September 2020 — Page 3 of 22 — Human Rights & Charity

COVID-19: ‘Legitimate concerns’ must be heard, and fears addressed over misinformation

On the margins of the General debate of the UN General Assembly, UN News spoke to UN Under-Secretary General for Global Communications, Melissa Fleming, and from the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. Sylvie Briand, Director of Pandemic and Epidemic Diseases.

In a joint interview, they discussed how important it is for the UN to engage with the public, and highlight international collaborative efforts to develop effective and affordable vaccines for all.

Misinformation is not new … We’ve had misinformation as far back as you look in history. The difference here is that we have a global pandemic that is happening in the social media age – Melissa Fleming

Many firsts

“What is difficult in the current period is, first, there is a lot of fear of the disease and a lot of anxiety from the population, as well as a lot of uncertainty”, said Dr. Briand. “It is a new disease. Many things are first time in this pandemic.

“Misinformation is not new”, said communications chief Fleming. “We’ve had misinformation as far back as you look in history. The difference here is that we have a global pandemic that is happening in the social media age.”

Communications emergency

In a video message broadcast at a high-level event on mitigating the harm from misinformation and disinformation on 23 September, UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said COVID-19 was not just a public health emergency, but it is a communications emergency too and that as soon as the virus spread across the globe, inaccurate and even dangerous messages proliferated wildly over social media, leaving people confused, misled and ill-informed.

According to Dr. Briand, when people are anxious and uncertain of a number of things they tend to compare with things they know already or things they have experienced in the past.

Regarding the COVID-19 vaccine, she noted that people “have already preconceptions about vaccines or fear about other vaccines”.

What is very important in this period now … is to really start building a space for a very open dialogue, a two-way dialogue with the population so we can hear their concerns and answer them – Sylvie Briand

“What is very important in this period now, because we don’t have yet the vaccine, is to really start building a space for a very open dialogue, a two-way dialogue with the population so we can hear their concerns and we can answer their concerns for as much as we can”, she added.

Ms. Fleming said people’s fears and concerns were legitimate, “and we want to be listening to them and addressing these fears and concerns with information they can access and understand”.

A high-level event is taking place later on Tuesday, on how to tackle the coronavirus together through the ACT-Accelerator initiative, launched in April as a global collaboration to accelerate the development and production of diagnostics, treatments and vaccines on an equitable basis.

Reaching out

The head of UN Global Communications (DGC) believes the Organization has the means and the valuable opportunity now to reach people everywhere “with good information, (and) solid public health guidance based on science”.

But “there is not just good information circulating out there”, it is “mixed with bad information, bad science produced by bad actors”, she told UN News.

“The result is that the public on the receiving end, is having a really hard time navigating and distinguishing between what is good and what is bad, what is misinformation and what is disinformation and what really is information based on science”, she added.

“That’s where we come in” on the department level, she noted, with the ability to communicate the scientific facts “in a way that is more accessible, more interesting, more social media-optimized so that it does go into people feeds.

Stressing the importance of accurate information, it was important to let people know “how to spot it and how to talk to friends and family about the kind of misinformation and conspiracies that they are being exposed to, and maybe believing”, said the communications chief.

Verified campaign

The Department of Global Communications has pioneered an initiative to counter misinformation, through the Verified campaign. It offers content based on science, content that is simple, accessible, and relatable.

“We are working with social media platforms, we have recruited information volunteers, who are our kind of digital first responders around the world, members of the public who are communicating for us in their communities with the content that we provide”, Melissa Fleming explained.

A recent study conducted by researchers from Harvard University and three other universities, suggests that under-25s in the United States are most likely to believe virus-related misinformation about the severity of the disease and how it originated.

“I think that is probably a reflection of who is most on social media. It is a younger population, that is getting a digital overload and so their attention span is probably not long enough to look at the piece of information they are getting and really question it”, said Melissa Fleming.

Pause before you post

Part of the initiative is to get people to stop and think, before they post: “What Pause does, is introduce a new social norm, kind of like the campaign, Don’t drink and drive, for example”, the UN official explained.

“What we want our new social norm to be is, pause, take care before you share. And for people to be educated, we are going to be pushing more information out to young people, and everybody, about how much misinformation is out there (and) how to spot misinformation”.

