The dramatic increase in the number of countries that have adopted social protection responses to the pandemic is an opportunity to recognise the potential of social protection and enshrine these measures into systemic approaches that extend beyond mere ad–hoc crisis response. However, the COVID-19 crisis may also have exacerbated some of the pre-existing barriers that limit the inclusion of rural populations. Reaching rural populations with critical support requires innovative and adaptive approaches to respond to their special needs. This webinar provided a platform for countries to discuss how social protection can best be leveraged as a tool to mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on rural communities, as well as challenges and opportunities for building back better in terms of longer-term social protection responses, enhancing coordination between social protection and agriculture. 

Panellists: 

• Reema Nanavaty, Director of the Self Employed Women’s Association’s (SEWA), India  
• Lixia Tang, Deputy Dean, College of International Development and Global Agriculture,
  China Agricultural University  
• Cecilia Mbaka, Head of the National Social Protection Secretariat, Kenya 
• Mounir Cherif, Social Protection Expert, Tunisia 

Discussant: Kroum Markov, Social Protection Policy Specialist, ILO 

Moderator: Ana Ocampo, Social Protection Officer, FAO