The current COVID-19 crisis is a global public health emergency compounded by a major economic and financial crisis affecting us all, but above all, the crisis will put enormous strains on the already vulnerable economies and societies in SDC’s partner countries. It may risk reversing progress in poverty reduction of the last decades; preliminary estimates suggest that global poverty may increase by as much as half a billion people, or 8% of the total human population (OECD)
While the immediate response to COVID-19 addressing the health and economic costs is of utomst priority, it is foreseeable that the crisis will have a lasting impact on governance. The very measures required to reduce the contagion impacts all areas of democratic governance: While strong executive leadership is required to combat the crisis, we can observe that some governments use the emergency rule to consolidate power and dismantle democracy from within, undermining the legitimacy of democratic institutions and putting further pressure on human rights, fundamental liberties, the civic space and freedom of media. Corruption risks will increase in the emergency response. The unfolding economic crisis may lead into a global financial crisis affecting the macroeconomic stability and contributing to an overall political destabilization, affecting fragile contexts in particular.
As in all crisis, existing inequalities and social exclusion patterns tend to be reinforced, with the most vulnerable people hit the strongest, in particular in the absence of social protection systems that can help navigate and reduce the immediate effects for the population. In that sense, the crisis also shows the importance of effective public institutions, high quality services and broad social protection systems. We therefore need to ask about opportunities that crisis brings to ‘build back better’ and strengthen resilience in the long term.
This shareweb page collects selected resources on the impact of COVID-19 from a governance perspective. It serves as a space for the DDLG network members to share country specific challenges and SDC responses. It aims to support and guide SDC on how we can address the crisis and respond to COVID-19 while preserving and promoting democratic governance, gender equality and social inclusion, and respecting and protecting human rights, civic space and liberties.
What is our response?
In this section, we want to share and collect experiences and examples on how SDC can respond to the COVID-19 crisis from a governance perspective – be it examples of adaptation and innovation in governance programs, or strategic guidance on how democratic governance principles can be promoted in responding to the pandemic.
Analysis [d:5, tg:Analysis]
Governments are adjusting and handling legal and financial challenges arising from the COVID-19 pandemic to meet the needs of their citizens. A big challenge for municipalities has been to shift to online working modalities. The amount of change and adaptation may seem a lot. Yet, as the experience of Bashki të Forta (BtF), a project of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), shows municipalities in Albania are adapting to the ever-changing situation to provide services. The project has facilitated municipalities to strengthen or introduce new ways of working and oversight. This has contributed to increasing transparency towards citizens and improving coordination for effecting actions. Adaptations, and the learning from the process, offer the opportunity to lay the foundation for improved service delivery well beyond the pandemic. Link Helvetas 2020 Valbona Karakaçi , Jacques Merat , Arbër Kadia , Zenebe B. Uraguchi Report on a functional government in response to the COVID-19 challenge in cooperation with local communities. Further Reading Document SDC, Helvetas The current crisis highlights the relevance of the thematic approach in the Western Balkan (governance, economic development and employment, health, urban infrastructure and energy) as well as the migration partnerships. Further Reading Document SDC 2020 The document is only accessible to DDLGN members. Key Reading Document SDC 2020 Ursula Keller
Program [d:5, tg:Program]
SDC Ukraine and its partners share with us their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Guidance [d:5, tg:Guidance]
Synthesis note Key Reading Document IDS 2022 Robin Luckham, Becky Carter Topic paper Key Reading Document IDS 2022 Robin Luckham, Becky Carter Key Reading Document SDC 2020 Another insightful document is the Joint messages on democratic governance and COVID-19, developed by the OECD DAC Governance network to raise awareness among both governments and donors. A major conclusion is that both well-intentioned and opportunistic policy measures to respond to the COVID-19 crisis may have negative effects on the quality of governance and SDG 16 outcomes. The joint messages can be a useful guide for your dialogue with your partners. Key Reading Document DAC 2020
Documents, links, responses beyond the DDLG Network:
Democracy
With the pandemic crisis unfolding, it becomes clear that not only health and economy are at stake but also the impact on democracy or democratic governance more broadly. Some measures undertaken to slow down the COVID-19 propagation around the world directly impact democratic institutions and principles. In this section we gathered resources that help us understand how COVID-19 impacts democracies.
Resources [1]
With a huge influx of cash flows and medical supply
shortages, humanitarian emergencies create fertile
ground for fraud and corruption. Corruption in humanitarian assistance results in a reduced quantity and quality of aid reaching the targeted beneficiaries, and, as a result, may potentially prolong humanitarian crises. In addition to the direct costs, there are non-financial forms of corruption that affect humanitarian relief efforts, such as nepotism and cronyism, sextortion, favouritism and political interference in aid distribution. Further Reading Document U4 2020 Matthew Jenkins, Aram Khaghaghordyan, Kaunain Rahman and Jorum Duri International IDEA provides our analysis and commentary on COVID-19 and Democracy, and information on how our democratic rights are affected during health crises and other large-scale and life-threatening emergencies. Responses to the Corona Crisis in the Western Balkans, Croatia and Slovenia (Report 1) Further Reading Document Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung 2020 Max Brändle, Tamara Brankovic, Arjan Dyrmishi, Besa Kabashi-Ramaj, Igor Luksic, Nenad Markovikj, Filip Milacic, Tara Tepavac, Nenad Zakosek, Miroslav Zivanovic The coronavirus pandemic is not just changing how we live and work – it is also changing who has power and how they can use it. Link IDEA 2020 Richard Youngs, Elene Panchulidze Further Reading Document OECD A toolkit for member states Further Reading Document Council of Europe 2020 The enormity of the situation brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic invites – or rather forces – us to reflect on the nature and effectiveness of our systems of governance. And not just of health systems, but more broadly the governance of our very complex societies and their transnational flows. Link Basel Institute on Governance 2020 Claudia Baez Camargo Development aid is needed to counter the crisis; it must be safeguarded from corruption. Click on the Basic guide below for an overview of how corruption and the coronavirus pandemic are connected, and how development actors can leverage their aid and build corruption risk mitigation into their response in order to prevent further damage to societies.
