Wikipedia:WikiProject COVID-19/Main messages

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Main messages

This page is used to collate main messages organisations are producing on COVID-19 related topics which they would like greater public awareness of. These can be included in Wikipedia either to inform topics covered in articles or used as quotes. These messages may be key facts on aspects of the pandemic, recommendations of actions to take (which can be added to Wikipedia as 'this organisation recommends....) or other topics, all messages should include references.

How to add information to this page

Using the template at the bottom of the page please add a list of messages, references and suggested articles by clicking the 'Edit with VisualEditor' button. Please remember to click 'Publish changes' to save your additions to the page.

• Topic: The topic of the message e.g women in healthcare
• Message: Messages should be at least 2 sentences long. Please write the message in your own words to avoid copyright issues.
• References: Please add references for the messages, we cannot add the messages into Wikipedia unless references are added
• Suggested articles: Which articles you suggest these messages are integrated into.
• Notes: Any additional information that may be useful e.g who collected the messages.

Using the information on this page

1. Look at the messages.
2. Add them to Wikipedia articles with references. There are generally two main types of information:
   1. Facts that the organisation wants people to know about a topic, these can be added without adaptation.
   2. Recommendations that the organisation gives, please make clear who is giving the recommendation e.g NAME OF ORGANISATION recommends ....
3. Add where this information has been added to the table by clicking 'Edit with VisualEditor'.

Sourcing messages

There are several ways of finding the main messages organisations are providing including:

1. Looking on their websites or on social media
2. Asking them directly either through email or social media

Please only add messaging from organisations who are reliable sources.

Messages

Edit with VisualEditor

UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

Note: Some FAO publications are available under an open license and have a license statement which should be added to articles the text is used in in a 'sources' section, see Help:Adding open license text to Wikipedia for more info

