High-Level Political Forum Thoughts & Takeaways
With the current pandemic crippling every corner of the world, this year’s High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) was different from previous years. My experience at the HLPF was nothing short of educational and informative. I had the opportunity to attend several events each discussing the impacts of living in a COVID-19 world. While each event discussed a wide range of pressing issues regarding the pandemic, one of the side events that stood out to me the most was the discussion around “Local Leadership for Global Impact in a Post-COVID World.”
Below, I have highlighted some of the major takeaways I took from this side event:
- This pandemic has become larger than just a health crisis. It has become a social, political, economic, and environmental cascade impacting billions.
- There needs to be stronger support and advocacy for local communities.
- We need a shift in funding from a national level to a local level, especially in lower-to-middle-income countries.
- We need to give a voice to marginalized communities.
- This pandemic has doubled and tripled the burden for fragile countries.
- We need to make sure that every policy has a scientific base, there needs to be a “connective tissue” between science and policies.
It is crucial to understand the global impact the COVID-19 pandemic has had on everyone, but specifically on marginalized communities and fragile countries. Without the proper national and local leadership, the crippling impacts of the pandemic will continue to exist; thus, it is our responsibility to ensure that these groups are not only supported on a national level but also given equal opportunities within their local communities.
The HLPF brought to light that these issues are not new, but instead have been made more prevalent because of the pandemic. Therefore, we must use our voices to continually speak up to guarantee the equity and safety for all individuals around the world, especially those individuals disproportionately targeted by this pandemic.
