Post COVID-19 era:

Pathways to Resilient Livelihoods of the Urban Poor during the Pandemic

28 July – 4 August 2020 (Two online sessions)

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic has put the world in a crisis like no other in recent decades in terms of its economic and social impacts. The pandemic has made everyone struggle with a cumbersome new normal such as shelter-in-place or stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines. For more than one billion urban people living in slums or informal settlements globally[1], these orders and guidelines aren’t just arduous; it is not possible for those people to comply with them. Social distancing is considered as one of the most important responses to the pandemic, but it only works when dwellers have basic health services, social safety nets, and tolerable space in the neighborhood.

The actions taken to contain the pandemic are unevenly and disproportionately influencing the urban poor in multiple ways, including job loss, rise in prices, loss of remittances, limited rationing of food and other basic goods, limited access to health care services, and disruption to education. Rigorous quarantine measures have brought a large part of economic activities to a still, leaving many urban poor without means to make a living. It is greatly feared that the pandemic could generate the new extremely poor people to an extent which our relentless efforts to combat poverty in accordance with the 2030 agenda are to little avail. It is estimated that the pandemic could push about 49 million poors more into extreme poverty in 2020 alone[2].

Many of the newly generated poor are highly likely to be found in the urban areas and on their peripheries, considering lack of safety net programs and less support for informal workers in densely populated cities. This urges both national and local governments along with the international community to effectively respond to the crisis in a timely and efficient manner. Governments’ capacity to have sustainable livelihoods available to the urban poors during the pandemic has become more critical than ever. In this context, CIFAL Jeju organizes an online event designed to explore the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on the urban poor, the uneven realities and dilemma they face during the pandemic, and finally pathways to resilient livelihoods of the urban poor.

Objectives

ž  To provide a platform for good practices and lessons learned to be shared

ž  To discuss how different strategies and policies by country can be adapted to address urban poor issues related to the pandemic

ž  To practice designing an action plan to be implemented in participants’ home countries for resilient livelihoods of the pandemic-stricken urban poor

Expected Outcomes

ž  Better understanding of the realities facing the urban poor during the pandemic

ž  Shared policy strategies to minimize the economic and social impact of the pandemic on the urban poor

ž  Viable action plan designed to address the urban poor issues triggered by the COVID-19

Target Audience

This program is open to government officials and practitioners from CSOs who have been working in the social development and urban resilience area.

Program

−      All Zoom meetings will begin at 16:00 Korean Time.

−      There will be a preparatory session for the invited participants on Thursday, 23 July at 16:00 Korean Time, which the participants are required to join.

Requirements

Selected participants are required to:

ž  submit necessary documents on time, e.g., action plan etc.

ž  complete pre-training readings and submit assignments

ž  actively participate in the training program

ž  be fluent in written and spoken English

Application and deadline

Send the following four documents to cifaljeju.jitc.1@gmail.com by 17 July 2020 (Friday)

Note

Only selected applicantswill be notified individually.

Organizer

UNITAR CIFAL Jeju/Jeju International Training Center

Website

http://cifaljeju.org/

Certificate

UNITAR and UNITAR CIFAL Jeju will jointly issue a certificate upon completion of the training.

*Along with the certificate, CIFAL Jeju is going to select one best participant during the workshop, who will be given a priority in selection of beneficiaries when applying for an offline capacity building program organized by CIFAL Jeju in the future.