To make the recovery green and sustainable, we propose a global green hydrogen alliance to facilitate more efficient, climate-friendly methods of producing hydrogen. Once established, the next steps would include setting up a global inventory of green hydrogen programmes, protecting intellectual-property and licensing rights while expanding global access, and encouraging alliance-wide standard setting for safe storage and transportation.
A fair and inclusive recovery requires more investment in human capital – particularly to upgrade workers’ skills – and an emphasis on supporting the people who are most at risk. Planning processes should privilege public and private financing for low-carbon activities and infrastructure that have the greatest potential to generate jobs for young people and other vulnerable groups facing employment challenges.
To ensure that the recovery supports health and well-being, we need a global fund for social protection to assist developing-country governments in providing adequate social programs. Such a fund would boost coordination efforts and mobilise domestic and external resources to provide a buffer against economic shocks, including those induced by climate-related environmental disasters.
Finally, to realise the potential of digitalisation in advancing the recovery, we need to promote large-scale investment in information and communications technology infrastructure, both to achieve digital equity and to leverage the economic, health, and environmental potential of new technologies.
Several significant international meetings will be held over the next seven months, each of which will provide an opportunity to take steps toward a shared recovery. But marshalling governments, businesses and civil society behind a coherent, representative, and sustained global implementation strategy will require a culminating meeting.