Grossroot democracy

Heed ceasefire call, UN chief urges, marking Africa Day

2020-05-25T09:31:00.001+05:00

Heed ceasefire call, UN chief urges, marking Africa Day

In the Kibera slum in Nairobi, Kenya, residents are provided with soap and water to wash their hands in order to help halt the spread of the coronavirus.

24 May 2020

Peace and Security

African countries have “demonstrated commendable leadership” battling the COVID-19 pandemic, but more nations across the continent where conflict prevails, should heed the UN call for a global ceasefire to push back the deadly virus, said the Secretary-General on Monday.

Marking Africa Day, António Guterres said in his message that the pandemic “threatens to derail progress” which would enable countries to reach the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and development targets set out in the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063.

The AU has established a task force to develop a continent-wide strategy and appointed special envoys to mobilize international support, said the UN chief. Its Peace and Security Council has also taken steps to counter the negative impact of COVID-19 on the implementation of critical peace agreements and reconciliation efforts.

He noted that the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention established a response fund, while African Member States have undertaken “robust measures to contain the spread of the virus and mitigate the socio-economic impacts.”

Mr. Guterres welcomed the AU’s support for his global ceasefire call, an imperative that also reflects the AU’s 2020 theme: “Silencing the Guns: Creating Conducive Conditions for Africa’s Development.”

“Armed groups in Cameroon, Sudan and South Sudan have responded to the call and declared unilateral ceasefires. I implore other armed movements and governments in Africa to do likewise. I also welcome the support of African countries for my call for peace in the home, and an end to all forms of violence, including against women and girls”, he continued.

Politics and the virus

Some 20 African countries are scheduled to hold elections this year, some of which are likely to be postponed due to the pandemic, with potential consequences for stability and peace, noted the Secretary-General.

“I urge African political actors to engage in inclusive and sustained political dialogue to ease tensions around elections and uphold democratic practices.”

UN pointers

Last week, the UN issued a policy brief outlining the impacts of the pandemic on the continent: “We are calling for debt relief and action to maintain food supplies, protect jobs and cushion the continent against lost income and export earnings. African countries, like everyone, everywhere, should also have quick, equal and affordable access to any eventual vaccine and treatment.”

An opportunity now exists, for African governments to “use this moment” to shape new policies that bolster health systems, improve social protection and pursue climate-friendly pathways.

Targeting measures to those employed in the informal sector, the vast majority of whom are women, will be an important step to recovery, said Mr. Guterres, as will empowering women to ensure their full participation and leadership.

“The inclusion and leadership of young people will also be crucial every step of the way.”

China’s ‘Erhardian Bargain’

2020-05-16T23:25:00.002+05:00

16 May 2020

Author: Tristan Kenderdine, Future Risk

The English call it wacky economics, it is at odds with France’s economic philosophy of dirigisme and it has been accused of pushing the European Union into a monetary policy stalemate. Yet German ordoliberalism may have much in common with contemporary economic policy in China.

The German Historical School of economic theory played a huge part in China’s choice of development trajectory and institutions during industrialisation. The economic logic of China’s reform era model was part Friedrich List, part Alexander Hamilton and part Ludwig Erhard. In Germany, this economic logic would evolve to become ordoliberalism.

East Asian economic development has consisted of a series of exercises attempting to emulate the German experience. These attempts include the ‘East Asian miracle’, South Korea’s ‘Miracle on the Han River’, ‘Taiwan’s Miracle’ and ‘China’s economic miracle’. These aphorisms — almost always inadvertently — refer to the original Wirtschaftswunder, the ‘Miracle on the Rhine’ of post-war German reconstruction. But both globalisation and development economics consistently ignore the contribution of the underlying ordoliberal theory to economic development policy.

The model for industrial development in East Asia requires a national economic system in the first instance. State-capitalist industrialisation drives in East Asia were all dependent on a ‘Lewis model’ of converting an unlimited supply of rural labour into labour for urban manufacturing. Under this labour-for-development model, there is generally a window of around 30 years within which states establish the initial institutions of industrialisation before moving into regional and global trading regimes. Indeed, during each of the 30-year industrialisation windows in Germany, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, an entire generation was forced to make a sacrifice for the nation.

This national sacrifice required a willing supply of labour to be used for a greater utilitarian good. This is one of the key ingredients of the East Asian industrialisation model: a population of labour that undertook generational sacrifice for future national and generational prosperity. Compared with the early European and American industrialisers that used forced labour to achieve this, the East Asian model is better described as ‘coerced labour’.

This sacrifice is often taken as an acceptable trade-off between governments and their populations. In South Korea, for example, the working generation from 1956 to 1979 suffered immense hardships through rapid industrialisation so that the country could modernise. In East Asian economic history, the political legitimacy mechanism underlying this economic growth period could be described as an ‘Erhardian Bargain’ with rural labour.

The political legitimacy of an Erhardian Bargain is dependent on government achieving industrialisation within one generation. When industrialisation drives fail — like they have in Thailand and Kazakhstan — public discontent that the sacrifice did not result in sufficient capital accumulation necessitates a renegotiation of the bargain.

