In the new episode of the video series, “Building Peace during the Pandemic” Stephen Jackson, the U.N. Resident Coordinator in Gabon spoke with Marc-André Franche, Chief, Financing for Peacebuilding, PBSO, DPPA.
Mr. Jackson explained how the lockdown measures in response to Covid-19 have exerted strains on a close-knit society like Gabon. The pandemic has also led to an increase in stigmatization faced by refugees and migrant workers. He highlighted how the UN country team in Gabon reoriented its programming to focus on frontline health response. Benefitting from the digital infrastructure in Gabon, the UN also reached out to youth leaders in far-flung parts of the country to include their voices in the discussions for its 75th anniversary.
Mr. Jackson emphasized that the real challenge ahead is working on the nexus of social cohesion in terms of sustaining peace in Gabon, the most urbanized country in Africa.
