COVID-19 response strategy: UN agencies identify six pillars of action to support Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The UN agencies in collaboration with Pakistani ministries have identified six pillars of action in its response plan to support country preparedness and response strategy including coordination, planning and monitoring of Socio-Economic Impact Response of COVID- 19.

According to COVID-19 Socio-Economic Impact and Response Plan prepared by UN agencies in collaboration with different ministries/divisions of the government of Pakistan, the strategy is comprised of six identified pillars including (Pillar 1) Coordination, Planning and Monitoring of Socio-Economic Impact Response of COVID- 19; (Pillar 2) Addressing Economic Vulnerabilities – Employment and Enterprises; (Pillar 3) Addressing Social Vulnerabilities – Education, Health, Water and Sanitation, Child Protection and Social Protection; (Pillar 4) Addressing Impact on Livelihoods, Food Security, Nutrition and Agricultural Supply Chain; (Pillar 5) Addressing Impact on Women, Girls and Transgender including Gender-based Violence; and (Pillar 6) Addressing Reproductive Healthcare and Newborn Health Needs.

Based on these pillars, UN agencies have developed implementation activities and sub-activities along with indicators, implementer, proposed time frame and budget. Under Pillar-1, four activities were outlined including developing a robust response plan to address, minimise and mitigate the socio- economic impact of COVID-19 in Pakistan and in response it was required to establish and notify government-led coordination committee to oversee socio-economic response of COVID-19. The Socio-Economic Impact and Response Plan developed with input from all UN agencies and government ministries/departments. The implementation of this activity has been assigned to Planning Commission, provincial governments, Establishment Division and UN agencies.

Second priority of Pillar-1 envisages collaboration with the government of Pakistan, donors and the UN agencies for mobilisation of technical and financial resources to deliver a joint response on COVID-19, in this regard fiscal needs are identified for implementation of COVID-19 response.

Priority number three for Pillar-1 outlines establishing research and learning platform to ensure most up to date data, information and analytics on the socio-economic impact of COVID-19. In this regard, there is need to establish platform such as community of practice, socio-economic impact data boards for promoting learning and knowledge, establishing a mechanism to update baseline impact analysis, regularly collecting data and coordinate donor partners. The timeline for this activity has been envisaged in May and June 2020 and budgetary requirement will be $300,000. The fourth priory of Pillar-1 envisages establishing monitoring system to track and monitor progress on COVID-19’s socio-economic impact. For this purpose, there is need to develop progress dashboard with the percentage to identify lagging tasks and this activity would be undertaken for period from May to Sep 2020. The budgetary requirement for this activity will be $25,000.

Under Pillar-2 for Addressing Economic Vulnerabilities – Employment and Enterprises, the estimation of impact on jobs and employment of vulnerable workers in multiple scenarios will be developed. The budgetary allocation for it is estimated at $50,000.

For compensation package, the government allocated Rs147 billion for three months and $100,000 for expansion of online employment platform. A cash for work scheme will be devised and implemented and the budgetary allocation in this regard was estimated at $40 million. An online platform with SEMEDA will be established with cost of $100,000 and $3 million for women micro entrepreneurs. Another $2 million for NAVTIC distancing learning outreach and catch up accreditation will be utilised.

For inclusion of refugees, $15 million programme for registration of refugees will be launched. For policy and institutional level measures, a programme of $0.7 million will be launched.

It further stated that the current outbreak of coronavirus continues to impact the lives of the people in Pakistan. The country has witnessed significant increase in its confirmed cases from the initial two cases on 26th February, 2020 to approximately 4,182 as of 8th April, 2020. In addition to the risk imposed by the virus to the human lives, there is an imminent risk to the social and economic aspects of the lives of the people.

This situation necessitates the government to prepare a response plan, which enshrines the social and economic wellbeing of the people of Pakistan. A plan which lays out the multidimensional aspects of the COVID response, with a clear strategy to efficiently and effectively minimise, mitigate and manage the adverse effects. This also means mobilising technical and financial resources through government own-sources, donors’ assistance and engagement with development partners to define and implement new economic priorities; making precise planning to protect economic activities and jobs; ensuring food security; and safeguarding and protecting social and health needs of the most vulnerable.

Underpinning this, a COVID Socio-Economic Impact Response Plan has been developed through a joint effort of the government of Pakistan, its relevant ministers and the UN agencies. The plan reflects both, a short-term immediate response to cope-up with the most exigent socio- economic risks and impacts of the COVID-19 along with medium to long-term policy, regulatory and institutional measures to bring in a holistic perspective to the response strategy. The response plan has six pillars, capturing economic vulnerabilities; social vulnerabilities; food security, agriculture production and supply chain; impact of women, girls and transgender persons; reproductive and newborn healthcare along with cross-cutting function for coordination, planning and monitoring of the socio-economic impact response.

Under the wide stream of response measures, the COVID Response Plan requires a deliberate effort to reach-out to furthest and the most vulnerable through economic relief packages and social sector services. Though, the challenge will remain for the implementers and planners to find innovative technologies, as well as credible partners with outreach for the provision of support to these communities in the most efficient and transparent manner.