In China, labour sacrifice has been immense and coastal development astonishingly successful. But the hinterland remains poor, rural development has stalled and many parts of rural China lag behind aggregate development. For example, the seven least-developed provinces in China have per capita incomes under US$7000 a year — that is over 238 million people who are far off the OECD income range.

The legitimacy of China’s Erhardian Bargain is now being put to the test as the economic restart post-COVID-19 hits labour in China hard. Many mid-income salary workers are on half-pay or no pay, many rural migrants have returned to the countryside from urban factory work and new graduates and high-skilled workers are facing an impossible leap in 2020 to reach national science and technology industrial policy goals.

The promise of economic development after a 40-year modernisation project is the backbone of Chinese Communist Party legitimacy. But China’s central leadership may find it difficult to ask rural migrant workers to take another hit for national development, especially after rural families have already sacrificed their children into the urban industrialisation project in the hope of long-term gains that for many have not yet materialised.

The 2020s is the decade that China is due to deliver on its Erhardian Bargain: to eradicate rural poverty by 2020, to achieve a moderately prosperous society by doubling 2010 GDP by 2021 and to establish the economic growth framework to become a developed ‘modern socialist state’ by 2035. But a continuous supply of rural labour is needed to support China’s further economic growth and development. It is not as simple as turning the machines back on if structural elements of labour were to drop out.

The central leadership in Beijing already has a huge task to transform the Chinese economy into one driven by consumption, imports, outbound FDI investment and high-technology. This would have been an economic pirouette of the highest dexterity even in reasonably good economic years. To achieve it this year — given low-to-no growth, a developing labour crisis and a possible debt crisis on the horizon — appears to be a step too far.

Even before COVID-19, the contemporary debate in China’s macroeconomic policymaking circles was already between stimulus and austerity. The project to integrate China into the global economy has stalled and may need a new theoretical framework to both redefine China’s domestic economic policy and international macroeconomic guidelines. In the post-COVID-19 economic restart, there may not be another ‘miracle’. The policy uses of both Listian national economics and the ‘Erhadian Bargain’ of a generation of rapid growth have now expired. Perhaps a contemporary Chinese version of ordoliberalism could provide the policy tools to maintain economic growth.

Tristan Kenderdine is Research Director at Future Risk, based in Almaty.

Courtesy:East Asia Forum

The geopolitical contours of a post-COVID-19 world

2020-05-02T20:59:00.003+05:00

2 May 2020

Author: Deepanshu Mohan, OP Jindal Global University

While the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the global economy is more dramatic than any other shock in recent history, the consequences of the virus for the geopolitical order could be even more consequential. A radical shift in the global political economy may be imminent in the post-COVID-19 world.

This shift is conditional on two factors. The first factor is the relative degree of economic recovery seen in nations affected by the pandemic. The second factor is the very different domestic political scenarios that now exist in many affected nations.

Before the pandemic, populism — and its coercive authoritarian tendencies which see the nation-state strengthen in a backlash against the multilateral-globalist order — was on the rise. The outbreak of the pandemic has provided an opportunity for most states to either increase or retract multilateral cooperation.

As the crisis unfolds, critical multilateral arrangements like the G20 are not presenting a unified front. The United States and China have also faced criticism for displaying weak global leadership.

The United States under President Donald Trump is showcasing an inability to lead efforts to fight the virus, let alone offer necessary aid to other countries. Instead, the United States has threatened to undertake protectionist measures to restrict exports of essential medical equipment to neighbours like Canada. Trump is also halting US contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO).

China, on the other hand, has utilised the opportunity to push its state-propaganda internationally, while emerging as a ‘costly’ global supplier of medical equipment. Despite providing for the increased short-term demand for medical supplies, China has continued to receive severe criticism for its information censorship.

In a post-COVID-19 world, many developed nations may consider disentangling direct trade relations with China and decoupling supply chains to restrict the flow of goods and services into and from China.

We are also witnessing signs of authoritarian leaders deepening their control over citizens and redefining sovereign command. China is already commanding greater authoritarian control over its citizens under President Xi Jinping. Despite the United Kingdom witnessing a surge in COVID-19 related deaths, Prime Minister Boris Johnson has in fact seen a rise in his UK approval ratings.

In the United States, Trump is using the crisis to draw more national attention to his upcoming election bid, projecting himself as a ‘wartime president’ and continuing to pursue xenophobic identity politics.

The pandemic has also eroded the credibility of organisations like the WHO. Steps taken by the organisation to exclude Taiwan from emergency meetings and praise of China’s response to the virus make the WHO look like ‘a mouthpiece for Beijing’.

As Yuval Noah Harrari argued in a recent column, the choices people and governments make today will redefine the world. Both sovereigns and their citizens need to be wary of the long-term ramifications of their choices.

One key pattern being observed in most affected countries is how the fight against coronavirus has fostered support for strong leaders.

For example, the nationalist government in Hungary passed a law in late March granting sweeping emergency powers to Prime Minister Viktor Orban. The law grants Orban almost absolute discretionary authority by sidelining all parliamentary process. He now has the power to rule by decree indefinitely.

