Dhaka, Aug. 6 -- Once Covid-19 abates, we will be reminded of how everything changed, of the world that was. But the unfolding crisis contains profound lessons for the future. When international delegates met at Bretton Woods in July 1944 to devise a post-war world, the war was still far from over. Yet, recalling the missed opportunities that had followed the previous world war, they understood that the focus had to shift from ending the war to establishing new foundations. Today's global economy faces very different challenges, but important parallels remain. Urgency and speed of action are as crucial as the need to mobilise resources at real scale.

There are large unknowns about how long it will take to develop and deploy effective vac...