On 16 July, CDP member Debapriya Bhattacharya addressed the ECOSOC High-Level Segment’s session on “Scenarios and possible medium and long term trends related to the recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic and the achievement of SDGs”. He cautioned that the pandemic is still in flux and that there is still high uncertainty on long term impacts. The SDGs and targets provide a pathway for decision-making in that context. Initial assessments have revealed an exacerbation of historical distortions and discriminations and have seen the emergence of new inequities and injustices. Adequate policy response will require multilayer, disaggregated impact analyses that consider not only the pandemic itself but the impacts of coping strategies adopted by individuals and communities. Reduction in expenditures with food, health – including immunizations and non-COVID diseases – and education as well an increase in child marriage and child labour will have more lasting impacts than those of the COVID-19 pandemic itself.