Actress Eva Longoria delivering a keynote speech at WISH 2020 yesterday.
Doha: American actress Eva Longoria added her voice yesterday to the World Innovation Summit for Health (WISH 2020) discussions around the impact of the pandemic and global health inequalities experienced by women and girls.
She delivered a keynote speech on the third day of WISH 2020, a gathering of healthcare leaders, practitioners, advocates, researchers, and idea generators, taking place virtually under the banner of ‘One World, Our Health’.
“While we are proud of the work we’ve done, it will take all of us — working together and centring women and girls of colour — to address the systemic inequalities that have been exacerbated by COVID-19,” said Longoria.
The award-winning Hollywood actress, director, and producer, Longoria is known for her extensive philanthropic work and activism.
She highlighted the ways in which COVID-19 has deepened existing inequalities for Latinos in the US and marginalised people across the world in her keynote speech.
She asserted that governments and communities should work together on solving the concurrent educational and economic crises affecting the marginalised and underrepresented.
“The Latinx community — my community — has been particularly hard-hit. We’re much more likely to be infected or to know someone who has had COVID-19, in part because Latinos represent 35% of essential workers in the United States,” she said.
Longoria also highlighted the importance of nurturing women’s mental health in the current climate and voiced her concern that the pandemic has been harder for women, who tend to have multiple responsibilities.
She also urged WISH 2020 participants to go beyond their area of expertise.
“Attend a session outside of your speciality. Learn from a speaker you find inspiring on a brand-new topic,” said Longoria. “We have to meet the holistic needs of our global family, and emerge from this pandemic stronger,” she added.