Human Rights, civil society, media
In this section, you find resources that focus on the challenges for human rights and fundamental liberties, the critical contribution of civil society and the crucial role of media in these times where people depend on transparent information.
Resources [2]
The COVID-19 Civic Freedom Tracker monitors government responses to the pandemic that affects civic freedoms and human rights, focusing on emergency laws. Link International Center For Not-For-Profit Law 2020 This document provides an overview of human rights concerns posed by the coronavirus outbreak, drawing on examples of government responses to date, and recommends ways governments and other actors can respect human rights in their response. Link Human Rights Watch 2020 COVID-19 and media freedom – guidance based on the Council of Europe standards Link Council of Europe 2020 This factsheet identifies some of the main types, sources, and claims of COVID-19 misinformation seen so far. It analyses a sample of 225 pieces of misinformation rated false or misleading by fact-checkers and published in English between January and the end of March 2020, drawn from a collection of fact-checks maintained by First Draft. Link Reuters Institute 2020 J. Scott Brennen, Felix Simon, Philip N. Howard, Kleis Nielsen Joint statement Further Reading Document 2020 Monitoring human rights developments in the Euro-Mediterranean during the COVID-19 pandemic. - Newsletter Link EuroMed Rights 2020 Rasmus Alenius Boserup
Gender, social inclusion and LNOB
Resources [3]
SDC ShareWeb on Poverty - Wellbeing The pandemic is deepening pre-existing inequalities, exposing vulnerabilities in social, political and economic systems which are in turn amplifying the impacts of the pandemic. What evidence exists regarding the secondary impacts of response and control measures to major disease outbreaks (e.g. SARS/H1N1/MERS/Ebola etc) in low- and middle-income countries with weak health systems or in pre-existing crises? Further Reading Document IDS 2020 Brigitte Rohwerder Rohingya and the COVID-19 Further Reading Document International Organization for Migration The novelist Arundhati Roy on how coronavirus threatens India — and what the country, and the world, should do next Link Financial Times 2020 Arundhati Roy
Public policies and local governance
From a governance perspective the response to the economic and financial crisis are critical. The crisis shows the importance of a well-functioning public sector able to manage the response. Local governments are particularly challenged in this regard. In this section you find resources that address different aspects of public policies and local governance in response to COVID-19.
Resources [4]
This is a moment of peak uncertainty for governments, civil society and citizens. Facing a unique challenge from the coronavirus, new policies and approaches are being tested in real-time. Link Open Government Partnership 2020 Local and regional governments are on the front line in the fight against COVID-19. But beyond this commitment, it is clear that the pandemic will have an impact on local and regional authorities, particularly in financial terms. A model assesses the impact of the pandemic on the financial resources and capital expenditure of local and regional governments. Further Reading Document UCLG Africa François Paul Yatta Les collectivités territoriales sont sur la ligne de front de la lutte contre le COVID-19. Mais au-delà de cet engagement, il est évident que la pandémie aura un impact sur les collectivités territoriales, particulièrement sur le plan financier. Un modèle évalue l’impact de la pandémie sur les ressources financières et les dépenses d’investissement des collectivités territoriales. Further Reading Document CGLU Afrique François Paul Yatta Covid has put Governance at the heart of debates on Development, but how has it changed the questions we ask? Link Oxfam 2020 Graham Teskey What are the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives and our societies – and what are some of the solutions we can find to boost our healthcare systems, secure our businesses, maintain our jobs and education, and stabilise financial markets and economies? Joint Statement by the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Further Reading Document OECD 2020 LOCAL GOVERNMENT FINANCE - Guidance Note for Immediate Action Further Reading Document UNCDF 2020 This policy tracker summarizes the key economic responses governments are taking to limit the human and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The unprecedented health and economic crisis developing countries are facing will aggravate existing development challenges. While governments have started to respond, their capacity is tightly constrained. OECD governments and the broader international community need to unlock ambitious support, to prevent the loss of lives, contain the risk of aftershocks, and invest in sustainable recovery. Further Reading Document OECD 2020 UCLG, Metropolis and UN-Habitat have launched a live learning experience with local and regional governments which, through solidarity and political will, are pushing more than ever to fulfill their critical role. They are working to carry out an affordable and fair service delivery, fostering the preservation of the commons, and promoting human rights. Decentralisation and Local Governance Network
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