“We believe and we have evidence to believe, that if people took this 30 seconds break, and really question what they were seeing, this would go a long way to stopping the spread, but it is not going to stop it completely”.

What is also need is “more work by the social platforms to not just flag misinformation but really stop it in its tracks”, she added.

According to Dr. Briand, “because people are overwhelmed with information, it is very hard for them to distinguish what is good and what is bad”. “But we think that if you give more good information to people so that they can make informed decisions about their health, then they are less likely to listen to misinformation”, she said.

WHO is working with young people so they feel part of the solution and not ostracized for being spreaders of the coronavirus: “We work with them to change this perception”, she added.

“The most important thing is to work with communities at local levels”, said Melissa Fleming. “We need to think globally but go local. Think globally about the solutions to COVID-19, about the vaccine, no one is safe until everyone is safe”.

Food loss and waste ‘an ethical outrage’, UN chief says on International Day

Last year, the UN General Assembly designated 29 September as the International Day, recognizing the fundamental role that sustainable food production plays in promoting food security and nutrition and highlighting the essential need to reduce food loss and waste.

In addition, with the COVID-19 pandemic underlining the fragility of food systems, and worsening food loss and waste in many countries, Secretary-General António Guterres called for “new approaches and solutions” to solve the challenges.

“Food loss and waste is an ethical outrage. In a world with enough food to feed all people, everywhere, 690 million people continue to go hungry and 3 billion cannot afford a healthy diet,” he said.

Squandering natural resources

“Food loss and waste also squanders natural resources – water, soil and energy, not to mention human labour and time. It worsens climate change, given the significant role of agriculture in generating greenhouse gas emissions,” added Mr. Guterres.

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), around 14 per cent of food produced globally is lost between harvest and retail, with significant quantities also wasted at the retail and consumption levels. The figure is higher in the case of fruits and vegetables, where more than 20 per cent is lost.

When food is loss or wasted, all the resources that were used to produce it – including water, land, energy, labour and capital – go to waste. In addition, the disposal of food loss and waste in landfills, leads to greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to climate change, said FAO.

Sustainable Development Goals

The critical issue of reducing food waste is also highlighted in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with Goals 2 and 12 calling for achieving zero hunger, and halving food waste and reducing food loss by 2030, respectively.

“While many countries are taking action, we need to step up efforts,” said the Secretary-General, highlighting that the inaugural observance of the International Day of Awareness of Food Loss and Waste comes as the world prepare for the 2021 Food Systems Summit.

“I urge countries to set a reduction target aligned with SDG 12, measure their food loss and waste and act boldly to reduce it. Policy action in this area should also be included in climate plans under the Paris Agreement [on Climate Change],” he said.

Many businesses should take a similar approach, continued Mr. Guterres, calling on Individuals to shop carefully, store food correctly and make good use of leftovers.

“Let us work together to reduce food loss and waste for the benefit of people and our planet,” added the Secretary-General.

Ahead of biodiversity summit, UN officials discuss roadmap to preserve the natural world

“We have no time to wait. Biodiversity loss, nature loss, it is at an unprecedented level in the history of mankind”, Elizabeth Mrema, the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, told UN News in the SDG Media Zone. “We’re the most dangerous species in global history.”

The Convention on Biological Diversity is an international treaty agreed to at the UN Earth Summit in Brazil in 1992. It has three goals: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of nature; and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic science.

Biodiversity targets

If you look at the scorecard, like a school report, the highest is below 30 per cent of the progress … Not one Aichi Target will be fully met – Elizabeth Mrema

Under the CBD, countries in 2010 agreed to the Aichi Biodiversity Targets – a group of 20 goals to conserve biodiversity that range from preserving species, to reducing deforestation by 2020. Aichi’s goals are to biodiversity what the Paris climate accord is to global warming.

Countries had until this year to reach the targets, and then move on to create a post-2020 global biodiversity framework. But despite some progress, the targets – which range from stopping species from extinction to cutting pollution and preserving forests – were not achieved.

