Bristol Poverty Institute presents
Poverty and the Sustainable Development Goals: From the Local to the Global
The Sixth Peter Townsend Memorial Conference
27-29 April 2021 (online)
Slide Presentations and Video Recordings available for download below
The programme is available to download here: Final BPI Conference Programme 2021 (PDF, 485kB)
Day 2, Wednesday 28 April 2021
(Credit: Bristol Poverty Institute, Jorge Martin Illustrator)Livelihoods and Debt Session
09:30-11:00 Access to welfare benefits and advice and impacts on health in Bristol
There is a well-established link between poverty and poor mental health, and financial difficulties are often made worse by the difficulties those with poor mental health have in accessing essential services. A report from MMHPI in 2018 found that mental health problems can make navigating the benefits system harder, with serious consequences. This workshop, therefore, aims to explore some of the issues faced in accessing benefits, and how improved access may improve health outcomes for different groups. Drawing on the Health Integration Team model used by Bristol Health Partners, the workshop will bring together representatives from local health care providers, advocacy groups, practitioners, academics, and researchers, to facilitate a purposeful and evidence driven discussion on how access to benefits can be improved, focusing on the local context of Bristol. The workshop aims to increase understanding on, firstly, what the key challenges in this sector are, and for different groups and secondly, explore the evidence of what will help meet those challenges.
Chair: Mr Oliver Watson, Bristol Health Partners, UK
Co-Chairs: Dr Sebnem Eroglu-Hawksworth, Senior Lecturer in Social Policy, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK and Ms Sara Davies, Senior Research Fellow in Personal Finance, University of Bristol, UK
Accessing services: an overview
- Ms Sara Davies, Senior Research Fellow in Personal Finance, University of Bristol, UK
Presentation slides available below
BPI Conference 2021 - Access to Welfare benefits & advice in Bristol (PDF, 1,936kB)
Helping Hand with Dementia
- Ms Anndeloris Chacon, Chief Executive Officer, Bristol Black Carers, UK
This talk did not feature slides
The role of financial information and advice in supporting older people’s wellbeing
- Ms Kay Libby, Chief Executive, Age UK Bristol, UK and
- Mr Ben Sansum, Advice & Support Manager, Age UK Bristol, UK
Presentation slides available below
BPI Conference 2021 - Livelihoods and Debt (PDF, 534kB)
How accessing benefits impacts the health/mental health of the Bristol Somali community
- Mr Mohamed Sayaqle, Chair of Bristol Somali Youth Voice, UK
Presentation slides viewable in the video recording
Video recording available below
11:30-12:30 Closing the Digital Divide – Opportunities and Challenges
COVID-19 has highlighted digital connection as a crucial cornerstone in ensuring that people in the UK are educationally, economically, socially, and financially included. People on lower incomes are less likely to have good digital connectivity, meaning that existing inequalities are exacerbated in new ways. In this panel discussion, we will hear from academics, policymakers and practitioners about the opportunities and challenges to close the UK’s digital divide as a step towards greater inclusion.
Chair: Professor Sharon Collard, Chair in Personal Finance, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
Co-Chair: Professor Julie MacLeavy, Professor of Economic Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
This roundtable discussion featured:
- Dr Gemma Burgess, Acting Director and Principal Research Associate, Cambridge Centre for Housing and Planning Research, University of Cambridge, UK
- Corrina Eastwood and Dr Katy Goldstraw, Addressing Poverty by Lived Experience (APLE) Collective, UK
- Seema Malhotra, Labour MP for Feltham and Heston, Shadow Minister Work and Pensions, and member of the Social Integration APPG, UK
- Dr Emma Stone, Director of Design, Research and Comms, Good Things Foundation, UK
This roundtable discussion did not feature slides.
Video recording available below
Food and Nutrition Session
Visual minutes of the afternoon sessions below
(Credit: Bristol Poverty Institute, Jorge Martin Illustrator)14:00-15:00 Food insecurity and malnutrition
The Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the return of hunger in many countries – not just low-income countries. The experience of food insecurity is, unfortunately, spreading. The pressing need to decarbonise agriculture and regenerate soils while simultaneously increasing food production could result in increased food prices and worse outcomes for the most vulnerable. It is, therefore, of increasing importance to have valid and reliable measures of food insecurity and malnutrition in order to make more effective and efficient food policies. This session will discuss some of the latest developments aimed at helping to ensure that the goals of SDG2 are achieved (i.e. end hunger, achieve food security, improve nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture).
Chair: Dr Zoi Toumpakari, Lecturer in School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol, UK
Co-Chair: Professor David Gordon, Director of Bristol Poverty Institute, University of Bristol, UK
The double burden of food insecurity and malnutrition and beyond
- Professor Hugo Melgar-Quiñonez, Director of the Institute of Global Food Security at McGill University, Canada
Presentation slides viewable in the video below
Assessing progress towards SDG2 in west and central Africa
- Dr Shailen Nandy, Reader, School of Social Sciences, University of Cardiff, UK
Presentation slides available below
Video recording available below
15:30-17:00 Food, Nutrition, Poverty and SDGs: Beyond Zero Hunger
Whilst food and nutrition comprise the explicit objectives of several of the SDGs (particularly SDG2 – Zero Hunger), they are indirectly related to nearly all 17 goals. With food and nutrition embedded in highly complex challenges environmentally and socially, focusing only on hunger to address food insecurity is reductionist and insufficient for addressing inequitable food systems. In this session, we will hear from guest speakers from NGOs working on these challenges in different contexts – the city of Bristol, UK (Feeding Bristol), and rural towns in Guatemala (Seeds for a Future). There will be short talks to hear about their work and a Q&A, followed by discussions in smaller groups to explore some of the interconnected challenges of food, nutrition, and poverty with the wider SDGs.
Chair: Dr Lauren Blake, Lecturer in Human Geography, School of Geographical Sciences, University of Bristol, UK
Co-Chair: Mrs Maria Jesus Vega Salas, PhD Student, School for Policy Studies, University of Bristol
Working Together for Food Justice
- Mr Ped Asgarian & Ms Lucy Jackman, Feeding Bristol, UK
Presentation slides available below
BPI Conference 2021 - Working together for food justice (PDF, 1,176kB)
Building a grass-roots intervention that produces positive and sustainable results for better food security and nutrition in rural Guatemala
- Ms Suzanne de Berge, Semillas para el Futuro (Seeds for a Future), USA/Guatemala
Presentation slides available below
BPI Conference 2021 - Building a grassroots intervention (PDF, 1,537kB)
Video recording available below