OPENING PLENARY
From the ‘two-speed’ recovery to Covid-19, to the uneven effects of climate change, to the military conflicts devastating communities, right now, the world is facing a multitude of intersecting, inescapable crises spanning the globe. Developing countries are bearing the brunt of these disasters, as inflationary pressures on food and oil exacerbate an already precarious economic environment and continue to put lives and livelihoods on the line. As recent shocks to the world’s food, energy and finance sectors have meant that the fight against extreme poverty could be set back by an entire generation, how do we prevent the world’s most vulnerable from becoming collateral damage? Although advanced economies have injected trillions to prop up their economies, this stimulus has not proven to solve the most urgent problems being faced. Who needs to be held accountable to ensure that the promise to end poverty, establish robust social protection systems, secure equal access to basic human needs, and build greater resilience for future crises, will be an achievable reality, rather than idealistic rhetoric?
