Recommendations published for pandemic response in Low and Middle Income Countries

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From April 25-27 2023, a group of 30 scholars, social activists, and experts in the field of development and global health met at King’s College London (KCL) to discuss the impacts of Covid restrictions in Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs). Scholars from Angola, Argentina, Bolivia, Cape Verde, Colombia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Turkey and Vietnam were represented at the event.

The first two days of the event saw discussions on the themes of healthcare, education, economic impacts, gendered impacts, political authoritarianism, rural and urban dynamics, and lessons for the future. On the final day, participants divided into 4 groups which considered the following themes:

The Impacts of Restrictions: Lockdowns and Human Rights
Global Institutions, Community Health, and Education
Political Authoritarianism and Public Opinion/Public Discourse in the Covid Pandemic
Pandemic Preparedness: Plans and Alternatives

In the weeks following the conference, each group prepared a short draft statement summarising these findings. The conference attendees now share these findings, in the hope that they can contribute actively to policy discussions about appropriate measures in response to future public health emergencies.