Webinar: Securing Public Trust and Social Cohesion Amid COVID-19
The Role of Access to Trusted and Reliable Information
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic presents heightened risks for societies with low levels of social cohesion and a lack of trust between citizens and the state. The accompanying ‘infodemic’ makes matters worse by spreading harmful information that not only undermines health responses but also tears at the social fabric. In addition, pre-existing suspicion of health authorities and aid actors in many countries adds to the danger. These factors drastically increase the likelihood of violence, witnessed already in surging numbers at the household level, and widely feared and predicted to come at the community level.
However, experience responding to the Ebola epidemics in West Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo has shown that ensuring a constructive exchange of information and healthy collaboration between communities, authorities, and responders can play a crucial role in enabling an effective response and preventing violence.
In this webinar, two peacebuilding experts from Mercy Corps will discuss how the COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating existing threats to social cohesion in fragile contexts, and how we can make the international response more effective while preventing violent conflict.
Objectives
- Raise awareness of the impact of COVID-19 on public trust and social cohesion in fragile contexts
- Share good practices of countering misinformation and strengthening community engagement to improve social cohesion amid an epidemic
- Hear experiences and good practices from the broader SRoL community
Format & Speaker
Emma Whitaker, Peace & Conflict Advisor, Mercy Corps
Danjuma Dawop, Head of Conflict Management and Social Cohesion, Mercy Corps Iraq
Q&A
Moderated by Megan Price, Head of Office, KPSRL
Registration
Registration for this event is now closed. Please e-mail info@kpsrl.org if you have any questions. You can view the recording of the webinar below.
