UN Talks - The United Nations in the time of COVID-19

Webinar via Zoom at 15:00 -16:00 CET on Wednesday, May 6th 2020

With more than 3 million confirmed cases worldwide, COVID-19’s direct effects have been devastating. The pandemic and its responses have also triggered a broad range of social, economic and political effects whose scope and magnitude are not yet fully understood. While individual countries try to contain the pandemic within their national borders, the multilateral system is developing coordinated responses to help states respond to and recover from its humanitarian and developmental consequences. In the short and long term, what is the role of the United Nations in tackling global crises such as COVID-19? As COVID-19 impacts countries differently, with developing and conflict-affected countries being especially vulnerable, how can the UN tailor its response to ensure that recovery efforts benefit those at most risk?

This webinar examines the role of the UN in tackling the health, humanitarian and development crises of COVID-19. Focus will be given to how the UN coordinates its interventions across agencies, funds and programmes, and tailors them to address the unique contexts of its respective Member States.

This is the first webinar within the UN Talks series that will be facilitated using the platform Zoom. In order to ensure an effective and engaging question and answer segment,  participants are encouraged to submit a question for consideration during registration.

Speakers:

• Ulrika Modéer, Assistant Secretary-General and Director of the Bureau for External Relations and Advocacy, UNDP
• Shaden Khallaf, Senior Policy Advisor and Head of MENA Policy Unit, UNHCR
• Mohamed Yahya, UNDP Resident Representative in Nigeria
   

Moderator: Kate Sullivan, Strategic Planning and External Relations Manager, Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation
 

You can also watch the recording here.

The seminar is the sixth in a series of #UNtalks, jointly organized by the Dag Hammarskjöld Foundation and UNDP Sweden with the aim to contribute to critical reflection and deeper understanding of the role and work of the United Nations.