The Pandemic and Beyond

The fact that COVID-19 is impacting all 10 countries in the Horn, East and Central Africa (HECA) region presents enormous challenges that require us—Oxfam country offices, the regional platform and partners —to work together better. This vision statement is part of regional platform’s efforts to increase our synergy, harmonise our actions, and maximize our impact in responding to the direct and indirect effects of COVID-19 in the region. Indeed, given the shared experiences and the cross-border implications of COVID-19, taking a regional perspective and approach is critical.

The HECA platform is committed to ensuring coordination, supporting sharing of lessons and information, and facilitating collaboration in the design of new and innovative programmes. This document articulates how the HECA platform and countries are already responding to the new realities of COVID-19. But it goes beyond the current response to identify opportunities to transform Oxfam and partners’ work in the medium to long-term. It also describes approaches to ensure that recovery mechanisms enable the region to build back better following the pandemic.