High Commissioner's Dialogue on Protection Challenges: Protection and Resilience during Pandemics
© UNHCR/Felipe Irnaldo
The theme of the 2020 Dialogue was “Protection and Resilience during Pandemics”.
The Dialogue focused on the implications of the COVID-19 pandemic for the protection and resilience of refugees and people who are internally displaced or stateless and their host communities.
Participants reflected upon how to address the pressing protection and solutions questions that have emerged, building upon the international refugee protection regime and principles and arrangements set out in the Global Compact on Refugees.
The measures taken to mitigate the COVID-19 pandemic have significant consequences for the protection, health, socio-economic welfare and resilience of forcibly displaced and stateless people and their host communities. They have also affected opportunities to identify solutions. Actions that States and other actors are taking now could shape how international protection will look in future pandemics.
Many States and other actors have developed new and innovative approaches to ensure protection and address the impacts both in the emergency response and the medium and longer term. This Dialogue identified such promising practices and shared lessons learned in the pandemic to promote protection, access to services and resilience outcomes.
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Virtual opening session
21 October 2020
- Summary document
- 'Give us a seat at the table and we'll change the world'
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Recording: Opening session HCD
Film: Opening session HCD
Virtual session on protection considerations
04 November 2020
- Summary document
- Inclusion key to protecting refugees and their hosts amid COVID-19 pandemic
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Recording: Protection challenges and responses
Virtual session on resilience and inclusion in health (emergency and longer-term approaches with reference to COVID-19)
18 November 2020
- Summary document
- Leave no one behind' in national health plans – UNHCR Assistant High Commissioner for Operations
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Recording: Resilience and inclusion
Virtual session on COVID-19 and Climate Change: What can we learn?
02 December 2020
- Summary document
- COVID-19 crisis offers lesson on climate response for refugees
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Recording: Climate Change session HCD
Film: Climate Change session HCD
Virtual final session on Preparing for protection and solutions in the future
09 December 2020
- Summary document
- UNHCR forum weighs lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic
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