United Nations, Feb 10, 2021 (Lusa) - The Portuguese minister for labour, solidarity and social security, Ana Mendes Godinho, on Tuesday defended, on behalf of the European Union, social justice as the helm for the recovery of the pandemic, in a declaration for the United Nations (UN).

Portugal today represented the EU in a statement to the UN Commission for Social Development and advocated 'social justice' as the key to overcoming the crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Godinho stressed the need to ensure a just and inclusive transition in climate neutrality, digitisation or adaptation to demographic change, with adequate social protection systems.

According to the Portuguese minister, countries such as Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, Albania, Bosnia, Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia supported the European Union's declaration, presented by Portugal.

In this declaration during the 59th session of the UN Commission on Social Development, Godinho said that the European Union is implementing the "Team Europe" response package to Covid-19, which aims to "support partner countries in combating the pandemic and mitigating the social and economic effects of the crisis".

"The EU response aims to prioritise employment, reduce inequalities and ensure equal opportunities, decent wages and working conditions for all," she said.

Godinho spoke of the need for digital technologies as an indispensable means for day-to-day activities such as school studies, business or work and drew attention to the digital divide that can be found between young and older people, between industrialised and developing countries or between rural and urban areas.

Digital technologies must have a prominent place in recovery strategies. She told the UN, adding that investments in the digital economy can be beneficial in addressing climate risks.

The digital and climate transitions must be inclusive and accessible for people with disabilities, she added, and "digitalisation offers people with disabilities great opportunities to participate in society".

According to Godinho, the European Union is evaluating measures related to "wage transparency, gender-based violence and domestic violence".

The pandemic effects have a particular impact on young people, who find it more difficult to get into the labour market and have "substantially weaker employment results", she said.

She highlighted the European Union's commitment to the "Youth Guarantee" programme and the opportunities for young people to "employ, learn, train or train online with the green and digital transition".

According to a report by the French agency AFP, the Covid-19 pandemic has caused at least 2,331,772 deaths worldwide, resulting from more than 106.5 million cases of infection.

EYL/ADB // ADB.

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