Curfews, restricted travel and closed markets are now in place to control the spread of Covid-19 in Kenya. Hospitals continue to be stressed with patients who are sick with Covid-19 impacting general services, including maternal and reproductive health services. With 1.7% of the population fully vaccinated today, the pandemic continues to disproportionately affect the most vulnerable individuals. Leading experts and practitioners will discuss the SRHR situation in Kenya and explore the linkages between local and global health and rights. Speakers:

• Moderator, Professor Dr. Marleen Temmerman, MD, MPH, PhD
  Chair of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Aga Khan University (AKU) Hospital Nairobi; Director of the Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health, AKU-East Africa; and Uplift International Board member
• Asst. Prof. Dr. Ferdinand Okwaro, MA, PhD
  Assistant Professor in Medical Anthropology, Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health, AKU-East Africa
• Ms. Nellah Ndaka, BA, MPP
  Research Assistant in Global Health Policy, Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health, AKU-East Africa
• Mr. Ahmed Bulhan, LLB, LLM (in progress)
  Research Assistant in Legal and Human Rights, Centre of Excellence in Women, Child and Adolescent Health, AKU-East Africa

Today, we are experiencing a Covid-19 pandemic, a rise in populist nationalism and increasing authoritarianism around the world. Leading experts will discuss the linkages between democracy, human rights and the right to health. We will explore the situations in China and India and highlight experiences in different societies during the Covid-19 pandemic. Panelists:

• Moderator, Beth E. Rivin, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Uplift International
• Benjamin Mason Meier, JD, LLM, PhD, Associate Professor of Global Health Policy, University of North Carolina
• Amar Jesani, MBBS, Researcher and Teacher of Bioethics and Public Health in India
• Joan Kaufman, MA, MS, ScD, Senior Director for Academic Programs, Schwarzman Scholars, Tsinghua University in China

On Tuesday October, 13, 2020, Uplift International’s HR2FP Initiative held a discussion on the intersectionality of racism, Covid-19 and access to contraception and abortion services in America. Over the last few years, access to family planning services has drastically decreased in many states and has worsened during the current Covid-19 pandemic. Discussion included action steps. Panelists:

• Special presentation by Congresswoman (D-WA) Pramila Jayapal
• Moderator, Michele Storms, JD, Executive Director of the ACLU-WA
• LaKimba DeSadier, Indiana State Director of Planned Parenthood Advocates of Indiana and Kentucky
• Camie Jae Goldhammer, MSW (Sisseton-Wahpeton), Manager of the Daybreak Star Doulas Program at United Indians of All Tribes
• Yveka Pierre, Esq, Litigation Counsel at If/When/How
• Introduction by Beth Rivin, MD, MPH, President and CEO of Uplift International