Topic	Message	References	Open license attribution	Where this information has been added
Humanitarian operations	A major compounding factor for food crisis contexts is that the pandemic is likely to have significant repercussions on the delivery of humanitarian assistance. Resources may be diverted to support COVID-19 efforts, affecting budgets for assistance. Movement restrictions are likely to impact the mobility of supplies and staff, including the possibility to conduct field work. Humanitarian delivery costs may increase as a result. This could result in an increase in the number of people requiring humanitarian assistance, posing a serious challenge in terms of the ability of governments and organizations to address those needs. Lessons from previous crises demonstrate that actions to safeguard livelihoods, food production and food access will likely have a significant return on investment, in terms of saving lives and livelihoods and reinforcing local food systems in this critical time.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" Also potentially interesting COVID-19 pandemic–related famines
Migration and displacement	The agriculture sector plays an important role in influencing migratory patterns. Transhumant pastoral populations are likely to be hard hit by any border closures, as they rely on seasonal movements of livestock for their food and income. The disruption of traditional transhumance patterns and the creation of new ones may lead to tensions and even violent conflicts between resident and pastoralist communities, resulting in local displacement and increased levels of poverty and food insecurity. Risk of youth enrolment in extremist groups cannot be ruled out as a negative coping strategy in these contexts. The impact on these communities is of particular concern in the Sahel as the lean season nears. In addition, if food supply chains become disrupted and livelihoods untenable, vulnerable populations are more likely to move in search of assistance – especially in fragile contexts and remote areas where movement restrictions may be much more difficult to control. Such movements would further threaten to spread the virus, heighten social tensions, provoke displacement, and undermine livelihoods. The impacts of the crisis will affect migrants differently, depending on their migratory or working status. If response measures are not adequately designed and timely put in place, many migrants risk remaining unprotected and vulnerable to exploitation, poverty and food insecurity. Different typologies of migrants (e.g. refugees; internally displaced persons; migrant workers; internal or international; permanent, temporary or seasonal; documented or undocumented) will have different access to work, social protection programmes, recovery measures and healthcare systems. The economic downturn that is arising with the COVID-19 pandemic is likely to impact not only migrants, but also their families in countries of origin through a sudden dramatic reduction or sudden halt in remittance flows; this could have a particularly acute impact on refugee camps and countries that heavily rely on remittances for food security and nutrition.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	sub-section of Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" + SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture"
Impact of containment measures on food production and supply chains*	In food crisis countries, up to 80 percent of the population relies on agriculture for their livelihoods. Therefore, any further disruptions to food production and related value chains, for example in the form of reduced availability of critical inputs or restricted access to lands or markets, could be catastrophic for vulnerable populations. If one takes the 2014 West Africa EVD outbreak as a guidance, movement restrictions could, for instance: i) derail agricultural input supply chains at critical times in the season; ii) reduce informal labourers’ access to farmlands, and, as a result of this, also both their wages and the area of land cultivated; iii) constrain transport of goods to processing facilities and/or markets. In Liberia during the EVD outbreak, 47 percent of farmers reported having uncultivated farmland. Furthermore, import/export restrictions, as well as challenges to transport key food items between rural to urban areas and access processing units and markets, would affect both producers and consumers. Such disruptions of the food supply chain are likely to have significant adverse repercussions, particularly for the most vulnerable population groups, including informal labourers, the urban poor, displaced populations and others, relying on markets to meet their food needs. Lastly, food crisis countries that rely heavily on food imports (i.e. Yemen) or on exports of natural resources (i.e. Nigeria or South Sudan) to meet their food consumption requirements, may experience a further deterioration of food security.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" sub-section of Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture"
Social tensions and conflict	The COVID-19 pandemic could also have negative effects on social and political stability, creating the conditions for unrest, especially in the most vulnerable food crisis countries. Uncertainty of future impacts of the pandemic combined with restrictions on movement, soaring unemployment, limited access to food, and the erosion of already fragile livelihoods may generate discontent among the population, fuelling violence and conflict. Furthermore, the postponement of elections may jeopardize the democratic process and generate tensions between ruling parties and oppositions, with possible consequences for political stability. Conflict takes place in deeply divided societies, where national government is often seen as owned by and/or serving one side of the division(s). In such contexts, COVID-19 responses need to be taken into consideration local conflict dynamics and need to be conflict-sensitive to ensure trust of local populations. Crises can also be used as an opportunity for military and political gains in ongoing conflicts. Indeed, how crisis response is delivered, and how it can enable other agendas, can become independent conflict accelerants, as can perceptions of bias in terms of which communities’ needs are viewed as being prioritized. Finally, the disease could hinder international mediation efforts for conflict resolution, as well as peacekeeping operations, with consequent negative effects on vulnerable and food insecure conflict-affected people. All these impacts may further increase the numbers of internally displaced persons (IDPs) and refugees, which are already a great concern in food crisis countries. However, it is also important to note that moments of crisis can also provide turning points in a conflict, depending on how the parties behave and whether peace actors can seize opportunities for collaboration. The December 2003 tsunami arguably helped reinvigorate a peace settlement process, which was all but dead, between the Free Aceh Movement and Indonesian government, resulting in a peace agreement.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
Food prices*	Possible instability generated by an outbreak and associated behavioural changes could result in temporary food shortages, price spikes, and disruption to markets. Such price rises would be felt most by vulnerable populations who depend on markets for their food as well as those already depending on humanitarian assistance to maintain their livelihoods and food access. As observed in the 2007–2008 food prices crisis, the additional inflationary effect of protectionist policies through import tariffs and export bans could cause a significant increase in the number of people facing severe food insecurity worldwide.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
Access to food*	The potential combined impact of COVID-19 on unemployment, households’ purchasing power, food prices, and food availability in local markets could severely jeopardize access to food in the most vulnerable countries. In the case of the 2014 West Africa EVD outbreak, travel restrictions and suspension of operations of periodic markets disrupted trade flows of food commodities and other necessities, causing food shortages in local market and the consequent impact on food security.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	"Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic" + SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture
Deepen existing vulnerabilities	The combination of the above impacts could deepen the already high vulnerabilities of acutely food insecure populations and threaten recent development gains in food crisis contexts. The impact [of COVID-19] on food security may lead vulnerable household to resort to negative coping strategies, which will have lasting effects on their lives and livelihoods, including reduction in number of meals, increased school drop-out rate, decreased means to cover health expenditures, gender-based violence, selling of productive assets, etc. The situation is of particular concern for IDPs and refugees, whose vulnerabilities are already high. Increased food prices, disruption of markets and employment opportunities in agriculture, and limited humanitarian assistance would have a particularly important impact on them.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" + a sub-section of Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" currently in Sandbox 5 https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=User:DanSD19/sandbox5&action=edit
Government policy recommendations	Step up government coordination and partnerships Reducing the impact of the pandemic on acute food insecurity cannot be done in isolation and requires the involvement of actors well beyond the agriculture and food security sectors. [FAO recommends that] governments should be encouraged to adopt policies and make investments to support agricultural production and maintain critical supply chains, whilst ensuring the protection of the most vulnerable, including through the expansion of safety nets. Moreover, [FAO recommends that] governments should ensure coordination in the response across sectors, mainstreaming health and safety measures. [According to FAO], strong partnerships are needed between national institutions, United Nations organizations, non-governmental organization (NGOs), farmers’ groups and all other relevant stakeholders, including coordination structures, such as the Global Network Against Food Crises and the Global Food Security Cluster. [FAO also suggests that] efforts should be coordinated at every stage of the response, including harmonized monitoring and assessment of impacts, design of policy measures, targeting and implementation of assistance to the most vulnerable people, as well as communication and awareness raising campaigns.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
Food security policy recommendations	Adapt and strengthen food security and agriculture monitoring and assessment for evidence-based programming. Given the unprecedented nature of the crisis, creating a better understanding of the potential impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on food security and related vulnerabilities is of paramount importance and urgency. In food crisis contexts, [FAO recommends that] data collection and data sharing modalities should be adapted to ensure continuous monitoring of changes in food security levels, food and agricultural supply chains, food production and availability, and food and agricultural input prices, to anticipate supply shocks and identify possible risks that may threaten food systems. [According to FAO], particular attention needs to be given to monitoring and assessment modalities, with on-the-ground data collection avoided as much as possible and remote options prioritized (e.g. key informants, cell phone-based surveys, use of secondary data). [In this regard], regional institutions, such as the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) Food Security and Nutrition Working Group or the Food Crisis Prevention Network in West Africa, could play a fundamental role in providing member countries with the necessary analytical support, whilst guaranteeing a harmonized approach in the monitoring of potential impacts.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" + a sub-section of Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic– "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture"
Humanitarian food and livelihood assistance policy recommendations	Preserve critical humanitarian food and livelihood assistance. One of the immediate priorities will be to ensure that critical ongoing humanitarian assistance to vulnerable groups is not hindered and is adapted to potential COVID-19 impacts. [FAO recommends ] establishing corridors to ensure the flow of food between rural, urban and peri-urban areas. Furthermore, [according to FAO], support to livelihood diversification and home-based food production could increase local food availability and income opportunities, to offset disruptions to the food supply chain. Unconditional cash transfers, especially through mobile payment systems, could provide support to incomes and an effective assistance modality, especially in countries where access to affected areas is limited, [says FAO]. It is also crucial to ensure the free and predictable flow of emergency food assistance so that needs are fully met. Local purchases of food and agricultural inputs for humanitarian purposes should be exempt from restrictions, and the establishment of efficient and effective humanitarian food reserves should be considered [, FAO suggests] .	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
Social policy recommendations	Adapt interventions to minimise social tensions. The design and implementation of all interventions should be informed by a local context analysis so as to 'do no harm' and reduce the possibility of social tensions. [According to FAO], interventions should be accompanied by clear and factual messages on the COVID-19 pandemic to beneficiaries, delivered through appropriate channels, to mitigate individuals or groups manipulating information to further political or other purposes. Moreover, all stakeholders involved in the response should monitor and use existing conflict incidence reporting, displacement tracking mechanisms, and other similar tools to understand trends, develop possible scenarios, and put in place adequate livelihood support modalities. [FAO suggests] particular attention be paid to [internally displaced persons] IDPs and refugee populations due to their specific risks and heightened vulnerabilities.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
