Faced with deep and lasting consequences from the coronavirus pandemic, Arab countries must show more mutual support through aid, for example by creating “regional solidarity funds”, the UN has said.

“The Arab region, home to 436 million people, initially kept transmission and mortality rates lower than the global average but more recent trends are cause for concern,” said a UN document.

The pandemic's consequences are likely to be deep and spread out over time, the text noted, forecasting a contraction of the region's economy by at least 5.7 per cent.

“Solidarity is a core element in resolving and mitigating the impact of Covid,” Rola Dashti, executive secretary of the UN's Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA) told reporters.