The COVID-19 pandemic is regarded as the most significant threat to social and economic welfare that the world has faced this Century, and probably since at least World War 1. Apart from its immediate impact on the lives of those infected with the virus, mostly older and vulnerable citizens, it has forced countries into mandatory lockdowns that have devastated not only local economies but seriously weakened the world trading system itself. Now that countries are beginning to recover from the initial impact of the coronavirus pandemic it is time to reflect on some important questions:
- How well prepared were countries for the pandemic and what can be improved?
- What lessons can we learn from those countries that are well into their rebuild phase than can be adapted and employed elsewhere?
- What has the crisis meant for commitments made to work towards a more sustainable and resilient future, and
- What is the role of local government in, what can only be called, the new normal?
Local government’s role in the post-COVID-19 recovery and the importance of not losing sight of building sustainable and resilient towns, cities and regions is the subject of this webinar forum being held by Wellington City Council, Local Government New Zealand (LGNZ) and United Cities and Local Government Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC).
The forum is intended to provide a unique opportunity for participants from Asia Pacific to both hear directly from officials and politicians those involved in overseeing the post COVID-19 recovery in their countries and putting resilience and the sustainable develop goals back on the agenda.
Those taking part in the webinar forums will learn about:
- successful strategies employed to drive social, cultural and economic recovery from the impact of COVID-19
- the importance of the SDGs to successful and sustainable recoveries
- new approaches to strengthening resilience and sustainable communities;
- the value of taking holistic and multi-layered approaches to building resilience and future proofing communities within the context of the SDGs
The final webinar of the series will be devoted to discussing the draft “Wellington Declaration”. The Wellington Declaration will highlight the importance of regional and global cooperation to address challenges like the COVID-19 pandemic and its immediate and longer-term effects.
Topics
The webinar programme will feature presenters, who are leaders in their fields, drawn from throughout the Asia-Pacific region. Topics will include:
- Evaluating strategies for managing the spread of COVID-19
- Establishing networks and mechanism for sharing good practice for responding to the Crisis
- The SDGs as a guide to social, economic and cultural recovery
- The importance of strong inter-governmental restructures and relationships
- Lessons in response, recovery and reconstruction that can be learned from other crises
The target audience includes leaders and officials from local, provincial and central governments, development agencies, and other relevant stakeholders.
Date and Venue
The Forum will be held by audio visual means using Zoom and involve two webinars held over two days, starting Monday, 24 August 2020 and finishing Tuesday, 25 August 2020. Meetings, by audio visual, of the executive bureau and statutory committees will be scheduled on the days following the forum.
CLICK TO READ CONCEPT NOTE AND AGENDA
For more information contact:
Local Government New Zealand
Dr. Mike Reid, Principal Policy Advisor
Email: mike.reid@lgnz.co.nz
United Cities and Local Governments Asia Pacific (UCLG ASPAC)
Secretariat Office Jakarta, Indonesia
Email: secretariat@uclg-aspac.org
DRR and Resilient Coordinator
Email: drr.coordinator@uclg-aspac.org
