Lessons From COVID-19 Pandemic Must Not Be Forgotten

The COVID-19 pandemic has shown how the world can come together to fight a common threat, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi and added the lessons from the pandemic must not be forgotten.

Speaking at the International Conference on Disaster Resilient Infrastructure, the Prime Minister said, “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that in an inter-dependent and inter-connected world, no country – rich or poor, in the east or west, north or south – is immune to the effect of global disasters.”

“On one hand, the pandemic has shown us how impacts can quickly spread across the world. On the other hand, it has shown how the world can come together to fight a common threat. The pandemic has shown us that the innovation to address global challenges can come from anywhere,” the Prime Minister added.

He called for the fostering of the global ecosystem that supports innovation in all parts of the world and it is transferred to places that are in need.

“The year 2021 promises to be a year of swift recovery from the pandemic. The lessons from the pandemic must not be forgotten. They apply to not only public health disasters but to other disasters as well,” he added.

While scientists across the world have developed COVID-19 vaccines, the Prime Minister — drawing attention to the looming climate crisis — said that there are no vaccines for climate change further reiterating that it would take sustained and concentrated efforts to mitigate climate change.

CDRI is a partnership of national governments, UN agencies, multilateral development banks and financing mechanisms that aim to promote resilience of new infrastructure systems to climate and disaster risks in support of sustainable development.