Closed borders, grounded planes, insufficient hospital beds, empty supermarket shelves, police officers and army patrolling the streets: this is the everyday reality in many countries following the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic. 

Here in Serbia infections are rising. Schools have been closed since 16 March, people over 65  are forbidden to leave their homes, a 12-hour curfew is in place, public transport has stopped, and borders have closed. While the immediate concern is for peoples’ health and safety, businesses are also suffering, incomes are falling, and many who rely on the informal economy no longer have work. 

Yet this crisis also brings an opportunity for fundamental change.

We have witnessed many inspiring acts of solidarity. Here are three trends that we believe can transform development beyond the crisis.

Building trust between people and communities

Instead of withdrawal and self-interest, all over the world, we see an outpouring of support and solidarity. Despite physical distancing, people are finding creative ways to connect and help one another, reaching out to the most vulnerable members of their communities.

In Serbia people are posting notices in public spaces and on social media, offering to buy groceries and walk pets for elderly neighbours. Convenience shops and pharmacies deliver groceries and medication to the doorstep of elderly customers, while restaurants are providing free meals. A social media campaign launched by UNDP called #ZajednoRazdvojeni (TogetherApart) has been overwhelmed with volunteering, acts of kindness, and donations.

We have developed Be a volunteer, in partnership with the Office for IT and eGovernment where those who want to assist their communities can register online. Within the first three days of its launch, more than 1,600 volunteers were approved. Local administrations and emergency councils are now matching them with elderly people who need help. A call centre responds to all COVID19 enquiries and is linked to the volunteer platform. The link between the digital platform and the analogue call centre can help reduce the digital divide in Serbia, since it includes rural communities and marginalized groups, such as Roma and the elderly.

Increasing business competitiveness and trust in institutions

Just as important as the horizontal networks of mutual aid and support are the vertical ties between people and institutions. The pandemic is an opportunity to strengthen that trust. UNDP helped the Government of Serbia to consolidate more than 90 tools and services on Digital solidarity. This offers entertainment, educational materials, plays, exhibitions, and free concerts .

Many small manufacturers have shifted to sewing masks for hospital staff. Women have joined the effort, taking out their sewing machines for the first time since the socialist era and using patterns available online, to make and donate masks. UNDP and WHO are partnering to build on these examples of entrepreneurial spirit by issuing a Challenge call, encouraging individuals, businesses and civil society to come up with ideas to address the shortage of urgent medical supplies.

It’s been heartening to also see the thriving tech sector engaging with the crisis. Serbian Visionaries is a 3D printing community that gathered small private companies to print medical face shields, which are donated to hospitals. They now receive funding from the Government’s Innovation Fund to so they can grow quickly.

To help preserve physical and mental wellbeing, fitness trainers and psychologists, many of them women, are offering their skills free of charge. These examples of businesses moving online offer the opportunity for expansion into new markets and increased competitiveness during and after the crisis.

Connecting to the diaspora

Serbia’s sizeable global diaspora offers untapped potential. Serbians living abroad are posting on social networks and speaking to the Serbian media, giving advice, sharing examples of successful strategies and warning against irresponsible behaviour.

Serbia has been losing young, well-educated people to wealthier countries for decades. This depopulation, along with falling birth rates, has become one of the biggest development challenges it faced.

Yet, in a 20-day period in March, 318,000 Serbian citizens returned from abroad. They bring with them skills, networks, and experience that can help Serbia recover. How they are received will influence whether they decide to stay or leave once the crisis is over.

“Tačka povratka“(Returning Point) was established earlier this year to connect Serbia with its diaspora. When coronavirus hit, it began receiving inquiries from Serbian  doctors and nurses abroad who wanted to help fight COVID-19 at home.

UNDP partnered with Tačka povratka to make a public call to all available medical staff from Serbia residing abroad to volunteer. More than 300 applications were received in the first three days. This could make all the difference to a stretched health system.

These examples give us hope in dark times.

Daniel Aldrich has compellingly shown through his research on how Japan has coped with natural disasters that communities with stronger social connections and trust are more resilient to shocks.

There is no doubt that medical facilities, respirators, personal protective equipment and skilled professionals are urgently needed. But the solidarity, networks, social capital and transparency that bind people together and build trust in institutions keeps people safe and ensures resilience in the long run, and we need to identify them.

We also should be mindful of two points about social capital. The first is that networks can exclude as well as include. The second is that social ties can have a negative impact. For example, the work and time women devote to maintaining support networks, including elderly dependents, can hinder other opportunities.

As we explore how to harness solidarity and social capital, let’s also ask about the types of networks being promoted, who participates in them and how. And let’s look for ways to diversify the resources and opportunities networks bring and ensure they benefit everybody, especially the most marginalized.