“If you look at the scorecard, like a school report, the highest is below 30 per cent of the progress”, Ms. Mrema said. “Not one Aichi Target will be fully met, so that, by itself, of the 20 targets, 10 years, we have failed.”

Discussions are now underway for a new framework that builds on those “quote unquote failures”, said Ms. Mrema.

The document is still in the early stage, being reviewed in informal consultations, but needs to be ready for adoption at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in China in 2021.

One of the major differences between the Aichi Biodiversity Targets and the post-2020 framework will be implementation. After Aichi, some countries had to create national strategies to act on the targets. Those are now in place.

Taking action now

“We are not calling for reinventing the wheel, so basically implementation should be able to begin immediately,” Ms. Mrema said.

The new framework will also include resources such as technology transfer and capacity building, which were not considered priorities at Aichi.

To create momentum for this new way of living with nature, the President of the UN General Assembly will convene the Summit on Biodiversity this Wednesday, where world leaders are expected to declare their countries’ commitments to nature and a post-2020 biodiversity framework.

“They are not going to say, ‘We will continue a path of destruction.’ They are going to say, ‘We will get on a path of sustainability’,” said Inger Andersen, the head of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Ms. Andersen, speaking alongside Ms. Mrema in the SDG Media Zone, outlined other voices that will be heard this week in the General Assembly Hall, and in so-called leaders’ dialogue sessions that will focus on sustainable development and on science and technology.

Youthful energy

“Just like in the climate movement, and then the Climate Action Summit, we saw that the energy that the young people bring in, into the room, onto the street, over dinner tables, back at home, into the classroom, and eventually into the voting booth”, Ms. Andersen said about the inclusion of young people in the week’s discussions. “That is an energy that we want to see also for nature and biodiversity.”

She highlighted the voice of indigenous peoples, calling them “environmental defenders”, “stalwarts of nature” and “holders of knowledge” whose “voice, in the UN and beyond, is irrepressible and critical.”

The week will include participation from the private sector and highlight an awareness among participants of agriculture and how to more effectively incentive farming in line with preserving biodiversity.

Changing agriculture

“We all eat, so we all have to understand that eating is important,” Ms. Andersen said. “But our agricultural practices need to change for the better, and so that means that big agriculture has a to-do item on its list in terms of how we do that, and policymakers have a to-do item in helping them shift.”

While these senior UN officials hope for strong participation from a variety of groups, the most important voice is strong commitments from heads of State who have the ability to direct policy change.

“It’s time for action. And understanding, therefore, that the heads of State now what they will say will really matter, because future generations will judge them,” Ms. Anderson said, echoing Ms. Mrema.

“Were we going to be the leaders that stood and let species and nature disappear? So that your grandchild or mine, will not see that magnificent animal or that incredible flower or the very being of ecosystem that supports us? It’s not small. It’s very, very big, because it is the future [of] food security, because it is the future of peace, because it is the future of humanity as we understand it.”

Illicit capital robbing Africa and its people of their future: UN trade and development chief

Illicit financial flows (IFFs) are movements of money and assets across borders which are illegal in source, transfer or use, according to the new report entitled “Tackling illicit financial flows for sustainable development in Africa.”

It shows that these outflows are nearly as much as the combined total annual inflows of official development assistance, valued at $48 billion, and yearly foreign direct investment, pegged at $54 billion, received by African countries – which represents the average investment between 2013 to 2015.

“Illicit financial flows rob Africa and its people of their prospects, undermining transparency and accountability and eroding trust in African institutions”, said UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi.

These outflows include illicit capital flight, tax and commercial practices like mis-invoicing of trade shipments and criminal activities such as illegal markets, corruption or theft, says UNCTAD.

From 2000 to 2015, the total illicit capital flight from Africa amounted to $836 billion. Compared to Africa’s total external debt stock of $770 billion in 2018, this makes Africa a “net creditor to the world”, the report says.

IFFs related to the export of extractive commodities ($40 billion in 2015) are the largest component of illicit capital flight from Africa.

SDG progress at risk

IFFs represent a major drain on capital and revenues in Africa, undermining productive capacity and Africa’s prospects for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

For example, the report finds that in African countries with high IFFs, governments spend 25% less than countries with low IFFs on health, and 58% less on education. Since women and girls often have less access to health and education, they suffer most from the negative fiscal effects of IFFs.

