Foreword
While the Luxembourg government’s response to the COVID-19 crisis was particularly agile, maintaining a high level of trust in government, reducing inequality and achieving sustainable and inclusive growth will be critical to the country’s future resilience. This report aims to assess Luxembourg’s response to COVID-19 and learn lessons from it based on an analytical framework developed by the OECD, focusing on three main components that correspond to the phases of the risk management cycle.
This evaluation report is the product of close co-operation between the OECD and the High Commission for National Protection under the Ministry of State of Luxembourg. This is the first report of its kind. It was informed by the OECD publication “First lessons from government evaluations of COVID-19 responses”, which summarises the key lessons learned from evaluations produced by OECD member country governments. This evaluation of Luxembourg also draws on survey data from the country’s ministries, communes, hospitals and schools, as well as a series of interviews with public and private stakeholders.
The evaluation of Luxembourg’s COVID-19 response highlights the importance of agile strategic governance in guiding the response to the crisis, based on solid evidence. Whether in the area of public health, educational continuity, the economy or the labour market, this agility enabled Luxembourg to safeguard the life of the nation and minimise the direct impacts of the pandemic. The country was able to draw on its mature risk management system and the very active involvement of its parliament. However, in a world where major crises are likely to happen more often, maintaining a high level of trust in government will require civil society to play a greater role in crisis management. Addressing inequalities, whether in education or income, is also a key factor for ensuring a return to sustainable and inclusive growth. The conclusions and recommendations of this report will guide governments in these efforts.
The report was approved by the Public Governance Committee on 23 September 2022 and prepared for publication by the Secretariat.