The pandemic caused by the Covid-19 virus has exacerbated the already fragile socio-economic situation and further stretched weak public services in several Arab states; particularly those that have been caught up in crises, political instability and wars, including Syria and Lebanon. These fraught economic realities have impacted the most marginalized communities the hardest, including migrants, day laborers, refugees (inside and outside the camps) and internally displaced persons. Social distancing and curfews, which were imposed as preventive measures to mitigate the health impact of the virus, resulted in deepening the social and psychological gaps between people and exposed the inequality facing marginalized classes and refugee communities. Moreover, as some Arab states have increased the role of military apparatuses during the crisis, concerns are being raised about a greater reliance on securitization in the future.
At the same time, the global crisis has been met the resurgence of grassroots and international organizing and solidarity initiatives across the Arab world. These initiatives should also be examined and understood in the context of the global pandemic and the failures it has exposed in global capitalism. With our webinar series, we provide fresh insights in particular on Syria, Lebanon and Palestine, with/by Syrian and Palestinian refugee communities in Lebanon and wider Lebanese society, past/present solidarity networks with and between communities and struggles in the region. Furthermore, alternative models based on solidarity economy will be introduced and discussed.
You can follow each panel discussion by a Zoom link provided to you upon registration.
First Webinar: Solidarity Inside Refugee Populations in Lebanon: Old Forms for New Crises
Monday, 29 June 2020, 5:00 PM [Beirut time, GMT+3]. You can watch the recoding here.