'Building Forward – Consolidated Covid Recovery Plan' Published

The Northern Ireland Executive has published its new Covid recovery plan - 'Building Forward – Consolidated Covid Recovery Plan'.

Announcing the publication, the Office of the First and Deputy First Minister, said: "Covid-19 has affected all aspects of our society. Sadly, many people have lost their lives and this has had a devastating impact on families and communities. There has also been profound disruption to people's lives and livelihoods and a significant impact on people's physical and mental health and wellbeing.

"The purpose of the Recovery Plan is to accelerate economic, health and societal recovery in the short term so we can emerge stronger and also to plan now for longer term transformative and innovative change.

"For the last 18 months, our focus has been on providing an immediate, coordinated response to the Covid 19 pandemic. However, with the easing of coronavirus restrictions, it is timely for the Executive to look to the future and bring together a suite of recovery actions into this new strategy. The virus unfortunately continues to have an impact on our lives and we must not lose sight of that as we go about our daily lives.

"Already existing economic, health and societal challenges were exacerbated as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and this requires immediate action as we begin the transition from crisis mode to recovery.

"We have developed the integrated Recovery Plan to inform our priorities to accelerate recovery over a 24-month period through focused, collaborative working. The Plan details 83 highly impactful interventions that will be progressed over the next 24 months to deliver recovery for all our citizens under four strategic Recovery Accelerators: sustainable economic development; green growth and sustainability; tackling inequalities and health of the population. These work together to ensure that we can emerge stronger from the pandemic.

"We want to see our economy revived, resilient and dynamic. These interventions will help ensure we have an inclusive society where people have equal access to opportunities. The health of the population accelerator will lead to a resilient health sector, with all having access to health and social care in line with targets. We have prioritised green growth and sustainability to reduce our emissions and protect our environment.

"Inequalities that were already present in our society have been made worse over the last 18 months and it is essential these are addressed head on to prevent any further decline. Key to this is strong economic growth to create opportunities for our citizens, improve our lives and to help achieve our green growth and sustainable ambitions.

"As we begin the journey to recovery, we don't want to lose the positive changes to our ways of working and living that came about as a result of the pandemic. We have seen a beneficial impact on our environment; we have seen a greater use of technology; and we have seen businesses and individuals respond in innovative and imaginative ways. We must continue to build on this.

"The Recovery Plan is not about getting us back to where we were before but rather provides the foundation for renewal. We are looking to do things differently, apply what we have learned in responding to the crisis and ultimately aim to be in a better position than we were before.

"Looking further ahead, it is important that what we deliver through the Recovery Plan will contribute to achieving our longer-term strategic objectives in our developing Programme for Government and commitments under New Decade New Approach."

You can access the document via the following link: Building Forward: Consolidated Covid Recovery Plan