Disarmament, public health and pandemics

Event Date: 10th November 2021
Location: Internet 15.00 GMT

UNFOLD ZERO Newsletter

We invite you to Disarmament, public health and pandemics, an event on policies and parliamentary action to be held in two alternative sessions.
 
Session A is timed for participants from Asia/Pacific:
Tuesday 9 November 2021. 7:00-8:30 CET. 
(This session in English only). Register for Session A.
 
Session B is timed for the participants from Americas/Europe/Africa:
Wednesday 10 November 2021. 10:00 – 11:30 Eastern Time USA. 16.00 – 17:30 CET. 
This session will have simultaneous interpretation in English, French and Spanish.
Register for Session B.

This is the second in a series of international events following the publication of Assuring our Common Future: a parliamentary guide to disarmament for security and sustainable development. It will focus in particular on Chapter 6: Pandemics and disarmament, public health and economic sustainability. Event flyers: English, French.
 Assuring our Common, a parliamentary handbook on disarmament for security and sustainable development is available in English and French as both a PDF document and an online resource optimized for reading on your computer, tablet or smartphone

Event Chairs and Speakers:

Session A:

• Mr Saber Chowdhury (Bangladesh), Honorary President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union. Co-President of Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (PNND);
• Dr Yuriy Kryvonos (Nepal), Director of United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia;
• Rt Hon Helen Clark (New Zealand), Co-Chair, The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Former Administrator of the UN Development Program and Former Prime Minister of New Zealand;
• Dr (med) Hedy Fry MP. OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Special Representative on Gender. Chair of PNND Canada;
• Mr Arthur Duforest. PNND/IPU research officer for Assuring our Common Future.

Session B:

• Ms Paddy Torsney (Canada/USA), Permanent Representative of the IPU to the UN;
• Dr (med) José Ignacio Echániz MP (Spain), Former Chair of the IPU Standing Committee on Peace and International Security. Vice-Chair of the IPU Health Advisory Group;
• Professor Dan Plesch (UK). Director, Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy at SOAS University. Founder and Director, Strategic Concept for the Removal of Arms Proliferation;
• Mr Alyn Ware (New Zealand/Czech Republic) Editor of Assuring our Common Future.
   

About the event

As the COVID-19 pandemic began spreading around the world in early 2020, it became increasingly clear that societies in armed conflict, and those that had prioritised investment in military security, were less able to contain and address the pandemic than societies experiencing peace and social cohesion, and that had given priority to measures of human security and sustainable development, such as public health and education.

The joint publication Assuring our Common Future discusses further the negative correlations between high military expenditure, unrestricted arms flows and armed conflict on the one hand with resilient social and health systems required to adequately address pandemic prevention, management and mitigation.

Who can attend the event?

The primary intended audience are legislators/parliamentarians, legislative assistants, members of parliamentary organizations and civil society representatives who are engaging directly with legislators. However, we also welcome participation by government and UN officials, academics and others interested in advancing effective policies on disarmament for public health. 

Cosponsors

Inter-Parliamentary Union, Geneva Centre for Security Policy, Parliamentarians for Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament and the World Future Council.

For more information see the event webpage or the event flyer (English, French).Yours sincerely
UNFOLD ZERO