2020 and 2021 will forever be unforgettable years. The world has not only faced a global health crisis, but also imminent issues like climate change, racism, economic recessions, insidious systems of oppression and indelible inequalities. Various people have made vast life decisions during these immensely chaotic and disturbing years. You must have heard of someone who has changed careers, moved to a new place or a new job, or even decided to switch their life around. Something about the unending strangeness of these two years seems to have paved the way for more change than usual.
Changes caused by COVID19
With the COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions, people were forced into months of uninterrupted solitude, and others were stuck with estranged spouses or teenagers they had no relationship. Families were unable to grieve and memorialize their loss, mental health disorders reached the highest record, many lost their jobs and school years were disrupted.
The pandemic upended life as we knew it in a short amount of time, from how we interact, to how we work, how we move around, how we learn and how we plan our future. Today, the world is still grappling with the pandemic, with little or no certainty of what the years to come will bring. However, the dominant trend seems to be changing itself and it is important to take a moment to reflect on those changes, the continued gaps and failings of our efforts and the opportunities available to secure a more peaceful world.
Reflection on the changes and the opportunities presented
Almost every day, the unprecedented restrictions due to the crisis not only affected people’s lives but their livelihoods too.
The pandemic quickly spread, beyond just the health sector, plunging millions into poverty due to job and income losses. Global growth plummeted, poverty levels increased and inequality accelerated2. Some families could barely survive through the lockdowns and over 1.4 billion students globally were shut out of their pre-primary, primary, and secondary schools, with learning in some countries to a greater or lesser extent taking place online3, a luxury that many families couldn’t afford. Such a surging inequality or even the lack of sustainable livelihood for vulnerable households has knock-on effects on crime, which hinders the success of peacebuilding efforts. COVID-19 has offered an opportunity for governments and leaders to review social protection programs and safety nets at the national and international levels. The policies and their implementation plans ought to be hinged on inclusiveness and local contexts.
It is imperative to note that for the last two decades and more, governments, civil society organizations and various practitioners have worked tirelessly to promote and localize peacebuilding efforts. Although it is clear that we have not yet gotten to where we want to be, and the two years seemed to have robbed us of the little success, it is commendable that there are policy commitments and deliberate strategies to sustain cease-fires and include youth and women in peacebuilding efforts. At Never Again Rwanda, we are dedicated to supporting and strengthening the capacities of communities especially young people and women to build peace by learning to tolerate each other’s differences and managing and preventing conflicts.
As the pandemic took the world by storm, many youths took centre stage to mobilize resources and support those who were severely affected by the crisis and introduced various interventions to promote unity and peace in their communities. Such inclusive approaches to analyze the root causes and structural drivers of conflict, while prioritizing people-centred responses not only benefit our society today but also future generations.
Research suggests that individuals affected by crises or major losses are less likely to engage in peacebuilding, especially when mental health challenges have not been addressed. The losses that the world endured left social, economic, political and psychological ramifications, causing detrimental effects on the well-being of and the relationships among human beings. As the saying goes, a chain is as strong as its weakest link. Therefore, addressing the psychosocial needs of the individuals and communities as a whole ought to be regarded as the starting point for the recovery and rebuilding of a more resilient society.
What next?
Most of us were happy to see 2020 come to an end, with hopes that 2021 would be better. However, 2021 seems to have hit harder, with new COVID variants shaking the world, making it difficult for anyone to expect any better for the future. It’s hard to predict whether the COVID-19 pandemic will end or the world’s climate will get better or racism will be a thing no more, but the hope is to continue building on the partnerships and priorities to ensure that we deal with structural inequalities, incorporate a peacebuilding approach in the post-pandemic response and ensure that all people are included in the efforts of sustainable peace and development.