Briefing Paper for Parliamentarians on Placement of Climate Change Responses at the Center of Efforts to Reconstruct Economies Post COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic had devastating impacts on the African continent, which created a human development crisis. The pandemic came when the continent is trying to recover and manage climateinduced disasters that include droughts, locust plagues, and cyclones threatening the continent’s peace and security. To manage and control the COVID-19 pandemic, most countries in Africa put in place regulations which include lockdowns that necessitated people to stay at home and exercise physical distancing. However, the crowded informal urban settlements which characterise Africa’s cities made physical distancing and total lockdown difficult, therefore increasing the vulnerability of the poor populations. This situation is worsened by lack of access to clean water, poorly funded and inadequate health systems, and poverty.

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