COVID-19

World Vision Australia's Policy & Advocacy work to combat COVID-19


It's going to take a team effort! 

Our whole policy and advocacy team is focussing on ways to combat the COVID-19 crisis. We're making an impact in the following areas: 

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COVID-19 and Australian First Nations Communities

Martu Supply Packs Newman World Vision Australia First Nations

Click to read Opinion Piece by our First Nations Policy Advisor Scott Winch

WHY?

First Nations communities are especially vulnerable to COVID-19.

Children in First Nations communities have the most to lose from the health crisis and lockdowns – access to education, affordable food, culture and community – and critically, loss of their elders, who hold irreplaceable cultural knowledge, language and leadership. 

 

Join our call for the Australian Government to:

  • Minimise disruptions to the education of First Nations children and protect their health and wellbeing
  • Close the digital divide between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students


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COVID-19 and Conflict and Fragility

COVID-19 Education in Afghanistan

By contributing to the UN Humanitarian Response Plan, Australia can do its fair share to help prevent the COVID virus from spreading

WHY?

This global crisis requires a global response. Australia’s humanitarian response should be global, supporting those who need it most, in our region and beyond. This includes prioritising hot spots such as places affected by conflict, refugee camps, and internally displaced populations, recognising the extreme vulnerability these groups already face.
 
Children are the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic. Children may not be the most impacted by COVID-19 in terms of physical health, but they are massively vulnerable to broader impacts. As many as 30 million children are at risk from COVID-19 health aftershocks, as deadly diseases like malaria and conditions like malnutrition go untreated due to overstretched health systems. 
 

Join our call for the Australian Government to:

Contribute our fair share ($165 million) to the global effort to defeating COVID-19 via the UN’s Global Humanitarian Response Plan.

At least 4% of the total humanitarian assistance should be dedicated to child protection. 

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COVID-19 and Child Rights

World Vision child protection in Mongolia

World Vision child protection during COVID-19 lockdown in Mongolia

WHY?

COVID-19, the associated lockdowns and economic crisis, are acting as a threat multiplier, magnifying the risks of child labour, child anxiety, child marriage, violence against children and children becoming orphans in the most vulnerable parts of the world. 
 
Lockdowns and the sudden loss of livelihoods for parents and caregivers, increase the vulnerability of children to poverty, abuse and neglect.
 

Join our call for the Australian Government to:

  • Scale up programs to end violence against children in the Pacific and Timor-Leste with an investment of $55 million at this time of increased risk during and after lockdown
  • Ensure child protection is included in all response plans to COVID-19

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COVID-19 and Climate Action

DFAT and World Vision Solomon Islands Staff inspecting flood gauges and early warning systems

DFAT and World Vision Solomon Islands staff member inspecting flood gauges and early warning systems

WHY?

Every disaster recovery effort should strengthen communities for the next disaster - after COVID-19, the next biggest threat to children will be climate change.

As the world moves to recover from COVID-19, we need to Build Back Better. We need to build a fair and inclusive society that is resilient to future crises.  A #GreenRecovery can build resilience to future pandemics and disasters and prevent the Climate Crisis. 

Around the world, trillions of dollars in stimulus will be invested to support the economic recovery. This stimulus can support global regreening and accelerate the transition to zero emissions, while at the same time build sustainable livelihoods and create millions of clean jobs. 
 
Runaway climate change presents the greatest threat to the health and well-being of children and families in Australia and around the world and action to build community resilience and mitigate the worst impacts of climate change is as urgent as ever.  
 

Join our call for the Australian Government to:

Make the recovery a #GreenRecovery and ensure that the COVID economic response, in Australia and around the world, builds the resilience of the most vulnerable communities and supports the transition to a zero-emissions future.

Ask your MP for their support