How Covid-19 affected ‘financial space’ in Africa

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

The Special Adviser to the Secretary-General for Africa Christina Duarte, referring to obstacles to peace and security in Africa during a meeting of the Security Council, referred to “internal factors” such as corruption, poverty and inequality, which interact with “external factors”. Instability, such as competition for natural resources, transnational crime and the proliferation of illegal weapons.

To address this situation, the UN official called for the establishment of institutions and capacity development in order to better provide public services, as well as to combat illicit financial flows.

“Building political and institutional capacity must be a priority,” said Ms. Duarte.

Elle a, par ailleurs, appelé à une “coopération renforcée avec les autorités nationales et locales, non seulement du point de vue sécuritaire mais aussi des perspectives de renforcement des institutions, pourrait créer des opportunités’ la pétélé de la accatroître am The provision of services”.

For his part, the head of the United Nations Peacebuilding Commission, Mohamed Abdel Mohit, said that African countries are increasingly interested in cooperating with the Commission in order to expand and strengthen their capabilities, build peace and maintain peace.

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

Finally, the Chairperson of the Peacebuilding Commission called for ensuring the inclusion of women, youth and people in vulnerable situations in capacity building efforts at the local, national and regional levels.