August 2020 — Page 3 of 9 — Human Rights & Charity

Committee to review global treaty on response to health emergencies

The Review Committee will advise whether any amendments to the International Health Regulations (IHR) are necessary to ensure it is as effective as possible, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.

He said the COVID-19 pandemic has been “an acid test” for many countries, organizations and the treaty.

“Even before the pandemic, I have spoken about how emergencies such as the Ebola outbreak in eastern DRC (the Democratic Republic of the Congo) have demonstrated that some elements of the IHR may need review, including the binary nature of the mechanism for declaring a public health emergency of international concern,” said Mr. Tedros.

Interaction with pandemic panel

The IHR Review Committee will hold its first meeting on 8 and 9 September.

The committee will also interact with two other entities, exchanging information and sharing findings. They are the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, established last month to evaluate global response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the Independent Oversight Advisory Committee for the WHO Health Emergencies Programme.

It is expected that the committee will present a progress report to the World Health Assembly, WHO’s decision-making body, at its resumed session in November.

The Assembly comprises delegations from WHO’s 194 member States who meet annually in May. A truncated virtual session was held this year due to the pandemic.

The committee will present its full report to the Assembly in 2021.

Committed to ending COVID-19

The IHR was first adopted in 1969 and is legally-binding on 196 countries, including all WHO Member States. It was last revised in 2005.

The treaty outlines rights and obligations for countries, including the requirement to report public health events, as well as the criteria to determine whether or not a particular event constitutes a “public health emergency of international concern”.

Mr. Tedros underscored WHO’s commitment to ending the pandemic, “and to working with all countries to learn from it, and to ensure that together we build the healthier, safer, fairer world that we want.”

Invest in mental health

WHO is also shining light on the pandemic’s impact on mental health at a time when services have suffered disruptions.

For example, Mr. Tedros said lack of social interaction has affected many people, while others have experienced anxiety and fear. Meanwhile, some mental health facilities have been closed and converted to COVID-19 treatment facilities.

Globally, close to one billion people are living with a mental disorder. In low- and middle-income countries, more than three-quarters of people with mental, neurological and substance use disorders do not receive treatment.

World Mental Health Day is observed annually on 10 October, and WHO and partners are calling for a massive scale-up in investments.

The UN agency also will host its first-ever global online advocacy event on mental health where experts, musicians and sports figures will discuss action to improve mental health, in addition to sharing their stories.

Global fight against polio continues

The milestone eradication of wild poliovirus in Africa does not mean the disease has been defeated globally, Mr. Tedros reminded journalists.

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WHO announced on Tuesday that the continent has been declared free of the virus, which can cause paralysis, after no cases were reported for four years

“We still have a lot of work to do to eradicate polio from the last two countries where it exists: Afghanistan and Pakistan,” he said.

Mr. Tedros also congratulated Togo, which on Wednesday celebrated the end of sleeping sickness as a public health problem.

The disease, officially known as human African Trypanosomiasis, is spread by tsetse flies and is fatal without treatment.

Togo overcomes ‘sleeping sickness’ as a public health problem

Sleeping sickness is a neglected tropical disease that is caused by protozoan parasites (single-celled microorganisms) belonging to the genus Trypanosoma. The parasites are transmitted by infected tsetse flies and if untreated the disease is almost always fatal.

“Togo is a pathfinder in eliminating sleeping sickness, a disease which has threatened millions of Africans,” Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, said on Thursday.

“I congratulate the Government and people of Togo for showing the way. I am sure the country’s efforts will inspire others to push towards a final eradication of sleeping sickness,” she added.

Sleeping sickness is only found in 36 countries in sub-Saharan Africa, in areas where health systems are often weak. The people most exposed to the tsetse fly and to the disease live in rural areas and depend on agriculture, fishing, animal husbandry or hunting.

Over two decades of sustained commitment

Togo’s achievement comes after more than two decades of sustained political commitment, surveillance and screening of cases, according to the UN health agency.

Beginning in 2000, the country’s public health officials implemented control measures. In 2011, Togo established surveillance sites at hospitals in the cities of Mango and Tchamba, which cover the main areas at risk of the disease. Public health officials have since maintained heightened disease surveillance in endemic and at-risk areas.

Togo first applied for certification of elimination of sleeping sickness in 2018 and a team of WHO experts studied the data, made recommendations and requested a revision by the country before giving their approval.