Africa will not be able to bridge the large financing gap to achieve the SDGs, estimated at $200 billion per year, with existing government revenues and development assistance.

Infrastructure, services suffering

The report finds that tackling capital flight and IFFs represents a large potential source of capital to finance much-needed investments in, for example, infrastructure, education, health, and productive capacity.

Sierra Leone for example, which has one of the highest under-five mortality rates on the continent, curbing capital flight and investing a constant share of revenues in public health could save an additional 2,322 of the 258,000 children born in the country annually.

In Africa, IFFs originate mainly from extractive industries and are therefore associated with poor environmental outcomes.

The report shows that curbing illicit capital flight could generate enough capital by 2030 to finance almost 50% of the $2.4 trillion needed by sub-Saharan African countries for climate change adaptation and mitigation.

All that glitters

The report’s analysis also demonstrates that IFFs in Africa are not endemic to specific countries, but rather to certain high-value, low-weight commodities.

Of the estimated $40 billion of IFFs derived from extractive commodities in 2015, 77% were concentrated in the gold supply chain, followed by diamonds (12%) and platinum (6%).

The report aims to equip African governments with knowledge on how to identify and evaluate risks associated with IFFs, as well as solutions to curb IFFs and redirect the proceeds towards the achievement of national priorities and the SDGs.

It calls for global efforts to promote international cooperation to combat IFFs. It also advocates for strengthening good practices on the return of assets to foster sustainable development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Tax revenues syphoned off

Tax revenues lost to IFFs are especially costly for Africa, where public investments and spending on the SDGs are most lacking. In 2014, Africa lost an estimated $9.6 billion to tax havens, equivalent to 2.5% of total tax revenue.

Tax evasion is at the core of the world’s shadow financial system, according to UNCTAD. Commercial IFFs are often linked to tax avoidance or evasion strategies, designed to shift profits to lower-tax jurisdictions.

Due to the lack of domestic transfer pricing rules in most African countries, local judicial authorities lack the tools to challenge tax evasion by multinationals.

But IFFs are not just a national concern in Africa, said Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari: “Illicit financial flows are multidimensional and transnational in character. Like the concept of migration, they have countries of origin and destination, and there are several transit locations. The whole process of mitigating illicit financial flows, therefore, cuts across several jurisdictions.”

Solutions in plain sight

Solutions to the problem must involve international tax cooperation and anti-corruption measures. The international community should devote more resources to tackle IFFs, including capacity-building for tax and customs authorities in developing countries.

African countries need to strengthen engagement in international taxation reform, make tax competition consistent with protocols of the AfCFTA, and aim for more taxation rights, said the UN trade agency.

Nobel laureate Nadia Murad denounces lack of will to end sexual violence as a war tactic

“We have the ability to provide resources to communities destroyed by violence, Ms. Murad, who also serves as a UN Goodwill Ambassador, said. “We simply lack collective political will to do so.”

Speaking during an online event titled #EndSGBV, hosted by the United Arab Emirates, Norway and Somalia on the margins of General Assembly general debate, Ms. Murad – jointly awarded the 2018 Nobel peace prize with Congolese gynecologist Denis Mukwege for their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war – took stock of progress over the last year.

“We must critically look at what we did well, where we can be really proud because we have made a true difference”, she said, “but also, be honest and transparent on where we missed opportunities to stop gender-based violence and truly be there for victims.”

Survivor-centred approach

She described the launch of the Global Survivors Fund as “a major achievement”, along with the Murad Code, a protocol she launched with the United Kingdom for those collecting information from survivors on conflict-related sexual violence.

In a post-conflict region like Iraq, she said survivors must play an active role in the peacebuilding process. “Survivors know best what they need to heal and recover.” Efforts to engage them at every level of their recovery will empower them.

Threat to Yazidis ‘virtually unchanged’

Perhaps nowhere is the international unwillingness to engage more stark, than in the experience of the Yazidis, she said, most of whom live in northern Iraq and who in 2014 became victims of genocide by ISIL/Da’esh terrorists, in the group’s pernicious campaign to wipe out non-Islamic influence.

