最貧国支援、充実を　新型コロナで窮状拡大―西尾世銀副総裁

　【ニューヨーク時事】世界銀行の西尾昭彦副総裁は１５日、ニューヨークやロサンゼルスの会場をつないで開かれた時事トップセミナー（米国時事通信社主催）でオンライン講演した。新型コロナウイルスの感染拡大によって「貧困問題が拡大している。今のままでは、国連の持続可能な開発目標（ＳＤＧｓ）の達成は極めて難しい」と述べ、先進国などが率先して最貧国への支援を充実させるよう訴えた。
　西尾氏は、貧困国支援を担う国際開発協会（ＩＤＡ）などを通じた世銀の途上国向け融資政策を統括。講演では、新型コロナ新規感染者数の増加が続き、ワクチンの接種率も低い最貧国の窮状を説明した上で、「先進国は経済がＶ字回復しているが、最貧国は２０２２年も縮小が続く。新型コロナの打撃から立ち直るには非常に長い時間がかかる」と強調した。
　特に影響が深刻なのは、母親と乳幼児の健康維持を図る母子保健という。西尾氏は「最近１０年間、（最貧国で）順調な成果があったが、そうした進歩は（新型コロナで）帳消しになった」と語り、迅速な対応を求めた。（2021/09/16-15:46）

Akihiko Nishio, World Bank vice president for development finance, on Wednesday asked developed countries to lead the efforts to beef up support for the poorest nations, many of which have taken a hit from the novel coronavirus pandemic.
   The pandemic has made poverty issues more serious, and the attainment of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals would be very difficult if the current situation continues, he said in an online lecture that was hosted by Jiji Press. The lecture connected participants in New York and Los Angeles.
   Nishio is in charge of the World Bank's program of extending loans to developing nations mainly through the International Development Association, a World Bank affiliate, which supports impoverished countries.
   The situations are dire in the poorest countries, where new COVID-19 cases continue increasing and vaccination rates are low. Developed countries are seeing a V-shaped economic recovery, but the economies in the poorest nations will continue shrinking in 2022, Nishio said. It will take a very long time for the economies to recover from the blow from COVID-19.
   According to Nishio, the impact of the pandemic is particularly severe for the health of mothers and children, namely babies and infants. There were steady improvements in maternal and child health in the poorest nations over the past 10 years, but the progress has been wiped out by the pandemic, a situation requiring a quick response, he said.