National efforts were supported by WHO-led global collaboration that facilitated the donation of medicines and resources from pharmaceutical companies, helped strengthen local capacity and ensured the sustained availability of tools required to control the disease.

Two forms of sleeping sickness

There are two forms of sleeping sickness: the first, caused by Trypanosoma brucei gambiense that is found in 24 countries in west and central Africa, accounting for more than 98 per cent of cases. The second form, due to Trypanosoma brucei rhodesiense, is found in 13 countries in eastern and southern Africa and represents the rest of cases.

In the first stage, the symptoms generally include bouts of fever, headaches, enlarged lymph nodes, joint pains and itching. In the second stage parasites cross the blood-brain barrier to infect the central nervous system, resulting in changes of behaviour, confusion, sensory disturbances and poor coordination. The disturbance of the sleep cycle, which gives the disease its name, is an important feature.

WHO and partners are targeting the elimination as a public health problem of the gambiense form of the disease from all endemic countries by 2030. Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire and Ghana have started the validation process with the support of WHO.

Wiping out the gambiense form of sleeping sickness will require maintaining the commitment of endemic countries and of donors as well as integrating control and surveillance activities into the regular health systems, said WHO, adding that such efforts need to be supported by improved tools, innovative disease control approaches and effective coordination of efforts.

Globally, 1 in 3 children missed out on remote learning when COVID-19 shuttered schools

“The sheer number of children whose education was completely disrupted for months on end is a global education emergency. The repercussions could be felt in economies and societies for decades to come,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, in a news release announcing the findings.

At the height of nationwide and local lockdowns, nearly 1.5 billion schoolchildren were affected by school closures.

‘Competing factors’ impact learning

The report – based on a globally representative analysis on the availability of home-based remote learning technology and tools for children from pre-primary to upper-secondary levels – also found that even when children had the necessary platforms, they may not be able to learn remotely due to competing factors at home.

The competing factors, UNICEF said, could include pressure to do chores, being forced to work, a poor environment for learning, and lack of support in using the online or broadcast curriculum.

The report used data from 100 countries, which included access to television, radio and internet, and the availability of curriculum delivered across these platforms during school closures.

Stark inequality within countries

The report highlighted stark inequalities across regions and within countries. Schoolchildren in sub-Saharan Africa were the worst affected, with half of all students not reached with remote learning.

Schoolchildren from the poorest households and those living in rural areas are also at high risk of missing out during closures.

Globally, 72 per cent of schoolchildren unable to access remote learning live in their countries’ poorest households. In upper-middle-income countries, schoolchildren from the poorest households account for up to 86 per cent of students unable to access remote learning.

Age groups also had an impact, with the youngest students most likely to miss out on remote learning during their most critical years of learning and development.

Addressing the challenges

To respond, governments should prioritize the safe re-opening of schools when they begin easing lockdown restrictions, UNICEF urged, along with urgent investment to bridge the digital divide.

“When reopening is not possible, [we] urge governments to incorporate compensatory learning for lost instructional time into school continuity and reopening plans,” added the UN agency, explaining that school opening policies and practices must include expanding access to education, including remote learning, especially for marginalized groups.

Alongside, education systems must be adapted and built to withstand future crises.

Deliberate silencing of peaceful voices in Iraq ‘unacceptable’, says UN human rights chief

“This report sheds light on the suffering and provides concrete recommendations to help rebuild public trust”, said UN Special Representative for Iraq Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert.

Rising unemployment, years of corruption and failing public services had sparked massive protests last October.

Despite promising steps by the current Government, the report, Human Rights Violations and Abuses in the Context of Demonstrations in Iraq, cites actions and omissions in handling the demonstrations during the time when they began up until April.

The report recommends protection measures for demonstrators and redress for victims.

Defending the defenders

Some of those targeted were described the report as influential in their local community in mobilizing protesters, or supportive of protests on social or national media.

“Of great concern is the continued targeting and killing of activists and human rights defenders”, she contintued. “This is not random violence but a deliberate silencing of peaceful voices, coupled with the total impunity enjoyed by perpetrators”.

Demystifying the situation

Based on more than 900 interviews with victims, relatives, witnesses, journalists and civic and political activists, the Human Rights Office of the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) documented that at least 487 people were killed and 7,715 injured during the protests – mostly young men.

The report highlights a pattern of excessive force, including live ammunition, when dealing with protesters along with abductions and attacks by so-called unidentified armed actors.

And with some 3,000 demonstrators detained, concerns have mounted over arbitrary detentions and ill-treatment.

