UN General Assembly
2020

In all this, in hindsight, if I had to single out one area which was more important than others, this would be the world of work. The pandemic has devastated the world of work, laying bare the extreme vulnerability of millions of workers and enterprises. The virus does not discriminate in medical terms, however it has brought to the fore major inequalities which have been further exacerbated through threats to livelihoods. This has brought a dramatic increase in poverty, and the warning from the World Food Programme that the next pandemic we face could be one of hunger. Therefore, in this case more than others, the future of our people is going to be determined by our actions today. Keeping this in mind, Malta implemented a series of social security measures in order to deal with the economic and social impact of the pandemic, ensuring that the economy remains afloat, safeguarding jobs, and assisting workers and vulnerable persons. Social benefits helped to alleviate the financial difficulties.