Report
Covid-19 and Fragile Contexts: Reviving Multilateralism’s Promise to “Leave No One Behind” is an Economist Intelligence Unit report, published by the International Rescue Committee (IRC). Through comprehensive desk research, literature reviews and expert interviews, the report investigates the critical failures of the multilateral system in protecting fragile populations during the covid-19 pandemic.
Drawing comparisons between the Covid-19 response and previous global crises, the report evaluates fundamental shortcomings of the system across three pivotal areas: (1) an absence of global leadership; (2) insufficient funding; and (3) a lack of co-ordination with regard to information-sharing, public health messaging, supply chain management and humanitarian access.
The report explores the grave repercussions of the multilateral system’s failure to protect the world’s most vulnerable populations despite its collective duty to do so. Lastly, the paper outlines seven actionable solutions that could safeguard fragile populations more effectively and strengthen their resilience to crises, both now and in the future.