Stressing that their situation remains “virtually unchanged,” she said it pains her greatly that once again she must convey to the world the seriousness of their plight. Hundreds of thousands of Yazidis are internally displaced in camps, where conditions are dangerous – especially in light of COVID-19.

Their destroyed homeland of Sinjar, lacks critical infrastructure to support their needs. It is ignored, lacking any dedicated effort to build a stable local government and security force committed to equal protection for all citizens. Thus, Yazidis cannot return safely.

2,800 women, children still held by ISIL

Most importantly, she said thousands of Yazidis still face sexual violence daily at the hands of ISIL/Da’esh, with more than 2,800 women and children still missing and in captivity. They have been subjected to sexual violence and slavery for over six years.

“It is incredibly disheartening to understand no collective search and rescue efforts have been made by the Iraqi Government or the United Nations to find these women and children”, she said. “Make no mistake, the global community has abandoned over 2,800 human beings.”

‘Moral imperative’

To be sure, it is the responsibility of Iraq, the United Nations and the international community to take immediate steps to rescue these women and children, she said. “Anything less is unacceptable.” Yazidi families cannot rebuild their lives without knowing the fate of their loved ones. “Let us be clear: It is a moral imperative to respond to the vast needs of fellow human beings”.

She called for a collaborative grass roots approach, with international organizations, the United Nations and Governments working closely with local non-governmental groups to develop contextually specific approaches. Development can only be sustained if local communities are part of every decision that impacts them. “It is vital that we listen to the communities we serve,” she assured.

Call to rebuild Sinjar

Drawing attention to Nadia’s Initiative, which seeks to empower Yazidis to rebuild their lives and advocates for investments that will provide survivors of sexual and gender-based violence with comprehensive support, she said non-governmental organizations cannot rebuild post-conflict communities on their own.

In Iraq, she pressed the Government to rebuild Sinjar, provide survivors with reparations and stabilize local governments. While investigations have begun, evidence has been collected and survivors have recorded their testimonies, justice has yet to be served.

It is up to Iraq and the international community to try ISIL/Da’esh perpetrators for crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide, she stressed. Yazidis and other communities destroyed by violence deserve international support.

Most countries failing to protect women from COVID-19 economic and social fallout

And women have often become victims of domestic violence “locked down with their abusers, as unpaid caregivers in families and communities, and as workers in jobs that lack social protection”, adds the Executive Director of UN Women, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

New data released by gender agency and the UN Development Programme (UNDP) taken from the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker, reveal that most countries are not doing enough to protect women and girls from the economic and social fallout being caused by the virus.

Lacking support

The analysis signals that one-fifth of the 206 countries analyzed, or 42 States, had no gender-sensitive measures in place to respond to the pandemic.

And only 25 countries have introduced measures aimed at tackling violence against women and girls (VAWG), support unpaid care and strengthen women’s economic security.

These may include helplines, shelters or legal support to counter the surge in violence; cash transfers directly targeted at women; or childcare services and paid sick leave.

“The COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity for countries to transform existing economic models towards a renewed social contract that prioritizes social justice and gender equality”, said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner. “This new gender response tracker can help accelerate policy reform by guiding on gaps in national efforts and funding and highlighting best practices”.

Breakdown

Across 135 countries, the tracker identified 704 measures to prevent and/or respond to VAWG. Of these, 63 per cent focused on strengthening essential services, such as shelters, helplines and other reporting mechanisms.

However, only 48 countries, less than a quarter of those analyzed, treated VAWG-related services as an integral part of their national and local COVID-19 response plans – with very few adequately funding these measures.

At the same time, social protection, care crisis and jobs response has been largely blind to women’s needs, with only 177 measures in 85 countries explicitly aimed at strengthening women’s economic security, and just 60 taking action to support unpaid care and strengthen care services for children, older persons or persons with disabilities.

Varying responses

The tracker also shows that gender actions vary widely across countries and regions.

According to the analysis, Europe is leading the response on addressing VAWG and unpaid care – accounting for almost 32 per cent of all violence measures and 49 per cent of all unpaid care measures.

Meanwhile, the Americas has the largest number of measures aimed at strengthening women’s economic security, followed by Africa.

