"COVID-19 is a human tragedy. But it has also created a generational opportunity. An opportunity to build back a more equal and sustainable world. The response to the pandemic, and to the widespread discontent that preceded it, must be based on a New Social Contract and a New Global Deal that create equal opportunities for all and respect the rights and freedoms of all."
- António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations
Nelson Mandela Lecture: “Tackling the Inequality Pandemic: A New Social Contract for a New Era
Over the course of 2020, COVID-19, has taken more than 900,000 lives, infected more than 27 million people. This updated UN Comprehensive Response to COVID-19 report provides an overview of the data, analysis, policy recommendations and concrete support that the UN has made available to states and communities to cope with the health, socio-economic, humanitarian and human rights impacts of COVID-19.
The update includes new data on how the virus has affected economies and societies, and summaries of the twenty policy briefs the SG has issued with analysis of their impact. It outlines the steps needed to save lives, protect societies and recover better, leaving no one behind and addressing the fragilities and gaps that made us so vulnerable in the first place. It points the way towards addressing future shocks – above all from climate change – and overcoming the systemic inequalities that have been exposed and exacerbated by the pandemic.
More information on the report, including the Secretary-General's policy briefs, visit UN response to COVID-19. Additionally, UN News covered the .
