Christian Aid says the world faces the prospect of a dramatic rise in acute hunger, deepening gender inequality, and disruption to healthcare such as immunisation and maternal and child health, due to Covid-19.
In a new report, Building Back with Justice: Dismantling Inequalities after Covid-19, Christian Aid says ‘the Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated deep and often hidden inequalities across the world, and could tip over into “catastrophe” unless there is a recovery plan that addresses these inequalities.’
The international development agency has criticised richer countries in the global north for failing to relieve the debt burden on countries in the global south who were already crippled with debt repayments before the pandemic struck.
Christian Aid is calling for ‘a comprehensive 12-month cancellation of debt principal and interest for 76 low-income countries’. The charity says that debt cancellation ‘could be one of the fastest ways to free up resources for some of the countries worst affected by the pandemic and its economic impacts’.
The report also looks at the impact of Covid-19 on gender justice, international cooperation, black and minority ethnic communities and green recovery.
Actions
The report calls on governments and multilateral institutions to:
- Strengthen essential services, by rolling out free testing and treatment of Covid-19; protecting health services for non-Covid-19 needs; protecting women from violence as part of Covid-19 plans; and take steps to prevent a food security crisis and acute hunger.
- Urgently mobilise public finance for the response to the crisis, by cancelling unpayable debts falling due in 2020 for the poorest countries; preventing vulture funds from exploiting debt distress; agreeing an issuance of Special Drawing Rights at the IMF; and introducing wealth taxes to help deliver the resources that are needed.
- Promote accountable governance, by limiting emergency powers to what is needed to halt the spread of the virus.
- Lay the groundwork for a sustainable future, by ensuring that any bailouts of business, as part of recovery efforts, are used to promote tax reform, a reduction in carbon emissions, and responsible and accountable business behaviour.
- An effective global response to end the pandemic, by supporting efforts to pool research, patents and technology so that all countries have the means to tackle Covid-19; attaching public interest conditions to pharmaceutical research and development; and supporting the WHO to deliver effectively on its mandate.
Download
Building Back with Justice: Dismantling Inequalities after Covid-19
(From Christian Aid)
More information
Please see the Christian Aid website.
Endorsements
The report has been endorsed by:
- The Venerable JW Kofi deGraft-Johnson, General Secretary, Council of Anglican Provinces of Africa.
- Dr Martin Fair, Moderator of the Church of Scotland’s General Assembly.
- Canon Yemi Adedeji, Director, One People Commission, Evangelical Alliance UK.
- Bob Fyffe, General Secretary of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
- Dr Marcus Chilaka, Assistant Provincial Pastor and National Ecumenical Lead, The Redeemed Christian Church of God.
- Rev Ruth Harvey, Leader, the Iona Community.
