Events

CHAIRPERSON

Dr Chand Somaiah, Asia Research Institute, National University of Singapore

PROGRAM

ABSTRACTS

Innovations in Big-Data and Real-Time Monitoring to Assess Mobility and Behaviour Change during COVID-19 in Indonesia: Lessons for Megacities in the Global South
COVID-19 is an urban pandemic, with an estimated 95 percent of infections concentrated in cities. In the absence of a vaccine, multi-layered strategies that enhance physical distancing are essential for reducing COVID-19 transmission. Governments in major cities of the global south face difficult choices. Measures to improve health outcomes must be carefully weighed against the negative social and economic consequences of mobility restrictions.

We employed a range of big-data innovations to assess COVID-19 transmission, urban population mobility and poverty gradients in Jakarta, Indonesia. Relative to elsewhere in Indonesia, citizens of Jakarta were better able to ‘stay-at-home’ and adhere to physical distancing recommendations. Strong and consistent associations were observed between big-data mobility proxies and COVID-19 transmission However, steep poverty gradients existed – where better-off households were more able to comply than the poor. Implications for longer-term mitigation strategies for megacities of the global south that underscore implications for vulnerable groups are discussed.

The Impact of COVID-19 on Food Security and Nutrition in Asia and the Pacific
The COVID-19 pandemic poses a serious threat to food security and nutrition. Economic turmoil caused by the pandemic threatens both economic and physical access to food by reducing household income, for example through reduced remittances from migrant workers. Declining incomes may make food, particularly nutritious food, less affordable for some, especially the poor. In addition, disruptions to marketing, logistics and trading systems could make food unavailable in some locations at some times. Such disruptions can occur in the transport of food as well as the movement of labour (both international and domestic) who need to move from one location to another to plant or harvest crops.

In order to contain the spread of hunger and malnutrition, it will be necessary to do several things. First, control the spread of the virus and implement physical distancing to reduce fear among all labourers, including those working in food supply chains. Second, expand social protection, in the short-term as part of countries’ economic stimulus measures, to cover more people and provide more generous benefits to ensure food access for all, while also reducing the administrative burden needed to access the funds. Third, governments should work together with the private sector to solve disruptions in food supply chains when they arise. Fourth, avoid export restrictions in international trade to make sure global supply chains continue to function. Fifth, build resilience into food systems to safeguard them against future economic and health shocks as part of stimulus measures to ensure food access.

ABOUT THE SPEAKERS

Paul Pronyk is the Chief of Child Survival and Development for UNICEF Indonesia. He is an infectious disease and public health specialist with 20 years of experience in low and middle-income countries in Africa and Asia. His expertise is on cross-sectoral interventions to address the social determinants of health. He has published 60 peer-review publications across a range of disciplines, and has held faculty appointments with Columbia University’s School of Public Health and School of International and Public Affairs, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa.

David Dawe is a senior economist and strategy and policy advisor at the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Thailand. He worked previously for the Harvard Institute for International Development and the International Rice Research Institute, and has spent most of this professional career working on food policy in Asia. He has published books and research articles in the areas of trade and markets, domestic price policy, production and natural resources (fertilizer and water management, climate) and nutrition. He was formerly an editor of the journal Global Food Security.

REGISTRATION

Registration is closed, and instructions on how to participate in this webinar has been sent out to registered attendees. Please write to aritm@nus.edu.sg if you would like to attend the webinar.