Dear friends and colleagues, 

Thank you for the videos you have been contributing to the Local2030 Spotlight Series global debate. We’re delighted to be able to share your experiences and solutions as the global community comes together to tackle the challenge of COVID-19.   

In case you missed last week’s discussion, we’d like to highlight some recent contributions on Urban Basic Services and Housing and Shelter: 

• Emilia Saiz, Secretary General of United Cities Local Governments 
• Piotr Całbecki, President of the Kujawsko-Pomorskie Region (Poland) and Rapporteur on the Water Framework Directive for the European Committee of the Regions 
• Sheela Patel, Founder and Director, Society for the Promotion of Area Resource Centres, Chair, Shack / Slum Dwellers International 

Topic 3 – Livelihoods and Local Economies

The third theme of the Local2030 Spotlight Series will be Livelihoods and Local Economies, with a focus on the economic consequences of the COVID-19 crisis – during the outbreak as well as in its aftermath. 

In addition to being one of the most tragic health emergencies of our times, the COVID-19 pandemic is also an economic crisis. The pandemic has hit livelihoods and economies in an unprecedented way and economic prospects are dramatic. The International Monetary Fund has reassessed the prospect for growth for 2020 and 2021, declaring that the world has entered a recession that is as bad as or worse than the 2009 recession, while the World Bank estimates that about 100 million people will likely fall into poverty, with as many as 49 million falling into extreme poverty.  

The drastic measures that governments across the globe had to adopt worsen the already difficult economic situation, especially for local communities. Lockdowns and other restrictions have led to the closure of restaurants, museums, theaters, stores, gyms, and other businesses and gathering places. Livelihoods are faltering, with families completely relying on the direct provision of resources from public institutions with financial capacities that are strained due to the cost of addressing COVID-19 and the decrease in tax revenue.  

The UN Secretary-General has called for support to workers and households and a focus on the most affected, notably at the local level: women, older persons, youth, low-wage workers, small and medium enterprises, the informal sector and vulnerable groups.  

At the same time, many local governments, businesses, civil society organizations, and international institutions are implementing or supporting innovative ideas and solutions to dampen the socio-economic impact of COVID-19 and to help ensure that this crisis does not undermine the progress achieved so far on the localization of the Sustainable Development Goals. 

By sharing these experiences and solutions, we can help each other — we invite you to let us know how you are addressing the economic consequences of the COVID-19 outbreak. 

• How is the pandemic affecting livelihoods in your community? Which are the most affected groups and areas? 

• Which are the most relevant consequence of COVID-19 on local economies—both in the immediate terms as well as in the aftermath of the crisis? 
• What main challenges has your community been facing and which are the most promising solutions that have been adopted? 
• How are local governments responding to the economic impact of the pandemic?  
• Which kind of partnerships have been put in place? How are the different stakeholders (local governments; civil society; business etc.) working together? 
• How to ensure that all have access to adequate jobs and that the pandemic do not translate into a major backslide in terms of unemployment – especially for the poor and most disadvantaged groups? 

How can you participate? 

Record your video using your phone or camera and share it directly with us via Twitter or Dropbox: 

• Local2030 Dropbox: Record your video and upload it by clicking on this link. Videos will be shared on the Local2030 YouTube channel and some also on the Local2030 twitter account.  

NB: by uploading your video on Dropbox you are giving us your consent to republish it on our social media channels and use it as part of our advocacy efforts. 

• Twitter: Record your video and share it on twitter using our hashtags! For this week’s Spotlight the hashtags are #Local2030 #SpotlightSeries  #SpotlightLivelihood. Local2030 will retweet the most relevant videos and make your voice heard within the global community. 

Should you want to participate to this week’s debate on Urban Basic Services, please upload your video by Tuesday 26 May 2020. 

When recording and uploading the video, please bear in mind the following requirements: 

• Tell us your name, position and institution (include them in the video title or description if you are uploading the video on Dropbox) 

• Length: Videos must be maximum 2 minutes length.  
• Resolution: maximum resolution is 1920 x 1200 or 1200 x 1900  
• Format: MP4 or MOV  
• Size: maximum file size is 512MB  

For any questions related to your participation and technical support please contact martino.miraglia@un.org and maritza.formisano@un.org.  

Should you want to know more about the work of Local2030, please visit our website and the dedicated page to Local2030 response to COVID-19. 

We look forward to receiving your videos and to your contribution to the Local2030 global debate. 

Kind regards, 

The Local2030 Team