With daily reported cases reaching approximately 12,000, Mexico is among the top 15 countries with known cases of COVID-19. This high rate of infection has challenged Mexico’s leaders to adapt and respond effectively while also forcing them to spend considerable time countering criticism of their efforts. Zoé Alejandro Robledo, Director General of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, will join Ricardo Hausmann, Rafik Hariri Professor of the Practice of International Political Economy at Harvard Kennedy School, to discuss the country’s experience with COVID-19, including both the successes and the many challenges its leaders have encountered as they seek to bring the crisis to an end. Thalia Porteny, postdoctoral fellow at the Lab on Research, Ethics, Aging and Community Health (REACH Lab), will offer intro remarks and will recite the Harvard Land Acknowledgement. This conversation is part of a year-long, virtual discussion series: Crisis Leadership in a Pandemic: Lessons Learned in the Fight Against COVID-19, sponsored by the Program on Crisis Leadership and the Ash Center. Zoé Alejandro Robledo earned his Masters in Law from the National Autonomous University of Mexico and also holds certificates from George Washington University and John F. Kennedy School of Government. He has served in several senior government roles including Senator for the State of Chaipas and Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior.

Canada took early steps to manage the spread of COVID-19 by closing borders, limiting travel, and instituting lockdowns at the provincial level. Although these early efforts initially succeeded in managing the spread of COVID-19, they failed to prevent a second wave of cases from overwhelming the country’s public health system. The situation became so dire in Canada’s largest province, Ontario, that private long-term care facilities required military support to manage patient care. The Hon. Harjit S. Sajjan, Canada’s Minister of National Defence, will join Juliette Kayyem, Belfer Senior Lecturer in International Security and Faculty Director of the Homeland Security Project at Harvard Kennedy School, to discuss these and other experiences in Canada’s response to COVID-19. This conversation is part of a year-long, virtual discussion series “Crisis Leadership in a Pandemic: Lessons Learned in the Fight Against COVID-19”, sponsored by the Program on Crisis Leadership and the Ash Center. About the Speaker Minister Sajjan is a former Lieutenant Colonel in the British Columbia Regiment, with which he participated in four operational deployments. He also spent 11 years as a detective addressing gang crime with the Vancouver Police Department.