“Without accountability, the crimes committed will remain mere statistics, numbers on a page”, warned the UN Special Representative.

Free expression squelched

The right to freedom of expression was also severely curtailed, with frequent internet blackouts, raided news outlets and journalists assaulted, harassed and arbitrarily detained, their material confiscated or deleted.

“People were killed, injured, tortured and mistreated, kidnapped, disappeared, arbitrarily detained, for exercising their rights to peaceful assembly and freedom of expression”, said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet,

“This is unacceptable”, she stressed.

More work ahead

Since taking office in May, the current Government has taken welcome steps to establish an independent investigative body and offer some redress for the victims and their families, but much more needs to be done.

“Everyone has the right to peacefully demonstrate and to publicly express their frustration at not being able to provide for themselves and their families”, Ms. Bachelet underscored.

UNESCO launches Beirut recovery fund for culture, heritage and education

The devastating blasts rocked the Lebanese capital and wreaked havoc throughout the city, killing close to 200 people, injuring thousands of others, and leaving around a quarter of a million homeless.

It also impacted some 8,000 structures, including 640 historic buildings, approximately 60 of which are at risk of collapse.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder

In unflagging solidarity with the people of Lebanon, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) underscored its commitment to applying the highest professional and management standards in coordinating support for education and culture in the UN assistance to Lebanon.

“UNESCO, of which Lebanon is a founding member, stands at their side to mobilize the international community and support the city’s recovery for and through culture, heritage and education”, Director-General Audrey Azoulay declared as she wrapped up a two-day visit.

In kicking off the ‘Li Beirut’ initiative, she solemnly appealed for the city’s historic centre be protected “to prevent property speculation and transactions taking advantage of residents’ distress and vulnerability”.

Rehabilitating learning

In addition to spearheading UN efforts to raise $23 million to education in Beirut, UNESCO has also committed to immediately rehabilitating 40 of the 159 affected schools with funds it has already raised.

In the coming months, the UN agency will prioritize funding for schooling and distance learning – an urgent issue for the 85,000 students affected.

“We must focus on education, because it is a major concern for families and it is where Lebanon’s future will be played out,” said the Director-General.

Stepping up to make a difference

To this end, the UNESCO Global Education Coalition, put in place the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, will hold a Special Session on the situation in Lebanon on Tuesday.

While raising funds to respond to this crisis, the UN cultural agency will also lead international coordination recovery and reconstruction efforts for Beirut’s culture and heritage.

“We must protect the spirit of the city, even as we work to rebuild it”, said Ms. Azoulay. “We must build back – but, more importantly, we must build back well”.

She elaborated that this means protecting the “unique heritage of these neighbourhoods, respecting the city’s history, and supporting its creative energy”.

Required funding

With museums, galleries and cultural institutions expected to experience substantial losses in revenues, preliminary estimates show that $500,000,000 are needed over the coming year to support heritage and the creative economy.

UNESCO will prioritize interventions to stabilize, secure and safeguard several historic buildings located in the most affected neighbourhoods.

“We are determined to mobilize the international community both for built heritage and museums, and for the hard-hit creative sector, by supporting artists and cultural professionals, whom UNESCO will also bring together in three ResiliArt debates in September,” Ms. Azoulay said.

To finance these operations on the ground, a UNESCO donors’ conference for Beirut will be organized before the end of next month.
During her two-day visit, the Director-General took stock of the situation by meeting with artists, members of the cultural sector and creative industries, including NGOs and local partners.

Facing pandemic, economic and political challenges, Iraq Government ‘operating in the eyes of multiple storms at once’

Briefing the Security Council via video-teleconference, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaeret said that for important – and painful – reforms to take root, Iraq’s political class must unite and put the nation’s interests first in order to unlock a brighter future for all its citizens.

“As I’ve said before: an environment that promotes inclusive growth and employment remains the best remedy against unrest, conflict and external interference,” said Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret, who heads the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI).

Presenting the Secretary-General’s latest reports on UNAMI and on Kuwaitis and third-country nationals still missing since the 1990 Gulf War, she said that poverty in Iraq has grown by more than 10 per cent in recent months, with one in three Iraqis living below the poverty line.

Iraq in the ‘eye of multiple storms’

More than 11 million school and university students have seen their studies disrupted by the pandemic, while gender-based violence has doubled amid dwindling options for victims to seek assistance and shelter, she said.

