Refugees in times of COVID-19: the Challenges of Protection

Refugees have been disproportionately affected by both the direct and indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, including restrictive measures adopted by countries at their borders. In many instances, the rights of refugees have been compromised and their vulnerability exacerbated through discriminatory practices abuses and exclusions.

Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the vital importance of building more inclusive and sustainable solutions for both refugees and host communities. The experts will address the manifold challenges encountered by refugees during the COVID-19 pandemics and give their perspective on the lessons learned and best practices in ensuring refugee protection in the current health crisis.

Speakers:

Prof Vincent Chetail, Director,  Global Migration Centre, the Graduate Institute

Dr Madeline Garlick, Chief, Protection Policy and Legal Advice, the UN Refugee Agency, UNHCR

Dr Madeline Garlick leads UNHCR’s development and production of global guidance on the interpretation of refugee law and provision of legal advice to States, other partners and UNHCR staff on the rights of refugees and other displaced people. She was responsible for UNHCR’s liaison to the EU institutions on asylum for ten years, and has served with the UN in Iraq, Kenya, Cyprus and Bosnia and Herzegovina. She teaches on an occasional basis at Sciences Po, Paris, at the Refugee Studies Centre at Oxford University, and at the College of Europe in Bruges. She is qualified as a barrister and solicitor in Victoria, Australia.

Dr Santino Severoni, Health and Migration Programme (PHM), Office of the Deputy Director-General, World Health Organization

Dr Severoni is Director of the Global Health and Migration Programme, Office of the Deputy Director-General, at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva. He is a medical doctor, health economist, epidemiologist, and experienced systems management. He has over 24 years of experience as an international senior technical advisor and executive, worked for WHO, governments, NGOs, and foundations in Eastern Africa, the Balkans, Central Asia, and Europe. He has dedicated his work to global health, focusing on health sector reforms, health systems strengthening, health diplomacy, aid coordination/effectiveness, management of complex emergencies, and a WHO Representative in Albania and Tajikistan. Since 2011 have been leading the WHO EURO work on health and migration. In 2019 he was appointed EURO Special Representative on health & migration and Director a.i. on health systems and public health. In June 2020, he was appointed Director of the Global Health and Migration Programme at the WHO Headquarters in Geneva to lead the WHO global work on health and migration.