How Covid-19 has affected the “financial space” in Africa

The Covid-19 pandemic has reduced the “already limited financial space” in African countries, the United Nations said on Monday, stressing that the health emergency has sometimes led to the neglect of some public services.

Referring to the obstacles to peace and security in Africa during the Security Council meeting, Cristina Duarte, Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Africa, pointed to “internal factors” such as corruption, poverty, inequality, which interact with “external factors”. Instability such as competition for natural resources, transnational crime and the proliferation of illegal arms.

To remedy this situation, the UN The official called for the establishment of institutions and capacity building for better delivery of public services, as well as the fight against illegal financial flows.

“Building political and organizational skills should also be a priority,” Ms. Duarte said.

He also called for “strengthened cooperation with national and local authorities, not only from a security perspective, but also from an institutional structure perspective, which can create opportunities to increase state presence and improve service delivery.”

For his part, the head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission (PBC), Muhammad Abdul Muhid, said African countries are keen to cooperate with the commission to expand and strengthen their capacities.

He shared the commitments made by the PCU in Africa in capacity building, particularly in the Central African Republic (CAR) where the Commission mobilized resources and addressed the impact of budget constraints on the country’s Special Criminal Court and Truth. , Justice, Reconciliation and Compensation Commission.

The President of the BBC finally called for ensuring that women, youth and people in vulnerable situations are included in capacity building efforts at local, national and regional levels.