Food supply chain policy recommendations*	Ensure the continuity of the critical food supply chain and the functioning of agri-food systems. [According to FAO,] it is crucial to maintain and support the continuous functioning of local food markets, value chains and agri-food systems in food crisis contexts, including through ongoing and scaled up support to food processing, transport, marketing, and so forth; strengthening of local producers’ groups to maintain negotiation power and access to markets; and, advocating for trade corridors to remain open as much as possible during COVID-19 related movement restrictions.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	sub-section of Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic – "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture" + SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts" SUGGESTION new page "The impacts on COVID-19 on agriculture"
Social protection policy recommendations	Reinforce and scale-up social protection systems. [According to FAO], access to food will have to be stabilized by supporting incomes and purchasing power of the most vulnerable who are affected or at high risk of COVID-19. Where possible, this entails working closely with governments to rapidly scale-up social protection systems and expand their coverage to include vulnerable people whose food security might be affected by the disease.	Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts	{{Free-content attribution | title = Anticipating the impacts of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8464en/ | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anticipating_the_impacts_of_COVID-19_in_humanitarian_and_food_crisis_contexts.pdf#Summary | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION: new topic "The impact of COVID-19 in humanitarian and food crisis contexts"
	People cannot contract COVID-19 from foods of animal origin Presently, there is no evidence that the virus responsible for the current COVID-19 pandemic is carried by domestic food-producing animals such as chickens, ducks, other poultry, pigs, cattle, camels, horses, sheep, goats, rabbits, guinea pigs or fish. Based on nucleic acid sequence analysis, bats are presumed to be the most likely reservoir for the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), the virus responsible for COVID-19. To date, there are no documented cases of direct bat-to-human transmission, hence other wildlife species may be involved as intermediate hosts between bats and humans. However, no evidence is yet available to identify with certainty either the involvement of other wildlife species or the paths of transmission between other wildlife species and humans. While transmission of the disease has only been reported as a result of human-to-human transmission, knowing which wildlife species contributed to the initial animal-to-human of the virus remains a critical question to prevent the virus from reappearing once the current pandemic is under control. Consumption of cooked meat (of domestic or wild origin), eggs and milk are not considered a means for acquiring the disease. However, contamination of the food supply with other pathogens, such as Salmonella spp., Campylobacter spp., Escherichia coli, and Listeria monocytogenes, represents a major concern for food safety worldwide. Food can become contaminated with microorganisms that can cause human illness from multiple sources along the entire food chain, starting from infections in live animals up to the point of consumption. Preventing such contamination will reduce foodborne illness and decrease the likelihood of novel pathogens emerging in the food chain. Although millions of rural people rely on wildmeat for food, ensuring food safety along the wildmeat value chain is difficult because a substantial proportion of the product moves through informal – if not illegal – markets.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION Coronavirus disease 2019 PARAGRAPH: TRANSMISSION SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
	Live animals that appear healthy can silently harbour dangerous pathogens Live animals, whether domestic or wild, can be infected with pathogens (Brucella spp., Salmonella spp, Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Trichinella spiralis and Ebola virus) that can also cause illnesses in humans. Such risks are an invisible yet occupational hazards for farmers, hunters, butchers and other food business operators. These organisms may be present throughout animals’ tissues and products such as muscles, milk and eggs, making food unsafe. In some cases, they may be limited to the gastro-intestinal tract and will only contaminate animal tissue and products if good practices in dressing, handling and preparation are not observed. Animal health inspections provide a valuable tool to identify clinical signs caused by these microorganisms and to exclude affected animals from the food chain. Unfortunately, zoonotic agents do not always present outward signs of disease or infection in the animal hosts. Furthermore, it is not feasible to perform health inspections on live animals hunted for food, with the possible exception of captured wildlife. As some animals carrying pathogens may be asymptomatic, it is not always possible to exclude them from the food chain. Inspection of animal carcasses immediately post-harvest for visible signs of pathology can provide an indication of the wholesomeness of carcasses of both wild and domestic animals. However, this approach to food safety falls short in its ability to identify most microbiological hazards, particularly those that are only carried in the gastro-intestinal tract and do not cause animal disease. The application of a risk-based systematic approach to assess and control microbial hazards, based on risk across the food chain, helps to overcome the limitations of visual pre- and post-harvest inspections to enhance food safety. This involves appropriate slaughter techniques, combined with proper sanitation and personal hygiene throughout the entire food chain.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
	Appropriate slaughter techniques are necessary to minimize food safety risks Animals with gastrointestinal infections contaminate their environment with faeces laden with pathogens. The location where animals are held prior to slaughter can become contaminated with faeces and other secretions containing pathogens and serve not only as a source of infection to the animals and contaminate their hides and feathers, but may also contaminate the cages or pens from which pathogens may be aerosolized. Accordingly, animal waste, hooves, hides and feathers constitute important sources of occupational exposure and contamination of meat and other animal products. Thus, transmission of zoonotic agents can occur without direct contact with infected animals. Wet markets, where live animals are held, slaughtered and dressed, pose a particular risk for pathogen transmission to both workers and customers alike. To reduce risks, lairage areas should be cleaned regularly to reduce the risk of pathogen transmission. Care is required during the stages of stunning, defeathering, dehairing, hide removal and evisceration to minimize contamination of the underlying and internal edible parts of the animal.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
Hazard control	Keeping the environment and all equipment, tools and surfaces clean is critical to food safety While live animals can be a source of pathogens, all types of food can potentially be contaminated though contact with any contaminated equipment, surfaces or environment. Proper cleaning and prevention of cross-contamination are critical in the control of foodborne illnesses. Once pathogens are deposited on surfaces by a previously contaminated product (cross-contamination), aerosols or touch from contaminated hands or clothing, they can survive on inanimate objects such as knives, saws, transport containers and conveyer belts made of metal, plastic and wood. Coronaviruses have been shown to remain infectious for up to nine days on such surfaces. Most pathogens, including coronaviruses, are susceptible to destruction and removal with most common disinfectants and sanitizers used in food processing. A 0.05 percent hypochlorite solution, equivalent to a 1:100 dilution of household bleach is effective at killing most pathogens and can be used to disinfect surfaces after cleaning. It is important to follow manufacturers’ recommendations regarding disinfectant use, notably the need to first remove organic matter that can inhibit contact and neutralize the efficacy of disinfectants; dilution of the disinfectant; and the contact time required to be effective. If alcohol is used as a disinfectant, it should contain a final concentration of between 60 percent and 85 percent. Most commercially available spirits distilled for beverages do not contain an adequate concentration of alcohol to be effective as a sanitizer for the hands or the environment.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry* PARAGRAPH Hazard control + SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
	Personal hygiene is essential for food safety and ill people should avoid handling food Many human pathogens are excreted in the stool during infection and even when individuals show no clinical signs after apparent recovery. For example, although diarrhoea presents only as a symptom in a small portion of COVID-19 patients, the virus is present in the stool of almost half of cases. Inadequate handwashing after bathroom use is responsible for many foodborne disease outbreaks, the most famous example being that of Typhoid Mary (Mary Mallon) who was attributed with infecting over 50 individuals during her work as a cook while asymptomatically shedding Salmonella Typhi. Strict personal hygiene, including effective handwashing and use of clean protective clothing, are essential in preventing food contamination. Sick individuals may also contaminate their environment and surroundings by sneezing or coughing. In food-processing environments, this presents an opportunity for contamination of any equipment in the vicinity, and contamination of food directly or through crosscontamination from surfaces or workers’ hands to food. Food workers experiencing clinical gastrointestinal or respiratory disease symptoms should not participate in food processing or preparation.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry PARAGRAPH Hazard control + SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
hazard prevention*	Observe good hygienic practices when handling fresh food that will be consumed raw Good hygiene practices are particularly important when handling fresh foods that may be consumed raw and/or without any further processing. Examples include fresh fruits and vegetables and ready-to-use foods for consumption without further heat treatment. These can be particularly susceptible to contamination from the environment and food handlers. To minimize risk of exposure to any foodborne bacteria and viruses, it is important to keep food contact environments, equipment and tools clean, observe good handwashing practices, and separate raw and cooked foods and use clean water.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the food industry* PARAGRAPH Hazard control + SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
	Foods of animal origin should be adequately heat-treated and protected from recontamination Although foodborne transmission of COVID-19 has not been reported, avoiding raw and undercooked foods of animal origin (meat, eggs, milk products) will reduce exposure to all viruses and other foodborne pathogens. The virus responsible for the disease does not exhibit a unique resistance to heat and adequate cooking. Reaching an internal temperature of (70oC) is sufficient to kill it and any other pathogens in meat. Viruses cannot multiple and increase in numbers in foods. Nevertheless, both prior to and after cooking, meats should always be stored in a way that ensures that they cannot contaminate other foods and cannot be re-contaminated after cooking. It should be noted that viruses resist freezing and can be found in food frozen for up to two years at minus 20oC; therefore, adequate cooking of frozen food is also indicated.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety
	The application of sound principles of environmental sanitation, personal hygiene and established food safety practices will reduce the likelihood that harmful pathogens will threaten the safety of the food supply, regardless of whether the food is sourced from intensive agriculture, small stakeholders or wildlife.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION new page Food safety in the time of COVID-19?
	Principles of Food Hygiene to the Control of Viruses in Food, CAC/GL 79-2012). 4 Enhanced food safety practices at this time, such as those recommended in the Codex documents, will reduce the likelihood of contamination of foods with pathogens, and help lower the public health burden caused by established foodborne infections, reducing the stress on an already taxed public health system.	Food Safety in the time of COVID-19	{{Free-content attribution | title = Food Safety in the time of COVID-19 | author = | publisher = FAO | page numbers = | source = | documentURL = http://www.fao.org/documents/card/en/c/ca8623en | license statement URL = https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Food_Safety_in_the_time_of_COVID-19.pdf | license = CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO }}	SUGGESTION new page The impacts of COVID-19 on food safety

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UN Women

Note: Messages collected from UN Women by John Cummings, Wikimedian in Residence at UNESCO

