Cooperation and Compassion During COVID-19: How Civil Society Must Pave the Road to Recovery
April 1, 2021 | Canada
By Matt Reed, Global Director of Institutional Partnerships, Aga Khan Foundation, and CEO, Aga Khan Foundation United Kingdom
Last month, I spoke at the launch of The Council of Europe Development Bank’s Award for Social Cohesion. The award recognises outstanding organisations and projects contributing to social cohesion in Europe.
The topic could not be more important, as events of 2020 have underscored for all of us – from the fever pitch of polarisation on social media, to understandable outrage at police violence and institutional racism, to the rise of conspiracy theories, violence and xenophobia culminating in attacks on the US capitol. Each of these point to societies struggling to cohere — to accept and embrace differences as a strength, not a weakness. Or so it all seems, if we follow the headlines and hysterias of Twitter.
But that dour vision – real though it is – is far from the whole story. When we look around the world and take stock of the past year, we see many extraordinary examples of people coming together in this pandemic to help one another, and all humanity. These examples of solidarity and solutions give the lie to the pessimistic view of polarised politics incapable of pragmatism and practical action.
Share with friends
