COVID-19 Stimulus Tracker

During the COVID-19 pandemic, countries responded with different social protection packages to mitigate the impact of lockdowns, closed educational and public institutions, and full or partial suspension of non-essential business activities. However, little information on such measures was made available to other countries. Such information can serve to encourage peer learning, strengthen policymaking capacities and improve Government readiness to formulate effective responses to future shocks, including social protection for informal sector workers and the most vulnerable populations.

Our approach

To address this challenge, ESCWA developed the COVID-19 Stimulus Tracker: Global Observatory on Social Protection and Economic Policy Responses based on the United Nations framework for an immediate socioeconomic response to exogenous shocks. The aim of the Tracker is to help the global community to better understand and compare social protection and economic policy support measures across regions and countries, assess the equity and adequacy of policy responses and strengthen capabilities and readiness of Governments to inform policy against shocks in the future.

Our partners

The tracker was developed in partnership with member States and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa

Our activities

Based on the findings of the Tracker, a global policy brief was developed to provide information about the key highlights of COVID-19 policy responses across countries and regions, which was discussed by a global panel in the United Nations High-level Political Forum on sustainable development  in 2021.