A COVID-19 Charter for a world in crisis

History reminds us that in August 1941, US President Franklin Roosevelt and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill were discussing the ongoing war then in Europe and Asia aboard the USS Augusta in the waters off Newfoundland.  Discussing the prospects for the future, they had to look at the past, knowing full well how the dire consequences of World War I and the Great Depression eventually led to World War II.

They were both determined to win the war and to have a foundation to ensure a more enduring condition of world peace.  Thus was born the Atlantic Charter which outlined their vision. But as Rajiv J. Shah, president of the Rockefeller Foundation and former administrator of the US Agency for International Development, writes in the September/October 2021 issue of Foreign Affairs, a key area was overlooked.  “… the charter promoted a global economic recovery designed to unleash a slow, steady convergence between wealthy and poor nations. The goal was to rebuild and industrialize countries, paving the way for a planet free from ‘fear and want.’”

In the 21st century, global development agenda struggled to meet the needs of a rapidly changing world.  Pandemics, global economic recessions and climate change have dealt a blow to the world’s most vulnerable population. The world could boast of phenomenal growth and interconnectedness but difficult to ignore are citizens in many countries still lamentably lacking in their basic needs: health care, education, food and other essentials that make for a better and dignified quality of life.

One does not need to look far in our country, where health care, education, housing, job opportunities cry out to be more equitable for all Filipinos.

Development professionals have focused on “human security,” away from state-level growth but on individual citizens.  According to the United Nations, human security is defined as people having “freedom from fear and from want, with an equal opportunity to enjoy all their rights and fully develop their human potential.” A dream for the world, a dream for every Filipino.

In recent times, US President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson met on the UK’s Cornish coast to sign the “New Atlantic Charter.”  It was based on the communiqués and commitments of world leaders since the COVID-19 pandemic upended our lives. The pandemic has often been described as the world’s greatest crisis since WWII.

Sadly, the pandemic has divided the world into countries that can endure the pandemic and the many others that are so vulnerable, “remain at its mercy.”  Shah warns that unless the developed countries take bold steps to promote human security for all, much of the planet will remain “mired in fear and want.” Such insecurity will eventually spread to the world, leaving all of us equally vulnerable to climate change, future pandemics and the deterioration of democracy.

What would a COVID Charter look like?  It has to include at least five commitments:

1. “The advanced economies must agree to devote at least 1 percent of their GDPS to foreign aid… This new initiative should champion environmental sustainability, fight corruption and promote real employment opportunities within local economies.”

2. “This foreign aid commitment from developed countries could be made as part of a framework agreement with developing economies…” with these economies pledging to reinforce their own growth capacities.  Low-income and middle-income economies must commit to being responsible for vaccinating their populations and strengthening their economies.

In the Philippines, we can at least see evidence of an all-out massive vaccination program that makes vaccination easily accessible to all. Such efforts need to continue to reach all of our islands.

3. This directly pertains to shareholders and institutional leaders who must commit to respond to crises in the spirit of Bretton Woods architecture, which in 1944 was designed to industrialize and reconnect economies, with the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund putting out economic fires, so to speak, before they became widespread. These institutions can help address the twin crises of COVID-19 and climate change.

4. “Private sector and philanthropic leaders should commit to working with governments to help vaccinate the globe and jump-start a green recovery.” We have seen how private-government collaborations have been effective and especially needed in our country which, because of our geographical location, is so vulnerable to natural disasters, with the less privileged among us being the most adversely affected each time and for whom recovery back to normalcy is especially challenging. That is an urgent concern needing to be addressed.

5. Shah notes that a welcome facet of recent global development in the past decades has been the “increased rigor in measuring and reporting results.” He thus suggests that all COVID Charter signatories commit to documenting their inputs and outcomes and having these measured in a manner consistent with principles agreed on at the 2011 High Level Forum on Aid Effectiveness held in Busan, South Korea.  Aside from that, they should agree to having their work monitored by the G-7, the G-20 and the UN Security Council.

Such a COVID Charter signed by world leaders would be transformational, hopefully giving the people and the countries of the world an equal opportunity to weather the coming years, the coming crises.

May the COVID Charter redound to the well-being of every Filipino who deserves the dignity and the drive to achieve their full potential.

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Summer time is Writing Time: Young Writers’ Hangout via Zoom on 26, 2-3 p.m. with Natasha Vizcarra who is zooming from Colorado. The 2022 Adult series begins on March 19 with returning facilitator, UST professor and author John Jack G. Wigley on Writing Humor.

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