By Juanique Tennant

Less than 24 hours since the inauguration of the United States’ 46th President, Joe Biden, and already he has started his first 100 days in office on a high.

Through a series of executive actions, the new president has made clear his intention to rectify some of the more divisive policies instigated by the previous administration as it relates to their environmental agenda, anti – immigration policies and pandemic response.

Reports are that, once in office, Biden moved to rejoin the Paris Agreement on climate change, revoked a permit granted to Keystone XL Pipeline and temporarily halted the leasing of oil and gas in the Arctic – steps which underscore a change in US policy on combating the worsening climate crisis that former President Donald Trump had argued did not exist.

Also of note was Biden’s reversal of a number of ant-immigration policies brought into effect during the Trump administration’s reign.

These reversals include his support of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals programme, which protects immigrants brought to the U.S. as children from deportation; his decision to put to an end to the so-called Muslim ban, which prohibited travel to the United States from several predominantly Muslim and African countries and his order to halt construction of Trump’s coveted border wall with Mexico project – actions which show Biden is already starting to make good on his promise of immigration reform.

On the pandemic front, Biden has pledged to oversee the administration of at least 100 million COVID-19 vaccines within his first 100 days in office, in addition to passing a $1.9-trillion stimulus plan to aid Americans who have weathered various challenges since the start of onset of the pandemic.

A man of his word, not only has Biden started to put measures in place for the well-being of American citizens, he has further embraced his duties as a world leader by reinstating ties with the World Health Organization, after the Trump administration chose to withdraw the nation’s membership and funding last July – making good on his earlier promise that “On my first day as President, I will rejoin the WHO and restore our leadership on the world stage”.