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28 January 2021 | Story Dr Nitha Ramnath | Photo Sonia Small
Prof Phillippe Burger.

The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the entire world, claiming more than two million lives and sparing no region. The world is confronted with urgent unsolved challenges, with the poor and vulnerable populations, low-skilled workers, and refugees most affected. 

These challenges will be addressed by the Lancet COVID-19 Commission and its various task forces, one of which is the Fiscal Policy and Financial Markets task force. Prof Philippe Burger, Professor of Economics and Pro-Vice-Chancellor: Poverty, Inequality and Economic Development at the University of the Free State, serves as a member of the commission’s Fiscal Policy and Financial Markets task force. The eleven members of the task force include two Nobel prize laureates in economics, as well as academics and public-policy specialists from across the world, under the co-chairpersonship of Dr Vitor Gaspar (Director of the Department of Fiscal Affairs at the IMF) and Prof Felipe Larraín (Professor of Economics, Pontifical Catholic University of Chile and former Minister of Finance of Chile).

The commission is an interdisciplinary initiative across the health sciences, business, finance, and public policy, and was created to help speed up global, equitable, and lasting solutions to the pandemic. The work of the commission is divided into 12 task forces, each composed of members from diverse disciplinary interests, geographies, and identities. These task forces provide support in areas ranging from vaccine development to humanitarian relief strategies, to safe workplaces, to global economic recovery. 

Key aims of the commission is to speed up awareness and the worldwide adoption of strategies to suppress transmission, as well as to ensure that COVID-19 vaccines and key technologies are equitably accessible across the world.

The Fiscal Policy and Financial Markets task force will consider fiscal and financial issues related to the pandemic affecting advanced, emerging market, and developing economies. Based on evidence and best practices, the task force will provide recommendations on managing the effects of the pandemic and will also manage the transition to a resilient, smart, inclusive, and green growth path. Issues related to fiscal sustainability as well as debt relief in poor countries are on the task team’s agenda.

Many multilateral institutions such as the WHO, the IMF, the World Bank, the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the UN, the UN World Food Programme, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, and others face profound challenges in undertaking their crucial missions to coordinate the global response to the pandemic. The Lancet COVID-19 Commission also aims to make recommendations to strengthen the efficacy of these critical institutions. Moreover, the commission reaches out to regional groupings, including the African Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), the Southern Common Market (MERCOSUR), and others, to support the efforts of these bodies in fighting the pandemic. 

The Lancet COVID-19 Commission and its task teams include leaders in health science and healthcare delivery, business, politics, and finance from across the world. They volunteer to serve in their individual capacities – not as formal representatives of their home institutions – and will work together towards a shared and comprehensive outlook on how to stop the pandemic and how best to promote an equitable and sustainable recovery. 

News Archive

UFS Rector gets reappointed
2007-06-08

The Council of the University of the Free State (UFS) today unanimously (Friday 8 June 2007) extended the term of Prof. Frederick Fourie, Rector and Vice-Chancellor of the UFS, for a further five years.

Prof. Fourie was appointed on 1 January 2003 in this position and his current term appointment will expire on 31 December 2007. The extension of his five-year term as Rector and Vice-Chancellor will come into effect on 1 January 2008. .

“During the course of his term Prof. Fourie clearly demonstrated that he has the competencies and abilities to manage the recent strong growth phase of the UFS and to further develop the UFS to be a modern university,” said Judge Faan Hancke, Chairperson of the UFS Council.

“His commitment to quality, integrity, justice, non-racialism and non-sexism are qualities that will be crucial to addressing the strategic objectives and priorities of the UFS,” said Judge Hancke.

According to Judge Hancke, Prof. Fourie’s confrontation of and commitment to two of the most important challenges facing the UFS also played a role in the Council’s decision to extend his term. These challenges are:

  • The institutional charter as key to successful, high-quality transformation and social robustness in the context of diversity; and
  • The strategic clusters as key to a word-class research and teaching profile, academic quality and robustness.

A diversely compiled committee with a balanced representivity made a unanimous decision to submit the extension of Prof. Fourie’s term to Council today for approval. The evaluation committee comprised of among others the chairperson of Council as the presiding officer, the vice-chairperson of Council, other Council members who are not employees of the UFS and representatives of Senate.

The process comprised of the evaluation of Prof. Fourie’s work performance and competencies within a broad framework of the strategic aims of the UFS.

According to Judge Hancke the evaluation committee considered aspects such as the staff profile of the UFS; the vision, mission, values and strategic priorities of the UFS and Prof. Fourie’s vision for the UFS; the inherent post requirements of Rector and Vice-Chancellor; the outcome of the evaluation discussion with regard to Prof. Fourie’s successes during his term as Rector and the future challenges for a rector before the recommendation was made to Council.

“On behalf of Council I wish to congratulate Prof. Fourie with his appointment and wish him all of the best with his task to take the UFS to new heights,” said Judge Hancke.

Media release
Issued by: Lacea Loader
Assistant Director: Media Liaison
Tel: 051 401 2584
Cell: 083 645 2454
E-mail: loaderl.stg@ufs.ac.za
8 June 2007
 

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