This politico-economic shift is not new. During the 1930s — after the Great Depression — economic deprivation and rising unemployment rates fuelled the rise of authoritarian leadership across the world.

As Barry Eichengreen explains, ‘There was [in the 1930s] economic nationalism all over in the form of trade wars … there was Oswald Mosley’s antisemitism … there was the harassment and deportation of Mexican Americans, including even hospital patients, by the Los Angeles welfare department and US Department of Labor’.

These events gave rise to the New Deal and the 1942 Beveridge Report in the United States, which transformed the existing social, economic and political order.

The post-Great Depression financial world saw more banking regulations and the collapse of the international gold standard monetary system, which lead to the establishment of a new Bretton Woods order.

While parallel insinuations might be appealing, the post-COVID-19 political machinery might witness a shift towards the adoption of and preference for authoritarian, command-control governance too. A plea for both national and social security is likely to follow. For nations where authoritarianism is already deeply entrenched, there might be a centrifugal effect induced by the pandemic taking public sentiment away from a central-command model of governance.

In China, there is growing consensus that the party leadership under Xi failed in not only containing the COVID-19 outbreak but also in its handling the crisis due to the lack of political transparency. There is likely to be more pressure placed on China from the international community to take moral and legal responsibility for the spread of the virus. China’s foreign relations may not be the same in the new world. In the United States too, in a recent Wall Street Journal/NBC poll, both democrat and republican voters said, by almost a 2-to-1 margin, that they approved of the expansion of the government’s role in the economy to meet the crisis.

Whether, in a post-pandemic scenario, a revival of political populism leads to a transition in greater government control, or change in a nation-state’s economic preferences, is yet to be seen. What is clear is that the social, political and economic landscape of the post-COVID-19 world will be very different.

Deepanshu Mohan is Associate Professor of Economics and Director of the Centre for New Economics Studies at the Jindal School of International Affairs (JISA), OP Jindal Global University, India, and Visiting Professor at Carleton University, Ottawa.

This article is part of an EAF special feature series on the novel coronavirus crisis and its impact.

Courtesy::www,eastasiaforum.org

UNCDF Tanzania working for poverty alleviatton through working with local organisations

2020-04-13T14:29:00.001+05:00

Kigoma is the poorest region in Tanzania and is one of only two regions in the country where poverty rates increased between 2001 and 20121.

To work to reverse the trend, UNCDF Tanzania has been implementing a programme since 2017 to improve agricultural livelihoods, provide access to finance, and build financial and digital literacy in the region.

In the region, UNCDF is working with a number of international and local NGOs to develop and deliver financial education. While UNCDF has been working with the Danish Refugee Council (DRC) and Good Neighbors Tanzania (GNTZ), we have recently begun working with two new local organizations to reach more farmers and members of the Tanzanian community.

One of the new local organizations is the Kigoma Youth Agricultural Development Organization (KIYADO), a local non-profit humanitarian organization that plans, implements, and raises funds for implementing livelihood projects. Another is the Ministry of Agriculture Training Institute (MATI), a government institution under the Ministry of Agriculture of Tanzania that provides educational programs in agricultural, environmental, and applied technologies.

To train the two new partners on the UNCDF package of financial education materials and to work together to create a plan on disseminating materials and continuing financial education activities, UNCDF held a one-day Training of Trainers (ToT) workshop on 5th March in Kibondo, a town in the Kigoma Region. 19 participants from KIYADO and MATI attended the training.

Participants learned about the content and delivery mechanisms used by UNCDF to build financial and digital literacy, including tablet-based applications, videos, podcasts, magazines, and face-to-face financial education. They were introduced to the content and had the opportunity to interact with it, testing out the application “Jijenge” and watching videos from KhangaRue Media, Ltd. (KRM) and Shamba Shape-Up.

One of the highlights of the financial education package, and of great interest to participants, was learning through videos. UNCDF is currently offering a set of videos on each of the tablets that serve as the main delivery mechanism for our tools, including Noa Ubongo, a set of 12 videos produced by KhangaRue Media (KRM) that teach about entrepreneurship and business. "Savings is Love is also a set of short videos showcasing savings, planning for the future, and using mobile money.

A set of videos on agricultural techniques, finance, and financial education called Shamba Shape Up are also included on the tablets. In addition to the existing videos, UNCDF Tanzania is working with Mediae Kenya to produce new videos specific to the Kigoma Region to add to the toolkit.

The final session was “Creating Your Dissemination Plan”. Before discussing the action plan, Robert Munisi, the livelihood officer of the Danish Refugee Council, shared his rich experience in financial education with participants. Inspired by Robert, both MATI and KIYADO proposed their practical plan on how to identify potential users among farmers, train the farmer leaders, distribute and collect tablets, and analyze the utilization and accessibility of tablets.

