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Health and Social Protection Action Research & Knowledge Sharing Network (SPARKS) Conference 2020
“Bridging the SDGs to optimise health-related social protection”
2-3 December 2020
A virtual SPARKS conference jointly hosted by Karolinska Institutet, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, International Labour Organization and World Health Organization
COVID-19 has more than ever highlighted the importance of having universal social protection systems in place alongside health system preparedness and resilience in tackling complex and interrelated health, wellbeing and human rights issues.
Given the intrinsic value of social protection for health promotion and mitigation of poverty-effects of diseases, now is an opportune time for international collaboration and consensus building on global social protection strategies.
The 2020 SPARKS conference will gather a network of global leaders in public policy and research to facilitate the exchange of knowledge on social protection and health. The event will provide an overview of the current evidence base for health-related social protection interventions, the gaps in research and the future outlook on social protection globally.
As part of this conversation, we will explore the important role of social protection for achieving interlinked SDGs, ranging from universal health coverage (UHC – SDG target 3.8), poverty eradication (SDG targets 1.1 and 1.2), social protection systems, including floors (SDG target 1.3), food security (SDG target 2.1) and decent work, labour rights and a safe and secure working environment (SDG targets 8.5 and 8.8). The conference will include representatives of several international organisations, including the International Labour Organization (ILO), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Food Programme. Furthermore, perspectives on gender, class, history and social justice brought to light by researchers, policy makers and country representatives will be prominent features in these discussions, helping to deconstruct barriers to global health equity.
Together, these discussions aim to identify overlapping ideas, themes and priorities from multiple stakeholders. In doing so, we can foster new opportunities for multi-sectoral collaboration and solidarity.
Conference website: https://sparksnetwork.ki.se/about-sparks-conference/