Migration and COVID19: disruptions and policy impacts

When

December 18, 2020    
11:00 am - 12:45 pm

Where


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Join us for a  webinar exploring the impact of Covid-19 on global migration to mark International Migrants Day. Building on a new IWMI working paper “Between a rock and a hard place: Early experience of migration challenges under the COVID19 pandemic,” produced under the European Union Horizon 2020 funded AGRUMIG project, the webinar will explore challenges posed by this unique situation and ask what the implications are for future migration flows and policies.

AGRUMIG partners undertook a rapid review of impacts in the seven project countries – China, Ethiopia, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Morocco, Nepal and Thailand – over the last nine months, exploring impacts on rural households but also identifying the persistent desire to migrate in spite of restrictions. The challenge is knowing what will be permanent change, and what will resume as ‘business as usual.’

The webinar combines short presentations with a facilitated panel discussion of experts in the migration field from academia and practitioner organizations.

Friday 18 December 2020 | 11:00 – 12:30 GMT

11.00-11.05 Introduction to the Webinar – Dr. Alan Nicol, IWMI
11.05-11.10 An AGRUMIG view – policy challenges and uncertain futures – Professor Peter Mollinga, SOAS
11.10-11.20 Audio-visual of key points from the AGRUMIG paper – Ms. Prachi Patel, IWMI
11.20-11.30 A view from Central Asia – Dr. Asel Murzakulova, Senior Research Fellow, University of Central Asia
11.30-11.40 Perspectives on COVID19 migration challenges – Professor Laura Hammond, SOAS/London International Development Centre (LIDC) Migration Leadership Team
11.40-12.20 Panel Discussion: Long-term effects or short-term impacts – what do we know?

  • Moderation: Dr Alan Nicol, IWMI
  • Katy Barwise, Migration and Development Programme Manager, IOM Regional Office Brussels
  • Professor Priya Deshingkar, University of Sussex
  • European Commission official (tbc)
  • Dr. Nidhi Nagabhatia, Migration Network, United Nations University
12.20-12.25 Summary points: Dr Amrita Lamba, SOAS
12.25-12.30 Closing remarks: Dr Alan Nicol, IWMI