Background on the WHO webinar series
The COVID-19 pandemic and containment responses have exacerbated existing social, economic, gender, ethnic and health inequities. The WHO Global Webinar Series on Equity, COVID-19 and the Social Determinants of Health (SDH) discusses the disproportionate impacts that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on more disadvantaged population groups, with a focus on how it is widening health inequities. It should serve as a call for action to support those groups most affected, to mitigate impacts, and to take the opportunity of the pandemic to revisit how societies deal with the SDH and health equity. Each seminar in this Series will cover the evidence on inequities in health exacerbated in the COVID-19 pandemic and address good practices and solutions to improve health equity through addressing the social determinants.
Webinar no. 4 - Confronting poverty and income insecurity during COVID-19 through strengthening social protection
Agenda
25 February, 12.00-13.00 -- Co-Organized by Nicole Valentine and Chris Brown (WHO)
Welcome – Naoko Yamamoto
Panel introduction: Dr Ilona Kickbusch
WHO sets the scene: How poverty and poor social protection impact the health of the most disadvantaged in COVID. Chris Brown, N Valentine WHO
Guest speaker panel
1. Protecting income security and mitigating income inequities at the start of the COVID pandemic: Irelands experience. Prof. Cathal O’Donoghue, National University of Ireland, Galway
2. COVID-19 and Intergenerational poverty in developing countries: What can we do about it? Peter Hangoma, University of Zambia
3. Social protection to guarantee access to quality health care and enhance income security. Shahra Razavi, Director, Social Protection, ILO
Moderated discussion
Close: Dr Etienne Krug.
Bios of guest speakers
Ilona Kickbusch PhD is known throughout the world for her expertise and is a sought after senior adviser and key note speaker. She has a strong commitment to the empowerment of women.
She is the founding director and chair of the Global Health Centre at the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies in Geneva. She has had a distinguished career with the World Health Organization and Yale University.
The Lancet has profiled her as a global health reformer. She has been awarded the Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesverdienstkreuz) in recognition of her invaluable contributions to innovation in governance for global health and global health diplomacy.
Prof. Cathal O’Donoghue has been from 2016, the Established Chair of Social and Public Policy at NUI Galway. From 2016-2020, he was the Dean of Arts and Social Sciences. Prior to this he was since 2005, Head of Teagasc’s (Irelands Agriculture and Food Development Authority) Rural Economy and Development Programme, one of the 4 research programmes of Teagasc. He was a member of the board of Teagasc’s research directorate. He was a member of the Fund Council of CGIAR, a $1 billion a year International Agri-Food Research organisation from 2014-2016.
From 2012-2014, he was CEO of the Irish Government's Commission for the Economic Development of Rural Areas 2012-2014, Chairman of the Irish Sport Horse Strategy Committee 2013-2015, was President of the International Microsimulation Association 2011-2015 and is on the Executive of the UK Agricultural Economics Society.
He is a UCC graduate, a Statistician and Economist by training, with post graduate degrees from Oxford, UCD, the LSE, and Warwick, having worked previously at the ESRI, UK Government Economics Service, the University of Cambridge and NUI Galway. His personal research programme involves the development and use of policy simulation models, for which he holds a Chair(extra ordinary (adjunct)) at the University of Maastricht, as well as an adjunct position in UCD. He has published over 150 research papers, 5 books and supervised over 40 PhD students to completion. He has been an advisor to many international organisations and was a long term advisor to the UK Government's Department of Work and Pensions on policy modelling earlier in his career.
Peter Hangoma, Affiliation : 1. University of Zambia, Zambia 2. Chr. Michelson Institute, Norway. 3. Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Centre (BCEPS), Norway
Peter Hangoma is an Economist and Senior Lecturer at the University of Zambia and Researcher at Chr. Michelson Institute as well as the University of Bergen, Norway. His research focuses on applied econometrics and development economics, including health, education, and household finance. He has widespread experience conducting quasi experimental as well as randomized evaluations of public programs and specific interventions. He also conducts costing studies and cost benefit analyses of health interventions. He obtained his PhD at the University of Bergen, MSc. Economics, and BA (Econ, Math & Stats) at the University of Zambia.
Shahra Razavi, Director Social Protection Department, ILO
Shahra Razavi is the Director of the Social Protection Department at the International Labour Organization (since February 2020). Before joining the ILO she was Chief of the Research and Data Section at UN Women (2013-2020), and prior to that Senior Researcher at the United Nations Research Institute for Social Development, UNRISD (1993-2013), working at the interface of gender, social policy, social protection and the care economy. She obtained her Bsc. from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), and her Msc. and D.Phil/PhD from Oxford University, and published extensively on social policies, gender and development.