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Consulting Matters Corporate social responsibility
Standing together to build resilience in a post-COVID world
Neil Doherty UNHCR Bangladesh Coxs Bazar.
COVID-19 has made 2020 a year to remember, with the pandemic the worst global health emergency since the Spanish flu in 1918, and it continues to spread rapidly across the globe. The response is greatly challenging for those in countries with poor financial resilience and weak healthcare systems. For many, they are also facing COVID-19 on top of other humanitarian crises, conflicts or disasters. So how do we ensure those with much less survive the fallout from COVID-19 and increase resilience to recover from future crises? At RedR Australia, we send skilled people around the world to help communities plan, prepare, rebuild and recover before, during and after a crisis. We are not only facing one of the worst pandemics in 100 years but there are also other threats, such as a
changing climate, that over the next ten years will contribute to an increase in the need for humanitarian assistance. Prior to COVID-19, RedR Australia’s submission to Australia’s International Development Policy outlined that by 2030, violent conflict and natural hazards would require US$50 billion per year in global donor contributions to manage the needs of approximately 300 million affected people.
Of these, 77 million climate-displaced people would require an additional US$14 billion. There is no doubt the economic fall-out from COVID-19 will exacerbate these figures. Being able to rapidly respond to crises and disasters as they unfold is more than just delivering humanitarian aid, it is about pulling together all parts of our society to plan, prepare and find solutions to help all of humanity.
Being able to rapidly respond to crises and disasters as they unfold is more than just delivering humanitarian aid, it is about pulling together all parts of our society to plan, prepare and find solutions to help all of humanity.