Lord Loomba CBE recently hosted a webinar on UN International Widows Day 2020 to raise awareness of the impact of COVID-19 on widows worldwide and to call for international support for widows’ empowerment both financially and socially.
Chairman and Founder Trustee of the Loomba Foundation he said, “As latest estimates show that there are 258 million widowed women globally and the current figures will be much higher especially as Covid-19 has exacerbated this situation. The role of local governments to support their welfare cannot be undermined, and the G20 countries must find a way to help support these and grassroot efforts to help widows.”
Lord Loomba was joined on the panel by former First Lady, Mrs Cherie Blair QC CBE, President of the Loomba Foundation; Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady, Sierra Leone; Ms Simone Mensah, Vice President of the Sylvia Bongo Ondimb Foundation (Gabon); Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO (Niti Aayog), Government of India; Dr Peter Rajsingh and Mr Harjiv Singh, Trustees of the Loomba Foundation.
Mrs Blair emphasised, “During Covid-19, there are going to be many newly widowed women who will need our support as they fight these challenging times, as they are still living difficult lives in the society.”
Mr Amitabh Kant, CEO Niti Aayog, Government of India agreed, saying, “The Covid-19 lockdown has left widows exposed as a vulnerable group with no access to finance to support their children or themselves.” Explaining how the Indian government has ensured financial support has directly reached those widows affected, he underlined, “the role of civil societies, voluntary groups and citizens is extremely important.”
Mrs Fatima Maada Bio, First Lady, Sierra Leone, highlighting the challenges faced in Sierra Leone, explained how difficult it can be for bereaved widows where cultural norms mean men often have up to four wives.
Ms Simone Mensah, Vice President, Sylvia Bongo Ondimb Foundation, joining from Gabon, was keen to stress, “It is extremely important for us to work together and change the atrocious practices against widows to support human rights. Widow empowerment is
UN Women's Statement of support for widows ahead of the day, by Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, underlined the predicament widows face by saying, “We have seen the myriad ways in which the Covid-19 pandemic impacts the lives of women and men differently. Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the effects of the pandemic are exacerbated for women and girls.”
The video of the full event can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/M-jdoesWNwM
