We are living through unprecedented times. The COVID-19 crisis is affecting the health of millions of people around and the world and is profoundly shaking our societies and economies at large. The impact of the pandemic varies from country to country but will most likely increase poverty and inequalities at a global scale. While the race to develop a safe and effective vaccine is advancing, there is no hope in finding such medicine against other pressing challenges such as climate change, rising inequalities, demographic change, emerging technologies, terrorism and misinformation. The only vaccine against environmental destruction or the discrimination in our societies is us. All these challenges are inter-connected and transcend borders. They require common, holistic solutions and need to be tackled with determined and coordinated action at all political levels.

This year, the United Nations is celebrating the 75th anniversary of its founding document. The adoption of the UN Charter declared a vision of peace, a common understanding of human rights, justice, development, solidarity and dignity for all. These core principles ring just as true today and must continue to be our firm foundation for solving the shared problems on our planet. The UN Secretary- General, António Guterres, said it well: “The vision and promise of the United Nations is that food, healthcare, water and sanitation, education, decent work and social security are not commodities for sale to those who can afford them, but basic human rights to which we are all entitled.” Undoubtedly, in midst of global divisions and turmoil, the need for international cooperation, multilateralism and reaching our common objectives becomes even more urgent. Among them the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as our shared blueprint to end poverty, protect our planet and ensure prosperity for everyone by 2030.

In the years before the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, important progress and favorable trends were evident in some critical areas of sustainable development. Efforts at extreme poverty alleviation have borne fruit. Globally, the number of extremely poor people – those who live on $1.90 a day or less – has fallen from 1.9 billion in 1990 to about 736 million in 2016 according to World Bank Group (WBG) estimates. Life expectancy has further increased. Particularly in low-income countries, which saw life expectancy rise between 21 percent or eleven years between 2000 and 2016 – mostly due to the improved prevention and effective treatment of diseases as well as better maternal and child healthcare. The under-five mortality rate fell by 49 percent between 2000 and 2017. Between one-third and half the world’s population became covered by essential health services. Global vaccines and immunizations have saved millions of lives. And the vast majority of the world’s population has gained access to electricity.

At the same time, countries have strengthened their efforts to protect our planet. 189 parties have ratified the historical Paris Agreement on climate change and almost all have communicated their first nationally determined contributions – despite the deeply regrettable withdrawal of the United States from the deal. According to the recent SDGs Report by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) about 150 countries have developed national policies to respond to the challenge of rapid urbanization and the European Union and 71 countries have adopted more than 300 policies and instruments supporting sustainable consumption and production. Also, marine protected areas have doubled over the last ten years.

Even though various stubborn problems remain, such remarkable efforts should encourage us and drive us forward. We have no other choice. Without immediate joint action to cut greenhouse gas emissions, gains in wellbeing and life expectancy will be compromised, and climate change will come to define the life and health of our future generations. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that the impacts could push an additional 100 million people into poverty by 2030. Until 2050 approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year could be caused from malnutrition, malaria and heat stress. And over 143 million people in just three regions – namely Latin America, South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa – could be forced to move within their own countries to escape the slow-onset impacts of global warming. Moreover, climate change makes the chance of disasters striking during the current pandemic more likely, and their impact more severe on those displaced. The loss of biodiversity could also increase the risk of future pandemics by endangering the fragility of the world ́s interdependent ecosystem.

Another critical development challenge that is threatening our efforts to end extreme poverty in both, low- and middle-income countries, according to the WBG, is fragility, conflict and violence (FCV). Under current estimates, up to two-thirds of the world’s extreme poor could live in FCV settings, considering that violent conflict has spiked dramatically since 2010, and the fragility landscape is becoming ever more complex. Conflicts drive 80 percent of all humanitarian needs and reduce gross domestic product growth by two percentage points per year on average. Last year, the number of people forcibly displaced due to war, persecution and human rights violations was 79.5 million, the highest number on record, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). It is very likely that the impact of COVID-19 will be much more severe in countries, which are facing existing challenges due to human capital deprivations, a lack of basic infrastructure for health and other human needs like clean water and sanitation, as well as weak institutions with limited capacity.

Clearly, the significant social and economic impacts of COVID-19 threaten to throw the progress in realising just transitions off track. The pandemic exacerbates inequalities by disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable. Estimates based on growth projections from the June 2020 Global Economic Prospects report by the WBG show, that the pandemic could represent the first increase in global extreme poverty since 1998, effectively wiping out progress made since 2017. When compared with pre-crisis forecasts, COVID-19 could push 71 million people into extreme poverty in 2020 under the baseline scenario and 100 million under the downside scenario. The looming global food emergency could in the longer term be further aggravated by disruptions to the functioning of food systems with severe consequences for health and nutrition. Prior to the onset of this pandemic, more than 820 million people were already identified as chronically food insecure. Recent data shows that the food security of 135 million people was categorised as on crisis level or worse. That number could nearly double before the end of 2020 due to the impacts of COVID-19.

Furthermore, global environmental emergencies and biodiversity loss could cause – if they remain unchecked – social and economic damages far larger than those triggered by the current pandemic. Hence, the various social and economic recovery packages must be designed to rebuild our world better. They must entail much more than just getting economies and livelihoods quickly back on their feet. Recovery policies – such as the European Union’s comprehensive recovery plan “Next Generation EU” and the Union’s new seven-year budget, also need to trigger investment and behavioural changes that find answers to the most pressing global disruptions, including climate change, digitisation and rising inequalities. We need a strong push to implement the eco-social market economy and to establish comprehensive policies to boost long-term growth, including by improving governance and business environments and enhancing investment in education and public health. Only then we will be able to reduce the likelihood of future shocks and increase society’s resilience when they do occur.
In order for all of these our joint efforts to bear fruit, we need more cooperation, dialogue and shared expertise. We need to move beyond the illusion that international politics can be a zero-sum game. In our world’s community the weaknesses of my neighbours and my partners are my own weaknesses. Instead of putting the blame on others, we must invest in win-win solutions, engage in a practical and principled way, share responsibilities and contribute to each other’s strengths. In the spirit of the United Nation’s founding principles, we have to focus on what unites us instead of what divides us. All member organisations of the United Nations family are part of our common solutions. We must strengthen them, both politically and financially. We must coordinate our international efforts and establish a global early warning system as well as crisis mechanism against future pandemics.

At all times, the citizens must be at the heart of our political action. Parliamentarians around the world, who serve and represent their interests, need strong ties to international organizations. We need their expertise and experience to be able to do what is necessary and what is right. Instead of working side by side, we must come together for realising practice-oriented solutions. I therefore strongly applaud the efforts of the Parliamentary Network on the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. By bringing together over 1.000 parliamentarians from over 140 countries, this independent inter-parliamentary organization is a living example that there is no other way to deal with common challenges, than with common responses. As a proud member, I wish the Parliamentary Network continuous success and growth in the many decades to come.

This article is an extract taken from the Parliamentary Network publication ‘Just Transitions’. You can download a pdf version of the full document here.