Big Tent Digital events

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Tuesday 24th November 5.00pm

From Words to World Changing: How can the UK Government Deliver on its Development Manifesto?

24th November 2020 marks exactly one year since the Conservative Party published its Manifesto. In it, they stated that the UK’s work in helping to reduce global poverty and fight climate change were reasons for the UK to hold its head high. They also committed to stand up for the right of every girl in the world to have 12 years of quality education and end the preventable deaths of mothers, new-born babies and children by 2030.

One year on, none of us could have imagined the scale of the challenge we would be facing to meet these commitments, forcing communities and governments to rapidly adapt and evolve. From COVID-19 to climate change, 2020 has brought unprecedented disruptions to health and education systems. As a result, a generation of children’s futures are at risk. To solve the world’s greatest challenges and give future generations a fighting chance, we must tackle these problems in ever new and innovative ways. Business as usual won’t cut it anymore.

Join Big Tent and Unicef UK and explore with us how the government can deliver on its development manifesto at this anniversary event. The questions we shall be asking include why would reaching the twin commitments to health and education be transformational? What progress – or missed opportunities – have there been in the past year? Why are summits like the G7 and COP26 so important? How can the UK Government make the most of them? What new opportunities does the recent FCDO merger present?

Laura Round (Chair)

Former Special Adviser, Ministry of Defence, the Department for International Development and the Cabinet Office

Rt Hon Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP

UK International Champion on Adaptation and Resilience for the COP26 Presidency

Ranil Dissanayake

Policy Fellow, Center for Global Development

Joanna Rea

UNICEF

Other speakers to be announced

Wednesday 9th December 5.15pm

Road to Recovery? Testing, Vaccines and Mental Health

Join us for an IN Debate with Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt MP, Chair of the Health Select Committee and former Health Secretary, with Jono O’Halloran CEO,QuantuMDx. Since the first reports of COVID-19 from China in December 2019, the scientific community has been in a race against time to understand the virus in order to inform policy and implement appropriate strategies to maximise public safety. We know lockdown has had a significant impact on the nation’s mental health, so as we are faced with the ‘second wave’, what should we be doing to support those facing greater need? And are there any areas where mental health has improved? Is mass testing an achievable panacea and will it mean life can return to normal? How accurate is it? What can we expect from first-generation Covid-19 vaccines? How do you decide who should get what? How do you manage public perception of getting an ‘inferior’ vaccine? Almost a year on from the first reports, will we be able to achieve international consensus on managing the pandemic? As ever Big Tent is the place for everyone to be involved, so join us and seize the opportunity to put your questions to Jeremy and Jono.

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