We live in demanding times. The COVID-19 pandemic exposed tremendous shortcomings, weaknesses and failures globally.

In this context, in March 2020, the UNDP Office in Angola took over the COVID-19 response for the country, focused on four areas of intervention: 1) Resilient Health Systems; 2) Economic and Social Impact; 3) National Strategic and Inclusive Leadership and Accelerated Laboratory facilitated 4) Innovations for Critical Programs, Response and Recovery. This response, in addition to covering all UNDP assistance, is integrating Gender and Human Rights approaches in Response and Recovery.

The UNDP Response to COVID-19 in Angola from March to June 2020 presents the main progress achieved, but also the main national and international partners involved, identifying the country's position in relation to the commitments and goals assumed in the fight against the pandemic and sustainable development.

Health - our central focus on resilient health and community systems was delivered through technical assistance in epidemiological surveillance, quantification, resource mobilization and community involvement in COVID-19 and other health emergencies, the results of which are already evident and will be increasingly visible.

We also invested in socio-economic impact. UNDP worked with partners to build community resilience and national and local capacities, including interventions related to climate change in the provinces affected by the crisis.

As a UNDP, we have also ensured the improvement of human rights systems and provided innovative support for the safe functioning of informal markets, establishing initial foundations for the process of formalizing the informal sector and expanding social protection for this population group, thus advancing the principle of not leaving anyone behind. Another big bet was the innovative support given to the digitization of parliamentary sessions for the first time, ensuring the observation of social distance.

 There is still a lot to do and a long way to go. As the country enters its recovery phase, the provision of UNDP programs and policies for COVID-19 is changing to better respond to the evolving nature of the pandemic and the corresponding UN response architecture. The five working pillars of the SG's socio-economic structure will be delivered with health, governance, gender, environment, digital advances and ways to manage uncertainties - each of which will be crucial to success. Together, they make up the ten parts of UNDP's Back to Better Agenda 2.0 UNDP’s.

This UNDP Agenda 2.0 is fully integrated with the UN public health response, under the leadership of WHO, and the humanitarian response, under the leadership of the UN Office of Humanitarian Affairs. It puts UNDP's integrating experience, programming skills, technical knowledge and consultancy services to work to serve countries and support the UN development system, while maintaining our human development mandate at the front and center.

Please, access the UNDP response to COVID-19 in Angola from  March to June 2020