Voices of the Vulnerable

Message from the Secretary-General

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon. Photograph: UN Photo/Mark Garten

Voices of the Vulnerable: Recovery from the Ground Up

In the face of the global financial crisis a number of developing countries have proven to be remarkably resilient if judged purely in terms of economic growth. At the same time, it appears that the burden of coping has been borne disproportionately by poor and vulnerable people. This reality is poorly understood as it tends to fall below the radar of most traditional monitoring systems.

The qualitative findings presented in this report reveal that even where countries have been resilient and are returning to growth, the day-to-day costs of the crisis have been high for many households. Furthermore, where immediate impacts appear not to have been severe, the ongoing erosion of resilience has the potential to damage longer-term development prospects.

Assessments of the impacts of the crisis and the resulting vulnerabilities cannot be based solely on macroeconomic indicators. Measures of countries’ overall economic output do tell a story, but one that is incomplete. To shed more light on what has actually been happening on the ground, this report draws on three kinds of evidence: limited and slowly emerging statistical data, projections and scenario work by major international organisations, and qualitative reports from both informed observers and the poor and vulnerable themselves.

The report assesses how people living in poverty and vulnerability have experienced the global crisis since the last Voices of the Vulnerable in 2009. Many of the themes that emerged in last year’s report have been confirmed. We continue to hear accounts of lost employment, unaffordability of nutritious food, disproportionately high costs of coping for children, young adults and women, and growing tensions arising within families and communities as they try to make ends meet. In many places, the challenges of the food, fuel and financial crises are compounded by other crises, including political instability and environmental pressures.

While there is now talk of a global recovery getting underway, the evidence is still inconclusive. Experience from previous crises tells us that major recessions work themselves out through waves of impact. Europe’s sovereign debt crisis has introduced a cautious tone to debates on where we stand on the path to global recovery. Much is at stake, and uncertainties abound.

Are we finally emerging, like survivors of a hurricane, to assess the extent of the damage and the needs of our neighbours, or are we standing in the eye of a storm? As the major developed economies seek to consolidate their public finances, there is a risk that a “second wave” of recession or economic stagnation could be headed our way. Should this occur, the impacts on vulnerable populations in developing countries would be all the more severe in light of their already weakened capacity to cope with shocks.

What is clear, however, is that there is much left to play out in the lives of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable. The resilience of many countries and businesses is in part due to sound economic policies, but much of it has been paid for in the form of sacrifices at the household level. We cannot take the costs of coping for granted.

As our attention shifts to recovery, the following principles must guide our discussion:

Recovery for all

Just as households have borne much of the brunt of coping during the crisis, they now run the risk of being left behind by the recovery. Global stabilisation and recovery debates must take into consideration the specific needs of vulnerable populations.

Build back better

There is mounting evidence that the crisis is severely eroding the resilience of many population groups. Future support must be dedicated not just to meeting short-term needs but also to developing new and innovative strategies for building sustainable community resilience.

Improve global agility

As this crisis has demonstrated, decision makers face an information gap in the early days of a crisis, when they are forced to act in the absence of timely and accurate information. Emerging technologies present us with the means to respond sooner and more effectively than ever before. The United Nations is developing Global Pulse, a new system to monitor the early impacts of global crises on vulnerable populations. I call upon the international community to support this effort.

Now is the time for major efforts by the international community to rebuild the resilience of the poor and vulnerable. There is a clear need for vigilance and a dedicated course of action to ensure that the world’s poorest and most vulnerable are not excluded from global strategies for recovery.

Real recovery means recovery for all.