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

Session recordings available here
Session recording available in French here

This opening session set the scene for the conference, with welcoming statements from key actors in the social protection field.

Initially, there was a brief overview of socialprotection.org's milestones over the past 5 years, including highlights of the “Social protection responses to COVID-19” Task Force, upon which this event draws.

Next, socialprotection.org and its partners welcomed the participants and go through the conference's objectives and agenda, providing an overview of the interactive tools that were used.

Overview

• Welcome by the moderator and welcome statements by socialprotection.org and its partners
• Warming up: Milestones of socialprotection.org over the past 5 years and highlights of the webinar series “Social protection responses to COVID-19”
• Introduction to the objectives and the agenda of e-conference
• Live guidance: introduction to interactive tools used throughout the conference

Session recordings available here
Session recordings available in French here

Presentation available here

• Jordan country overview
  

The panel on Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) allowed social protection experts from the International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth (IPC-IG) and government representatives to present and discuss social protection responses to COVID-19 in the region, with the moderation and comments from UNDP Africa and UNICEF MENARO.

First, researchers from the IPC-IG team provided a regional overview of how social protection mechanisms were used by the countries in the SSA and MENA region in the response to the crisis. The presentation was based on an analytical mapping which the IPC-IG research team has conducted since the outbreak of the pandemic, with support from UNDP and GIZ.

The regional overview was followed by more detailed presentations from country representatives from Congo, Jordan, Morocco and Namibia, who discussed the main actions, challenges and achievements of the social protection programmes implemented in their respective countries. This was followed by a Q&A session.

This session provided some entertainment for the attendees: a quick magic session adapted to these times of virtual interaction!

Session recordings available here
Session recordings available in French here
Presentation available here

COVID-19 has quickly morphed from an unprecedented health crisis to a massive economic shock. Initial expectations were that its impacts on agri-food supply chains would predominantly be felt in post-farm downstream segments, mostly in urban settings. But these expectations have given way to the realisation that the rural sector will not be spared the effects of the pandemic.

Rural economies and households, in fact, are being hit hard by the disease and the containment measures adopted to prevent its spread. This can affect the wellbeing and food security of both rural and urban populations drastically. To better understand the magnitude of these impacts and help devise policies to mitigate them and support the recovery process, FAO and WFP have commissioned a set of simulations of the effects of the pandemic on rural economies, most in sub-Saharan Africa.

The findings will not only provide an evidence base to inform the design of policies aimed at putting rural economies back on their feet and building back better, but also provide the backdrop for a discussion on how countries are responding by stepping up social protection and other measures to stem the negative impacts of the present crisis.

Session recordings available here.
Session recordings are available in Spanish here.
Session recordings are available in French here.


This session summarised and reflected on the key insights and takeaways from the thematic discussions in the previous days of the conference. The session also highlighted inputs and comments from participants in the collaborative tools and sessions.

Overview

• Key insights and takeaways from days 1 and 2 of the conference
• Key insights and takeaways from participants' collaborations

Session recordings available here.
Session recordings are available in Spanish here.
Session recordings are available in French here.

This panel focused on what needs to be done to ensure that social protection programmes and systems are better prepared and ready to respond to systematic crises and shocks in the future, drawing from the lessons learned and debates that happened throughout the conference.

Overview

• The path towards shock-responsive social protection systems

This session provided some entertainment for the attendees: a quick magic session adapted to these times of virtual interaction!

Session recordings available here.
Session recordings are available in Spanish here.
Session recordings are available in French here.

This panel focused on how to sustain the social protection responses that have emerged during this crisis in the long term. Equally, it debated how to best ensure equitable access to comprehensive risk coverage for the entire population through a coherent system in the future.

Overview

• Sustainability of social protection responses to the crisis
• How to best ensure equitable access to comprehensive risk coverage  

Session recordings available here.
Session recordings are available in Spanish here.
Session recordings are available in French here.


This session wrapped-up the conference, highlighting main takeaways and lessons learned, which were followed up by closing remarks.

Overview

• Wrap-up
• Closing remarks