Covid-19 and the Response that’s needed
May 28th, 2020
Within the space of a few weeks, the COVID-19 pandemic has plunged the world into unprecedented human, socio-political and economic crises. The impacts will be long-lasting, and how we respond to the crisis in its aftermath will profoundly shape our future. The pandemic has hit a world which was already experiencing high levels of inequality, including in terms of gender and discrimination based on identity, descent, class, caste and race, which has now become widespread and intersectional. Those experiencing high levels of inequality represent the most vulnerable people and are most impacted by the crisis both in terms of the health impacts as well as the looming economic downturn, compounded by a worsening debt crisis. In terms of structural inequality between countries, we anticipate that such inequalities will worsen due to lack of participating in decision-making by developing nations and marginalized and vulnerable groups. This position paper reflects the views of the Financial Transparency Coalition and why we believe the scale, urgency and complexity of the crises we all face compel a radical increase in financial transparency and tax justice.