Central Asia

In Central Asia, the combined impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the Russia-Ukraine war has ignited inflation and increased poverty. Although the region made good progress toward reducing poverty and inequality over the past two decades, the pandemic stalled this progress and even reversed the welfare gains in some coun­tries. Nearly half a million individuals in the region are estimated to have fallen into extreme poverty, due to decreased incomes, job losses, and work interruptions. Clearly, as crises become more frequent and even coincide, a more permanent, comprehensive framework for crisis readiness and response is needed.