New Delhi (NVI): Coronavirus is not just a global health emergency, it’s a development emergency as it could cost the world economy up to USD 2 trillion and affect Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said.
“It’s estimated that the epidemic could cost the world economy US$2 trillion. Epidemics can be reversed, but only with the highest level of political commitment,” UNDP said in a statement.
Coronavirus has shocked the world with the agility and speed of its spread. Since it emerged in humans in China late last year, it has raced around the globe, killing more than four thousand people, sickening more than 1,13,000, and prompting travel bans and lockdowns.
WHO has asked the international community for US$675 million to fight the virus and the United Nations has dedicated US$15 million to fund essential activities such as monitoring the spread of the virus, investigating cases and supporting national laboratories, it said.
International gatherings and sports events have been cancelled, more than 290 million children are not in school, and markets are reeling. In some countries, tourism, a vital occupation for many, has virtually stopped and we are seeing famous cultural landmarks as never before—almost empty, the UNDP said in its report.