At the end of the workshop, UNCDF Financial Capability Specialist, remarked the great effort paid by MATI and KIYADO on the financial education training, mentioned future consideration for UNCDF to add interactive voice response (IRV) to the toolkit, and awarded ToT workshop certificates to each participant.
Participants left the ToT with a solid plan for going back to their offices and organizations, replicating the trainings, and creating plans for the tablets to be circulated to programme beneficiaries in the Kigoma Region. While the current situation of COVID-19 will surely push back some plans, UNCDF and partners are ready to go out into the field once normal operations begin again.

1. United Nations (2017). UN Delivering as One, UN Joint Programme for the Region of Kigoma 2017-2021.

Soutce:UNCDF

COVID-19 threatening global peace and security, UN chief warns

2020-04-12T20:35:00.001+05:00

Giles Clarke

Nurses and healthcare workers outside at a hospital in New York City demand better protection against the COVID-19 virus.

10 April 2020

Peace and Security

While the COVID-19 pandemic is first and foremost a health crisis, its implications are more far-reaching and could threaten global peace and security, the UN Secretary-General told members of the Security Council in a closed video-conference held on Thursday.

António Guterres said heightened solidarity is needed if the world is to defeat the crisis, which he called the "gravest test since the founding of this Organization", with Governments already struggling to address rising unemployment and economic downturn.

"But the pandemic also poses a significant threat to the maintenance of international peace and security -- potentially leading to an increase in social unrest and violence that would greatly undermine our ability to fight the disease", he warned, later stating that the Council’s engagement will be critical to mitigate these implications.

"Indeed, a signal of unity and resolve from the Council would count for a lot at this anxious time", he said.

Wide-ranging threats outlined

The UN chief outlined eight ways COVID-19 could undermine global peace and security, beginning with a further erosion of trust in public institutions if people perceive that their authorities had mishandled response or were not transparent.

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

Readers can find information and guidance on the outbreak of the novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) from the UN, World Health Organization and UN agencies here.For daily news updates from UN News, click here.

The pandemic’s economic impacts could create "major stressors" in fragile societies or less developed countries, for example, while the ensuing economic instability will have devastating consequences for women as they make up the majority in the worst-affected sectors.

Stressing that "this is not a time for political opportunism", the Secretary-General also feared electoral processes could be affected as postponing or proceeding with votes could spark political tensions and undermine legitimacy.

"In some conflict settings, the uncertainty created by the pandemic may create incentives for some actors to promote further division and turmoil. This could lead to an escalation of violence and possibly devastating miscalculations, which could further entrench ongoing wars and complicate efforts to fight the pandemic", said Mr. Guterres.

Terrorism and bioterrorism fears

With most Governments focused on the pandemic, terrorist groups could see "a window of opportunity to strike", with the situation in the Sahel a particular concern.
　
"The weaknesses and lack of preparedness exposed by this pandemic provide a window onto how a bioterrorist attack might unfold – and may increase its risks. Non-state groups could gain access to virulent strains that could pose similar devastation to societies around the globe."

COVID-19 has also hindered conflict resolution efforts, and many peace processes have stalled as countries respond. The pandemic also has triggered or worsened numerous human rights challenges.　　
　
"We are seeing stigma, hate speech, and white supremacists and other extremists seeking to exploit the situation", the UN chief said.

"We are witnessing discrimination in accessing health services.Refugees and internally displaced persons are particularly vulnerable. And there are growing manifestations of authoritarianism, including limits on the media, civic space and freedom of expression".

Silence the guns

The UN chief reminded Ambassadors of his recent appeal for an immediate global ceasefire during the pandemic.

Some warring parties have taken steps to lay down their arms, and UN representatives will continue their efforts on this front.

Following the meeting, Security Council members issued a statement expressing support for the Secretary-General's efforts concerning the potential impact of the pandemic to conflict-affected countries, and the need for unity and solidarity with all those affected.

Courtesy:UN News

Corona virus restrictiions and UN strategy

2020-04-12T17:56:00.000+05:00

UN health agency working on strategies to gradually lift COVID-19 restrictions

UN Photo/Evan Schneider

A wide view of Grand Central Terminal with an unusually sparse crowd during the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in New York City.

10 April 2020

Health

The World Health Organization (WHO) is working with countries on strategies to "gradually and safely" ease stay-at-home restrictions aimed at containing the spread of the new coronavirus, agency chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists on Friday, though he cautioned against any sudden action.

"WHO wants to see restrictions lifted as much as anyone", he said.

"At the same time, lifting restrictions too quickly could lead to a deadly resurgence. The way down can be as dangerous as the way up if not managed properly".

Tedros laid out six factors for consideration, which include that transmission is controlled and sufficient public health and medical services are available.

Outbreak risks in settings such as long-term care facilities also need to be minimized, while workplaces, schools and other essential locations should have preventive measures in place.

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

"Fifth, that importation risks can be managed," he continued, "and sixth – and I cannot over-emphasize this point – that communities are fully aware and engaged in the transition. Every single person has a role to play in ending this pandemic".

Health worker infections an 'alarming trend'

Meanwhile, some countries are reporting that more than 10 per cent of their health workers have been infected by the new coronavirus, indicative of what Tedros described as "an alarming trend".

