Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: what is next for social protect

Session recordings available here

This thematic clinic provided an opportunity to ask - and answer - questions on how to ensure gender and disability are fully integrated into COVID-19 response and beyond, how policy and programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation can be better tailored to meet differential needs of women, men, girls and boys, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable or excluded groups, and how social protection response to COVID can be an opportunity to deliver transformational gender and disability outcomes.

'Clinic' sessions were an opportunity for participants to ask practical, technical questions on various topics that have been very relevant to the COVID social protection response. These were either answered 'live' or via a subsequent written discussion forum. The sessions were staffed and moderated by designated 'resource people' on that topic, but answers were provided by peers as well.

Designated resource people:

• Sinta Satriana, Social Protection Specialist, Mahkota Program Indonesia
• Abner Manlapaz, President of Life Haven-independent living center (DPO) and council member of the National Anti-Poverty Commission - Philippines
• Alexandre Cote, Co-founder of the Centre for Inclusive Policy

Moderator:

• Clare McCrum, Social Protection Team, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom

This clinic was hosted by the SPIAC-B Gender Working Group, in partnership with UNPRPD/ILO/UNICEF, and co-chaired by SPACE – Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19: Expert advice. SPACE is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and German Development Cooperation (GDC).

Session recordings available here.


Covid-19 has not been gender-neutral. While men have suffered higher mortality rates, women and girls are disproportionately affected by the socioeconomic impacts: taking on the majority of unpaid care work like childcare, schools and other services have been shut or scaled back, being overrepresented in the most vulnerable sections of the informal economy, and facing a shadow pandemic of rising rates of gender-based violence.

Despite this, social protection responses to COVID have rarely considered gender in their design and implementation. This session explored why this has been the case – why have we not done more to respond to women and girls’ specific needs, what do we need to do to ensure a gender-responsive recovery, and how can we ensure a better response to the next crisis. The session looked to the future to discuss how we can build back stronger with more gender-responsive social protection systems.

Session recordings available here

This thematic clinic provided an opportunity to ask - and answer - questions on how to ensure gender and disability are fully integrated into COVID-19 response and beyond, how policy and programme design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation can be better tailored to meet differential needs of women, men, girls and boys, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable or excluded groups, and how social protection response to COVID can be an opportunity to deliver transformational gender and disability outcomes.

'Clinic' sessions were an opportunity for participants to ask practical, technical questions on various topics that have been very relevant to the COVID social protection response. These were either answered 'live' or via a subsequent written discussion forum. The sessions were staffed and moderated by designated 'resource people' on that topic, but answers were provided by peers as well.

Designated 'resource people':

• Meenakshi Balasubramanian, Founder of Equals-CPSJ (DPO) and research associate Centre for Inclusive Policy 
• Alexandre Cote, Co-founder of the Centre for Inclusive Policy
• Amber Peterman, Associate Research Professor in Public Policy at the University of North Carolina, SPACE expert
• Elayn Sammon, International Development Consultant with a focus on social policy and social protection systems with a focus on women, children and disability inclusion, SPACE expert
• Lara Quarterman, Gender and protection expert with particular experience in Gender Based Violence in emergencies, trafficking and prevention of sexual violence. SPACE expert.
• Rebecca Holmes, Independent consultant providing policy-relevant research on social protection, with a focus on gender equality, empowerment and social inclusion, SPACE expert

Moderator: 
Clare McCrum, Social Protection Team, Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), United Kingdom

This clinic was hosted by the SPIAC-B Gender Working Group, in partnership with UNPRPD/ILO/UNICEF, and co-chaired by SPACE – Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19: Expert advice. SPACE is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and German Development Cooperation (GDC).