SIDE EVENT – 60th. SESSION OF THE COMMISSION FOR SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT

UNDESA Division for Inclusive Social Development – UNITED NATIONS

Priority Theme: Inclusive and resilient recovery from COVID-19 for sustainable livelihoods, well-being and dignity for all:  eradicating poverty and hunger in all its forms and dimensions to achieve the 2030 Agenda.

Thursday, 10 February 2022

From 5.30 to 6.45 pm (Central European Time – CET)

From 11.30 am to 12.45 pm (Eastern Standard Time – EST)

REGISTER NOW!

DESCRIPTION:

The crisis caused by Covid 19 and the lockdowns had a very strong impacts on people. Children were particularly effected by the restrictions of the lockdowns, the difficulties to cope with digitization of education and the fear for the situation. All studies show that children were highly affected during the lockdowns, suffering of higher degrees of stress. Women mental health has been put under exceptional stress, requiring to be at once mothers, school teachers, carers, and workers 24/24. In problematic family’s violence has increased. Families with works that were affected by the pandemic fell into poverty and children poverty has increased in many countries. The burden of managing normality (work, school, health, nutrition, entertainment…) in critical conditions, and the necessity to balance work and family, fell completely in families and the relief provided was not effective. Large families experienced problems in acquiring the digital devices needed for distant education and remote working, broad band was often insufficient for the use of the whole family. The lockdown demonstrated the inequity of housing spaces in many urban settlements, where large houses are too expensive, gardens and balcony are often a real luxury. Urban nature (parks, playgrounds, bike and footpath) became most desirable for all.

Written Statement: Large families and COVID-19

PROGRAM

5.30 pm WELCOME AND GREETINGS: Regina Maroncelli, President of ELFAC

5.40 pm LARGE FAMILIES AND POVERTY, A GLOBAL OVERVIEW: Prof. Anis Ben Brick, Associate Professor, College of Public Policy, Hamad Bin Khalifa University (Doha, Qatar)

5.50 pm HOUSING POVERTY: Dr. Gabriel Amitsis, professor in West Attica University (Athens, Greece)

6.00 pm LIVING IN A CROWD: Carlos and Carolina Aponte Pardo, parents of 9 children (Bogotá, Colombia)

6.10 pm FIGHTING POVERTY, THE POLISH FAMILY CARD: Dr. Anna Bebel, Wroclaw University of Economic and Business (Wroclaw, Poland)

6.20 pm COVID, THE LESSON LEARNT? THE LACKING MEASURES FOR LARGE FAMILIES: Dr. Vitoria Salvado, Research Department of Portuguese Large Family Association (APFN) (Lisbon, Portugal)

6.40 pm CLOSING REMARKS: Raul Sanchez, Secretary General of ELFAC