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
Front line medical staff	Women are playing a disproportionate role in responding to the disease, including as frontline healthcare workers, carers at home and community leaders and mobilizers. Experience of other disease outbreaks shows that this care burden also increases their risk of infection. Globally, women make up 70 per cent of workers in the health and social sector. In some countries, COVID-19 infections among female health workers are twice that of their male counterparts. Governments should ensure that all care-sector professionals, and health-care and long-term care workers in particular, have adequate protection against transmission. Data examples here:	https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response https://data.unwomen.org/resources/covid-19-emerging-gender-data-and-why-it-matters	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitals Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Care work	When health systems are overloaded, a greater burden is placed on care in the home and that burden lands largely with women. Globally, women do three times as much unpaid care work as men.	https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response https://data.unwomen.org/resources/covid-19-emerging-gender-data-and-why-it-matters	Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Economic impacts	Women are hit harder by economic impacts such as those COVID-19 is driving. Women disproportionately work in insecure labour. Disruptions, including movement restrictions, can remove women’s ability to make a living and meet their families’ basic needs as was seen in the Ebola crisis, and have long-lasting impacts on their economic livelihoods and well-being, well beyond the pandemic is over.	https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response https://data.unwomen.org/resources/covid-19-emerging-gender-data-and-why-it-matters	Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Violence against women	Domestic violence and sexual exploitation, which is already an epidemic in all societies, spike when households are placed under the increased strains that come from security, health and money worries, and cramped and confined living conditions. We see this frequently among displaced populations in crowded refugee camps, and reported domestic violence has tripled recently in some countries practising social distancing. As the pandemic takes a foothold, we are witnessing increased rates of gender-based violence in public spaces in addition to domestic violence. More domestic violence helplines and shelters across the world are reporting rising calls for help. In Argentina, Canada, France, Germany, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States, government authorities, women’s rights activists and civil society partners have flagged increasing reports of domestic violence during the crisis, and heightened demand for emergency shelter. Helplines in Singapore and Cyprus have registered an increase in calls by more than 30 per cent. In Australia, 40 per cent of frontline workers in a New South Wales survey reported increased requests for help with violence that was escalating in intensity. (https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/multimedia/2020/4/infographic-covid19-violence-against-women-and-girls) In China, activists have reported a surge in domestic violence cases as millions of people have been under quarantine. As movement restrictions increase online gaming and use of chat rooms, cyberviolence too has become a routine feature of the internet, and as movement restrictions increase online gaming and use of chat rooms, this is an area for vigilance to protect girls. Other forms of GBV are also exacerbated in crisis contexts. For example, the economic impacts of the 2013-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa, placed women and children at greater risk of exploitation and sexual violence. Women are resorting to different measures to get help. Example: In France, victims are using code words at their local pharmacy counters To discreetly ask for help. https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/02/europe/domestic-violence-coronavirus-lockdown-intl/index.html Some countries have taken special measures already. Canada included 50M as part of its COVID-19 aid package to support shelters for those facing GBV and sexual assault.	https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response https://data.unwomen.org/resources/covid-19-emerging-gender-data-and-why-it-matters	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence
Healthcare	Overstretched health services often divert resources away from services women need, including pre- and post-natal health care and contraceptives, and exacerbate a lack of access to sexual and reproductive health services.	https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2020/04/policy-brief-the-impact-of-covid-19-on-women https://www.unwomen.org/en/news/in-focus/in-focus-gender-equality-in-covid-19-response https://data.unwomen.org/resources/covid-19-emerging-gender-data-and-why-it-matters	COVID-19 in pregnancy Shortages related to the COVID-19 pandemic

UNFPA

Note: Messages collected from UNFPA by John Cummings, Wikimedian in Residence at UNESCO and Wikimedia Sverige.

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Overarching theme: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Gender Equality in the context of COVID-19

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
Sexual and Reproductive Health	Sexual and reproductive health and rights is a significant public health issue and essential to maintain also in the context of a disease outbreak. Safe pregnancies, childbirth and other SRH services depend on functioning health systems and strict adherence to infection prevention. The COVID-19 pandemic is causing major health service disruptions. More than 47 million women could lose access to contraception, leading to 7 million unintended pregnancies, if the lockdown continues for 6 months. Note: for all projections, please refer to the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage Provision of contraceptive methods and other sexual and reproductive health commodities, including menstrual health items, safe abortion care to the fullest extent of the law and post abortion care in all settings, HIV and STI testing and treatment, and clinical management of gender based violence and rape are central to women’s and girl’s health, empowerment, and sustainable development and may be impacted as supply chains undergo strains from pandemic response. Continuity of care must be ensured in case of severe facility service interruption or other disruption in access for women and girls of reproductive age. Obstacles and barriers must be addressed, enabling women’s and girls’ access to services, including psychosocial support services, especially those subject to violence or who may be at risk of violence in quarantine.	Technical Brief: Protecting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Promoting Gender Equality UNFPA COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services SRHR and MNH in COVID-19 Global Call to Action: Protecting Midwives to Sustain Care for Women, Newborns and their Families in the COVID-19 Pandemic Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage Continuing essential Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health services during COVID-19 pandemic	COVID-19 in pregnancy Swedish:Coronaviruspandemin_2019–2020
Gender Equality and Gender-Based Violence	Disease outbreaks affect women and men differently, and pandemics make existing inequalities for women and girls and discrimination of other marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities and those in extreme poverty, worse. This needs to be considered, given the different impacts surrounding detection and access to treatment for women and men. Women represent 70 percent of the health and social sector workforce globally and special attention should be given to how their work environment may expose them to discrimination, as well as thinking about their sexual and reproductive health and psychosocial needs as frontline health workers. In times of crisis such as an outbreak, women and girls may be at higher risk of intimate partner violence and other forms of domestic violence due to increased tensions in the household. As systems that protect women and girls, including community structures, may weaken or break down, specific measures should be implemented to protect women and girls from the risk of intimate partner violence with the changing dynamics of risk imposed by COVID-19 Gender based violence referral pathways must be updated to reflect changes in available care facilities, while key communities and service providers must be informed about those updated pathways.	Technical Brief: Protecting Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, and Promoting Gender Equality	Swedish:Coronaviruspandemin_2019–2020
Projected impact on access to family planning	As of March 2020, there were an estimated 450 million women using modern contraceptives across 114 priority low- and middle-income countries. The COVID-19 pandemic as well as social distancing and other strategies to reduce transmission are anticipated to impact the ability of these women to continue using contraception. Some 47 million women in 114 low- and middle-income countries are projected to be unable to use modern contraceptives if the average lockdown, or COVID-19-related disruption, continues for 6 months with major disruptions to services: ● For every 3 months the lockdown continues, assuming high levels of disruption, up to 2 million additional women may be unable to use modern contraceptives ● If the lockdown continues for 6 months and there are major service disruptions due to COVID-19, an additional 7 million unintended pregnancies are expected to occur ● The number of unintended pregnancies will increase as the lockdown continues and services disruptions are extended	Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage (pages 2 - 3)	Swedish:Coronaviruspandemin_2019–2020 en:Family planning #COVID-19 Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 in pregnancy
Project impact on GBV	The COVID-19 pandemic is also expected to increase levels of violence. In the immediate term, the largest contributor is likely to come from the effects of stay-at-home orders and movement restrictions, which could increase women’s exposure to violent partners. Mounting household tensions and economic stresses could also play a role. There are already indications that violence incidence is indeed growing, including increases in calls to violence prevention hotlines and media reports of rising domestic abuse and homicide. Projections show that if violence increases by 20 per cent during periods of lockdown, there would be an additional 15 million cases of intimate partner violence in 2020 for an average lockdown duration of 3 months, 31 million cases for an average lockdown of 6 months, 45 million for an average lockdown of 9 months, and 61 million if the average lockdown period were to be as long as one year.	Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage (pages 3 - 4)	Swedish:Coronaviruspandemin_2019–2020 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on domestic violence
Recommendation to governments	Health and social systems across the globe are struggling to cope. The situation is especially challenging in humanitarian, fragile and low-income country contexts, where health and social systems are already weak. Services to provide sexual and reproductive health care risk being sidelined, which will lead to higher maternal mortality and morbidity. All women and girls must have access to a continuum of sexual and reproductive health services, including antenatal, perinatal and postnatal care, and screening tests according to national guidelines and standards.	Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) Pandemic UNFPA Global Response Plan April 2020 Continuing essential Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health services during COVID-19 pandemic	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on healthcare workers Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospitals
Keep the health system functioning	Maintain sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) information and services, protect health workers and limit spread of COVID-19. This includes a comprehensive approach to SRHR information and services encompassing antenatal care (ANC), care during childbirth, postnatal care (PNC), contraception, safe abortion care, prevention, testing and treatment of HIV, where relevant, as well as sexually transmitted infections (STI), detection and treatment of GBV, and sexual health services and information.	Continuing essential Sexual, Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescent Health services during COVID-19 pandemic	Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on other health issues

Sub-theme 1: Maternal and Newborn Health & COVID-19

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	There is no current evidence of adverse effects on pregnant women from COVID-19. The physical and immune system changes that occur during and after pregnancy should however be taken into account. It is critical that all women have access to safe birth, the continuum of antenatal and postnatal care, including screening tests according to national guidelines and standards, especially in epicenters of the pandemic, where access to services for pregnant women, women in labour and delivery, and lactating women is negatively impacted.	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish:Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige (diff) · Covid-19 Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Pregnant women with respiratory illnesses must be treated with utmost priority due to increased risk of adverse outcomes. Antenatal, neonatal and maternal health units must be segregated from identified COVID-19 cases.	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige (diff) · Covid-19 Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 and pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Safe pregnancies and childbirth depend on functioning and accessible health systems and strict adherence to infection prevention control measures	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 · Covid-19 och graviditet
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	There is no current evidence of vertical transmission of Covid19 from mother to child, and women are encouraged to breastfeed as normal to the extent possible and in consultation with their health care provider, there are no indications that separating the child from the mother would be beneficial.	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 · Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Childbirth, antenatal care and postnatal care are carried out by midwives and represent some of the most important health care services in the women’s health sector and are directly linked to mortality and morbidity rates	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	It is essential that the SRMNAH workforce, including midwives, is included in the emergency response and distribution plans to receive sufficient PPE and orientation how to use PPE correctly	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Since midwifery care is continuing to be an essential service that women must be able to access it is very important that midwives receive support, mentoring and orientation how to re-organise services to keep providing quality care (i.e. respecting the public health advice of at least 2m between women, as few as possible midwives looking after one woman (few staff in the room), hand washing hygiene)	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Midwives must receive evidence-based information that they can protect themselves from contracting Covid-19 when caring for a symptomatic woman, or from a woman that was exposed to a Covid-10 positive person	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	Midwives play an essential role in reducing stigma and battling the spreading belief that health facilities are to be avoided to stay healthy/ not contract Covid-19	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy
COVID-19 effects on pregnant women	It can be expected that the reorganisation/ removal of funds from sectors that midwives work in, will directly be linked to an upward trend of maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality pushing countries further away from their SDG targets]	COVID-19 Technical Brief for Maternity Services	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet COVID-19 in pregnancy

Sub-theme 2: Modern Contraceptives, RH Commodities and Other Medical Supply Needs, Including for COVID-19 Prevention, Protection and Response

