The COVID-19 virus knows no borders
April 10, 2020
We need to work together in solidarity, across borders, to tackle this crisis and the many others that layer onto it.
The COVID-19 pandemic highlights the interconnected nature of our world, perhaps more so than anything we’ve collectively experienced in the 21st century. Still, as an organization working in diverse contexts, we know the short and long term effects of this crisis will vary around the globe.
SeedChange applauds the Government of Canada’s announcement to allocate $159.5 million in funding to support international efforts to fight the coronavirus pandemic.
Now more than ever, we need to work together in solidarity, across borders, to tackle this crisis and the many others that layer onto it.
“The COVID-19 virus knows no borders,” says Minister of International Development, Karina Gould. “This has been a wake-up call for the world to stand in solidarity and work together. If there was ever a time for countries and governments to support one another and invest in health globally, it is right now.”
The challenges we face in Canada are severe. But the people we work with in the Global South, especially those who already experience high inequality like women, youth and Indigenous people, will face dire situations as this crisis evolves. Social distancing measures are a privilege that many communities cannot access. Often where we work, intergenerational households with large families in tight quarters make isolating the elderly and the sick impossible. In much of the world, the looming threat of seed shortages, and therefore food shortages, is real.
So this week, SeedChange and more than 180 other organizations, signed an open letter to the Honourable Karina Gould. The open letter proposes further measures to help Canada’s fight against the global pandemic through an increase of Canadian aid and the fast-tracking of funding renewals for multi-year international programs, among other proposals.
This pandemic proves that, no matter where you are in the world, we’re only as safe as those least protected. We’re truly all in this together.