The COVID-19 pandemic has left no city or country unaffected. In cities around the world, which have been particularly hard hit, local government has played a crucial role in limiting the spread of the virus and mitigating its social and economic effects.
Cities Alliance, in collaboration with UCLG ASPAC and AIILSG are creating a platform for cities across the Global South to identify city practices that have been successful in managing the spread of COVID-19, protecting the informal sector, and mitigating effects on vulnerable urban populations. The platform facilitates the exchange of these practices between city leaders and actors as part of knowledge exchange webinars.
Webinar One - Managing COVID-19: Interactive Platform for Cities in the Global South:
The first webinar focus on the risks associated with COVID-19 in cities and the measures that national and sub-national governments are undertaking to manage, and recover from, the crisis. Furthermore, on-the-ground experiences were shared as part of discussions on challenges faced by cities, particular in relation to protecting workers in the informal sector, frontline workers, and vulnerable communities.
Webinar Two - Enhancing the role of Multi-Stakeholder Collaborations for COVID-19 Mitigation
The second webinar addressed the short-term and long-term actions adopted by municipalities in Latin America and Asia to enhance partnerships and scale multi-sector/stakeholder collaborations. Such coalitions are seen as crucial to achieving more resilient and sustainable societies while protecting the lives of vulnerable populations.
Future Webinars
Additional areas of interest will be addressed in upcoming webinars, including:
- Socio-economic impacts of lockdowns and how to support livelihoods
- Increases in urban povery and inequalities and how they impact progress towards achieving the SDGs
- Preparedness and planning for future global health crises, especially in developing countries
- COVID-19 as a catalyst for transforming pandemic responses
- Effective models for emergency responses in a pandemic for cities to model.
