The Lancet Commission on COVID-19 - BMZ

DESCRIPTION: The Lancet Commission on COVID-19, chaired by Professor Jeffrey Sachs, will bring together the best evidence base on responding to and recovering from the global pandemic, with an emphasis on the appropriate public health response to the crisis, region by region, on how to not only foster economic recovery, but ensuring that recovery addresses inequality, climate change, preparedness including strengthening of healthcare systems, and other priority areas for action. Our goal is to chart a pathway that does not take us back to business-as-usual, but to a better state.

The Commission will organize its work across four main themes: (i) how to best suppress the epidemic, (ii) addressing the humanitarian crises arising from the pandemic, (iii) addressing the resulting financial and economic crises, and (iv) rebuilding an inclusive, fair and sustainable world. Several task forces will be formed under each of these four themes to research concrete challenges within the themes and practical solutions. It will work closely with The Lancet, particularly around communications and dissemination of results, to ensure wide awareness and implementation of its recommendations. The Lancet and the Commission Secretariat have regular briefings to discuss progress.

Throughout the course of the 12 months of this sub-award, these task forces will also issue white papers, policy briefs, and other materials, as well as organize virtual events and other means of disseminating their results with urgency to decision makers. Individuals will also be available to advise governments and other stakeholders in their response and recovery. These interim deliverables and products will be synthesized into a longer, comprehensive Report of The Lancet Commission on COVID-19. All work products will be publicly available on a dedicated web platform, covid19commission.org.

The overall objective of this work is to support more effective responses to COVID-19, in the diversity of contexts countries face. In some instances, this will involve briefing government officials and policymakers on the most effective policy responses, while in other cases it may support civil society with the scientific evidence needed to hold governments accountable. In all cases the Commission will work with the private sector, which is fundamental to any successful response and recovery, as well as the UN system to offer global coordination wherever possible.