Evidence from China, Italy, Singapore, Spain and the United States shows that some infections are occurring outside health facilities, so at home or in communities.

Factors for infection in health settings include late recognition of COVID-19 and lack of training or experience in dealing with respiratory pathogens. Many health workers are also being exposed to large numbers of patients during long shifts with inadequate rest periods.

"However, the evidence also shows that when health workers wear personal protective equipment the right way, infections can be prevented", said Tedros.

"That makes it even more important that health workers are able to access the masks, gloves, gowns and other PPE they need to do their jobs safely and effectively".

WHO continues to support countries in securing supplies and equipment, and in scaling up procurement and distribution of these items.

He estimated that each month, the recently launched UN Supply Chain Task Force will need to ship 100 million medical masks and gloves; up to 25 million respirators, gowns and face shields, and 2.5 million diagnostic tests, among other supplies.

Coronavirus spreading in rural areas in Africa

While there has been a "welcome slowing" of COVID-19 cases in European countries hardest hit by the pandemic, such as Spain and Italy, Tedros said the virus is spreading to rural areas in Africa.

With clusters of cases and community spread now appearing in more than 16 countries, he expects "severe hardship" for local health systems, which are already overstretched.

"The recent meeting of the G20 countries expressed strong support for Africa, which must be expedited even though the numbers in Africa are still relatively small but accelerating’, he said.

Ebola resurfaces in DR Congo

Tedros also updated journalists on the fight against Ebola in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), where a new case of the disease was confirmed in the city of Beni, North Kivu province, following 52 days without any incidence.

"Unfortunately, this means the government of DRC will not be able to declare an end to the outbreak on Monday, as hoped", he said.

The outbreak in the east of the country began in August 2018 and has killed more than 2,200 people. The last person who was confirmed to have Ebola tested negative twice and was discharged from a treatment centre in early March.

WHO and partners will continue to work with the Congolese Government, affected communities and partners, Tedros added.

Courtesy:UN News

Debt relief milestone in Somalia, as World Bank, IMF, call for global payment suspension in light of COVID-19

2020-03-26T09:11:00.000+05:00

Debt relief milestone in Somalia, as World Bank, IMF, call for global payment suspension in light of COVID-19

WFP/Georgina Goodwin

An IOM supported piped water supply project in a displaced persons camp in Dolow, Somalia. IOM, WFP and other agencies were able to cover the urgent needs of the displaced people in this camp thanks to the support of UNCERF.

25 March 2020

Economic Development

The top United Nations official in Somalia congratulated the Horn of Africa nation on Wednesday for achieving the benchmark set by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF), confirming its eligibility for debt relief.

James Swan, Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Somalia (UNSOM), said that by reaching the so-called “decision point” for debt relief under the Highly Indebted Poor Countries’ Initiative (HIPC), Somalia has passed an historic milestone on its path to peace and prosperity.

“Achievement of the HIPC decision point is a major step forward for Somalia’s economic progress, allowing the country to advance towards its long-term objective of inclusive economic growth and poverty reduction,” he said in a statement.

“All Somalis can be proud of this achievement,” he added.

The development is welcome news for Somalia – which is carrying $5.2 billion of debt - as it prepares for one-person, one-vote elections later this year against the backdrop of extreme humanitarian challenges.

Some 5.2 million are in need of assistance, alongside ongoing attacks by the Al-Shabaab terrorist group and the worst locust outbreak in 25 years.

Global debt relief call: World Bank, IMF

It also coincided with a call by the World Bank Group (WBG) and the IMF for all official bilateral creditors to suspend debt payments from the world’s 76 poorest countries and enable them to redirect funds towards confronting the economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In a joint statement, the two Washington-based institutions also asked leaders of the G-20 leading economies to task them at their spring meetings on 16 to 17 April with assessing the impact and financing needs of each of the countries, which are part of the International Development Association (IDA).

Mr. Swan, who is also the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Somalia, said that the country’s debt breakthrough was testament to the federal authorities’ ability to manage public finances. “It also reflects strong collaboration between the Federal Government and the federal member states,” he added. “The World Bank Group and the IMF believe it is imperative at this moment to provide a global sense of relief for developing countries as well as a strong signal to financial markets,” it said.

The World Bank and the IMF established the HIPC Initiative in 1996, to ensure that no poor country finds itself in a situation in which it cannot service and manage its debt burden.

Reaching “decision point” not only confirms Somalia’s eligibility for debt relief, but also fully normalizes its relations with international financial institutions. It will also now qualify for certain types of grant financing to meet its public finance and development needs and to access private-sector financing instruments.

The second and final step after decision point, known as the completion point, would open the way for full and irrevocable reduction in debt under the HIPC Initiative.

In a press release, the IMF said debt relief for Somalia – the 37th country to reach decision point – would help it make last change for its 15 million people by allowing its debt to be irrevocably reduced from $5.2 billion at the end of 2018 to $557 million once it reaches completion point in about three years’ time.