Iraq’s economy is meanwhile expected to contract by 9.7 per cent in GDP terms as oil revenues – severely impacted by a global crash in oil prices – have been cut by nearly half. Corruption remains endemic and the private sector has been particularly hard hit by job losses and reduced income.

Dangers meanwhile persist for humanitarian workers in certain areas, as seen earlier in the day when a UN World Food Programme (WFP) convoy encountered an improvised explosive device on the Mosul-Erbil road in Ninewa governorate, she said. One WFP staff member was injured in the blast.

Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret acknowledged that the Government – led by Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi – is “undoubtedly operating in the eye of multiple storms at once,” even if the pandemic has somewhat muted social unrest.

Early moves by the Government towards greater accountability, more robust support for freedom and assembly, and a tangible commitment to justice are encouraging, she said, adding however that more action is needed – including investigations into deadly attacks on activists and human rights defenders.

Short-sighted, zero-sum politics persist

“Oblivious partisanship and short-sighted zero-sum politics continue to be major obstacles for progress, but to be clear, no party, person or entity must be allowed to hijack the legitimate demands of the Iraqi people,” she said.

She also pointed out that the Government – operating in a challenging geopolitical environment – is giving priority in its foreign affairs to State-to-State dialogue and relationship building.

“I sincerely hope that Iraq will be given further room to focus on its domestic resilience, instead of being used as a venue for different power competitions,” she added.

Upcoming elections

On elections, Ms. Hennis-Passchaeret – who is also the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq – said that 6 June 2021 has been announced as the date that Iraqis will return to the polls.

She stressed, however, that Parliament has yet to resolve crucial questions about the apportionment of legislative seats and the delineation of constituencies. Sorting out such details must be based on technical considerations, not partisanship, she declared.

Equally important, she said, the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC) must be strengthened and freed from the grip of political pressure, particularly in the selection of electoral personnel and developing voting procedures.

She added that UNAMI stands ready to help the Commission develop a comprehensive voter registry, a transparent and reliable elections results system and a judicious framework for handing electoral complaints.

“Restoring public trust is hard work, and within that context, free and fair elections will prove crucial,” she told Council members.

“An electoral ‘reset’ could open a new and important chapter for Iraq – but for this to happen, the elections must be credible. This is the responsibility not only of the IHEC and the Government, but also of all Iraqi political actors and electoral stakeholders.”

Ms. Hennis-Plasschaert cautiously welcomed a recent agreement – “albeit tenuous” – between Baghdad and Erbil, capital of the Kurdistan region, on such issues as the payment of Kurdish public salaries, adding however that 15 years after the adoption of a fresh Constitution, it is time to clearly define the rights and obligations of both authorities.

Another concern is the recent escalation in Iraqi-Turkish border areas, she said, urging both countries to resolve their differences through dialogue, cooperation and full respect for national sovereignty.

UN again calls for full ratification of nuclear test-ban treaty

Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, Izumi Nakamitsu said this year’s commemoration falls 75 years after the United States first conducted a nuclear test, resulting in the use of atomic weapons against Japan and some 2,000 more tests carried out by at least eight countries over the succeeding decades.

Impacts on the environment, health and economic development are still being felt today.

“The best way to honour the victims of past nuclear tests is to prevent any in the future,” she stated.

“As the Secretary-General has said, nuclear testing is a relic of another era, and should remain there.”

Prioritize a nuclear-free world

The International Day Against Nuclear Tests has been commemorated annually since 2010.

The date 29 August marks the anniversary of the 1991 closure of the Semipalatinsk test site in Kazakhstan, the largest nuclear test site in the former Soviet Union.

Despite the adoption of the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty in 1996, thousands of nuclear weapons remain at the ready in stockpiles across the world.

As Ms. Nakamitsu, the UN High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, pointed out, the current era is marked by “increasingly hostile” relations between nuclear arm states seeking to improve the quality and, in some cases, quantity, of their arsenals.

For UN General Assembly President Tijjani Muhammad-Bande, the COVID-19 pandemic has underscored the need for collective action to safeguard humanity, including by making a nuclear-free world a priority.

“The very survival of humanity hinges on our resolute agreement that nuclear weapons are not to be used and should be forever eliminated. A nuclear weapons-free world is the only true guarantee to safeguard civilization from this existential threat,” he said, speaking from New York.

Impacts on First Nations

Aboriginal people in Wallatina, Australia, experienced this threat first-hand when the United Kingdom conducted two separate atmospheric nuclear tests in October 1953, according to activist Karina Lester.

