When: Wednesday, June 30, 2021, 11:00 AM - 12:15 PMWhere: Webinar, online
The arrival of a global pandemic underlined as never before the importance of resilience - for individuals, organisations, and societies. Departing from a definition of resilience as ‘the process of adapting to overcome adversity’, this expert roundtable of distinguished contributors from the UK and India examined how the pandemic has altered our understanding of this fundamental concept, and its central role in our collective recovery.
When a novel coronavirus arrived in spring 2020 it not only brought unique new challenges, but also compounded existing stressors on physical and mental health: climate change, forced migration, decreased food security, violence and economic deprivation, to take just a few examples. What’s more, the precise impacts were far from evenly distributed within our societies, further exacerbating existing inequalities.
Overcoming adversity is a vital skill for individuals and communities alike, and examples of ‘resilience’ in the face of adversity have been abundant in both the public and private sectors throughout the pandemic. What wider lessons can we draw from the actions of individuals, civic organisations, corporations, or governments during this time, and how can we ensure that the recovery is delivered in such a way as to benefit all members of society?
A distinguished round table of individuals committed to playing their part in the recovery and debated how we can all contribute to the task of building resilience for the future.
Building Resilience for the Future was the latest event from the Resilient Futures India Initiative (RFII) led by the Queen Mary Global Policy Institute together with partners from across the UK and India. It formed part of the fourth international meeting of the partners, following previous RFII summits in New Delhi, Mumbai, and London.