural ties to safeguard its security concerns by remaining continually engaged with Malé and Colombo through high-level visits and the India-Sri Lanka-Maldives Trilateral. Analysis Writing in the Hindustan Times, Kanwal Sibal, a former foreign secretary of India said: All big countries have, in reality, problems with their smaller neighbours because the disparity in size and power create insecurities in them, not to mention loss of identity as in the case of India’s neighbours who share with us ethnic, linguistic, cultural, civilisational and even religious commonalities.
    [Show full text]
  • Covid-19 Socio-Economic Impact on Sri Lanka
    COVID-19 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ON SRI LANKA Part-II The Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sri Lanka COVID-19 SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPACT ON SRI LANKA Part-II The Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sri Lanka Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Matara, Sri Lanka. November 2020 Copyright © 2020 by Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher, addressed to “Attention: HSS Research Coordinator”. Publisher: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Ruhuna, Wellamadama, Matara 81000, Sri Lanka. Tel +94 412222681 Ext. 3102; Fax +94 412227010 [email protected] First Published in 2020 Printed in Matara ISBN 978-955-1057-73-2 The views expressed in this publication are those of the authors (team of contributors) and do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the University of Ruhuna (UoR) or its Administrative Authority or the Government they represent. Please contact [email protected] for clarifications and copyright permission. How to cite this publication: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences (2020). COVID-19 Socio Economic Impact on Sri Lanka Part-II: The Social Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic in Sri Lanka, Matara: University of Ruhuna.
    [Show full text]
  • Analyzing the Dependence of Major Tanks in the Headwaters of the Aruvi Aru Catchment on Precipitation
    water Article Analyzing the Dependence of Major Tanks in the Headwaters of the Aruvi Aru Catchment on Precipitation. Applying Drought Indices to Meteorological and Hydrological Data Robin Saase *, Brigitta Schütt and Wiebke Bebermeier * Department of Earth Sciences, Physical Geography, Freie Universität Berlin, Malteserstraße 74-100, 12249 Berlin, Germany; [email protected] * Correspondence: [email protected] (R.S.); [email protected] (W.B.) Received: 30 July 2020; Accepted: 13 October 2020; Published: 21 October 2020 Abstract: This study aims to analyze the dependence of reservoirs (locally called tanks or wewas) in the headwaters of the Aruvi Aru catchment on precipitation and thus to evaluate their efficiency. The Aruvi Aru is located in the Dry Zone of Sri Lanka, and numerous human made reservoirs characterize the study area. The methodology is based on the application and correlation of climatic and hydrological drought indices. The Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) is applied to precipitation data at different time scales and the Standardized Water-Level Index (SWLI) is applied to water-level data of five major tanks in the catchment. The results show that near normal present-day average precipitation is appropriate to fill the investigated tanks. The precipitation of the previous 6–12 months has the highest impact on water-level changes. A moderate to strong positive correlation between SWLI and SPI point to other factors besides precipitation affecting the water level of the tanks. These are: (i) catchment size together with the buffering capacity of the upstream catchment and (ii) management practices. As the overall conclusion of our study shows, the tanks functioned efficiently within their system boundaries.
