The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) will organize the fourth session of the Committee on Social Policy, Poverty and Gender from 17 to 18 November 2021 in a virtual format.
The Committee is a statutory intergovernmental body of experts and policymakers that provides strategic guidance and direction to ECA’s work on Gender, Poverty, Urbanization and Social Policy as well as its engagement with member States across Africa.
Set against the backdrop of a global health crisis, the theme of the session is ‘Building forward better towards an inclusive and resilient future in the context of COVID-19’. Across Africa, as in other regions, the COVID-19 pandemic is considerably worsening poverty, inequalities and gender gaps, thus reversing progress made towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The Committee will discuss priority actions for member States for ending extreme poverty and reducing inequality for resilient and equitable development during and after the pandemic. In doing so, the Committee will provide guidance for ECA’s role in supporting member States in their efforts to address these critical policy priorities in the context of the Decade of Action (2020-2030) for accelerated progress on the SDGs.