“Nuclear testing has and still does impact our country, our traditional lands, and our lives,” said Ms. Lester, whose father, the late Yami Lester, was blinded by the tests.

“It’s time to put an end to nuclear weapons tests. It is time to put an end to nuclear weapons.”

‘Nuclear menace on the rise’

Although 184 countries have signed the Comprehensive Nuclear Test-Ban Treaty, and 168 have ratified it, the treaty has yet to enter into force.

This will only happen when it is ratified by eight countries: China, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Egypt, India, Iran, Israel, Pakistan and the United States.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres once again called for all states that have not signed or ratified the treaty to do so without further delay.

“The nuclear menace is once again on the rise. A complete ban on nuclear testing is an essential step in preventing the qualitative and quantitative improvement of nuclear weapons and in achieving nuclear disarmament,” he said in a message for the Day.

Learn from history

With next year marking the 25th anniversary of the test-ban treaty’s adoption, the fear is that hope is slipping away, according to Lassina Zerbo, head of the UN office working towards its entry into force.

“As we survey the international landscape, with peoples and governments reeling from the chaos and suffering caused by COVID-19, let us reflect on the past in order to learn how to better shape the future,” he advised.

“This is not to say that the past will give us all the answers, but learning the lessons of history will enable us to make sound decisions, and implement effective strategies and policies, going forward.”

Digital economy can put citizens in control of finance, says UN taskforce

The report, “People’s Money: Harnessing Digitalization to Finance a Sustainable Future”, was released by the UN Secretary-General’s Task Force on Digital Finance on Wednesday.

The Task Force, led by UN development chief Achim Steiner, and made up of senior figures from the tech sector, financial institutions, governments, and UN bodies, was set up by UN Secretary-General António Guterres in 2018, to improve understanding of the benefits and risks of the fast-moving financial technology (fintech) and digital finance sectors.

The initiative is part of the UN chief’s strategy to support financing for the 2030 Agenda, the UN’s blueprint for a better future, for people and the planet. The financing needs for the Agenda, Mr. Guterres said in 2018, are in the order of between $5 and $7 trillion per year. The shift to digital, conclude the authors of the People’s Money report, could provide the means to meet those projected costs.

“Digital technologies, which are revolutionizing financial markets, can be a game-changer in meeting our shared objectives”, said Mr. Guterres in response to the launch of the report. “The Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals provides leadership to harness the digital revolution.”

The COVID-19 acceleration effect

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the popularity of digital tools has grown rapidly, and demonstrates the potential of digital finance to provide relief for millions around the world, support businesses and protect jobs and livelihoods.

Speaking to UN News, Mr. Steiner outlined the acceleration effect of the pandemic. “Things that we anticipated would happen over the next few years, have happened in weeks. The pandemic has allowed governments to see the importance of overcoming traditional limitations, and identifying and reaching the most vulnerable.”

Examples include digital cash transfers, which have helped millions of people in Pakistan, the connection of schools to broadband, and governments and parliaments connecting remotely in ways that are now common practice, he added.

The widespread adoption of smartphones, continued Mr. Steiner, puts powerful digital tools in the hands of more than a billion people, allowing them to work, socialize, and manage their finances. He emphasized the importance of remodelling the financial system, to underscore the fact that the trillions of dollars’ worth of investment flowing around the world, ultimately come from ordinary people.

“Citizens are the owners of this wealth, which is made up of pensions, and savings. The Task Force was keen to bring back the notion that the citizen is at the centre of the economy. Citizens need greater transparency, and to have a say over where their pension contributions go. And, as well as returns for investors, we also need to see public purpose benefits. Digital finance is a significant opportunity for citizens to re-engage, because this is a way to address major challenges, such as climate change.”

Digitalization is a choice

The report identifies five ways for harnessing digitalization, which cover much of global finance. Firstly, the huge amounts of money flowing around the world needs to be invested in a way that supports the Sustainable Development Goals of the 2030 Agenda. Public finances need to be more effective and accountable. Savings need to be invested for long-term development projects, using digital tools. And there needs to be more financing for small and medium-sized businesses, which are crucial for generating employment and income.

A key message of the report is that digitalization, and the way that it is used, is a choice, not an inevitability. There are considerable digital risks, such as increased exclusion, discrimination and inequalities. The five action areas point the way for governments to use digitalization for good.

