Rapid Scoping Review on the Topic of Ensuring Social Protection and Basic Services to Inform the United Nations Framework for the Immediate Socioeconomic Response to COVID-19

Abstract

This rapid scoping review has informed the development of the UN Research Roadmap for the COVID-19 Recovery on the topic of “Ensuring Social Protection and Basic Services.” The aim was to provide a robust synthesis of key concepts and existing evidence drawn from a wide range of disciplines to support the identification and appraisal of research priorities. An emergent theme has been the notion that measures implemented in response to COVID-19 merely ameliorate symptoms of entrenched, systemic gender-, age-, and race-based inequity, inequality, and exclusion. Key findings include the critical role of contextual and community-based knowledge for informing the design, development, and delivery of programs, as well as the urgent need for implementation science to move existing knowledge into action. This review also describes how the disruption associated with “shock events” such as the COVID-19 pandemic is often associated with unusually high levels of interest and willingness to invest in programs and policies to strengthen strained systems. As such, an unprecedented window of opportunity exists to leverage measures implemented in response to the COVID-19 pandemic to effect large-scale, sustainable change and thereby increase the resiliency of our interconnected systems for the future.

Roles of Social Protection to Promote Health Service Coverage among Vulnerable People toward Achieving Universal Health Coverage: A Literature Review of International Organizations

“…Since the COVID-19 pandemic, many international organizations have emphasized the importance of social protection to promote health service access. Firstly, the UN's framework for the immediate socioeconomic response to COVID-19 incorporates social protection and basic service into one of the five pillars [47][48][49]. To mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on vulnerable populations, the UN suggests that governments need to expand to a wider range of social protection, including cash transfers, food assistance, and social insurance.…”

Prevalence of Stunting Among Under 5 Children in Al-Rajaiya Health Center, Ash-Shamayatayn District - Taiz, Yemen

“…Collaboration between different sectors, including healthcare, education, and local businesses, can also play a vital role in addressing food insecurity and malnutrition among children. It is crucial to prioritize the well-being of children and families in Yemen by providing them with access to healthy and nutritious food, as well as other essential resources and support 33 .…”