The phrase ‘build back better’ (BBB) emerged from natural disaster recovery following the 2004 SE Asia Tsunami and the 2005 Pakistan earthquake. This rapid review focuses on a small number of multilateral and regional organisations to get a view of how BBB is being framed and approached in relation to COVID-19. United Nations (UN) reports are using the term ‘recovering better’. Discussions within the UN High-level Advisory Board on Economic and Social Affairs on ‘recovering better’ are centred around challenges related to economic uncertainties; digitalisation; inclusive economic structures; sustainable financing for sustainable (and owned) development; bottom-up production structures for sustainable development; and equality and democracy. The OECD suggests that BBB should identify policy options that have positive outcomes for employment creation and better outcomes for long-term sustainability and resilience. The current UK government recovery strategy for the UK prioritises health first, protection and restoration of livelihoods second, and thirdly the social effects of social distancing.