Quezon City, Philippines – AsiaDHRRA launched its first webinar series of ALERT(AsiaDHRRA e-Learning Exchanges on Rural development and Transitions). The ALERT#1:”Impact of COVID-19/pandemic to rural communities in the Asean region”, was conducted on 30 June 2020 via Zoom.
A total of one-hundred eighteen (118) attendees from Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam, coming from various CSOs and academic institutions, participated in the inaugural episode.
With expert panelists: Ms. Elenita Daño, Asia Director, Action Group on Erosion, Technology and Concentration (ETC Group); Ms. Marlene Ramirez, Secretary General, AsiaDHRRA; Dr. Sita Sumrit, Head, Poverty Eradication and Gender Division, ASEAN Secretariat; and, Dr. Katinka Weinberger, Chief of Environment and Development Policy Section (EDPS) in UNESCAP; ALERT#1 were able to cover discussion on the opportunities and challenges in rural development during the pandemic, specifically:
• The impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbating the vulnerabilities of rural communities, such as higher prevalence of malnutrition and food insecurity, higher risks exposure of its ageing population, far less capacity in terms of facilities and infrastructures, and, higher incidence of job displacements, among others.
• Yet, these impacts are less documented and highlighted, and rarely discussed;
• It also exposed the sustainability of prevailing development models, while, at the same time, it has opened up new models and paradigms for programming and policy making;
• With these, we need people-centered responses and recovery plans, as well as paradigm shift to holistic systems in terms of investments and policies for more sustainable rural development and transitions;
• Lastly, as we have seen and heard from stories from the ground, we should put importance or premium in social solidarity and community organizing in rural areas.
For
For the replay of ALERT#1, you may visit:
https://www.facebook.com/asiadhrra.org/
https://www.facebook.com/asiadhrra
For comments and posts about the activity, please use:
#ALERT
#COVID19andRuralCommunities
Stay tuned for ALERT#2: “How farmers, especially young farmers, are coping with this pandemic”, which will be co-organized with AFA and FAO.
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