    [Show full text]
  • How Oli Aimed Ordinance at Splitting Parties but Instead Led to Their Merger
    WITHOUT F EAR OR FAVOUR Nepal’s largest selling English daily Vol XXVIII No. 58 | 8 pages | Rs.5 O O Printed simultaneously in Kathmandu, Biratnagar, Bharatpur and Nepalgunj 34.5 C 4.9 C Friday, April 24, 2020 | 12-01-2077 Nepalgunj Jiri How Oli aimed ordinance at splitting parties but instead led to their merger Two ordinances introduced on Monday culminated in a political drama that saw allegations of kidnapping and the merger of two Madhesi parties long at odds. TIKA R PRADHAN & ANIL GIRI KATHMANDU, APRIL 23 The introduction of two controversial ordinances on Monday by Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli set into motion a chain of events that eventually culminated in the alleged “kidnapping” of a political leader and the long-awaited merger of two Madhesi parties. Late Wednesday night, the Samajbadi Party Nepal and the Rastriya Janata Party Nepal, the third and fourth largest parties in the feder- al parliament, finally agreed to merge in order to “deal a blow to Oli’s ill-in- POST PHOTO: BEEJU MAHARJAN tended move of splitting the Samajbadi A farmer dumps flowers at Ramkot in the Capital’s Nagarjun Municipality as the lockdown due to coronavirus puts florists out of business. Party,” they said. POST PHOTO: KABIN ADHIKARI “We foiled Oli’s plan to split the Samajbadi Party and Rastriya Janata Party Samajbadi Party by deciding to merge applied to the Election Commission on with them,” Rajendra Mahato, a lead- Thursday to register a unified party. er in the six-member Janata Party praesidium, told the Post. However, Samajbadi Party coordi- Nepalis in London face xenophobia amid Covid fears Hours before the merger, Samajbadi nator and former prime minister Party Vice-chair Renu Yadav had Baburam Bhattarai was quick to attempted to split the party with the react, calling Surendra Yadav’s depar- Last week, two cars belonging to former British Gurkhas were set on fire in what is believed to be racially motivated attacks.
    [Show full text]
  • Drug Offenders- Submission by Freedoms Collective
    Submission to the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Study on arbitrary detention relating to drug policies 1. Please provide information concerning the number of people held in pre-trial detention as well as the number of those who are imprisoned pursuant to a conviction for drug-related offences. Please indicate what percentage of the total pre-trial detention population are being held for drug-related offences. Please identify the percentage of the total prison population who have been convicted and imprisoned for drug-related offences. For those convicted of drug-related offences, what percentage of this group have been imprisoned for acquisition, use or possession of drugs for personal use? How many people convicted of drug use belong to disadvantaged groups (e.g. women, pregnant women, children and youth, indigenous people, sex workers, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) persons, homeless people, people with HIV/AIDS, persons with disabilities, ethnic minorities, migrant communities? According to the 2020 prisons statistics of the Department of Prisons in Sri Lanka, of 29,164 of the total direct admissions of convicted prisoners, the number of direct admissions of convicted prisoners for drug offences is 15,123. The percentage of prisoners convicted for drug offences of the total number of convicted prisoners is therefore 51.9%. The statistics do not distinguish between persons who were convicted for the possession of drugs and those convicted for drug trafficking. However, according to the statistics, 10,799 prisoners (71.4%) of the 15,123 prisoners convicted for drug offences, were serving a sentence of one to six months in prison and another 2,627 (17.4%) prisoners were sentenced for six to twelve months in prison; therefore about 88.8% of the drug offenders received a sentence of up to one year.
    [Show full text]
  • Sri Lanka Relations
    Brief on India - Sri Lanka Relations India and Sri Lanka have a legacy of intellectual, cultural, religious and linguistic interaction and the relationship between two countries is more than 2500 years old. Trade and investment have grown and there is cooperation in the fields of development, education, culture and defence. Both countries share a broad understanding on major issues of international interest. In recent years, significant progress in implementation of developmental assistance projects for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and disadvantaged sections of the population in Sri Lanka has helped further cement the bonds of friendship. The nearly three-decade long armed conflict between Sri Lankan forces and the LTTE came to an end in May 2009. During the course of the conflict, India supported the right of the Government of Sri Lanka to act against terrorist forces. At the same time, it conveyed its deep concern at the plight of the civilian population, emphasizing that their rights and welfare should not get enmeshed in hostilities against the LTTE. The need for national reconciliation through a political settlement of the ethnic issue has been reiterated by India at the highest levels. India is in favor of a negotiated political settlement, which is acceptable to all communities within the framework of a united Sri Lanka and which is consistent with democracy, pluralism and respect for human rights. Political Relations Political relations between the two countries have been marked by high-level exchanges of visits at regular intervals. Prime Minister Shri. Narendra Modi hosted a Virtual Bilateral Summit (VBS) with Sri Lankan Prime Minister H.E.
    [Show full text]