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
Impacts of COVID-19 on Family planning	Some 47 million women in 114 low- and middle-income countries are projected to be unable to use modern contraceptives if the average lockdown, or COVID-19-related disruption, continues for 6 months with major disruptions to services. For every 3 months the lockdown continues, assuming high levels of disruption, up to 2 million additional women may be unable to use modern contraceptives. If the lockdown continues for 6 months and there are major service disruptions due to COVID-19, an additional 7 million unintended pregnancies are expected to occur. The number of unintended pregnancies will increase as the lockdown continues and services disruptions are extended.	UNFPA - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage	Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic COVID-19 in pregnancy
Supply chains and health workforce	COVID-19 is already causing disruptions in meeting family planning needs.: Clinical staff occupied with the COVID-19 response may not have time to provide services, or may lack personal protective equipment to provide services safely Health facilities in many places are closing or limiting services Women are refraining from visiting health facilities due to fears about COVID-19 exposure or due to movement restrictions Supply chain disruptions are limiting availability of contraceptives in many places, and stock-outs of many contraceptive methods are anticipated within the next 6 months in more than a dozen lowest- income countries Product shortages and lack of access to trained providers or clinics mean that women may be unable to use their preferred method of contraception, may instead use a less effective short-term method, or may discontinue contraceptive use entirely Reduced access is likely to more adversely affect younger, poorer and more vulnerable and marginalized populations. Shortages of supplies and lack of access to trained providers/clinics mean that women might not be able to get their preferred method of contraception and will have to choose between a less preferred option or discontinuing use (with consequences of unintended pregnancy).	UNFPA - Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Family Planning and Ending Gender-based Violence, Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriage	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet Gendered impact of the COVID-19 pandemic
Supply chains and health workforce	Donors, procurers, country stakeholders, manufacturers and partners, with the support of the Coordinated Supply Planning group (CSP), the Coordinated Assistance for Reproductive Health supplies group (CARhs), and the Global Family Planning Visibility and Analytics Network (GFPVAN), must continue to share critical supply chain data and coordinate action. (Recommended by UNFPA, Gates, & USAID, among other partners)	Joint Statement on the Importance of FP Data Sharing and Collaboration
Supply chains and health workforce	Forecast and supply plan updates: Any abrupt changes to forecasts, inventory levels, and order timing, quantity, or frequency could exacerbate current supply delays and shortages. Please ensure forecasts and supply plan updates cover the next 18- 24 months and adjust for longer lead-times Inventory, order and shipment status updates: include any policy changes that might affect the ability to deliver products. Distribution strategy changes: Changes to sub-national supply and service delivery strategies aimed at minimizing supply disruption, such as pre-positioning higher levels of inventory closer to facilities or updating dispensing protocols to promote appropriate physical distancing, will impact planning. Please communicate these changes to your procurers or partners.  (Recommended by UNFPA, Gates, & USAID, among other partners)	Joint Statement on the Importance of FP Data Sharing and Collaboration
Supply chains and health workforce	We (UNFPA, Gates, & USAID, among other partners) will make ourselves available virtually to promote maximum flexibility in how we receive information. If data providers or mechanisms change, we can receive information via email, phone, and other means.	Joint Statement on the Importance of FP Data Sharing and Collaboration
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	Is contraception/ family planning safe to use during the COVID-19 pandemic? Yes. All modern methods of contraception are safe to use, including during the COVID-19 pandemic.   If you have had a baby in the last six months or have a health condition, such as diabetes, high blood pressure, or breast cancer – or if you smoke – seek advice from a health care professional to ensure you are using a method of contraception which is suitable and safe for you.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	I want to avoid getting pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic. What can I do? If you do not want to become pregnant, you should start or continue to use your contraceptive method of choice. You may be able to access information and contraceptive services from a healthcare provider by phone or online.   If you cannot access these services you may opt for a method that is available without a prescription (such as condoms, spermicides, diaphragm, pills, or emergency contraceptive pills) from a nearby pharmacy or drug shop.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	If you cannot access your contraceptive method of choice – perhaps because it requires a prescription, or because it can only be given to you by a health worker – consider using condoms, fertility awareness-based methods, lactational amenorrhea (if you are exclusively breastfeeding), or other contraceptive methods that are recommended for self-care in your country.   Depending on the situation in your country, methods recommended for self-care could include the pill or mini-pill, emergency contraception pills, and DMPA-SC (Sayana Press®).	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	What is the best contraceptive method to use during the COVID-19 pandemic? All modern methods of contraception help to prevent pregnancy. Women and their partners can choose any modern contraceptive method that is acceptable to and safe for them. The best method of contraception is the one that works well for you. Condoms, when they are used consistently and correctly, are the only method of contraception that help to prevent unintended pregnancy and protect against sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.  They can be used together with other methods of contraception to protect against both unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Emergency contraceptive pills can prevent up to 95% of pregnancies when taken within 5 days after intercourse, and they can be taken by anyone with or without a health condition	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	I want to change my contraceptive method – is this possible? Yes. It may be difficult however, to access all the methods of contraception that are normally available in your country due to restrictions on movement, lack of supply, as well as increased demands on health providers and services.   If you have a pre-existing health condition, consult a provider to find out what options suit you best, and which are available and feasible. Seek advice and information from your health provider and consider using methods that do not have medical restrictions like minipills, condoms, fertility awareness-based methods, diaphragm, spermicides or lactational amenorrhea if you are exclusively breastfeeding.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Modern Contraception and Family Planning Use	Removal of long acting methods such as implants or IUDs, after the recommended period of use (and routine follow up appointments) may not be prioritized by your country’s health system during this health emergency. Seek advice from your health provider. If, due to restrictions on movement due to the COVID-19 pandemic you cannot have your long acting method removed straight away, it is important to use another method of contraception to avoid pregnancy at this time.   There are no medical problems caused by delaying removal of long acting methods such as implants or IUDs. Do not try to remove the contraception method yourself; wait until you are able to access health care from a trained provider.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Impacts of COVID-19 on Family planning	Contraception and family planning information and services are life-saving and important at all times. Sexual activity does not cease with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is therefore crucial to ensure that people are able to access rights-based services and information to initiate and / or continue use of contraception. By preventing unintended pregnancies, contraception helps to protect girls and women from the negative health consequences of unintended pregnancies, which can save their lives. Contraception reduces the need for abortion, meaning that women and girls are less at risk of unsafe abortion, which again can be lifesaving.   Condoms, when used consistently and correctly, help to prevent both unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections (including HIV).   In addition, by preventing the negative health consequences associated with unintended pregnancies, unsafe abortion and sexually transmitted infections (including HIV), contraception can help alleviate unnecessary additional pressure on already-stretched health systems which are working hard to address COVID-19.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Policy	WHO recommends policy-makers should: Plan and develop innovative strategies to ensure as many eligible people as possible can access information and contraception during this period. Increase use of mobile phones and digital technologies to help people make decisions about which contraceptive methods to use, and how they can be accessed.   Enable health care workers to provide contraceptive information and services as per national guidelines to the full extent possible.  This is particularly important where pregnancy poses a high risk to health.   Expand availability of contraceptive services (including both information and methods) through places other than healthcare facilities, such as pharmacies, drug shops, online platforms and other outlets.  This can be with or without prescription depending on national guidelines and contraceptive method.   Relax restrictions on the number of repeat issues of prescription-only hormonal contraceptives that can be issued. Ensure access to emergency post-coital contraception, including consideration of over the counter provision. Enable access to contraception for women and girls in the immediate post-partum and post abortion periods when they may access health services.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19	Swedish: Covid-19 och graviditet
Programme Management	WHO recommends programme managers should: Increase use of telehealth for counselling and sharing of messages related to safe and effective use of contraception and for selection and initiation of contraceptives. Ensure adequate inventory to avoid potential stock outs at all levels of the health system. Prepare advisories for users on how they can access contraceptive information, services and supplies. Monitor contraceptive consumption in your area to identify any potential pitfall and shortage. Increase availability and access to the contraceptives which can be used by the client without service provider support.	WHO - Q&A on Contraception/Family planning and COVID-19

Sub-Theme 3: Adolescents and Young People

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
COVID-19: Working with and for young people	Young people, seriously affected by coronavirus disease (COVID-19), are part of the global response A common understanding of the health and non-health impacts of the pandemic, along with the role young people are playing in driving solutions, is essential to the pandemic response. This global crisis is exacerbating existing vulnerabilities and inequalities experienced by young people, all further amplified in humanitarian contexts where fragility, conflict, and emergencies have undermined institutional capacity and limited access to services. Young migrants, young people who are internally displaced and refugees, young people living in poor, high-density urban areas, young people without a home, young people living with disabilities, girls and young women, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer/questioning, and intersex (LGBTQI) young people and those living with HIV will be particularly affected; young people separated from, unaccompanied by, or left behind by migrant working parents face higher risks of exploitation, violence and mental health issues, and already poor access to health services and protection. Impacts of COVID-19 on young people include: Health, Safety and protection issues, Educational impacts, Economic impacts, Impact on civic space and participation. Therefore, following Key actions have been identified as crucial to young people’s role in fighting the pandemic: Services, Participation, Capacity, Resources, Data	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/covid-19-working-and-young-people	Coronaviruspandemin_2019–2020#Påverkan_på_sexuell_och_reproduktiv_hälsa_och_rättigheter Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on children

Sub-theme 4: COVID-19 and Older Persons

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
COVID-19 and older persons	Older people are particularly affected by COVID-19. They need special attention during the COVID-19 crisis, and their voices, opinions and concerns must be heard.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020 Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige#Äldrevård
COVID-19 and older persons	Global data are extremely uncertain at present, nonetheless, the heightened risks of COVID-19 for older persons are evident in all national data. The scale of testing and nature of reporting vary between governments and hence there is risk of misinformation by generalizing from the experience and reports of a given country.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	Covid-19-provtagning en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020' Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige#Äldrevård
COVID-19 and older persons	While the number of older persons is relatively and absolutely smaller in developing countries, particularly in Africa, this coincides with other serious structural risks. Countries with the fewest older persons (such as many of the least developed countries), have the fewest health resources, limited experience caring for older patients (including few geriatric specialists), less institutional care for older persons, and far fewer public or NGO support structures for outreach, screening and community-based care of older persons.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020
COVID-19 and older persons	Older persons living in long-term care facilities, such as nursing homes and rehabilitation centers, are particularly vulnerable to infection and adverse outcomes from COVID-19.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020 Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige#Äldrevård
COVID-19 and older persons	Older persons who live alone may face barriers to obtaining accurate information, food, medication, and other essential supplies during quarantine conditions and community outreach is required.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020 Coronavirusutbrottet_2020_i_Sverige#Äldrevård
COVID-19 and older persons	Older persons, especially in isolation, those with cognitive decline, and those who are highly care-dependent, need a continuum of practical and emotional support through informal networks (families), health workers, caregivers, and volunteers.	https://www.unfpa.org/resources/implications-covid-19-older-persons-responding-pandemic	en:Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic #Elderly care Coronaviruspandemin 2019–2020

Sub-theme 5: Census

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
COVID-19 and Census	The COVID-19 pandemic will threaten the successful conduct of censuses in many countries through delays, interruptions that compromise quality, or complete cancellation of census projects.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Census
COVID-19 and Census	Domestic and donor financing for census may be diverted to address COVID-19 leaving census without crucial funds. Several countries have already taken decisions to postpone the census, with many others yet to announce the way forward.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Census
COVID-19 and Census	A global effort must be made to assure that even where census is delayed, census planning and preparations are not cancelled, but continue apace in order to assure that implementation can proceed safely when the pandemic is under control.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Census
COVID-19 and Census	While new census methods, including online, registerbased, and hybrid approaches are being used across the world, these demand extensive planning and preconditions that cannot be created at short notice.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Census
COVID-19 and Census	The continuing low supply of protective equipment has immediate implications for conducting census in communities at risk of transmission. PSB is partnering with other agencies to explore new supply chains and resources.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Census
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Belize has postponed its census to 2021 in order to divert census funding for national emergency funding.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	COVID-19 pandemic in Belize
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Brazil decided to postpone its census until 2021.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Demographics of Brazil
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	China still plans to undertake its census in November 2020, but preparations have been affected and are being reviewed.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	COVID-19 pandemic in mainland China
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Côte d’Ivoire’s census, planned for April 2020, may be delayed, given government containment and restrictions on internal travel. Tablets from China were delayed beyond the expected delivery in January, but recent news indicated they are now being shipped.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	COVID-19 pandemic in Ivory Coast
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Ecuador is currently in its pre-census stage, conducting cartography data in large cities. Ecuador has interrupted all census activities now for 2 weeks, with expectations that this delay may be extended to 4 weeks. With the census enumeration scheduled for November 2020, delays in mapping could disrupt the timeline	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Not added due to confusion around timing
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Kyrgyzstan decided to postpone its census scheduled for March 2020 by one month, with further delays possible.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Demographics_of_Kyrgyzstan#Ethnic_groups
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Indonesia is preparing to extend the online time for self-enumeration, and cancel all field data collection. They will rely on administrative data and have requested additional UNFPA technical support for using administrative data for census.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Indonesia 2020 census
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Mexico is currently continuing its field data collection.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Not added, unclear what information should be added
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	Panama’s census has been postponed by one year but they are currently assessing additional implications. They are evaluating the preparatory processes that can begin now, such as procurement.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Demographics of Panama
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	In the United States of America, most residents received invitations to fill out the 2020 census in the second week of March. The US Census Bureau has postponed its community outreach program from late March to early April, as it includes in-person assistance to those unable to submit responses online.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Not added because information is out of date
COVID-19 and Census - Country Impact	The Seychelles census has now been postponed by one year, from August 2020 to August 2021. Field mapping, questionnaire design, and pretest of data collection tools using tablets, are all proceeding.	https://www.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/resource-pdf/Census_COVID19_digital.pdf	Demographics of Seychelles

