Widening health inequities are undermining trust in institutions, reinforcing social fractures and leaving excluded communities further behind. Narrowing the health gap, made worse by the COVID-19 pandemic, is not only a matter of social justice, but it is also essential to build trust, social cohesion and economic resilience.
The cost of living is rising at a time when countries and their citizens are still dealing with extensive effects of the pandemic. New challenges are being layered on top of enduring impacts of previous crises; they are widespread and unequally impact people’s health, the security and quality of their living, working and learning conditions, i.e. the social determinants of health. Failure to mitigate these short- and longer-term consequences exacerbates vulnerabilities and leaves people inadequately protected against future challenges. (author introduction)