Cour

UN launches major humanitarian appeal to keep COVID-19 from ‘circling back around the globe’

2020-03-26T09:05:00.000+05:00

UN launches major humanitarian appeal to keep COVID-19 from ‘circling back around the globe’

UN Photo/Mark Garten

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres launches a COVID-19 Global Humanitarian Response Plan with Under- Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock, WHO Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore.

25 March 2020

Humanitarian Aid

To confront the unprecedented worldwide challenge posed by the COVID-19 Coronavirus pandemic, top UN officials on Wednesday, launched a massive humanitarian appeal to mitigate its impact, particularly on fragile countries with weak health systems.

At a joint virtual press briefing, Secretary-General António Guterres, UN Humanitarian Coordinator Mark Lowcock, UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Executive Director Henrietta Fore and World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, launched a $2 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan, to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect the millions most at risk.

‘Step up for the vulnerable’

Having gained a foothold in 195 countries with more than 400,000 reported cases and close to 20,000 reported deaths, COVID-19 is reaching more and more areas of the world grappling with conflict, natural disasters and climate change.

The UN chief stressed that a global approach is the only way to fight the coronavirus.

“COVID-19 is menacing the whole of humanity – and so the whole of humanity must fight back”, he said, underscoring that “individual country responses are not going to be enough”.

Assisting the “ultra-vulnerable” – the millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves – is not only “a matter of basic human solidarity” but also crucial for combating the virus, according to Mr. Guterres.

“This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable”, he stated.

Organized by the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the interagency plan brings together existing appeals from WHO and other UN partners as well as identifies new needs.

Properly funded, it will save many lives and arm humanitarian agencies with laboratory supplies for testing and medical equipment to treat the sick while protecting health care workers.

“The plan also includes additional measures to support host communities that continue to generously open their homes and towns to refugees and displaced persons”, explained the Secretary-General.

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

He closed with the somber note that if funding aimed to stem the impact of COVID-19 in already vulnerable humanitarian contexts is diverted, “the consequences could be catastrophic”.

Tipping whole regions into chaos

The UN humanitarian chief warned that failing to help vulnerable countries fight the coronavirus now could place millions at risk.
Pointing out that COVID-19 has already upended life in some of the world’s wealthiest countries, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said that it is now reaching people living in warzones, with no soap and clean water and or hospital bed should they fall critically ill.

“If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe”, he spelled out.

He acknowledged that countries battling the pandemic at home are “rightly prioritizing” their own communities, but added “the hard truth” that if they do not act now to help the poorest countries protect themselves, they would be failing to protect their own people.

“Our priority is to help these countries prepare and continue helping the millions who rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN to survive”, he said.

“Properly funded, our global response effort will equip humanitarian organizations with the tools to fight the virus, save lives, and help contain the spread of COVID-19 worldwide”, concluded the Humanitarian Coordinator.

To boost the response plan, Mr. Lowcock released an additional $60 million from the UN’s Central Emergency Response Fund, bringing CERF’s support to the COVID-19 pandemic to $75 million. In addition, country-based pooled funds have allocated more than $3 million, to date.

‘History will judge us’

As the pandemic continues to accelerate, the WHO chief said that “most worrying” of all, was the danger the virus poses to people already affected by crisis.

“The virus is now spreading in countries with weak health systems, including some which are already facing humanitarian crises”, said Mr. Ghebreyesus.

“People and communities that are already uprooted due to conflict, displacement, the climate crisis or other disease outbreaks are the ones we must urgently prioritize”, he underscored.

The agency head sent a clear message to all countries to “heed this warning now, back this plan politically and financially today and we can save lives and slow the spread of this pandemic”.

“History will judge us on how we responded to the poorest communities in their darkest hour”, he concluded, “Let’s act together, right now!”

‘Hidden victims’

Meanwhile, UNICEF chief Ms. Fore, said that children are “the hidden victims of the COVID-19 pandemic”.
Lockdowns and school closures are affecting their education, mental health and access to basic health services and raising the risks of exploitation and abuse.

“For children on the move or living through conflicts, the consequences will be unlike any we have ever seen”, she warned. “We must not let them down.”

Ms. Fore vowed that with support from the international community, among other things, we can “shore up preparedness and response plans in countries with weaker healthcare systems” and provide short- and long-term assistance on the health, well-being, development and prospects of children.

COVID-19: countries, businesses must safeguard human rights as virus spreads: Bachelet

2020-03-26T01:41:00.000+05:00

COVID-19: countries, businesses must safeguard human rights as virus spreads: Bachelet

UN News/Jing Zhang

A pharmacy worker wears gloves while organizing goods on the shelf in New York City.

6 March 2020

Health

As the COVID-19 coronavirus continues to spread globally, the UN’s top human rights official appealed on Friday to put rights “front and centre” when implementing preventative measures.

Liz Throssell, spokesperson in the Office of the High Commissioner (OHCHR), said rights chief Michelle Bachelet, had noted “people who are already barely surviving economically, may all too easily be pushed over the edge by measures being adopted to contain the virus.”

Carbon emissions drop?

