HAPPENING NOW: Tune into the #fragilityforum20 event for #PeaceInOurCities ft. @SoyOscarEscobar, @nanwhaley, @BNzovu of @LPI_voices and @bernardharborne of @WorldBank:

Mayor @SoyOscarEscobar of Palmira, Colombia opens the panel discussing impact of #COVID19 on the city, particularly when it comes to violence reduction. How will the lockdown continue to affect violence in the city, & how are different populations affected? #fragilityforum20

In #Palmira, city government has seen a reduction in violence, but have worries about the ongoing nature of the pandemic lockdown - there is a tension between people who are spreading #misinformation about #COVID19 and the government trying to enforce lockdown #fragilityforum20

"There is no textbook on how to deal with violence during pandemics." - @SoyOscarEscobar speaks to Palmira's violence reduction strategy & how being able to talk with #PeaceInOurCities members have allowed an open dialogue on co-learning #fragilityforum20

#Palmira: public health & violence prevention are very related. It is not just via police that issues of violence are structurally resolved, it's through interruption, & intervention in communities to prevent and make safe environments & create access to justice #fragilityforum20

Mayor @nanwhaley of Dayton, Ohio speaks to the impact that #COVID19 is having in many US cities: an increase in gun violence during lockdown and the pandemic. Coverage by @teamtrace at the start of the pandemic anticipated this: https://www.thetrace.org/2020/05/coronavirus-gun-violence-interruption-street-outreach/ #fragilityforum20

Mayor @nanwhaley: The pandemic is exposing great inequities in our cultures & our communities - it's a necessary process that has to happen for meaningful change, as we've seen through the protests across the country since the murder of George Floyd #fragilityforum20

As a member of @usmayors, Mayor @nanwhaley speaks to actions that mayors are taking across their local communities across the country that are attempting to decrease the impacts of both the #COVID19 pandemic & gun violence #fragilityforum20

Mayors have the ability to affect change on local levels - through networks like #PeaceInOurCities & @usmayors - whether through poverty reduction, building community trust, and reducing violence #fragilityforum20

In #Dayton, the white community is being forced to wake up to systemic racism in our communities - something that Black communities have known is a problem for years. We see hope in this awakening & the change in generational leadership in our cities #fragilityforum20

. @BNzovu of @LPI_voices speaks to the #Nairobi context: the #COVID19 pandemic has completely halted the city's ability to deal with violence reduction - the pandemic has shown the cracks that already existed in city infrastructure #fragilityforum20

In the midst of the pandemic, #Nairobi has dealt with government issues & an increase in state violence during the lockdown & curfew, where there has been a series of extra judicial killings by security forces #fragilityforum20 #PeaceInOurCities

"During the pandemic, the police have killed us more than the #COVID19 virus." - @BNzovu explaining how many civilians of #Nairobi see their experience as public & private spaces have become more dangerous #fragilityforum20

The city has been grappling with how to deal with the increase of domestic violence in private spaces in #Nairobi, as well as an increase in #GBV as a result of lockdowns & #COVID19 school shutdowns increasing teenage pregnancies #fragilityforum20

There have been a lot of proactive initiatives by CSOs & non state actors on gender-based violence in #Nairobi which have been positive to communities #fragilityforum20

There has been a shift on government liability - civilians now understand that the public health system needs to involve the public & needs to be improved #Nairobi #fragilityforum20

Violence reduction isn't just #Nairobi city government's responsibility, it is also your responsibility - civilians have begun to take more ownership & had increased dialogue about mental health & trauma awareness that will hopefully continue after the pandemic #fragilityforum20

. @bernardharborne of the @WorldBank emphasizes that the #COVID19 pandemic has forced us to include things like patriarchy, racism, & poverty in our discussions - how will we make sure that these remain focused & lead to financial investment in systemic change? #fragilityforum20

The @WorldBank has committed $150 billion over the next few years to respond to the #COVID19 pandemic. This is initially focused on public health responses & poverty reduction - how can we also center violence reduction in this investment? #fragilityforum20

The @WBG_Dev4Peace new Fragility, Conflict & Violence strategy that was announced this year can be strengthened by partnerships with mayors & civil society actors that will bring #data to the forefront of violence reduction #fragilityforum20

When we look at community trust & those who perpetrate violence, how can we integrate these strategies into larger initiatives across the globe, as @WBG_Dev4Peace has been analyzing in #Haiti & El Salvador? #fragilityforum20

Has #COVID19 created opportunities for shifting inequities via #PeaceInOurCities? In #Palmira, the government has been able to gather lots of info on violence throughout the city & more data in general to see the income & violence inequalities in the city #fragilityforum20

The gap in opportunity is what worries them the most - "a child in the city with access to internet is more advantaged than one living in the mountains of Palmira." In #Palmira, they are having tough convos about if they should open schools, & how this will look #fragilityforum20

"Data is a very important place to start - but you have to make sure that that data is not used in a vacuum." - @nanwhaley emphasizes that you have to use a combo of qualitative & quantitative info, data is an important piece of bringing #PeaceInOurCities #fragilityforum20

In #Nairobi, the city is gathering data that will allow them to create response mechanisms to future problems that will have comprehensive learning - how do we really address the emergent inequalities & the potentials that have emerged during this time? #fragilityforum20 @BNzovu

Thank you for joining #PeaceInOurCities and @WBG_Dev4Peace for this #fragilityforum20 session - our hope is that we can take these opportunities during #COVID19 to learn from each other on how to better reduce urban violence across the globe.