UNESCO

Note: UNESCO publications are available under a CC BY-SA 3.0 IGO license. Messages collected from UN Women by John Cummings, Wikimedian in Residence at UNESCO

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Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
Spread of COVID-19	One of the primary health concerns is preventing the spread of COVID-19. Families, particularly in low resource settings, may lack clear information about prevention measures or face challenges providing an environment in which family members can maintain good hygiene and apply distancing measures when necessary (e.g. hand washing facilities, cleaning supplies, multiple rooms within a dwelling etc.). If family members test positive for COVID-19 without displaying any symptoms, or display symptoms related to COVID-19, implementing measures to prevent further spread of infection may also be challenging. Access to health care for sick family members may also be limited in some settings, meaning family members including children become primary care providers. The suspension of or overburden on health services are likely to impact access to broader healthcare needs (child vaccinations, maternal and infant care, treatment of pre-existing health conditions etc.). These challenges impede efforts to create an environment conducive to home learning.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Health information pandemic	A challenge for families is the need to help children and young people understand emerging health risks so that they appreciate the importance of practicing good hygiene and distancing measures, without causing stress and anxiety. The current epidemic is characterised with an overload of health information and advice (sometimes conflicting or misleading) which may cause families to be taking misinformed measures or to be feeling overwhelmed and confused.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Disrupted access to food and nutrition	School closure due to COVID-19 is having an impact on the nutrition of many learners. It is estimated that globally, over 365 million primary school children are missing out on school meals. For poor households, the loss of school meals means a negative impact on income and food security. These children are at risk of hunger and will lose the protection of key vitamins and micronutrients they receive in the school meals, with negative impacts on brain development and learning. Moreover, loss of food support in schools may compound loss of income due to the crisis, and families may resort to negative coping mechanisms to meet their needs, including child labour or reducing the number and quality of meals at a time when staying healthy and keeping a strong immune system is particularly important	Health & nutrition during home learning
Physical inactivity	Physical exercise can support parents’ and learners’ immune system and mental health. However, in the context of confinement during the current pandemic, physical exercise may be ignored, due to disrupted routines, restricted access to outdoor spaces, limited indoor open spaces, increased screen time, and in some cases stress and anxiety associated with COVID-19.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Stress, anxiety and mental health issues	During infectious disease outbreaks there are increased levels of anxiety and worry among the population as well as increased rates of diagnosable mental illnessesii, iii . This can be due to the fear of infection, inability to get treatment, death of loved ones due to COVID19, as well as the wider consequences of restrictions on movement, school closures and lack of interaction with peers. For learners at key stages of their education (e.g. national exams), the stress of falling behind, or not graduating may be significant. For adults, fear of job and income loss or of not being able to access essential goods and food, may be significant. Stress and anxiety may also be experienced by parents/caregivers maintaining full-time work in the home, while caring for small, or multiple children. Home learning may itself be a source of stress for families and learners, with pressure to take on new responsibilities, sometimes with limited time or resources. Parents/caregivers who do not have the same level of education, or do not speak the major language of instruction in the country, or who have children with special educational needs face compounded challenge.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Time spent online	In the context of isolation and where the technology is accessible, learners will spend more time online. This can be productive time spent (e.g. allowing healthy social interactions with friends), but on the flipside, the risks to children online will increase. Increased engagement with online content in some contexts may make children more susceptible to, online violence, abuse and harassment (including peer-peer cyberbullying), digital dependency and ‘screen addiction’iv .	Health & nutrition during home learning
New and disrupted roles and responsibilities for children and young people	In the context of the epidemic, there may be an increase in child-headed households or households with limited parent/caregiver supervision. Children may be taking on caregiver and other domestic responsibilities. Past experience tells us that these new roles are often gendered, with girls taking on the majority of domestic tasks. Continued education of girls may be seen as less valuable than that of boys, both within the context of home based learning and returning to school.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Other health and protection issues	In some regions, past experience tells us that when schools close for more than a few weeks, and in the absence of supervision (e.g. due to parents engaged in income generating activities), rates of early and forced marriage and early pregnancy increase, and child labor risesv,vi . This is a particular concern for learners who already live in vulnerable or disadvantaged households, crisis affected areas and in places where there is limited supervision of children or control of people’s movement, despite school closures	Health & nutrition during home learning
Domestic violence	In the current COVID-19 situation, data is emerging showing an increase in domestic violence. Forced confinement and high-stress home environments are a driver of domestic violence and/or child abuse that learners either experience or observe. Those experiencing domestic violence face barriers in escaping from their household and the ability to seek external help. Increased tension within households poses particular risk to women and children, and will create barriers to a conducive home learning environment.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Unplanned or forced sexual activity	Extended school closures that require learners to remain at home or move about unsupervised by adults can lead to increased unplanned or forced sexual activity in adolescents and young people. Where there is also disrupted supply chain for contraception, this can lead to unintended pregnancy and increased rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIVix,x . Like other health risks, patterns of vulnerability are gendered. Girls particularly face increased risk of sexual violencexi .	Health & nutrition during home learning
Distance learning	In the context of distance and online education, the family more than ever constitutes a learning space, in which parents and caregivers act as primary guides to support their children’s learning at home. A number of challenges have been highlighted during this process, such as the availability of distanceand online educational content, access to digital and other technologies by all households, and the prior experience of teachers, students and parents in educational technologies. Obviously, the existinggap between those who have skills and competencies to use such tools for learning and education andthose who lack them became even more pronounced when education shifted from physical classrooms to virtual ones. Parents, mostly mothers, with low literacy skills, often in the language of the schoolcurriculum, are experiencing additional challenges in supporting their children’s learning at home.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Family and intergenerational learning	Family and intergenerational learning is learning that happens in the home and in communities,including online, and that involves different members of the family. Integral to the familiar concept of parental education, intergenerational learning captures the multi-directionality of learning interactions,i.e. children can learn from adults; adults from children; younger children from older siblings, and fromother relatives. Therefore, it is a collective learning process in which the whole family learns together.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Family and intergenerational learning	Educational practices applying intergenerational and family learning approaches have been implemented across the globe in various cultural, social and economic contexts. In its narrow sense, many educational interventions focus on parental involvement in children’s academic achievement and developing their positive attitudes towards school. It is argued that the difference in the degree and quality of support for children’s learning at home is one of the main predictors in their academic achievement.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Family and intergenerational learning	In the current crisis, families are expected to support children’s remote learning. In reality, manyparents are finding it difficult to manage this task more meaningfully due to the demands of the officework and childcare. Women bear the most burden, as they often have a key role in childcare and children’s schooling. As the social support services have been suspended or are not available, many families, including children are taking up more income-generating opportunities. Increasing financial pressures on poor households, in addition to pre-existing social issues, are contributing to increased domestic violence cases globally.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Distance learning	Distance learning is a term often used synonymously with onlinelearning, e-learning, distance education, correspondence education, external studies, flexible learning, and massive open online courses (MOOCs). Common features of any form of distance learning are: theteacher-learner separation by space or time, or both, and the use of media and technology to enable communication and exchange during the learning process despite this separation. This may be achieved through print-based learning materials, or one-way massive broadcasting (TV and radio programmes), or through web-based exchange using social media channels or learning platforms. Distance learning tends to require a high level of self-directed learning on the part of the learner, and study skills, whichmust be supported through new teaching, learning and guidance strategies.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Distance learning strategies	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures are a set of sector-wide measures taken by government agencies and partners to continue students’curriculum based studies and other regular educational activities when schools and other physicaleducational institutions are closed. For this to succeed, learning activities should be reviewed, and alternative solutions to providing learning programmes remotely should be planned and delivered with the support of teachers, the education community and in collaboration with students and their families.While national distance learning strategies consider the complementarity of formal and non-formaleducation and the range of education and training levels for lifelong learning pathways, this issue notefocuses on school education.Almost overnight,learners, teachers, and parents or caregivers have to ensure school educationactivities without the formal school settings. Common issues to be addressed by distance learning strategies include: how students can access remotely delivered content and communicative support; how learners’ rights and data privacy can be protected; how teachers are supported in the transition to remote teaching; and how financial and technological resources can be mobilized to sustain the provision for several months.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Readiness for d istance learning	Technological readiness: This generally includes levels of readiness in both technological capacitiesof digital learning platforms or TV and radio broadcasting systems to provide curricular coursesremotely to all learners, as well as in household access to electricity, telephones, televisions, radio,digital devices, internet connectivity and data.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Readiness for d istance learning	Content readiness: This includes accessibility to teaching and learning materials aligned withnational curricula that can be delivered through online platforms, TV or radio programmes, or usedfor print-based home learning. Readiness of curricular content that cover all grade levels and allsubject areas and can be delivered to all learners often remains a challenge. In many countries, gapsexist in terms of the resources and local expertise needed to rapidly develop national curriculacourses readily accessible through online platforms or TV and radio programmes.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Readiness for d istance learning	Pedagogical and home-based learning support readiness: This includes preparedness of teachers todesign and facilitate online learning, TV or radio based distance learning, or print materials basedhome learning; and availability and ability of parents or caregivers to facilitate effective home-baseddistance learning. Most teachers are not adequately prepared for the transition of provision ofschool education, and families are not ready to facilitate and monitor daily home-based learningespecially with multiple children. It is much more challenging when parents lack the language andliteracy skills and the time to follow schedules of studies and manage learning processes.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Readiness for distance learning	Monitoring and evaluation readiness: This includes capacities: to monitor distance learningprocesses, to track the access to courses and engagement, to assess learning outcomes, and tosustain immediate distance learning responses for achieving long-term goals. In the context ofonline learning, it is critical to monitor differences in the level of participation and engagement ofstudents who often have weaker self-regulation and self-organization skills. When TV or radioprogrammes, which are one-way knowledge transmission systems, are adopted as the mainsolution, it is more challenging to measure the extent to which students, teachers, and parents orcaregivers are engaged with distance learning	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Exacerbated burden of unpaid care impacting on learning	According to the International Labour Organization, women do three-times more unpaid care work than men. School closures are expected to further exacerbate girls’ and women’s unpaid care work. During the Ebola crisis, an increase in domestic and caring responsibilities led to limited learning at home for girls compared to boys during the epidemic, and increases in school drop-outs among girls when schools reopened. SDG Target 5.4 sets the direction for action, but the pandemic’s impacts on the economy and social protection systems may deter progress and further impact on education.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Heightened risk of gender-based violence (GBV)	A recent literature review found spikes in GBV during past epidemics, with the most common forms being intimate partner violence and sexual exploitation and abuse. Extended quarantines and other social distancing measures linked to COVID-19 have already increased reporting of GBV, including violence directed at women and girls. This increase is occurring while services, including those related to the rule of law, health and protection, are being diverted to address COVID-19. Beyond the psychosocial and physical impacts, UNESCO reports that the experience or the witnessing of violence can have immediate and long-term implications for learning and well- being and the further perpetration of school violence.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Particular risks for adolescent girls	School closures can put adolescent girls at increased risk of different forms of abuse. During the Ebola crisis, school closures led to increases in early and forced marriages, transactional sex to cover basic needs and sexual abuse, while adolescent pregnancyincreased by up to 65% in some communities. Learners in disadvantaged households, crisis-affected areas and places with limited supervision of children will face heightened risks of such violence.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Potential for widening gender digital skills divides and an opportunity to close them	More men than women have access to and use the internet in all regions of the world, and the digital gender gap is growing, particularly in developing countries. Women in numerous countries are 25% less likely than men to know how to leverage ICT for basic purposes, such as using simple arithmetic formulas in a spreadsheet, and gender gaps grow as tasks become more complex. In contexts where digital solutions to distance learning and internet are accessible, there is an opportunity to close longstanding gender digital divide and build the digital skills of girls and boys alike and ensure all learners have the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
A crisis within a crisis	For children living in refugee camps or who are internally displaced, school closures will be devastating. Conflict often reinforces existing barriers to education which in turn tend to reinforce gender disparities. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees reports that, in Ethiopia and Kenya, for every ten boys, seven refugee girls are enrolled in primary school and four in secondary school. Emergency response plans based on comprehensive gender analyses will be needed to ensure psychosocial support, reliable sources of food, and interventions to ensure the continuity of education and return of all learners when schools reopen.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Exacerbating boys’ disengagement from education	Gender disparities to boys’ disadvantage appear at different levels of education in many parts of the world, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Europe and North America. Boys’ disengagement from education is strongly linked to poverty leading to demands for work, disaffection with school, and underlying gender stereotypes and social norms. Gender-responsive distance learning approaches must consider boys’ participation, motivation and learning, while school return plans address the factors which may further steer boys away from fair and equal opportunities in education.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Retention of female teachers	Teaching is frequently a female profession, particularly at lower levels of education. Nearly 94% of teachers in pre-primary education, while about half of those in upper secondary education, are women. Female teachers have been shown to have positive effects on girls’ enrolment and improve their learning outcomes, particularly in countries with rigid gender norms. Governments and education providers must work to preserve female teachers’ employment, salaries and benefits to mitigate against teacher attrition and promote well-being. The continued engagement and return to schools of female teachers will be critical to ensure also that girls return to school.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Impacts on women’s economic empowerment	Crises significantly restrict women’s engagement in economic activities, especially in informal sectors, and can deepen economic hardships. We are only beginning to understand the economic impacts of COVID-19, but the effects on people and the formal and informal economy are devastating. In the Global South, where limited social protection measures are in place, economic hardships caused by the crisis will have spillover effects as families consider the financial and opportunity costs of educating their sons and daughters.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures

