A Sustainable COVID-19 Response, Recovery, and Redesign: Principles and Applications of the Triple R Framework

Many decision makers are contemplating whether policies and investments made in the wake of COVID-19 are inclusive, resilient and sustainable enough to bring about a course change in development. This paper outlines the design features of framework that helps policymakers steer a more inclusive, resilient and sustainable course. What the Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES) calls the “Triple R” Framework consists of connecting targeted “response” interventions with broader “recovery” policies and related stimulus spending while “redesigning” socioeconomic systems to support the framework’s response and recovery elements. In recommending that policymakers use this framework, the paper emphasises that government decisions should aim to adhere to several principles: 1) coherence in content; 2) consistency over time; 3) scalability across space; and 4) alignment of supportive stakeholder interests. Meeting these criteria in policy areas such solid waste, air pollution, and water/wastewater management as well as sustainable lifestyles and ecosystem preservation will strengthen the integration within and across COVID-19 decisions. It will further expand stakeholder support and financial resources committed to a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable world that can avert future planetary crises.