Preface
We must learn from this crisis to be more resilient together
2020 has taught us that, regardless of relative wealth or well-being, our fates are intertwined, and our systems interconnected.
The COVID-19 crisis is likely to be the biggest test of global solidarity we have ever faced. In addition to a health crisis that has claimed the lives of over 1.5 million people at the time of writing, the necessary measures taken to contain the virus have led to devastating social and economic impacts, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Over 100 million additional people will be pushed into extreme poverty, and 270 million people will face starvation this year. The scale of human suffering and loss has been vast.
As a global community, we recognised the need to work together to stamp out this common threat everywhere. Major health actors created a new international mechanism – COVAX – to find and fund a vaccine for COVID 19. Now, multiple vaccine candidates look promising. However, the only way to end this pandemic is to ensure that everyone gets equal access, regardless of their ability to pay. Contributing to our shared health security by co-operating on widespread vaccination is one of the clearest examples of the mutual benefits of solidarity.
The next, and perhaps larger, test for global solidarity will be addressing the social and economic fallout in the places that have the least equipped policy and fiscal toolkits to respond. Despite the synchronised shock around the world and notwithstanding the pain and anguish suffered by populations in advanced economies, recent months have seen public support for fairness and the implementation of better governance structures to deal with global threats and global public goods. Public support gives decision makers a mandate to act with means and reforms that address underlying vulnerabilities, and tackles the inequalities that shaped the contours of this crisis.
To be more resilient together, we must ensure that countries at all stages of their development find their own paths to a strong, green and inclusive recovery. The multilateral system must also step up efforts to design a coherent international approach to mitigating today’s global challenges of climate change, health threats and widening inequalities. The new and foundational approaches to development co-operation financing, programming and co-ordination presented in this volume stem from lessons and insights of the past 12 months. I hope they can inspire the development co-operation community to learn from challenges, build on successes and continue to innovate. Only then can we regain what has been lost, and push further to reach our collective goal to build back better.