Meanwhile, as record temperatures continued in the northern hemisphere, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) indicated that it was still too early to say whether the global epidemic might lead to a drop in greenhouse gas emissions.

According to the World Health Organization, the number of confirmed cases of COVID-19 has neared 100,000 worldwide, with some 3,300 deaths and more than 80 countries now affected.

Since the virus emerged in central China in December, WHO has urged countries repeatedly to adopt infection containment measures without delay, as these will give health services more time to prepare for a worst-case scenario. “This is not a drill…This is a time for pulling out all the stops,” Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said on Thursday.

Be prepared for ‘unintended consequences’

Echoing the need for swift action from all countries facing the global threat - based on her past experience as a medical doctor and as President of Chile - Ms. Bachelet also cautioned that Governments needed to be ready “to respond in a range of ways to unintended consequences of their actions aimed at the coronavirus. Businesses will also need to play a role, including responding with flexibility to the impact on their employees.”

This is not a drill…This is a time for pulling out all the stops - Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General

The High Commissioner’s statement added: “We’ve got lockdowns, quarantines and other such measures to contain and combat the spread of COVID-19. They should always be carried out in strict accordance with human rights standards and in a way that is necessary and proportionate to the evaluated risk.”

The High Commissioner’s comments follow an earlier appeal at the Human Rights Council, now meeting in Geneva.

Then, as on Friday, she urged Member States to protect society’s most vulnerable citizens from the health threat posed by COVID-19, and also from any stigma faced by those who had contracted the respiratory disease.

Most at risk are already marginalised

The most vulnerable are those on low incomes, isolated rural populations, people with underlying health conditions, people with disabilities and older people living alone or in institutions, the High Commissioner explained.

“The High Commissioner is not speaking out about specific countries”, Ms. Throssell said. “What she’s doing is making a universal call to Governments to really consider the impact on economic and social rights by the steps they take – that’s why she’s saying it’s so important for human rights to be at the front and centre.”

Ms. Throssell added: “There are plans in different countries to tackle crises, but I think we all would agree it is somewhat unchartered. And that’s why she’s encouraging States to share information on good practices; steps that they have taken to mitigate, to alleviate the impacts, the effects of the steps they take; steps that are in many cases extremely necessary to combat, to contain COVID-19.”

In a related development, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said that although the coronavirus would likely have an impact on greenhouse gas emissions and global warming because of the expected global economic slowdown, it was too soon to say how great that impact might be.

What is clear is that “2020 has started out where 2019 left off, with record temperatures. It was the warmest January on record (in Europe)”, said WMO spokesperson Clare Nullis, citing data released on Thursday by the Copernicus European Union Climate Change Service.

Economic effects likely linked to emissions

“Obviously, the impact on carbon dioxide emissions will depend on the global economic slowdown as a result of the coronavirus,” Ms. Nullis added, noting that it was still “early days. A lot depends on…the repercussions on international transport.” The international aviation industry is reportedly facing a $113 billion loss in sales due to the virus this year, according to projections.

Any future assessment of the virus’s impact would have to drill down into data on global energy consumption, the WMO spokesperson explained.

“Any sort of depression in economic activity…reduction in electricity production from coal-powered plants, a reduction in transport, will make a difference”, Ms. Nullis said. “But we also need to look at efficiency gains. If these plants are running at half-capacity, or if you’ve got planes flying which are a quarter full, that’s not

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UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention

2020-03-26T01:00:00.000+05:00

UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention

Boys reach through bars at a jail for juveniles in the Delmas neighbourhood of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. 2005

25 March 2020

Human Rights

COVID-19 has begun to strike in prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet warned on Wednesday, as she urged Governments “not to forget hose behind bars” and to protect those working in closed facilities in their overall efforts to contain the pandemic

“In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded, in some cases dangerously so,” Ms. Bachelet said, making physical distancing and self-isolation practically impossible. People are often held in unhygienic conditions.

Health services are inadequate – or non-existent – and the virus “risks rampaging” through these vulnerable populations.

As Governments make tough decisions, she urged them not to forget those behind bars, or confined in such places as mental health facilities, nursing homes and orphanages.

“The consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic,” the High Commissioner said.

Governments must work quickly to reduce the number of people in detention, she said, noting that several countries have already taken positive actions.

She encouraged authorities to examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 – older detainees and those who are sick, among them – as well as low-risk offenders. They should also continue to provide for the specific health-care requirements of women prisoners, inmates with disabilities and juvenile detainees.

“Now, more than ever, Governments should release every person detained without sufficient legal basis,” she said, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views. Upon release, people should be medically screened, with measures taken to ensure they receive care and follow-up, if needed.

Human rights, detention and an unfolding pandemic

She recalled that under international human rights law, States have an obligation to work to prevent foreseeable threats to public health and ensure that all who need vital medical care can receive it. The UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (also known as the ‘Nelson Mandela Rules’), meanwhile, set out measures to protect those in detention.

She likewise cautioned that any restrictions on visits to closed institutions should be introduced in a transparent way and communicated clearly, notably through expanded videoconferencing, allowing more phone calls with family members and permitting email.

