In its annual report, the United Nations underlined that Covid-19 has negative effects on the international progress strategy and further complicates meet the challenges by 2030.

Before the SARS-Cov-2, the world was already having difficulties meeting several SDGs, since progress was not fast enough, but the pandemic made the world back off in many areas.

UN data indicated that present health and economic crisis pushed 119 to 124 million people into poverty, wiped out as many as 255 million full-time jobs and raised the number of starving people from 83 to 132 million.

It also noted that abject poverty, which SDGs seek to root out, has ramped up for the first time since 1998, ranging from 8.4% in 2019 to 9.5% in 2020.

Similarly, inequalities skyrocketed, which is reflected in the differences in access to Covid-19 vaccine doses.

‘We are at a key crossroads in human history. Actions to be taken will have far-reaching consequences for future generations,’ said Liu Zhenmin, under-secretary-general for UN Economic and Social Affairs.

pgh/Pll/msm / crc