Africa-Press – Botswana. The African Continental Free Trade Area (AFTA), the largest trading bloc after the World Trade Organization (WTO), with a combined GDP in excess of USD 3.4 billion a year, represents an opportunity for the continent’s countries to redefine economies and build strong societies, said, Friday (4th), in Stockholm (Sweden), the African Union (AU) Commissioner Josefa Sacko.
The diplomat, who took part in the leadership dialogue panel on the theme “Achieving a sustainable and inclusive recovery from the Covid 19 pandemic”, an action included in the celebrations of the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Conference on the Human Environment, considered it necessary foster regional and multinational cooperation to ensure a sustained and widespread recovery.
Political priorities to achieve recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic must focus on the most affected high-impact sectors, such as food, energy, tourism and manufacturing, while implementing social protection programs to address the increase in poverty. and helping 1.3 billion people drive growth, reduce poverty and expand inclusion.
According to the commissioner, the effects of the second wave of the pandemic “were significant and frightening”, while at the same time increasing the multiplicity of already existing crises, including unsustainable debt and famine, which ended development gains and led Africa to enter its first recession in 25 years.
It noted that, despite the low number of infections and deaths, Covid-19 had a disproportionate impact on women, who saw reduced economic opportunities and reduced access to reproductive and maternal health care and even an increase in the incidence of sexual exploitation. and gender-based violence.
“The global gender gap has widened in a generation from 99.5 years to 135.6 years as a result of the pandemic,” he said.
To counter these effects, the AU has established a Covid-19 Response Fund that aims to strengthen the continental response by increasing the capacity of the African Center for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) to support the response to public health emergencies across the world. the continent and mitigate the socio-economic and humanitarian impact on populations.
The nature-based solutions of biodiversity, resilient agriculture and green cities with a focus on water (floods and water resources), promoting digitization and digital technologies that have witnessed greater use in the fight against the pandemic in the different intervention measures, are listed as outstanding challenges.
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