Around the Institute

Socrates Goes Digital : The New Awakening in a Post-Pandemic World

June 8, 2020  • Socrates Program

In the past few months, as a society, we have had to rethink almost everything. When globally pneumonia, diarrhea, and malaria remain among the leading causes of death among children under age 5, how much progress have we really made?  Three decades ago, polio paralyzed or killed almost 1,000 children every day. Today, through public-private partnerships, 99 percent of those cases have been eliminated. Moreover, the rise of digital and mobile technology, access to humanitarian data, and other innovations have made it easier and more efficient to deliver critical services in conflict and crisis situations and hard-to-reach communities.  This expands the opportunity and ability to respond appropriately and with accountability, yet as we have seen with the COVID-19 pandemic, there is so much more to be done. 

Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF, will be in conversation with Daniel R. Porterfield, CEO, and President of the Aspen Institute.