There is also another important aspect of the digitalisation we can never forget -digital as an equaliser. In order to prevent the emergence of the digital inequality and division, last year Estonia and Singapore were co-sponsoring a Global Declaration on the Digital Response to COVID-19, “ClosetheDigitalDivides:theDigitalResponsetoCOVID-19”

We must choose for our children a future of peace fostered by equitable sustainable development between north and south and between east and west;or a future of conflicts triggered by the widening economicinequality between rich and poor, men and women, young and old.

Torebuildsuccessfullyrequiresaworldwideresponseinconfidenceandinvestmenttoenableproductionandconsumptiontobouncebacktopre-pandemiclevels.Thesurestwaytobuildingthatconfidenceisbymakingvaccinesavailabletotheworld,inanequitableandaccessiblemanner.That,sadly,iscurrentlynotthecase.Theasymmetryinthesupplyofvaccinesreflectsamultilateralsystemthatisinurgentneedforrepair

groups of countries do not have sufficient capacity or resources to make a rapid and equitable transition to green energy sources. That will affect their ability to achieve sustainable development goals in the medium term.

his necessary response will cost the lessdevelopedand developing countries the most -the countries which still rely on energy derived from fossil fuels.

Sócióecónómic próblems built up óver the years were bróught tó the fóre by the pandemic. Póverty and hunger have deepened. Fróm incóme, jóbs tó educatión, gaps widened acróss gender,class, and cóuntries.

One of our major issues in addressing the risks of climate change and the climate-ocean nexus is our inability and lack of capacity in accessing climate financing. This further exacerbates our vulnerabilities,andwe are not alone in this respect. Of the 20% of climate financing provided on adaption, ONLY 2% of that support went to SIDS countries. Further, of that 2%, at least half of those funds were not in the form of grants, but in the form of loans. We urge the UN to address this inequity and reduce the artificial barriers to allowing small countries to access climate finance, and for the UN to create systems that address its Charter to represent “We the peoples”-for all people.

Alarmingly, the pandemic is deepening global poverty and inequality. The widening gaps in education, social security, and

With effective international solidarity, it would be possible at the national levelto forge a new social contract that includes universal health coverage and income protection, housing and decent work, quality education for all,and an end to discrimination and violence against women and girls. I call on countries to reform their tax systems and finally end tax evasion, money laundering and illicit financial flows.

I renew my call for a reformed, and more equitable international debt architecture. The Debt Service Suspension Initiative must be extended to 2022 and should be available to all highly indebted vulnerable andmiddle-income countries that request it. This would be solidarity in action. Countries shouldn’t have to choose between servicing debt and serving people.

This plan could be implemented by an emergency Task Force made up of present and potential vaccine producers, the World Health Organization, ACT-Accelerator partners, and international financial institutions, working with pharmaceutical companies.We have no time to lose. A lopsided recovery is deepening inequalities.

Third, wemust bridge the gap between rich and poor, within and among countries. That starts by ending the pandemic for everyone, everywhere. We urgently need a global vaccination plan to at least double vaccine production and ensure that vaccines reach seventy percent of the world’s population in the first half of 2022.

When people see promises of progress denied by the realities of their harsh daily lives...When they see their fundamental rights and freedoms curtailed...When they see petty —as well as grand —corruption around them...When they see billionaires joyriding to space while millions go hungry on earth...When parents see a future for their children that looks even bleakerthan the struggles of today...

On the one hand, we see the vaccines developed in record time —a victory of science and human ingenuity. On the other hand, we see that triumph undone by the tragedy of a lack of political will, selfishness and mistrust. A surplus in some countries. Empty shelves in others. A majority of the wealthier world vaccinated. Over 90 percent of Africansstill waitingfor their first dose.

The COVID-19 pandemic has supersized glaring inequalities.