‘Pandemic strategy overlooks inequalities’
Covid-19, climate change aggravating socio-economic disparities, say speakers
PHOTO: FILE
KARACHI:
The response to the coronavirus pandemic needs to be climate-sensitive and gender-inclusive so that lasting solutions are implemented, stressed experts at a webinar jointly organised by World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and Oxfam Pakistan in connection with World Environment Day.
Speakers observed that thus far, the approach to dealing with the crisis had largely overlooked the inequalities in society, not taking into account that underprivileged communities, particularly women from low-income backgrounds, were the hardest hit by the pandemic.
They highlighted the plight of the poor, faring worse than others amid the pandemic due to limited resources.
Besides, the speakers underscored that phenomena such as climate change further aggravated socio-economic disparities, making it tougher for the underprivileged to deal with the pandemic.
"Both Covid-19 and climate change continue to expose failures in our economic structures, highlighting the need to change the approach for addressing inequality," said Oxfam interim country director in Pakistan Uzma Aftab. "We need [to adopt] a pro-poor, pro-women approach to deal with Covid-19."
Along the same lines, WWF-P Sindh and Balochistan regional Dr Babar Khan noted that poor communities were most affected by the pandemic and climate change. "The loss of habitat and destruction of nature is the greatest threat to all life on planet today," he said, adding that those who suffer the most due to these extreme effects, as well as pandemics, were the poor.
Calling for restoring balance in nature's ecosystems, so as to protect all life on Earth, he stressed the need to take measures to conserve wildlife.
The speakers also stressed the increased need for the government to provide education, healthcare and environmental protection, among other basic amenities, to citizens during the pandemic.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2020.
The response to the coronavirus pandemic needs to be climate-sensitive and gender-inclusive so that lasting solutions are implemented, stressed experts at a webinar jointly organised by World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-P) and Oxfam Pakistan in connection with World Environment Day.
Speakers observed that thus far, the approach to dealing with the crisis had largely overlooked the inequalities in society, not taking into account that underprivileged communities, particularly women from low-income backgrounds, were the hardest hit by the pandemic.
They highlighted the plight of the poor, faring worse than others amid the pandemic due to limited resources.
Besides, the speakers underscored that phenomena such as climate change further aggravated socio-economic disparities, making it tougher for the underprivileged to deal with the pandemic.
"Both Covid-19 and climate change continue to expose failures in our economic structures, highlighting the need to change the approach for addressing inequality," said Oxfam interim country director in Pakistan Uzma Aftab. "We need [to adopt] a pro-poor, pro-women approach to deal with Covid-19."
Along the same lines, WWF-P Sindh and Balochistan regional Dr Babar Khan noted that poor communities were most affected by the pandemic and climate change. "The loss of habitat and destruction of nature is the greatest threat to all life on planet today," he said, adding that those who suffer the most due to these extreme effects, as well as pandemics, were the poor.
Calling for restoring balance in nature's ecosystems, so as to protect all life on Earth, he stressed the need to take measures to conserve wildlife.
The speakers also stressed the increased need for the government to provide education, healthcare and environmental protection, among other basic amenities, to citizens during the pandemic.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 6th, 2020.