Dear RC40 Members,
Please find below information about the ARUA 2021 Biennial International Conference (pdf is attached).
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18-20 November 2021
Theme: Global Public Health Challenges – Facing Them in Africa
The ARUA 2021 Biennial Conference, which is taking place from 18 to 20 November 2021, will bring together experts from universities, research institutions, government, industry, civil society, international organizations, etc., to discuss the different steps that African economies need to take in order to face global public health challenges squarely. In reflecting on the prominent lessons from the handling of previous and current pandemics, the medium- to long-term implications of measures and steps taken to contain the spread of the virus in Africa will be the focus of the conference. This will be done in recognition of the interconnectedness of the various issues involved in dealing with a pandemic.
Not much has been documented about the COVID-19 pandemic’s full impact in areas such as food security, healthcare, livelihoods, unemployment, governance, economic growth, taxation, public expenditure, and law enforcement. The impact remains largely unknown, especially in the absence of active and sustainable social protection programmes and due to various governance challenges. Nonetheless, the pandemic has exposed the continent’s poor preparedness and vulnerability even as the threat of a future pandemic remains real. What is now clear, and therefore calls for urgent response, is how interconnected national health, social, and economic systems are, and hence the need for them to be developed together.
Venue
The conference will take place as a blended event at the Future Africa Campus of the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and is jointly hosted by University of Pretoria and University of the Witwatersrand. Although the conference was originally planned to be a physical event, arrangements will be made for participants who opt to participate remotely. arua-sfs@up.ac.za @ARUA_SFS Outputs
Resilient Partnerships for African Food Systems Research
Outputs
The conference is expected to lead to several edited volumes. Depending on the ambitions of the ARUA Centres of Excellence, it should also be possible for each CoE to produce another edited volume.
Participation and Submission of Abstracts and Papers
Persons interested in participating in the conference may send an abstract of no more than one page to the organisers at info@arua.org.za before 31 May 2021 (the original deadline of 15 February 2021 has been extended due to the Covid-19 situation). Applicants will be notified about decisions on their submissions by 30 June 2021. Completed papers must be submitted before 30 October 2021. There will be funding to support basic travel for a limited number of participants from poorly endowed universities and institutions. Award of such travel grants will be made strictly based on paper quality and the timeliness of submission.
More information on the ARUA Biennial International Conference can be obtained from the ARUA Website.
The local planning committee members for the Conference include:
• Prof. Lindiwe Majele Sibanda (Director and Chair of the ARUA Centre of Excellence in Sustainable Food Systems [email: arua-sfs@up.ac.za] – Chair of organising committee)
• Prof. Kuku Voyi (Chairperson: School of Health Systems and Public Health, UP)
• Dr Flavia Senkubuge (Head: Behaviour and Health Management Sciences, UP)
• Prof. Tivani Mashamba-Thompson (Deputy Dean: Research and Postgraduate Studies, UP)
• Dr Farai Kapfudzaruwa (International Strategic Partnerships, UP)
• Prof. Lyn-Marie Birkholtz (SARChI Chair: Sustainable Malaria Control, UP)
• Prof. Cheikh Mbow (Director: Future Africa, UP)
• Dr Mahomed Moolla (Head: Strategic Partnerships, Wits)