Watch the lecture anytime on LIVESTREAM
This year’s Bonni Curran Memorial Lecture will be keynoted by United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Executive Director Dr. Natalia Kanem, who will speak about the organization’s response to COVID-19 and its impact on women and girls globally.
With many nations paralyzed by the pandemic, over 47 million women in 114 low and middle income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives, resulting in over seven million unintended pregnancies. Childbirth has become less safe during the pandemic as well. Over 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence are expected with a six-month lockdown; for every three additional months, an additional 15 million cases are expected.
Working in more than 150 countries and territories, UNFPA is leveraging its widespread presence and strong record of collaboration with ministries of health, international and national non-governmental organizations and women’s and youth groups, among others, to keep health-care systems at risk of collapsing delivering services.
Vignettes of UNFPA actions to mitigate the effects of COVID-19 around the world will be shown during Dr. Kanem’s lecture, and she will answer questions following her remarks. To ensure that her talk addresses the issues most concerning our audience, she has asked that questions be submitted in advance. Further information regarding UNFPA’s work can be found at either unfpa.org or friendsofunfpa.org.
This lecture is presented in partnership with the Family of Woman Film Festival, running September 9-13 on The Community Library’s Livestream. All films and this lecture will be virtual only.
For more information, visit http://familyofwomanfilmfestival.org/sun-valley-films/.
About the Bonni Curran Memorial Lecture
Each year the Festival presents a lecture by an internationally acclaimed advocate for women and girls. In 2014, it was named in honor of Bonni Curran, who was tragically killed in an accident in 2013.
Bonni was a physician, loving mother and wife, and not only a prominent local philanthropist, but also deeply committed to working on behalf of women and children around the world. She had been a supporter of the festival from its inception. In honoring her memory each year, we are reminded of the impact she had on our community and how much we miss her presence.