“The Global Tracker supports Governments in making the right policy decisions by sharing good practices and monitoring progress in care policies and measures to address violence against women”, said UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

‘Eyes and ears’ of UN Human Rights Council facing funding crisis

In an appeal for Member States to help, they said that financing their work adequately had been a concern for several years, and that the COVID-19 crisis had made their work even more difficult.

Today, Member States have only paid about 60 per cent of their commitments to the United Nations regular budget.

As a result, some experts are unable to carry out their mandates properly, the Special Procedures coordination committee said in a statement, describing rights experts as the “eyes and ears” of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Their work includes making country visits to engage State representatives and civil society, meeting victims of rights violations and making concrete recommendations to assist States in fulfilling their human rights obligations, they added.

The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary. They are also independent from any government or organization.

The Human Rights Council’s Special Procedures bodies include the 56 mandates that cover international human rights; these include violations of the rights of communities and populations historically subjected to discrimination.

‘Protection gap’

In their appeal to Member States, the experts expressed serious concern that the lack of urgent action to address the funding crisis “may create a protection gap”, as they endeavour to fulfil their obligations to report to UN bodies, continue their outreach to victims, and engage in ongoing urgent matters”.

“As in every area of human rights, the COVID-19 pandemic must not be used as a justification for States to fail to fund the very mandates that they have chosen to establish,” the Committee said.

“Moreover, the experts, who work as unpaid volunteers, have now incurred additional personal costs, including to ensure access to the Internet and essential technology, as well as for the care of children and other relatives, as they endeavor to fulfil their obligations to report to UN bodies, continue their outreach to victims, and engage in ongoing urgent matters.

Regular budget funding crucial

“While Special Procedures mandate holders have gone above and beyond their normal duties to support victims of human rights violations, States cannot claim that they are adequately supporting them unless they fully comply with their financial commitments to the UN’s regular budget”, the Committee said.

The call by the Coordination Committee takes place while the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly are in session in Geneva and New York.

The Coordination Committee is urging participants at both events to heed members’ call during these important deliberations, “and to take practical and urgent steps to address the UN financial crisis immediately”, said the news release from the UN rights office, OHCHR.

Rights experts denounce death sentence against Nigerian singer who posted on WhatsApp

Yahaya Sharif-Aminu, 22, was sentenced to death on 10 August by a Sharia court in Nigeria’s northern Kano province. He was convicted for sharing a song he had written and performed through a group on WhatsApp, which prompted some local politicians to call for his execution.

A mob burned down his family home in March and he has received death threats.

The human rights experts called for the death sentence to be overturned and for authorities to guarantee his safety and right to due process , while he appeals the verdict.

We are also gravely concerned about Mr. Sharif-Aminu’s safety, in light of the death threats against him – Rights experts

“We are deeply concerned over the serious lack of due process in Mr. Sharif-Aminu’s case so far, especially reports that he has been held incommunicado, and that he did not have access to a lawyer during his initial trial, a trial that was not open to the public”, said the experts in a news release on Monday.

‘Flagrant violation’ of international law

The experts added that artistic expression of opinion and beliefs, through songs or other media – including those seen to offend religious sensibilities – is protected in accordance with international law.

UN Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Karima Bennoune, one of the experts sounding the alarm, said that the application of the death penalty “for artistic expression or for sharing a song on the Internet, is a flagrant violation of international human rights law, as well as of Nigeria’s constitution.”

“We are also gravely concerned about Mr. Sharif-Aminu’s safety, in light of the death threats against him”, said the rights experts. “Nigeria must take effective measures to protect Mr. Sharif-Aminu, in detention as well as after his release.”

Alongside Ms. Bennoune, the human rights expert making the call include special rapporteurs on freedom of religion or belief; on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions; on the right to freedom of expression; and on the independence of judges and lawyers; as well as the members of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention.

The Special Rapporteurs and Independent Experts are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. The experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

India: UN expert raises alarm over mass evictions of Delhi railway track dwellers

Balakrishnan Rajagopal, UN Special Rapporteur on adequate housing, also said that none of those affected, appeared to have been consulted or heard by the Court beforehand, and that the judges had initially ruled that no one should be allowed to seek to overturn the eviction order.

