IDYP: Wellington Chapter Launch and World Café “The impact of the current global pandemic on International Development and its relevance in a post-COVID world.”
15 December 2020
Written by Ra Uniyaal
Photographs by Melissa Boss
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On 8th October, IDYP launched its Wellington chapter with a world café style discussion and came together to debate and discuss critical issues, to increase the impact of their everyday work. We now have an amazing team of passionate volunteers here to support the Wellington ID community. A big thank you to Volunteer Service Abroad for supporting us and letting us their awesome space.
IDYP were excited to welcome five table hosts to help facilitate the World Café discussions.
Mandy Simpson: Mandy is the Chief Digital Officer at Z Energy where she built a team that delivers technology solutions at pace to help navigate a rapidly changing industry. With a finance and technology background, Mandy has held a range of senior executive roles.
Ron Mitchell: Ron is an Education Advisor at the U.S. Embassy in Wellington. Ron has significant experience in community development, partnership building, leadership and program management and is particularly excited about opportunities for young people in international development.
Miriam Mitchell: Miriam is a healthcare professional with experience in coordinating community development projects related to health, education, peace building and youth. Currently working at the Ministry of Health, her interests are in health promotion, global health workforce and sustainable development goals.
Ryley Webster: Ryley is the Operations Manager at Volunteer Service Abroad, NZ’s leading volunteering for development agency. Ryley has delivered successful projects throughout the Pacific and is the founder and CEO of Sustainable Coastlines Papua New Guinea.
Paige Kawana: Paige is a Policy Officer at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade. Paige works within the New Zealand Aid Programme in the Sustainable Development Sector and Thematic Division with focus on agricultural development activities in Africa, Latin America, and South East Asia.
The table hosts contributed a breadth of knowledge, experience, and diverse perspectives to support the discussions. The event commenced with some discussions over nibbles and beverages and the participants had an opportunity to meet the table hosts. The World Café had 2 rounds to address the topic. Each table discussed their views and presented to the wider audience. At the end of the two rounds, each table host shared their reflections on the topic and their experience.
Round #1 How is the current global pandemic is affecting International Development
The discussions revolved around the different ways COVID-19 has impacted various countries and the influence of factors like leadership, policies, pre-existing vulnerabilities. Groups also discussed, how economies have been reshaped and funding has been reprioritised into COVID-19 response.
While aid budgets have shrunk and focus has shifted, the need is now greater and different countries are forced to manage and prioritise with lower allocations.
The table groups discussed social issues like rising drug addiction, domestic violence, income inequality and higher unemployment amongst women. New opportunities have emerged in skill development while boots on ground have reduced.
Round #2-The relevance of international development in a post-COVID world?
It was interesting that some groups noted we are not yet in a post-COVID world yet. While community spread is under control in NZ, most countries are yet to peak. It could be a while before the world can be described as post-COVID.
As boots on ground is not an option, trusted local partners to deliver priority outcomes on limited aid resources is increasingly challenging. The world has learnt to go digital and there is need to see what that means for future ID work. Unfortunately, the focus may have reduced from climate action and SDGs given the COVID response and economic recovery work taking priority.
The discussions were super engaging, thought-provoking and always went overtime 😊. The volunteers were excited to see the energy and enthusiasm in the community. The event concluded with some parting thoughts and opportunities to build knowledge and share ideas about international development.
A huge thank you to all the participants and the table hosts who made the event a huge success. The IDYP team looks forward to hosting more events in Wellington. Watch this space and follow us on Facebook for more information.
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