This article is more than 3 months old
The slogan beloved of politicians from Bill Clinton to Boris Johnson is all too often a cover for crony capitalism
A food bank in Burnley, north-west England, December 2020. Photograph: Jon Super/Rex/Shutterstock
A food bank in Burnley, north-west England, December 2020. Photograph: Jon Super/Rex/Shutterstock
Tue 22 Dec 2020 02.00 EST
Last modified on Tue 22 Dec 2020 13.06 EST
In December 2006, two years after the Indian Ocean tsunami had brought terrible destruction and loss of life to large parts of south-east Asia, the UN published a report titled Key Propositions for Building Back Better.
The author of this document, the UN secretary general’s special envoy for tsunami recovery, former US president Bill Clinton, wrote that “while a disaster can actually create opportunities to shift development patterns – to build back better – recovery can also perpetuate pre-existing patterns of vulnerability and disadvantage”.