“This amounts to a full-fledged denial of justice for the low income people living along the railway tracks”, Mr. Rajagopal said in a news release on Monday.

This amounts to a full-fledged denial of justice for the low income people living along the railway tracks – Rights expert Balakrishnan Rajagopal

“If this is maintained, India will squarely violate article 2.3 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights containing the core human rights principle that everyone can seek judicial relief against any decision she or he considered arbitrary.”

Serious rights violation

Mr. Rajagopal also said that any eviction into homelessness would amount to a serious violation of human rights and of India’s obligations under the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

The Supreme Court of India issued the eviction order at the end of August for around 48,000 households living near the tracks, giving occupants three months to leave, according to the news release.

The Court issued a second ruling to temporarily halt the eviction order, a move welcomed by the Special Rapporteur, who, however, added that the four weeks provided would be insufficient to develop any reasonable relocation plan, that would meet international legal standards, for such a large number of households.

Mr. Rajagopal called on the Supreme Court to reconsider the case in light of India’s international rights obligations, noting that the Court has a strong reputation of having previously delivered several landmark human rights decisions.

According to the the UN rights office (OHCHR), the Special Rapporteur has contacted the Indian Government to clarify the issues in question and asked for his concerns to be shared with the Supreme Court.

Ban all evictions in light of COVID-19

To avoid community spread of the COVID-19 virus, Mr. Rajagopal urged the Government to ban all evictions during the pandemic under the country’s National Disaster Management Act or its Epidemics Act.

“While the relocation of some residents living in very close proximity to a railway track may be needed to protect them from potential railway accidents, any such eviction would only be compatible with international human rights law after a relocation plan is developed in consultation with the affected households and after alternative land or housing is made available to them in proximity to their current place of residence,” said Mr. Rajagopal.

Such relocation should however only be considered after the pandemic has been brought under control, as undertaking it now would expose those living in the railway safety zone to additional health risks.

One millionth death from COVID-19 ‘an agonizing milestone’: UN Secretary-General

“They were fathers and mothers, wives and husbands, brothers and sisters, friends and colleagues,” he said in a statement on Monday.

The pain has been multiplied by the “savageness” of the disease, the Secretary-General added, noting that the risk of infection kept families from being with their loved ones, and the process of mourning and celebrating a life was often made impossible.

“How do you say goodbye without holding a hand, or extending a gentle kiss, a warm embrace, a final whisper ‘I love you’?”

At the same time, still there is no end in sight to the spread of the virus, the loss of jobs, the disruption of education, the upheaval to our lives, said Mr. Guterres.

‘We can overcome’

However, we can overcome this challenge, he urged, underlining the need to “learn from the mistakes”

“Responsible leadership matters. Science matters. Cooperation matters – and misinformation kills. As the relentless hunt for a vaccine continues – a vaccine that must be available and affordable to all – let’s do our part to save lives,” said Mr. Guterres.

“As we remember so many lives lost, let us never forget that our future rests on solidarity – as people united and as united nations.”

New rapid diagnostic test for COVID-19

Meanwhile, a new COVID-19 diagnostic test, which can provide reliable results quickly, at a lower price and with less sophisticated equipment, will help expand capacity to detect cases in low- and middle-income countries, the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has announced.

Through agreements between WHO and partners, 120 million such tests will be made available to these countries, over a period of six months.

“This will enable the expansion of testing, particularly in hard-to-reach areas that do not have lab facilities or enough trained health workers to carry out PCR tests,” WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a media briefing on Monday, adding that it would be “a vital addition” to countries’ testing capacity and is especially important in areas of high transmission.

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

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The tests – antigen rapid diagnostic tests (Ag RDTs) – priced at $5 per unit, are easy to use and highly portable, and provide reliable results in approximately 15 to 30 minutes – substantially faster as well as cheaper than polymerase-chain reaction (PCR) tests, according to WHO.

“The quicker COVID-19 can be diagnosed, the quicker action can be taken to treat and isolate those with the virus and trace their contacts,” said Mr. Tedros.

With agreement and seed funding already secured, the need now is the full amount of funds to buy the tests, stressed the WHO Director-General.