The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted and amplified health disparities that existed already before the pandemic. Socially disadvantaged groups, including low-income populations and racial and ethnic minorities are at higher risk of contracting COVID-19. They also have a higher risk of experiencing detrimental health effects due to reduced capacity and outreach of health care services for other health problems - as well as from social and public health pandemic mitigation measures. Women and girls face disproportionate impacts.
The pandemic potentially reverses decades of progress related to the SDGs. This session will discuss health inequalities in various contexts and identify actionable research areas and policy actions needed to respond to the pandemic in an equitable way, supporting inclusive recovery.
This session will be an online parallel session followed by a joint panel debate with representatives from each parallel session. Terje Andreas Eikemo will represent this session during the panel debate. This parallel session and joint panel debate is part of the three day 2021 SDG Conference Bergen and registration is required.
13:00-14:30 | Session
| Time | Title | Speaker(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 13:00 | Welcome | Dr. Paul Fife | Director for Global Health, Education and Human Rights, Norad Dr. Jeanette H. Magnus | Director, Centre for Global Health, University of Oslo |
| 13:05 | The COVID-19 Pandemic and Health Inequalities | Prof. Clare Bambra | Professor of Public Health, Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University |
| 13:15 | COVID-19 and Health Inequalities: The Case for Transparent and Inclusive Decision-Making | Prof. Ole Frithjof Norheim | Director, Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), University of Bergen |
| 13:25 | Country Experiences, Public Health Strategies and Effects on Inequalities | Ghana: Dr. Anthony Ofosu | Deputy Director General, Ghana Health Service, Ministry of Health | Co-investigator, Ghana Country Research on COVID-19 & West and Central African Health Systems (Catalyse) |
| Nepal: Prof. Bernadette Kumar | Empower School of Health, India Chair | Global Society on Migration, Ethnicity, Race and Health, Co-Chair UCL-Lancet Commission on Migration and Health & President, EUPHA Section Migration and Ethnic Minority Health |
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| Peru: Dr. Valerie Paz Soldan | Research Associate, School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia | Associate Professor, Department of Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine |
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| 13:50 | Discussion in moderated break-out rooms: “Reflecting the discussions in this session, what are the three most important recommendations for policy development and reform addressing global post-COVID-19 inequalities in health?” | |
| 14:15 | Summary & Closing | Prof. Terje Andreas Eikemo, Leader, Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) |
14:30-15:00 | Break
15:00-16:00 | Debating the parallel sessions
A representative from each of the six parallel sessions will bring the fruits of their intellectual labour – i.e. their main conclusions or key points -- into a joint panel debate following the work from the parallel session.
Session Organizers
About the Annual National SDG Conference Bergen
The annual national SDG Conference Bergen was initiated by the University of Bergen and the annual event is planned in dialogue with the other Norwegian universities, the Ministry of Education and Research, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and the Ministry of Local Government and Administration.
While the world has united behind the 2030 Agenda, rising global inequalities have long threatened to derail the progress made so far. Adding to this, the outbreak of COVID-19 has had devastating impacts across the world. In the Global South, it may very likely hamper development severely, exacerbating inequalities both within and between countries and continents. Recognizing this global fundamental challenge, the 2021 SDG Conference Bergen will focus on tackling global inequalities, relevant for all of the goals, to achieve a new path for sustainable development, after the crisis.