This webinar aimed at presenting a comprehensive framework to explore how various countries are using their existing social protection systems to address the COVID-19 crisis. By identifying core cross-cutting themes and overarching questions, it also established the framework for upcoming webinars in the same series. 

It also explored how integrated social protection interventions can contribute to a more comprehensive response to tackle the negative effects of the pandemic, with three pillars: i) strengthening public health systems; ii) providing support to livelihoods; and iii) enabling a combination treatment that reinforces the first two pillars while building developmental synergies that can reduce the long-term costs of containment measures. 

Panellists: 

• Valentina Barca, Independent Consultant 
• Michael Samson, Research Director, the EPR 

Discussant: Christoph Strupat, Senior researcher in the Programme of “Sustainable Economic and Social Development”, DIE 

Moderator: Lisa Hannigan, Senior Social Protection Specialist/Director, Social Protection Section, DFAT