Refugees at risk of hunger and malnutrition, as relief hit in Eastern Africa

According to WFP, over 2.7 million refugees in Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, South Sudan, and Djibouti have been impacted, with food or cash transfers reduced between 10 to 30 per cent, as the socio-economic toll of the coronavirus pandemic reduces vital funding from donors.

“Refugees are especially vulnerable to the spread of COVID-19 because they are crowded together in camps with weak or inadequate shelter, health services and access to clean water and sanitation,” said Michael Dunford, WFP Eastern Africa Regional Director.

In addition to COVID, the refugees, especially women, children and elderly, are also at risk of becoming malnourished, which can in turn impact their immune systems and increase their risk of being infected by disease, a tragic vicious cycle in the midst of a global pandemic.

“With COVID yet to peak in East Africa, we cannot turn our backs on people forced to flee and stuck in remote camps,” added Mr. Dunford.

Hard-won development gains at risk

COVID-19 restrictions closed schools in refugee camps, meaning children missed out on vital school meals in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan, Rwanda and Uganda. In these countries except in Rwanda, funding shortages meant that WFP was unable to provide take home rations to refugee children to help them study at home and stay nourished.

Extended school closures can also expose children to additional challenges, including, teenage pregnancies, sexual abuse, early marriage, violence at home, child labour and high school dropouts, eroding hard-won development gains made over several years.

Women and girl refugees are also at heightened risk of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation and abuse, in addition to resorting to having sex for payment in order to survive. People with disabilities and unaccompanied or separated children are the most vulnerable, said the UN food relief agency.

World cannot let the most disadvantaged suffer

“Sadly, it is the poorest and most disadvantaged who suffer the most,” said Mr. Dunford, adding, “We simply cannot let this happen. COVID-19 cannot be an excuse for the world to turn its back on refugees at this terrible time.”

Given the pressing situation, WFP is appealing both to traditional donors and new would-be donors, such as international financial institutions, to step forward and assist refugees precisely because their vulnerability only increased with COVID-19.

The UN agency needs some $323 million to assist refugees in the East Africa region over the next six months, about 22 percent greater than during the same period in 2019.

COVID-19: UN urges ramping up social protection programmes to safeguard those most vulnerable

COVID-19 is posing potential catastrophic impacts on people living with HIV and tuberculosis (TB) , with projected deaths to increase up to 10, 20 and 36 per cent for HIV, TB and malaria patients, respectively, over the next five years, according to UNAIDS, the UN agency dedicated to tackling the virus.

“Countries must ensure that everyone is able to receive essential services, including health care, and they must invest adequately in social protection programmes to keep people safe and to shield them from the consequences of losing their livelihoods,” said Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of UNAIDS.

The most impacted

The highly disadvantaged will be most gravely impacted, particularly those in countries already afflicted by conflict, economic or climate crises.

And refugees are among the groups facing the greatest dangers.

At the same time, some 150 million full-time jobs were lost in the first quarter of the year and millions of other people are set to lose their livelihoods in the months ahead.

“Today, only 29 per cent of the world’s population has access to adequate social protection coverage,” said Guy Ryder, Director General of the International Labour Organization (ILO).

“Governments must act to ensure the sustainability of livelihoods, businesses and jobs and the protection of workers’ health, rights and incomes during and after COVID-19”.

A case for women

Women are particularly vulnerable to the economic crisis.

Disproportionately employed in the informal sectors, they are most likely to lose their incomes.

Comprising 70 per cent of the health and social care workforce, they are also often employed on the frontline of the COVID-19 response.

Furthermore, women carry out the bulk of unpaid domestic duties in the home, childcare and other caring functions.

And with the lockdown triggering and increase in gender-based violence, it is imperative for Governments to invest in social protection programmes designed specifically for women and girls, UNAIDS said.

Countries need to live up to their commitment for social protection for everyone who needs it — UNICEF chief

Youth in crosshairs

School closures, which have affected more than 90 per cent of the world’s student population, have not only interrupted education but also pupils’ access to crucial social services, such as school meals.

“Children and young people are suffering disproportionately from the socio-economic impact of the COVID-19 crisis,” said Henrietta H. Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

“Before the outbreak, two-out-of-three children had no or inadequate social protection fund.”

Moreover, the socio-economic crash caused by the pandemic is placing an entire generation of young people at risk.

“Countries need to live up to their commitment for social protection for everyone who needs it,” she added.

Call for action

The call for Governments to invest adequately in social protection programmes is endorsed by UNAIDS, UNICEF and the International Labour Organization (ILO) and supported by the World Food Programme (WFP), the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and the World Bank.