Covid-19: A Global Perspective

    2020 Goalkeepers Report
       As we write, COVID-19 has killed more than 850,000 people. It has plunged the world into a recession that is likely to get worse. And many countries are bracing for another surge in cases.
        In past editions of the Goalkeepers Report—almost every time we have opened our mouths or put pen to paper, in fact—we have celebrated decades of historic progress in fighting poverty and disease.
But we have to confront the current reality with candor: This progress has now stopped. In this year's report, we track 18 indicators included in the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In recent years, the world has improved on every single one. This year, on the vast majority, we’ve regressed. 
          And so this essay has two goals. First, we analyze the damage the pandemic has done and is still doing—to health, to economies, and to virtually everything else. Second, we argue for a collaborative response. There is no such thing as a national solution to a global crisis. All countries must work together to end the pandemic and begin rebuilding economies. The longer it takes us to realize that, the longer it will take (and the more it will cost) to get back on our feet.
What The World Does In The Next Few Months Matters A Great Deal
          The response to the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us some of the best of humanity: pathbreaking innovation, heroic acts by frontline workers, and ordinary people doing the best they can for their families, neighbors, and communities. In this report, we’ve focused on the threat before us. That’s because the stakes are so immediate and so high. What the world does in the next few months matters a great deal.
Our tagline for Goalkeepers is “progress is possible but not inevitable”—and we stand by it. How bad the pandemic gets and how long it lasts is largely within the world’s control. Ultimately, businesses and governments must really believe that the future is not a zero-sum contest in which winners win only when losers lose. It is a cooperative endeavor in which we all make progress together.
         Read the full 2020 Goalkeepers Report to learn what it will take to end the pandemic.