Before COVID-19, many countries were making significant gains in human capital, improving health and education outcomes for girls and boys and empowering women to reach their potential. Between 2010 and March 2020, the World Bank’s Human Capital Index 2020 Update found an average increase of five percent in the human capital index across countries.

Now, the pandemic and its shocks to market, health, and education systems jeopardize this progress – 25 years of development achievements have begun to unwind in the span of 25 weeks. Economic disruptions have disproportionately harmed those who are already vulnerable, threatening to push an additional 47 million women and girls into extreme poverty. Women are more likely to work in the informal economy, preventing many from accessing crucial social protection programs, especially in low-income countries. Women also bear a greater burden of unpaid care work at home, and this gap has only widened during COVID-19.

As COVID-19 threatens hard-won gains in human capital around the world, governments, international development organizations, civil society, and the private sector must come together with a revitalized sense of solidarity to deliver emergency support quickly and effectively. Even more important is to take a long-term view of how to support countries in building inclusive, resilient systems for food and nutrition, health, education, social protection, water, sanitation, infrastructure, and jobs.