Recommendations

Topic	Message	References	Where this information has been added
educate children about simple health and hygiene measures	Provide families with clear and simple health information including age-appropriate resources that can assist families to educate children about simple health and hygiene measures. This includes guidance for maintaining a healthy environment for home learning. Efforts to alert caregivers’ and learners to the existence of ‘fake news’ and directions to reputable resources is also helpful. Existing resources can be found via sources such as WHO, UNICEF as well as Centres for Disease Control, and other national health and educational authorities and civil society organizations. Such resources have double value if they promote literacy (e.g. children's books explaining COVID-19 - see resources below).	Health & nutrition during home learning
Provide families with learning materials and activities that include health promotion messages	Provide families with learning materials and activities that include health promotion messages. Some education systems have mobilised to support home-based learning through, for example, virtual classrooms, educational TV/radio programs. Families may also benefit from simple and accessible health and well-being education resources (many online resources already exist). Resources may encourage physical exercise and good nutrition; promote coping strategies or gender equality; or help to challenge myths that lead to COVID-related stigma and discrimination.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Manage expectations on families and help them maintain normal routine	Manage expectations on families and help them maintain normal routine Evidence points to the value of families establishing and maintaining a healthy routine. Families can be supported to establish a daily routine that includes time to get up, eat, sleep, play or exercise, work, study and read; and, where technology is available time-limited screen time (inc. limitations on social media). Expectations on families to support learning should be managed within the context of resources available. Overly high expectations may increase stress and anxiety. Part of maintaining health and wellbeing may be a prerogative to relax our expectations about formal home learning and emphasize how children can learn through routine day-to-day activities, including play-based activities (cooking together, games etc.). This is a key consideration in ensuring that families are able to cope.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Promote healthy lifestyles and diet	Promote healthy lifestyles and diet to ensure all bodily functions to work well and boost the immune system. Promoting physical activity, healthy diet, no smoking, limiting alcohol intake (for adults), and enough sleep are key components of a healthy lifestyle and children’s ability to learn and cope. In the absence of school feeding programmes, government and partners can look for ways in which families can continue to receive their food and nutritional requirements and enhance their capacity to deal with a potential loss of income during the crisis. Possible alternatives to school feeding programmes include providing take-home rations in lieu of meals, home delivery of food and provision of cash/vouchers.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Link families to external support (where available):	Link families to external support (where available): With the reality of increased health and protection issues, families may need to access formal support services. Access to health and social services will differ across contexts but in many countries, there are functioning helplines and other services providing support. Often, schools can be the entry point to identifying mental health problems and providing appropriate referrals. In the absence of schools, families may need support to understand their children’s mental health needs, provide appropriate support and reach out to external services. Such information can be packaged for parents within the context of learning resources.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Purposely promote adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health/gender equality	Purposely promote adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health/gender equality: From the education sector perspective, there may be a limit to interventions to respond to emerging SRH and gender issues (e.g. preventing early pregnancy, gender-based violence). However, it is crucial these health and social issues are recognized as impacting education and to connect with partners to address cross-cutting health, social and education issues. This may include discussions about adolescent access to accessible support services (e.g. online counselling, hotlines). From an education perspective, efforts can be made to promote SRH, respect, equality and service literacy via resources to support homebased learning. In the likely absence of any school-based sexuality education, families can be directed to a range of existing comprehensive online resources (e.g. Amaze.org).	Health & nutrition during home learning
Know your local epidemic situation and understand emerging related health issues	Know your local epidemic situation and understand emerging related health issues – The nature of the pandemic varies across contexts and continues to evolve. Health and nutrition-related needs and priorities will vary significantly within and between countries. Making an effort to ‘know your epidemic’, including identifying most vulnerable groups, and the age and gendered nature of impacts will assist you to prioritise interventions where needed most.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Recognise the link between health and learning and use home learning as an opportunity to promote health	Recognise the link between health and learning and use home learning as an opportunity to promote health – Families require simple, factual information which helps them establish a sense of certainty and control. In the context of a health epidemic, it makes sense to provide home-based learning materials that can assist caregivers and learners with basic health, nutrition and service information, whilst also meeting other education goals such as literacy and numeracy.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Coordinate across sectors and convene partnerships to support to families and learners	Coordinate across sectors and convene partnerships to support to families and learners – Different stakeholders (e.g. government, UNESCO, other UN agencies, NGOs) who have a role supporting families have a responsibility to work together and avoid overwhelming beneficiaries with multiple sources of information/duplicated interventions. Linking the health and education sectors to design and rollout interventions that address education and health together is essential	Health & nutrition during home learning
Gather reliable and useful resources together (e.g. through a “clearinghouse”)	Gather reliable and useful resources together (e.g. through a “clearinghouse”) – It may be useful to compile relevant and factual information at a national level to make available to partners. This can be used to inform broader health and education messaging and to develop family-friendly information and resources.	Health & nutrition during home learning
Ensuring equity, inclusion and fairness	Any decision regarding assessment, recognition and validation of learning during the period of school closures must be guided by concern for equity, fairness and inclusion.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures	Postponement and rescheduling are common choices for exams under crisis situations andshould correspond with the speed and scale of the outbreak.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures	If exams are to be maintained on schedule, due considerations must be given to options that can ensure the safety and hygienic conditions of exam takers and those involved in the administration and grading of exams, for example on site examinations with physical distancingor online examinations.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures	If exams are to be cancelled, alternative ways for administration, grading and certificationshould be made available while addressing issues of fairness, robustness and teacher bias.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures	Consider rebalancing the emphasis on high-stakes exams with formative assessment to promote learning and educational progress during crisis, while controlling for teacher bias with grading focused on evidence of student achievement over time rather than just their performance during the test.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Options for exams during prolonged and massive school closures	Higher education and TVET institutions should be flexible about the grading policy used for credit transfer and admissions.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	Alignment: Ensure alignment through coordination with other relevant departments regarding decisions to adapt assessment, recognition and validation of learning at secondary level, particularly when they relate to higher education admission, certification and access to regulated professions andlabour market.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	Public Communication: Consult social partners, students’ unions and parents’ association anddevelop a communication plan in order to ensure buy-in of teachers, their representatives, parents andsociety. Communication at national and international level should include information on changes in final qualification awarded, if any, to ensure mobility and recognition.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	Combining multiple assessment modalities: Consider a combination of options to ensure fairness in assessment of learning during school closures. These include: additional support to teachers; consideration of earlier assessments; reduction in the number of subjects tested; automatic recognitionand validation of student learning; and conditional admission to university; complemented by remedial courses upon school reopening.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	On-site examinations: Any decisions relative to on site examinations must be based, first andforemost, on guidance provided by national health authorities. Should on site examinations be maintained (even if postponed), sanitary measures need to be ensured in line with guidance providedby national health authorities.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	On-line examinations: Consider online examinations only when issues regarding equal access to infrastructure as well as connectivity, protection of personal data, security, integrity and online proctoring methods, transparency, and students’ digital skills and gaps have been thoroughly examined.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Policy recommendations	Differentiated approaches for TVET: Consider differentiated approaches for TVET-relatedexaminations to address the particular challenge of TVET students, and constraints related to practicalskills and work-based learning assessment. This could include: postponement of exams; use of continuous assessment results; use of online self-assessment resources reflecting learning andeventually achievements of apprentices; locally organized exams; etc.	Managing high-stakes assessments and exams during crisis
Lessons from past practices and the current crisis	Countries can make use of a rich body of resources to sustain family learning: While not all education systems had functioning family learning programmes prior to this crisis, existingprogrammes in different countries contribute to government efforts to ensure children’s remotelearning. With years of experience and accumulated expertise in this field, many national and localagencies have quickly put together useful open resources and materials. The National Center for Families Learning in the Unites States, for example, has compiled a toolkit on 30 Days Families Learning Together, while the Families in Schools Foundation in the United States has a dedicated webpage to COVID-19 resources , which also include activities for children with special needs as well as for undocumented immigrants. The National Agency for Adult Literacy in Ireland has created a website with practical ideas for parents of children aged up to 12. In Australia, anonline learningplatform has been created for parents and caregivers to learn how to support children’s learning at home. These resources greatly support families when most countries globally have switched to a digital mode of education during the pandemic.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Lessons from past practices and the current crisis	Take-home learning packages can contribute to reducing inequalities in access: For millions of families and parents, especially those in remote and rural communities and in low-incomehouseholds, current remote and distance educational resources remain inaccessible, as they do notnecessarily have access to reliable internet connection and many do not have personal computers.Many households in the world, mostly in developing countries, do not own a TV or a radio. Toaddress thisdigital gap, many countries, such as Mauritania and Jamaica, have provided familieswith take-home learning packages, which include learning materials, play kits and practicalguidance for parents (UNICEF, 2020). Similarly, family literacy providers in the Gambia havedistributed existing learning resource packages to families and, on request, provide one-to-one guidance to families in need.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Lessons from past practices and the current crisis	The use of TV and radio, supported by media campaigns and guidance for parents, constitutes aneffective tool to reach most families: In countries where comprehensive family-learning programmes did not previously exist, there is a growing recognition among policy-makers, providers and communities that families and parents play an important role in the implementationof remote learning programmeswhen broadcast through TV or radio or provided online. Some countries have already started integrating explicit instructions for parental engagement in theirCOVID-19 education responses. For instance, the Kyrgyz Ministry of Education and Sciences haslaunched a public campaign on the reading family, in addition to the embedded daily instructions to parents to support their children’s homework that are broadcast through TV programmes. In thecase of the Gambia, where basic and secondary education is provided through platforms such as TVand radio, parents are given instructions on how to monitor their children’s learning at home as well as to communicate with teachers, regional education directorates and heads of school in orderto have access to reading and learning resources (MoBSE, 2020). In Senegal, through the UNESCOproject, theProjet d’Alphabétisation des Jeunes Filles et Jeunes Femmes(PAJEF), a set of learningmodules were provided through television to support parents in teaching young children and alsoimproving their parental skills.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Lessons from past practices and the current crisis	Combining adult literacy programmes with family learning strategies is necessary to reach themost disadvantaged homes: An estimated 773 million youth and adults in the world lack basicliteracy skills. Approximately 63% are women (UIS, 2020). With the lack of essential literacy skills, it is quite challenging for these adults, as parents and caregivers, especially for mothers, to guide andfacilitate their children’s home-based learning. Women predominantly play an important role in caregiving and supporting children’s learning. Moreover, low-literate parents and caregivers oftenalso demonstrate low self-esteem and self-confidence, which greatly impedes them in supporting their children’s learning at home. Solutions for parental engagement in children’s home-basedremote learning need to take into account the learning needs of adults. For example, the Centre for Family Literacy in Canada has offeredonline adult literacy programmes along with family learning programmes.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Lessons from past practices and the current crisis	Social media constitute a powerful media channel for informal learning: Family andintergenerational learning happens informally as well. For instance, family members engage in reading storybooks, play fun activities and games, and tell stories. Health-related knowledge andskills are passed on to families and communities informally in countries such as the Philippineswhere families use online chat groups through social media to post and exchange information about COVID-19 (UKFIET, 2020). Under the current lockdown, these types of informal learning couldcomplement remote school learning as well as building on existing knowledge and learning practices at homes and in communities.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels	If family and intergenerational learning programmes exist but on a small scale,connect local schooladministrators, teachers, social workers, and adult education centres, with programme providersto expand their services. Support the production of toolkits and practical guides, including videocasts and podcasts for families and parents. Prepare the translation of these toolkits and othermaterials into different languages in order to ensure the inclusion of linguistic minorities. For adults, especially women, with low literacy skills, connect them with basic literacy skills providers for literacy support. In addition, promote family-to-family learning and community engagement viaonline platforms to support families with low literacy skills.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels	If family and intergenerational learning or parental education is not yet an area recognized in publicpolicy and education programmes,identify existing opportunities for promoting and integratingthis concept. At the national level, include the approach explicitly in COVID-19 education plans. Explore how to articulate TV and radio literacy sessions for adults and youth with remote learningprogrammes for children. To that end, apply a whole-family approach in the design, production anddelivery of remote lessons broadcast on TV or radio. Content should include fun activities in whichfamilies can engage and from which they can learn. Include topics around hygiene and nutrition,story-telling exercises, drawing, singing, and dancing. Age-appropriate and culturally sensitiveactivities can be crowdsourced and designed. These programmes should target the whole family,including grandparents, uncles, aunts and cousins, to reflect the realities of multigenerational households as well as of children living in different social contexts (such as the children of migrants). Encourage fathers and male family members to participate in learning with their childrenat home. Involve more literate family members in organizing literacy sessions for adults who havelow literacy skills.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Short- and medium-term, at policy and programme levels	Engage with multiple levels of education providers and other stakeholders,from localgovernment in cities and villages to local schools, early childhood education and development(ECED) centres, community libraries, NGOs and Community-Based Organizations (CSOs),universities, health centres, and private sectors to promote family and intergenerational learningpractices. At school level, raise awareness among school principals and teachers to promote thisapproach to learning together. Parent-teacher associations and school management boards couldexplicitly integrate such an approach with some useful and simple practical guides in locallanguages for families and parents for practising at home. CSOs and local committees are well positioned to carry out campaigns promoting family and intergenerational learning, as they areaware of local needs, can identify families in vulnerable situations that need further support, andare also influential in their communities. Work with these local health centres and faith organizations, which have a long reach into communities, to integrate family learning into existing programmes. Universities in cities, including student associations and unions, as well as individualacademics, can design and implement locally relevant programmes remotely. Identify culturalworkers and individuals who are popular in communities, such as local writers, actors andmusicians, to promote learning at home.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Integrate a family approach into education system recovery and rebuilding plans, as well as intosocial policiesto address learning and literacy challenges of families. Make family andintergenerational learning a part of public policies and budgets. Within this framework, take a targeted approach to support, prioritizing families with children at risk of exclusion, learningpoverty, and children who have dropped out as a result of prolonged school closures and disengagement with teachers.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Design and implement family and intergenerational learning programmes that are contextuallyrelevant and financially sustainable, built on existing educational and other social services in communities.There are different models and types of family and intergenerational learningprogrammes. Ensure this diversity reflects the needs of local communities and families. Providers,including local schools, health centres, community learning centres, and local libraries should beinvolved in the design and implementation of programmes. Develop specific instructional supportto meet the literacy learning needs of adults that include culturally relevant materials and local knowledge.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Train educators and providers on family and intergenerational learning approaches and programmes.Allocate human and financial resources to enhance the capacities of programmedesigners and practitioners. Design short training modules for schoolteachers, early childhoodeducators, and adult educators on pedagogical strategies and learning materials. Such training materials can be developed with the support of teacher training institutes and adult education andtraining centres.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Collaborate with other sectors, especially for vulnerable and disadvantaged families and communities. Encourage social welfare services and community groups to integrate family andintergenerational learning approaches in their existing programmes. For instance, countries such as Uganda and Kenya have Food for Education (FFE) programmes that aim to fight malnutrition andhunger while broadening access to primary education (IFPRI, 2011; WFP, 2017). Use these programmes as a possible entry point to reach vulnerable families and introduce them to the familylearning approach.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Partner with universities and colleges, especially departments of education, sociology and publichealth, to integrate family and intergenerational learning concepts in their training and researchprogrammes. This will help to develop local training capacities and a knowledge base that is relevant and sensitive to local needs and challenges. By taking such a systematic approach to capacity building and knowledge production, it is possible to ensure the institutionalization of practices and programmes and contribute to system strengthening.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Long-term, at policy and programme level	Build a literate environment and promote a reading culture. As many communities and familiesstill do not have access to literate environments, encourage partnerships with public and privatepublishing houses to develop reading materials in local languages. Create an open resourcedatabase with reading materials. For communities without internet connectivity, develop, print anddistribute learning resource packages with step-by-step instructions to families in need. Make use of mobile library services to reach families and communities in rural communities and schools,factories and prisons (see, for example, Bibliobús in Nicaragua, in UIL, 2020). Organize regularfamily events in local community centres, schools, libraries and other community places to showcase different family learning and reading activities and practices. In major cities, organize family learning and reading events and festivals to bring together different stakeholders. Use localand national media platforms to promote such approaches and activities.	Unlocking the potential of family and intergenerational learning
