Bristol Poverty Institute presents

 

The Bristol Poverty Institute (BPI) 2024 Conference Poverty and Social Justice in a Post-COVID World. Marked the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the Townsend Centre for International Poverty Research at the University of Bristol, the foundations from which the BPI has built upon since our launch in 2017.   

This hybrid-format event feature a range of sessions across two days, including formal presentations, interactive workshops, and networking opportunities. The event attracted a broad audience, representing the public, private and civil sectors alongside academics from across the globe at all career stages, from PhD researchers to world-leading Professors. The event explored how the pandemic impacted different dimensions of poverty and how different expertise, approaches, and perspectives can be combined to help improve the lives of those suffering from poverty. 

The conference was delivered across two days: the first in-person in Bristol and the second, online. 

Day one explored the impacts of the pandemic on different dimensions of poverty within the UK, with thematic sessions on topics such as mental health, families, finances, structural inequalities and social mobility, as well as dedicated networking spaces.

Day two brought together a global online audience to take a journey around the world exploring the impacts of the pandemic in different regions; Asia and Oceania; Africa; Europe and the Americas.

The delegate pack contains for each day contains the programme, information on the BPI and the speaker biographies and abstracts. They are available to download using the links below.

2024 Conference Delegate Pack Day 1 (PDF, 793kB)

2024 Conference Delegate Pack Day 2 (PDF, 964kB)

Description 

The COVID pandemic wreaked havoc across the world, disrupting all of our lives. Inevitably, some were worse affected than others and, as with many things, it was often those already marginalised who felt the heaviest impact. New inequalities emerged and existing inequalities were exposed and exacerbated. Many of these have persisted long beyond the peak of the pandemic and, even now, when life has settled into a so-called ‘new normal’ for many. Political choices resulted in a pandemic that was experienced unequally, killed unequally and impoverished unequally and this has reduced trust in government and health systems. 

Whilst the title of our event talks about a ‘Post-COVID World’, this is with recognition that COVID is very much still here, affecting lives and resulting in premature deaths. Indeed, the launch of this conference itself was slightly delayed due to one of our key team members being off sick with COVID herself. The focus of the conference is on poverty, social justice and inequalities in today’s world; a world which has been shaped and impacted by the pandemic in various ways. Many jobs and working habits have completely changed. The ways we socialise, exercise and communicate are different. Health services have been hit incredibly hard. Governments are struggling to overcome deficits accrued as a result of essential measures such as the furlough scheme. Several economies and societies are in crisis. Mental health issues are rife. ‘Long COVID’ continues to burden the lives of those affected and their families. Children whose education was disrupted – particularly those who didn’t have the equipment or support at home for adequate home schooling – are struggling to get back on track and their trajectories may have been impacted irreparably. Food bank usage in the UK and other countries is at an all-time high. COVID has caused so much inequality and made life so much harder for many people. However, it has also presented us with new perspectives and new opportunities. It has shown that, when there is sufficient political will, it is possible to give everyone in the UK a roof over their head and increase benefits for many poor households. It has also led to new ways of working for many people, which can offer a better work-life balance and break down some barriers.  

We need to explore and understand all of the ways that the pandemic has impacted on our societies and what needs to be done to mitigate the negative impacts and harness the opportunities. In order to do this, we need to bring together a multi-sector audience – including those with lived experience – with varied perspectives, approaches and knowledge. Our conference seeks to do this, across our two-day programme with a mix of thematic and regionally focussed sessions and a combination of in-person and online engagement opportunities to try to open the door for everyone to be part of the conversation. 

Webinar recordings and presentations from the two day event are available via the links below.

Day 1 Event Resources

Day 2 Event Resources