Covid-19 could foster boom in aid-dependency - Red Cross

CORONAVIRUS | Economic hardships brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic could cause a boom in aid-dependency in countries at conflict, a new survey by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) showed – prompting the international body to call for social protection programmes to be maintained or extended and to include the most vulnerable.

In a statement issued from Geneva on Wednesday, ICRC said without concerted action from the global community, it expects humanitarian needs to deepen and worsen in the wake of Covid-19.

It said new short and longer-term health and protection needs will emerge, and that otherwise relatively resilient communities will need assistance.

“The ongoing economic and food security impact of Covid-19 is massive and appears likely to worsen over time. In countries at conflict, millions already live with little or no healthcare, food, water and electricity, as well as volatile prices and destroyed infrastructure.

“Covid-19's impact could set in motion a vicious cycle of lost income, deepening poverty and hunger,” the statement said.

It said for instance, in Nigeria, 95 percent of 313 people the ICRC surveyed said their livelihoods have suffered because of Covid-19, resulting in reduced salaries or revenue, while in Iraq the number was 83 percent (of 130 people); and in Libya, it was 52 percent from the 190 people surveyed.

It added that the survey also found that 77 percent of the people interviewed in Iraq have no savings to cope with the crisis, while it was 85 percent in Libya and 48 percent in Nigeria.

"Covid-19 is causing a tremendous financial shock for families, particularly in conflict zones. I fear that without coordinated action from governments and humanitarians, the long-term consequences will be crippling," head of ICRC's economic security department Charlotte Bennborn said in the statement.

In view of that, the ICRC had called for social protection programmes to be maintained or extended, and that they include the most vulnerable while existing humanitarian activities focused on food security, nutrition and livelihoods must also be reinforced.

The statement said this is crucial as the typical coping mechanism that families use to overcome lean times – asking for loans from neighbours or family, reducing purchases, using savings – have been exhausted for many.

“The hardest-hit households were already food insecure, with physical and financial access to food markets restricted due to Covid.

“Additionally, income shortages could hit families at a time when countries struggle to provide essential services, deepening food insecurity for people already at risk. When movement restrictions are imposed, people face a dire choice between earning a living and protecting their health,” the statement said.

ICRC added that families that depend on remittances from migrant relatives are also at risk, as income opportunities even in wealthier countries deteriorate.

- Bernama