Impact of COVID on SDGs

Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are global goals aimed at restoring societal equity, protecting the planet, and ensuring peace and prosperity in the future. While several countries have committed to ending poverty, discrimination against the vulnerable, and other global concerns, the coronavirus pandemic has inappropriately impacted developing countries in the three main areas of education, health, and living standards. [1]

According to a study,[2] the education system of especially low and medium-development countries has been severely disrupted. Students have lost close to a full academic year due to school closure during the pandemic. Data from UNESCO shows that over 800 million students have had their education disrupted. 

According to this data, most students could not afford the online education system due to poverty and lack of accessibility to online learning resources. Furthermore, not all schools were sufficiently equipped to offer online learning. 

The pandemic also interfered with the schooling of most girls. A study found that the lives of girls and young women, notably from marginalised communities, have been burdened due to the addition of domestic duties. [3]  With the onset of the pandemic, several school girls have been exposed to other risks, such as early marriages, disease infections, and limited access to quality education. COVID-19 has resulted in devastating impacts on the implementation of the SDGs. 

The pandemic also disrupted the declining proportion of the working poor. A study finds that in 2019,[4] the ratio of the working poor had declined to 6.7 from 26.1 in 2000. The study, however, indicates that in 2020 after the onset of coronavirus, this proportion increased to 7.2% for the first time since 2000, translating to additional 8 million poor workers. In addition to the increased numbers of the working poor, several people permanently lost their jobs. Therefore, there has been an increased number of people living in poor households with poor living standards.

With the adverse effects on the labour market, the unemployment rates of the youth, women, and people with differently disabled have also increased. Although unemployment issues existed for people with disabilities and the marginalised, a higher percentage was recorded after the virus outbreak. 

The pandemic is predicted to negatively impact the future labour market because it resulted in a growing number of unskilled and unprofessional youths. As a result, such youth will have more challenging times transitioning into the labour market, thus deterring countries from implementing the SDGs.

The impact of the disruption that COVID-19 has caused indicates that there will be a high percentage of people in extreme poverty by 2030, translating to an increased number of people suffering from malnutrition. In addition, the unemployment rates will limit access to quality education and health and generally interfere with the global labour market.

Additionally, the pandemic has increased unemployment rates among the youth, women, and people with disabilities, with a growing number of unskilled and unprofessional youth. This is expected to impact the future labour market and hinder SDG progress negatively.

These impacts will likely result in a high percentage of people living in extreme poverty by 2030, leading to malnutrition, limited access to quality education and health, and hindering the global labor market.

References:

1. Abidoye et al. (2021). Leaving No One Behind: Impact of COVID-19 on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
2. Abidoye et al. (2021). Leaving No One Behind.
3. Mitchell & Smith (2020). The Lives of Girls and Young Women in the Time of COVID-19.
4. Fenner & Cernev (2021). The implications of the Covid-19 pandemic for delivering the Sustainable Development Goals.