Webinar Series: Power and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Date: 12 - 14 May 2021
Time: See Programme
Venue: Online
Hosted by the Verfassungsblog and supported by Democracy Reporting International, RECONNECT and the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
Event Details
Marking the conclusion of the "Power and the COVID-19 Pandemic" Symposium, this webinar series brings together contributors from around the world to discuss the impact of the pandemic on law and governance, drawing on five transversal themes: human rights; democracy; the rule of law; science and decision-making; and the impact of an extended emergency.
The 2021 "Power and the COVID-19 Pandemic" was hosted by the Verfassungsblog, convened by Joelle Grogan, and supported by Democracy Reporting International, the Horizon-2020 RECONNECT Project and the Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law.
Each panel will consist of short interventions by each speaker, followed by a moderated Q&A session. Register to join a Webinar below, or watch live on the Verfassungsblog. Tweet your questions with #PowerandPandemic.
Watch Recordings of the Webinars
WEBINAR 1: "Human Rights and the COVID-19 Pandemic"
Wednesday, 12 May 2021 | 09:00 - 10.30 BST / 10.00 - 11.30 CEST
(Convert to your timezone)
COVID-19 - and state responses to it - present a threat to human rights unparalleled in the contemporary era. At the same time, human rights offer a universal framework which guides decision-makers, ensures accountability for their actions and omissions, and renders visible the structural inequalities which drives the pandemic's differential impact on certain communities. Looking forward, this panel discusses how human rights can be used to underpin a just and sustainable post-pandemic recovery.
Chair:
Lucy Moxham, RECONNECT and Bingham Centre for the Rule of Law
Commentary:
"Human Rights and COVID-19: Forging Recovery After a Pandemic of Abuses?" - Alice Donald
Country Contributors:
WEBINAR 2: "Democracy and Disruption"
Thursday, 13 May 2021 | 08:00 - 09.30 BST / 09.00 - 10.30 CEST
(Convert to your timezone)
How has democracy been impacted by over a year of pandemic response and emergency? How have states ensured the democratic accountability of their actions in response to the global health emergency? What lessons can be learned for now, and for the future? This panel examines democratic practices, and highlights the best - and most concerning - developments.
Chair:
Michael Meyer-Resende, Democracy Reporting International
Commentary:
"Democracy and the Global Pandemic - Reshuffled Reputations and the Future of the 'Free World'" - Tom Daly, Curator of COVID-DEM
Country Contributors:
WEBINAR 3: "Science, Law and Decision-Making"
Thursday, 13 May 2021 | 14:00 - 15.30 BST / 15.00 - 16.30 CEST
(Convert to your timezone)
Bringing together experts representing states who have adopted divergent attitudes to the role of science in law and decision-making, as well as an examination of vaccination policy, equity and individual choice, this panel considers the complex policy choices, rationales and politics which interplay in decision-making during a pandemic.
Chair:
Ciara Staunton, Middlesex University London
Commentary:
"COVID-19 vaccines: How macro-level factors can vitiate autonomy at the individual level" - Jerome Singh
Country Contributors:
WEBINAR 4: "The Rule of Law in the Pandemic"
Friday, 14 May 2021 | 09:00 - 10.30 BST / 10.00 - 11.30 CEST
(Convert to your timezone)
The COVID-19 pandemic has placed extreme strain on legal systems, requiring action in response to fast-changing and complex situation of the pandemic emergency. This panel evaluates state action - and in particular, executive-decision making - in response to the pandemic against the standard of the rule of law, and considers whether this will lead to permanent shifts in legal systems worldwide.
Chair:
Joelle Grogan, RECONNECT and Middlesex University London
Commentary:
"Rule of Law as a perimeter of legitimacy for COVID-19 Responses" - Julinda Beqiraj
Country Contributors:
WEBINAR 5: "Quo Vadis? - The Impact of an Extended Emergency"
Friday, 14 May 2021 | 14:00 - 15.30 BST / 15.00 - 16.30 CEST
(Convert to your timezone)
How has COVID-19 impacted upon legal and political systems; minorities and indigenous peoples; and conflict-affected states in transition? This final panel debates themes of trust, equality, conflict and power, and concludes with a commentary by the convenor of the Symposium who will draw together key findings, emergent threats, and reasons for hope.
Chair:
Joshua Castellino, Middlesex University London
Commentaries:
- "A Stress Test for Politics: Insights from the Comparative Covid Response Project (CompCoRe) 2020" - Sheila Janasoff and Stephen Hilgartner
- "COVID-19, Minorities, and Indigenous peoples: The Litmus Test of Equality" - Rasha Al Saba and Samrawit Gougsa
- Emergency Law Responses and Conflict-Affected States in Transition" - Sean Molloy, Christine Bell, Asanga Welikala, Erin Houlihan and Kimana Zulueta-Fülscher
- "Power, Law and the COVID-19 Pandemic" - Joelle Grogan
