ARMENIA Evidence from UNECE’S Survey of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
THE IMPACT OF COVID-19 ON TRADE AND STRUCTURAL TRANSFORMATION IN ARMENIA Evidence from UNECE’s Survey of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Geneva, Switzerland | December 2020 Advance Copy Note The designation employed and the presentation of the material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Secretariat of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area, or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers of boundaries. This report is issued in English and Russian. It is not edited. ii Preface As the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues to spread, its disruptive impact is becoming more pronounced, posing unprecedent challenges for all countries. Governments have seen their priorities shift overnight towards upscaling public health preparedness and emergency support measures to cater for the vulnerable segments of their population. The challenges facing governments are further complicated by supply chain disruptions that have left enterprises struggling to survive. Pay cuts and furloughs have been assuming an increasing trend, so that losses in lives are compounded by livelihood crisis. If anything, countries across the globe are suffering setbacks that are akin to complex humanitarian emergencies associated with disasters. The coping strategies of businesses and State agencies are being depleted by the unfolding economic crisis, so that vulnerabilities are aggravated and the impact on productive capacities, institutional dexterity and business confidence is severe. It, therefore, stands to reason to avoid treating the pandemic as a temporary shock whose effects can be swiftly reversed once normality is attained.
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