And while it is vital to enforce physical distancing, she expressed deep concern that some countries are threatening to impose prison sentences for those who fail to obey – an action that is likely to exacerbate the grave situation in prisons and do little to halt the disease’s spread.

“Imprisonment should be a measure of last resort,” she said.

The UN Human Rights Office and the World Health Organization (WHO) are due this week to issue an interim guidance paper – COVID 19: Focus on persons deprived of their liberty – which will contain key messages and actions for UN agencies, governments and relevant authorities, national human rights institutions, and civil society.

UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by China coronavirus

2020-01-27T08:35:00.000+05:00

UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by China coronavirus

World Bank/Curt Carnemark

A woman wears a medical mask in China. (file photo)

22 January 2020

Health

Experts convened in Geneva by the World Health Organization (WHO) will meet again on Thursday to determine whether novel coronavirus is a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

Members of the WHO Emergency Committee deliberated until late on Wednesday evening, as they continue to study an outbreak of the new respiratory virus first identified in China, as cases continue to rise.

“There was an excellent discussion during the committee today, but it was also clear that to proceed, we need more information”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in statement.

“The decision about whether or not to declare a public health emergency of international concern is one I take extremely seriously, and one I am only prepared to make with appropriate consideration of all the evidence.”

Novel coronavirus was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

By Wednesday, there were more than 440 confirmed cases, and 17 reported deaths, almost doubling the death toll in the space of one day.

All of the deaths have occurred in Wuhan, which has a population of some 11 million, similar to that of the UK capital, London. Now the entire city, has in effect, been quarantined, according to news reports.

Chinese authorities have reportedly urged people to stop travelling in or out of the city, going as far as to temporarily shut down public transport, but have acknowledged that efforts to curtail the outbreak will be made more difficult by the week-long Lunar New Year holiday, which sees hundreds of millions criss-crossing the country visiting relatives. 

On Wednesday, the Chinese city of Macau reportedly confirmed its first case of Novel Coronavirus, and there have been cases in Thailand, Korea, Japan, Taiwan and the US.  

Several places have reportedly stepped up airport screening procedures for passengers arriving from Wuhan, including Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, the USA, Russian and Japan. 

2020-01-25T18:56:00.000+05:00

Empowering people living with HIV ‘will end the epidemic’, says AIDS agency chief

In the center of Chad, 19-year-old Achta holds up condoms during an HIV awareness-raising session in her Moussoro community. (March 2019)

26 November 2019

Health

When people living with HIV actively participate in their own care, new infections decline and more affected people access treatment, according to a new report launched on Tuesday by UNAIDS, the United Nations agency leading the fight against the disease.

Power to the people, released ahead of World AIDS Day on Sunday, illustrates that when people have the power to choose and work together, lives can be saved, injustices prevented and dignity restored.

“When people and communities have power and agency, change happens,” said UNAIDS Executive Director, Winnie Byanyima. “The solidarity of women, young people, gay men and other men who have sex with men, sex workers, people who use drugs and transgender people, has transformed the AIDS epidemic – empowering them will end the epidemic.”

Where we stand

Significant progress has been made, particularly in expanding access to treatment. As of mid-2019, an estimated 24.5 million of the 37.9 million people living with HIV were able to access it. Moreover, as treatment roll-out continues, fewer people are dying of AIDS-related illnesses.

However, since 2010, new HIV infections have only slightly declined, while the rise of new cases in some regions is causing mounting concern.

Some 320 children and adolescents died every day from AIDS-related causes in 2018, or 13 every hour, according to a global snapshot on children, HIV and AIDS released by UN Children’s Fund UNICEF on Tuesday.

Low access to antiretroviral treatment, in addition to limited prevention efforts, is a leading cause for these deaths, with only 54 per cent of children up to the age of 14, living with HIV in 2018 – or 790,000 children – receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.

“The world is on the cusp of making great gains in the battle against HIV and AIDS, but we must not rest on the laurels of progress made,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Neglecting testing and treatment initiatives for children and adolescents is a matter of life and death, and for them, we must choose life.”

African women

In eastern and southern Africa, the region most affected by HIV, the rate of incidences among girls and women between 15 and 24, showed a marked decline between 2010 to 2018.

Nevertheless, the report flags that girls account for four-out-of-five new HIV infections among adolescents in sub-Saharan Africa where around half of women and girls aged 15–19, have unmet contraception needs.

Gender inequalities, patriarchal norms, violence, discrimination and limited access to sexual health services exacerbate the HIV risk among adolescent girls and young women, particularly in this region.

“In many parts of the world, significant progress has been made in reducing new HIV infections, reducing AIDS-related deaths and reducing discrimination…but gender inequality and denial of human rights are leaving many people behind”, stressed the UNAIDS chief

Courtesy:UN News

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COVID-19: countries, businesses must safeguard human rights as virus spreads: Bachelet

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UN rights chief urges quick action by governments to prevent devastating impact of COVID-19 in places of detention

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UN health emergency committee to re-convene on global threat posed by China coronavirus

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Who @WHO

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Where we stand

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