2020 Retrospective: The IPC-IG collaborates with the organisation of an e-Conference on social protection responses to COVID-19 and the future of social protection in a post-pandemic scenario

By IPC-IG
e-Conference logo: a woman with an umbrella in a green field

 

The Global e-Conference “Turning the COVID-19 crisis into an opportunity: What’s next for social protection?” took place from 5 to 8 October 2020, bringing together 183 speakers and 28 moderators across 72 different sessions. Organised in collaboration with 55 partner institutions, the conference registered 2,150 participants among social protection practitioners, policymakers, academics and enthusiasts from 112 countries. 

The IPC-IG was one of the members of the e-Conference’s steering committee, which was organised by the socialprotection.org platform—currently one of the largest projects of the IPC-IG. The event was also sponsored by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) of Australia. The initiative was supported by the Social Protection Approaches to COVID-19: Expert advice helpline (SPACE).

The conference provided an opportunity to take stock of, exchange information about and facilitate learning on social protection responses to COVID-19. It was formulated as a space for the global social protection community to brainstorm about the future of social protection in a post-pandemic world. The event also marked socialprotection.org’s 5th anniversary, consolidating the platform as a premier tool for knowledge sharing and capacity building. Click here to watch a short animated video of the platform’s milestones.

On its first day, a regional lens was used to assess the various social protection responses across different regions. A comprehensive mapping of these responses was developed and presented by IPC-IG researchers in the conference. Soon, this mapping will also be available at the socialprotection.org platform.

Thematic approaches to address specific questions related to COVID-19 and beyond were discussed in the second day of the event, which included round tables, virtual booth talks and clinics with social protection specialists. Side Events were held on the third day. And finally, on the last day, special guests—among them the IPC-IG’s Senior Research Coordinator, Fabio Veras—summarised the discussions, lessons learned and conclusions of the previous days, presenting an overview on what is next for social protection in a post- pandemic scenario.

If you missed the event or wish to revisit any discussion, recordings of the sessions are available. You can watch them by clicking here, where you will find the event’s programme. Simply choose a session and the link to the respective recording will be available above the description.

The IPC-IG also had a Booth in the event’s Virtual Expo, where it delivered an institutional presentation of its inception and work, focusing on the activities developed this year in response to the socioeconomic crisis resulting from COVID-19.

Photo: Quang Nguyen Vinh/ Pexels