We remain in the midst of an unfolding tragedy, with more than 157 million people in nearly 200 countries having been infected by the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), resulting in over three million deaths.

COVID-19’s impact has been staggering, shuttering cities and nations, crippling economies and transforming everyday life for billions of people. What COVID-19 did not shut down in 2020 was conflict and war. For many, especially women, COVID-19 also resulted in a ‘shadow pandemic’ of domestic violence.

Like many organisations, International Alert spent much of 2020 unable to work in the ways to which we have become accustomed. This necessitated new innovative approaches from our headquarters and country teams – our people responded to the challenge with conviction and creativity.

Our teams in Kyrgyzstan, Nigeria and the Philippines designed new projects to actively address unique conflict dynamics caused by COVID-19; others, such as our DRC and Lebanon teams, adapted their existing work to take account of this new context.

Their hard work and dedication let International Alert continue to deliver high-quality peacebuilding across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.

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