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What’s Next?
Boldly re-imagining life in a post-pandemic world
The economic and societal disruption caused by COVID-19 is worsening. Huge job losses, bankruptcies, shrinking GDP, widespread failure of small businesses, fundamental shifts in consumer and public behaviour will become more apparent as the pandemic drags on.
We can no longer play by the old rules, and there are hard choices ahead. But also opportunities. We must commit to recovery that is equitable and green. We must work to reform fossil fuel subsidies, help nations deal with the increasing debt issues and comprehensively address one of the most pervasive and insidious inequalities; the status and role of women.
Looking ahead
UNDP continues to lead the way and engages with the best minds of our time. Our decades-long association with Nobel Laureate, Professor Amartya Sen guides thinking by recognizing that human development is deeply and irrevocably tied to the health of the earth.
“One of the things I’ve learned is that we have to carry on our work at two different levels. At one level we are breaking fresh ground but without being quite sure what its implications will be for things here and now. The other is to do things here and now and see where we are going. To what extent where there is a danger that some of the acute needs, some of the acute sufferings, would be neglected as a result, there’s a question there. So, it’s really a matter of balance.”
Professor Amartya Sen
When you see a chance, take it
We have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to set things straight. To write a new social contract, together, that is fair and just for everybody. A bold, ambitious plan to achieve the 2030 Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
Keep calm and invest in intangibles
Governments are also investing, whether consciously or not, in intangibles which are vital to societies’ and economies’ long-term future. Some of these, such as public trust, cohesion and hope, can be bolstered by the concrete investments. Others, such as leadership, are more a function of individuals or culture, and can be tremendously influential in how effectively countries recover.
Seizing opportunities
There are gems of opportunity in this unique, terrible crisis. UNDP is fighting for a future where one third of all food produced isn’t wasted while one in 10 people goes hungry; where 10 times more isn’t spent on fossil fuel subsidies than on renewable energy, and where more than two billion people don’t live in fragility, conflict or violence. We are working to transform the lives of those who, even before the coronavirus, were out of school, out of work, offline, and off the grid.
