Book excerpt: The shift from response to recovery is now noticeable as the world moves past the paralyzing effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. This book explores responses to the pandemic by international, regional, and local institutions, multilateral action, and crisis prevention efforts at different levels of governance, with a specific focus on the situation of women and children. The contributions in this volume address novel topics and expand the analysis to the different challenges faced by women and children, linking these to the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, to create a holistic view of the true impact of the pandemic. The focus on international and regional cooperation provides further insights on how management of the COVID-19-induced crisis can be altered and improved. Immediate effects of the pandemic were focused on healthcare, but long-term and knock-on effects spread to different societal sectors and must be analyzed to ensure they will be addressed and, ultimately, resolved.