The world, as we know it, has changed massively since the COVID-19 pandemic struck and disrupted economies across the globe. Returning to ‘business as usual’ is evidently not an option.
While governments struggle to provide concrete responses to the pandemic, we should start thinking about sustainable actions moving forward.
#BuildBackHealthier: Prescriptions for a Sustainable and Equitable COVID-19 Recovery is an advocacy campaign which aims to influence economic policies and actions for COVID-19 recovery in the ASEAN to integrate long-term sustainable and equitable goals for the planet and its people. While we revive industries and livelihoods across the region, a collaboration from all sectors to emphasize the need for sustainable actions and address societal problems that made us vulnerable to the pandemic in the first place, is imperative.
#BuildBackHealthier will engage with policymakers in the region and the ASEAN organization - with the healthcare sector and civil society organizations focusing on climate and health promotion as the central force of influence - to avoid environmentally-destructive recovery action plans and policies. By developing a solid knowledge-sharing and collaborative structure, prescriptions for a sustainable and equitable recovery from the healthcare sector and CSOs can help policymakers in the region to align their recovery plans with long-term emission reduction goals, transitioning to renewable energy sources, shifting linear waste systems to circular economy, do-away with harmful waste-to-energy technologies, and prioritize planetary health in order to ensure the well-being and safety of the people from the impacts of climate change.
#BuildBackHealthier is an initiative of Health Care Without Harm - Southeast Asia in partnership with GAIA Asia Pacific members around the region. For more info on how to engage in this initiative, feel free to send an email to infoasia@hcwh.org