Webinars: Rethinking Urban Community Risk Reduction and Resilience while responding to COVID-19

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that cities are at the front lines of this crisis and will be at the front lines of any similarly globalized crisis in the future. With these four webinars, we aim to unpack the fundamentals of responding to pandemics effectively in urban areas.

SESSION 1 

12 June 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that cities are at the front lines of this crisis and will be at the front lines of any similarly globalized crisis in the future. We need to make sure that our targeting and service delivery modalities are “fit for urban” and contribute to building capacities of National Societies (NSs) and communities to be better prepared for future disasters and crises in urban areas. There have been many webinars -within and beyond RCRC- on umbrella topics such as health, migration, protection and almost all of the activities of NSs under these headings are happening in cities. This session organized by the IFRC Urban Collaboration Platform aims to highlight how to think “urban” in a broader context while responding to COVID-19. Watch the recording here.

Speakers: 

• Jessilou Moringo, Philippines Red Cross, Head of the Disaster Recovery Unit
• Shawky Amine Eddine, Lebanon Red Cross, COVID-19 Response Coordinator
• Kassem Chaalan, Lebanon Red Cross, DRR Program Manager
• Moderator: Aynur Kadihasanoglu, IFRC, Senior Advisor, Urban Preparedness

SESSION 2 

19 June 2020

Continuing to explore how the COVID-19 response and recovery activities are linked to and contribute to building capacities of communities and National Societies to be better prepared for future disasters and crises in urban areas in this webinar: (19 June 2020). Watch the recording here.

Speakers: 

• Engida Mandefro, Ethiopian Red Cross Society, Deputy Secretary Gen. for Disaster Risk Management
• George Mamabolo, South African Red Cross Society Programmes Manager
• Raimond Duijsens, Netherlands Red Cross, Community Resilience Advisor
• Moderator: Aynur Kadihasanoglu, IFRC, Senior Advisor, Urban Preparedness

SESSION 3

26 June 2020

In this webinar, the speakers walk us through addressing the socio-economic impacts of pandemic and connecting ongoing urban community resilience-building programs with COVID response. Watch the recording here.

Speakers:

• Ceyda Dumlupinar Güntay,  Turkish Red Crescent Society, Community Based Migration Program Advisor, and Livelihoods Program Manager.
• Brenda Avila Flores, Mexico Red Cross, Resilience Program Coordinator.
• Alexander Flores Valle, Salvadorian Red Cross Society, Director, Head of DRR Department.
• René Aparicio Guardado, Salvadorian Red Cross Society, Director of the Community Resilience Program.
• Moderators: Aynur Kadihasanoglu, IFRC, Senior Advisor, Urban Preparedness. Nadia Ortega, IFRC Americas Region, DRR Officer.

SESSION 4

10 July 2020

In this session, the presenters explore the complex and systemic nature of cities and how to adapt the ongoing urban DRR programs to the current pandemic and in what ways it will change the way we design and implement urban resilience programs.  Watch the recording here.

Speakers:

• Fabian Arellano Pena, Colombian Red Cross Society, Head of Disaster Risk Management
• Kevin Douglas, Jamaica Red Cross Society, Disaster Risk Management Unit
• Andrew Gardiner, International Committee of the Red Cross, Urban Livelihoods Advisor
• Moderators: Aynur Kadihasanoglu, IFRC, Senior Advisor, Urban Preparedness.