The UN Secretary-General’s policy brief on the impact of COVID-19 on the Arab region highlights the likely  devastating effects of the pandemic. The economy could contract by over 5% and one quarter of the population may end up in poverty. Some communities will be especially hard hit, including women, migrants and the more than 62 million people already in need of humanitarian assistance prior to COVID-19. Those cau...

RABAT, Morocco – When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in Morocco in March, alarm spread through the country. “At the start of the pandemic, we were very worried about our health,” Halima*, a migrant woman from Madagascar, told UNFPA. A state of emergency was declared, and strict movement restrictions were implemented. Within three months of enacting these measures, the country was recognized for having one of the lowe...

Statement by UNFPA Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem World Day Against Trafficking in Persons 2020 Every year, tens of thousands of people are trafficked across and within national borders. While men and boys tend to be trafficked into forced labour, women and girls tend to be trafficked into forced sex. Traffickers prey upon the poor and the vulnerable, binding them in unspeakable conditions where every huma...