Date and time: Wednesday, May 20, 2020, 3 to 5 pm Eastern European Summer Time (UTC+3)
Register here [1].
COVID-19 pandemic, being the largest public health crisis at present, unveils social inequality and economic vulnerability in all parts of the world. Palestine and Palestine refugees are seriously affected in the COVID-19 pandemic. While the level of outbreaks is yet comparatively low thanks to the rigorous efforts made by the governments and partners like WHO and UNRWA, the economic suffering is becoming insurmountable. This suffering, however, is not new. It is the continuation of decades of injustice, political complexity, and social upheavals, augmented by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The emergent MS Teams event is organized to share and understand the situation of Palestinians and Palestine refugees amid the COVID-19 pandemic and express our solidarity and support to them in such an extremely difficult time. This is event organized by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and The Lancet, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), on the margins of the 73rd World Health Assembly, which will be virtual this year due to the current COVID-19 pandemic.
In UNRWA’s fields of operations, including Palestine and its neighboring countries; namely Jordan, Lebanon and Syria, where some 5.6 million Palestine refugees are living, thanks to the rigorous control measures taken by the governments, the numbers of confirmed cases and deaths due to the COVID-19 pandemic are yet comparatively small. Still, like in many parts of the world, social and economic activities are increasingly affected. The World Bank, for example, indicated “Jordan’s economic growth is projected to contract significantly to -3.5% of GDP in 2020.”
PLEASE JOIN US
We cordially invite you to attend this virtual meeting for the introduction and discussion of the efforts that have been exerted to move towards securing the right to health for Palestine refugees in UNRWA’s fields of operations
PANEL MEMBERS
This meeting, moderated by Dr. Richard Horton, the Lancet Chief Editor, will host a discussion panel composed of senior officials from the MoH of Palestine and WHO, together with the front-line workers of UNRWA and a representative of the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA). The discussion panel will explore possible ways to address of the socioeconomic and political determinants of health, and will discuss and analyze how they negatively affect the well-being of Palestine refugees who live under extremely volatile environment and extremely difficult living conditions, and ways to deliver lifesaving and essential health services to them, especially under the COVID-19 pandemic which amplified the vulnerability of this already vulnerable population.
Thank you so much for joining this meeting in solidarity with Palestinians and Palestine refugees, which is highly appreciated and critical to their life and welfare.
Your support to the health and well-being and socioeconomic needs of Palestinians and Palestine refugees is very critical and highly appreciated to help relieve them from different vulnerabilities that are detrimental to their lives, especially with the current COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you so much for joining this meeting in solidarity with Palestinians and Palestine refugees.