Republic of Cyprus Second Voluntary National Report - Sustainable development goals

20 COVID-19 – Impact and actions Bearing in mind the long-term effects of the pandemic, including the increase of the long-term unemployed, the removal of people from the labour market, the decrease in acquired skills/education, and the closing down of businesses, the Government is already considering additional measures to stimulate economic growth. Investments included for financing under the various European Funds, provide a very sound basis for relaunching the economy. SOCIETY The pandemic has considerably impacted all social indicators particularly those pertaining to education, well-being and social inclusion. It has also disproportionately impacted women and children who were more likely to be victims of domestic violence and abuse during lockdowns. In addition to the Government initiatives, it is worth noting, that Cyprus’ pioneering mobilisation of its volunteer network, under the coordination of the Office of the Commissioner for Volunteerism and NGOs, received EU-wide recognition for its prompt and effective support of vulnerable groups following prescribed security protocols. Key Government initiatives in some main areas are listed right below: EDUCATION • The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth has provided about 10% of students with equipment and/or internet access. • The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports and Youth adopted remote learning practices to reduce the learning disruption, such as distance education, as well as dedicated television programmes for pre-primary learners. • Tele-schooling forced the upgrade of internet connectivity – in all public schools (currently at a coverage of 90%), the creation of digital classrooms and the provision of the necessary equipment and support services. • The programmes of the Secondary Technical and Vocational Education and of the Apprenticeship Scheme of Vocational Education and Training that include an in- company training component were not possible to be completed, due to the general lockdown that was in effect. • Higher Education Institutes in Cyprus continued their operation with online learning. Regardless of these efforts, most likely not all students had the required family support and/or technological resources to effectively participate in distance learning. Moving forward, the long-term impact of the pandemic on students’ emotional and cognitive abilities will need to be considered. WOMEN Women in Cyprus typically shoulder most of the household labour, which has a significant impact on unpaid home care and work-life balance since women spent, on average, 62 hours per week caring for children compared to 36 hours for men (according to the 2021 report on Gender Equality in the EU). On top of this, the COVID-19 pandemic inevitably seems to have disproportionately impacted women both economically and socially. The Cyprus NRRP aims to promote and implement reforms and investments that will mitigate the economic and social impact of the COVID-19 crisis ensuring that no person is left behind by bridging the gender equality gap and safeguarding equal opportunities for all. It is worth noting that the plan will also positively contribute to the attainment of the targets set by the SDG5 Gender Equality. Police • First line police members at the local Police Stations and the Community Policing were alerted to issues of domestic violence and abuse. • Adoption of new technologies for the benefit of victims of violence in the family and women in danger, have been accelerated. Aweb application aiming to further help the victims of domestic violence who are in immediate danger, is in progress by the Cyprus Police.