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Manage the distance of new learning settings and provide remote supervision: Delivering educationremotely changes the learning settings, which leads to a physical and psychological separation anddistance between teachers and learners, and among peer learners. In the new learning settings,learners also gain more autonomy and teachers lose some opportunities for direct control and supervision. Supporting and engaging teachers and parents or caregivers to provide regular supervision can help reduce the sense of distance and disengagement, and manage the rules or disciplines needed for home-based learning.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Adjust formative assessment to improve remote monitoring of learning processes: Purposefully designed regular (daily or 2-3 times a week) formative assessments have proved an effective means to monitor learning processes and to inform the learner on their progress. This is particularly important for TV or radio-based distance learning. Adjustment of the methodologies and formats of formativeassessment (e.g. SMS based items and answers) is important to ensure that all students can receive thequestions and send back feedback.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Prepare teachers for pedagogical shifts and facilitate collaboration among teachers: Key to successfully shifting to distance learning is not only to train and support teachers, but also to promotecollaboration among teachers. Engaging teachers in the design of massive distance learning programmes, especially TV or radio programmes, can lead to best possible integration of technologyand pedagogical methodologies. Teachers should be supported on how to find solutions to common challenges such as supporting learners overcome distance and disengagement, adjusting instructionaldesign to motivate students and maintain engagement, and developing and sharing teaching andlearning resources and best teaching practices. Particular attention may be needed to retain female teachers with young children, who are coping with the double burden of domestic and teaching responsibilities.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Support disadvantaged groups: Learners with no access to household radio, TV, or connected digitaldevices, and students with disabilities are the most disadvantaged groups for distance learning programmes. Distance learning only supported through paper-based materials or offline content willoffer much less possibilities for interaction with teachers and other students, even though SMS throughfeature phones can be a remedy for simple forms of communication. Provision of grants to low-incomefamilies can support the most disadvantaged learners to have access to basic digital devices, andassistive tools can help students with disabilities. Harmful gender norms may lead to girls having a disadvantaged status in homes with less opportunities for accessing and using the limited number of household technological devices, and less learning time due to disproportionately more home careduties. Policies and measures should be taken to support gender-equitable access to householdlearning devices, and flexible programme scheduling and learning structures should be designed with a focus on being more inclusive to female students in difficult circumstances. Even it is not the focus of this issue note, learners in humanitarian crisis settings including children in refugee camps and thosewho are internally displaced need special support.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Boost the technological capacities of national distance learning platforms: Learning platforms managed by governmental, public agencies or universities, are key components of distance learning strategies. The services of platforms include supporting the delivery of lessons, hosting and managinglearning materials, and supporting teacher and learner communication. The bandwidth of these platforms needs to be upgraded based on an estimate of the increased number of simultaneous visitorsduring school closures. And functionalities in terms of supporting online teaching and learning or massive TV and radio programme broadcasts need to be enhanced as well. Courses and content of theplatforms should be intentionally designed to enable inclusive accessibility - meaning that they can becustomized and adjusted for individual needs, including students with disabilities. Useful principlesinclude Universal Design for Learning (UDL) (see Reference v) . With the use of distance learning platforms, it is imperative to review the data privacy regulations.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Curate and align open educational resources (OER) with national curriculum: It is suggested that ountries facing the challenge of making national curricula courses readily accessible for all grade levelsand subjects consider curating resources from major databases of open educational resources andaligning relevant resources with the national curriculum. OER courses and learning materials released in the public domain or under open licenses permit no-cost access and also encourage more dynamicsharing of resources among teachers (see Reference iv). To this effect, newly developed distance learning materials should also be released as open educational resources, and teachers should beprovided with tools and training to develop and share high quality materials	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Adjust curricular objectives and prioritize humanitarian social caring: Pandemics cause trauma,psychological stress, and negative emotional reaction. Before the provision of academic studies,mobilize available tools to ensure regular human interaction and enhance human connection to address the senses of loneliness, and provide social care assistance to address possible psychosocialchallenges that students may face when they are isolated or bereaved (see References vi, vii). Organize discussions with stakeholders to examine the possible duration of school closures and decide whetherthe distance learning programme should focus on teaching new knowledge or enhance students’knowledge of prior lessons. Define objectives of distance learning programmes around all key aspectsof national curricula and broader educational goals to avoid imbalanced emphasis on academic learning objectives.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Examine the readiness and choose the most relevant and context sensitive technological solutions: Decide on the use of high-technology and low-technology solutions based on the reliability of localpower supplies, internet connectivity, device ownership and digital skills of teachers and students. Thiscould range from online learning platforms, video lessons, online courses (MOOCs), to massivebroadcasting of radios or TVs programmes and the distribution of printed materials. Choose a mainstream technology to deliver curricular courses to students at certain grade levels and avoid asking students and teachers to navigate around many delivery systems or channels; for example, onlinelearning platforms as a mainstream distance learning solution for secondary schools, and TVprogrammes for primary schools supplemented by online resources and communicative tools.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Increase the technological and content preparedness to ensure the continuity of education and learning: Upgrade the bandwidth and functionalities of existing distance learning platforms or develop new ones to meet the significantly increased demands from teachers and students. Develop, adapt andcurate existing high quality OER courses to fill the gaps of curricula courses and materials to be delivered to teachers and students. Plan the schedule of studies depending on the level of studies, the needs of students, and the availability of learner support through parents and local communities.Select and recommend reliable applications that can provide teaching and learning services based onlocal languages, including learning management systems, video-conferencing applications, social mediaapplications, and feature phone-based SMS. When an online learning model is adopted, try to avoidoverloading and confusing students and parents by asking them to download and register for too manyapplications or platforms.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Ensure equity and inclusion: Implement measures to ensure that all students have access to distancelearning programmes, and to ensure inclusive access to distance learning opportunities for all learnerswithout harmful impact on the most vulnerable groups (see Reference i). Curricular courses should bemade accessible for learners with disabilities and those whose primary language is not the language of instruction in schools (e.g.New Zealand funds two TV channels to broadcast curricular content – one in English and one in Māori). Take quick measures to ensure all learners have access to courses beingdelivered remotely including temporarily decentralization of digital devices from computer labs or leasing digital devices to students from low-income families (e.g.the Lithuanian Education Ministryleases 35,000 computers to over 30,000 schoolchildren from the disadvantaged families), providing temporary free internet data packages, or granting a reduced date pricing or free access to educationalcontent. An option is to negotiate with telecom sectors to offer zero-rate educational traffic to nationallearning platforms and online learning service systems, institutional repositories, and digital library services (e.g. In South Africa, Internet Service Providers’ Association promotes zero-rating educationaltraffic during COVID-19 crisis).	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Protect learners’ privacy and data security: Ensure that the management of national platforms and theprivate providers of applications do not violate students’ personal privacy. This relates to data securitywhen uploading privacy sensitive data or educational resources to web spaces, as well as when sharingthem with other organizations or individuals. Take concrete measures to ensure ethical, non-discriminatory, and transparent use of learners’ data (e.g. R eference iii). Develop educational dataprotection regulations and only accredit services from vendors who adhere to such regulations. European Union’s Data Protection Regulation provides an example of terms on full transparent use of pr ivate data and the right to be forgotten, which allows records based on private data to be removed at any point in time.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Support teachers to plan and facilitate distance learning, and engage parents and caregivers: Organize quick trainings for teachers on the use of distance learning tools, and on the design and facilitation of distance learning activities in order to help them adapt to the new learning settings. Help teachers to prepare the basic facilities they will need for teaching from home, and for facilitating and monitoring learning remotely. Support local education supervisors and schools to engage parents or caregivers to manage home-based learning. Provide them with g uidance materials or develop rules together with parents and students on the management of daily home-based learning practices. Createcommunities of teachers, parents and school managers to keep regular information exchange, and to discuss coping strategies to key challenges (e.g.in Estonia,a Facebook group created for supportingremote e-learning). For families that do not have parents or caregivers available to look after students,provide safe caring spaces or provide financial support to families to access to private children caring services.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Blend student-centred teaching, monitoring and assessment methodologies to ensure effectiveness of distance learning: Guide teachers to design appropriate methodologies for the provision of onlineteaching, or for the organization and facilitation of learning based on TV or radio programmes or print-based materials. Design the duration of the distance learning units based on students’ self-regulationand metacognitive abilities, especially for screen-based learning - preferably, the unit for primaryschool students should not be more than 25 minutes, and no longer than 40 minutes for secondaryschool students. Improve students’ engagement through pedagogical approaches that are appropriate for their interests and cognitive abilities, including utilising possible group discussion, peer assistances, and peer assessment. Design formative questions, tests, or exercises to monitor closely students’learning processes. Encourage the use of available tools to support the submission of students’ answersor feedback, and avoid overloading parents by requesting them to scan and send students’ feedback.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Plan for sustainability and long-term goals: There will be a transition period back to more school-basedlearning settings during which some elements of distance teaching and learning practices will revert quickly back to face-to-face provision. Therefore, it is advisable to plan strategies which progress fromthe provision of rapid responses, to a transitional period, to a long-term goal of improved educationprovision systems. Looking to the future, actions now being taken to ensure the effectiveness of distance learning will lay a solid foundation for more technology-enhanced pedagogical innovations,more open and flexible learning environments, and a more vibrant education system. The long-termgoal should be to integrate key principles and key constituent elements for more inclusive, more open,and more resilient systems when education stabilises to a new normal. Key elements of the new normalinclude the enhanced accessibility for the most vulnerable groups, upgraded learning platforms,distance learning courses covering all grade levels and all subjects, and teachers’ improved capacities in designing remote teaching and facilitating distance learning.	Distance learning strategies in response to COVID-19 school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Strengthen the leadership and meaningful participation of women and girls in decision-making processes to respond to COVID-19. During the Ebola crisis, women were less likely than men to have decision-making roles, and their needs were largely unmet in the outbreak response.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Ensure diverse distance learning solutions, such as radio-based and TV programmes in resource- poor environments. Such programmes retain links to education, support continuity of learning, and have been found to positively influence family and community attitudes on girls’ education. These programmes should challenge negative social norms and promote gender equality.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Address gendered access, including skills barriers and concerns around online safety, in the design of online distance learning. Evidence from low- and middle-income countries shows that parents give girls access to digital technology at a later age than their male peers and that their access is more curtailed or surveilled.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Work cross-sectorally to address the intersecting health, social and protection issues that affect adolescent girls’ education during crises. In Sierra Leone, a programme offering information on sexual and reproductive health, life and vocational skills, and microfinance facilitated girls’ continuity of learning. School re-enrolment rates among girls fell by 16% in non-intervention areas, compared to 8% in those with such a programme.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Adapt school opening policies and practices to expand access to marginalised groups following the crisis. As part of the reopening process, waive school fees and others costs to maximise re- enrolment, and invest in the expansion of sex-segregated toilets and water and hygiene measures.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Support girls’ and women’s access to learning programmes, including technical and vocational education and training, that enable access to the labour market and livelihood opportunities. Experience shows that health crises can trigger economic crises which affect women disproportionately, particularly in low-income countries. Mitigation measures are needed, including education programmes that build resilience, skills and the social capital needed to rebound.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Continue advocacy efforts in favour of girls’ education. In villages in Sierra Leone with established “girls’ clubs” and existing sensitization efforts to promote girls’ education, fewer girls experienced adverse effects and were more likely to continue their learning when schools reopened after Ebola.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Address harmful gender norms that may impact on disease vulnerability through health education. The current crisis shows that more men are dying from COVID-19 due to comorbidities linked to smoking and drinking alcohol and poor health-seeking behaviours – all associated with masculine norms.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Cash transfers and waiving of examination fees are effective strategies for encouraging girls’ re-enrolment and retention. Conditional cash transfers and scholarship programmes have been effective in keeping children, particularly girls, in education, including following the 2008-09 financial crisis.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Lessons from past practices and current crisis	Ground country responses in comprehensive gender analysis that considers gendered roles, responsibilities, and dynamics. Containment and mitigation measures must address the burden of unpaid care work, digital gaps and heightened GBV risks, particularly for women and girls.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Continuously assess the tradeoffs between higher protection from COVID-19 through school closure and reduced risk of economic, health, protection and education loss through school reopening, using a gender lens to provide a holistic view of the best interest of learners.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Strengthen the capacity of Ministries of education to collect sex-disaggregated data on participation in distance learning programmes, and on re-enrolment and survival rates when schools reopen: UNESCO’s strategy for gender equality in and through education calls for high quality timely and relevant data and evidence to inform policy-making, planning and delivery of strategic interventions. This information will help understand whether girls’ and boys’ participation and learning are on par with pre-crisis levels, and be used to take appropriate action.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Include gender as a core element of crisis planning and response: Ensure equitable representation of women and men in crisis-related decision-making and ensure gender expertise is mobilized at all levels of the education sector response.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Promote partnerships to address cross-cutting health, social and education issues that impact on continuity of learning and return to school: Coordinated responses, with clear benchmarks for school reopening are needed, that consider gender-related marginalization and exclusion.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Leverage teachers and communities: Work closely with teachers, school staff, parents and communities to ensure inclusive methods of distance learning are adopted and communicated to call for continued investments in girls’ learning. Community sensitization on the importance of girls’ education should continue as part of any distance learning programme.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Narrow the gender digital divide: In contexts where digital solutions to distance learning and internet is accessible, ensure that girls are trained with the necessary digital skills, including the knowledge and skills they need to stay safe online. Parents must also be engaged to support equal learning opportunities for their children, and to dismantle gendered stereotypes about digital skills.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Strengthen comprehensive sexuality education programmes in both traditional and virtual formats to reduce girls and young women’s vulnerability to early and unintended pregnancy, HIV and gender-based violence, contributing to school re-enrolment and retention. These programmes should continue when schools reopen, and include referrals to sexual and reproductive health services and access to modern contraception for young people.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Safeguard vital services: The most vulnerable children and youth miss out on vital services when schools are closed, specifically school meals and social protection. Make schools access points for psychosocial support and food distribution, work across sectors to ensure alternative social services, and ensure other measures to prevent boys and girls from poorer households resorting to paid and risky work to supplement family incomes.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Engage young people: Give space to youth, particularly girls, to shape the decisions made about their education. Include them in the development of strategies and policies around school closures and distance learning based on their experiences and needs.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Ensure return to school: By some estimates, up to 10 million more secondary school age girls could be out of school after the crisis has passed. Automatic promotion and appropriate opportunities in admissions processes must be considered to ensure return to school, and recognise the particular challenges faced by girls. Outreach, catch-up courses, accelerated learning and other financial support may be necessary to ensure girls return to school and continue their education.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures
Key messages and practical tips for designing policy interventions	Continue to expand communities of practice and promote learning on what works, and support financing for equitable, evidence-informed action. UNESCO must continue to play its role as a laboratory of ideas, and leverage its convening power and institutional priority of gender equality to support continued action with the aim to achieve SDG 4 and leave no one behind.	Addressing the gender dimensions of school closures

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Topic	Message	References	Suggested articles	Notes	Where this information has been added