September 2021 — Page 4 of 19 — Human Rights & Charity

As crises ‘pile up’ in the Sahel, Malian leader says it's time to consider more robust mandate for UN Mission

Terrorism, violent extremism and instability were a constant threat in the region, and now, “a note of anguish and tragedy has been added by the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The Prime Minister was speaking on the 5th day of the high-level week of the General Assembly. After being held virtually last year due the coronavirus pandemic, this year’s gathering features “hybrid” activities that include leaders in person along with virtual participants.

The threat of terrorism

Mr. Maïga, who has led the transitional government since 11 June, said that the Malian people place “all their hopes in the process of political transition underway.”

Since March 2012, when coup d’état happened in the country, he said, the situation “has hardly improved, despite international support and the presence of a UN peace operation, MINUSMA, and other international forces.”

“The situation has continued to deteriorate steadily, to the point that entire sections of the national territory are beyond the control of the Government. My fellow citizens live under the grip of terrorist and armed groups and with their most basic rights denied. Their access to basic services remains hypothetical due to the weak presence of the State.”

Paying tribute to “all women and men who work under the banner of MINUSMA, officially known as the UN Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali, in difficult conditions, often perilous”, he argued that the Mission should continue to evolve.

“We must have the courage and lucidity to question the instruments and mechanisms mentioned above. We should also and above all put back on the table the demand for a more robust mandate and a change in the posture of the MINUSMA,” he said.

Changes to MINUSMA

Mr. Maïga said that since MINUSMA was created, in 2013, the terrorist threat “has deteriorated continuously.”

He then pointed to the departure of the French Forces that are part of the Operation Barkhane.

“The unilateral announcement of Barkhane’s withdrawal and its transformation ignored the connection that binds us, the UN, Mali and France, on the front lines of the fight against the factors of destabilization,” he said.

He added that this “new situation” lead his Government “to explore ways and means to better ensure security, independently or with other partners, so as to fill the void that will inevitably be created.”

For him, the situation “should also prompt the United Nations to now have a more offensive posture on the field.”

“The United Nations must help Mali to fight more effectively against the transnational organized crime in order to establish the real conditions for its stabilization, guarantee of the success of political, humanitarian, development and protection of human rights.”

Elections

According to the Prime Minister, another priority for his Government is the organization of the elections.

He argued that, to mark the return to constitutional order to the country, the scrutiny has to be “transparent, credible and inclusive”.

“These elections are particularly important because they will be the barometer of the success of the Transition. We know that their quality and credibility will condition the future of our democracy, the legitimacy and solidity of our institutions,” he concluded.

Read the full statement in French.

UNICEF’s women Goodwill Ambassadors, give voice to the voiceless

“It is essential that the hard-won rights of Afghan women and girls are protected”, Secretary-General António Guterres told the Security Council.

Women are not just half of the global population, it has been shown that their full participation in public life “enhances economic results, prompts greater investment in social protection, leads to more sustainable peace and advances climate action”, according to the UN chief.

UNICEF has long acknowledged and brought this to the fore, through the work of its many women Goodwill Ambassadors.

Africa

Renowned West African singer and songwriter, Angélique Kidjo, has since 2002 used her role as a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador to passionately campaign for girls’ education.

The Benin native believes that “music is a language beyond the colour of skin, country or culture” and wants to “inspire people to work to help educate, nourish and protect our children”.

The three-time Grammy Award winner has travelled widely to advocate for UNICEF-supported programmes and has received the 2015 Crystal Award at the World Economic Forum for her commitment to improving the state of the world, and in 2016 was honoured with Amnesty International’s Ambassador of Conscience Award for using her voice to confront global injustice.

Earlier this year, she joined others, including fellow star performer Katy Perry, in demanding that G7 leaders commit to donating doses of COVID-19 vaccines to poorer countries.

Asia

Global talent Priyanka Chopra Jonas had served for 10 years as a National Ambassador to UNICEF India before joining the global Goodwill Ambassador team in 2016.

The entertainer works to protect children’s rights and promote the education of girls in India, including through her namesake charity, The Priyanka Chopra Foundation for Health and Education, and as a UN Foundation Girl Up Champion.

“Along this journey with UNICEF, I have experienced firsthand the transformative power of empowering young girls with opportunities that are rightfully theirs”, said the actress/singer/film producer.

Last year, on World Children’s Day, she spoke with 16-year-old youth activist Aditya about his quest to eliminate single use plastics in India and discussed a more sustainable world for every child.

“I am proud to stand with UNICEF to help build a world where children’s rights are respected and protected”, upheld the Indian superstar.

Europe

At just 14, actor Millie Bobby Brown was appointed in 2018 as UNICEF’s youngest-ever Goodwill Ambassador.

“It’s a dream come true to become a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador”, she said. “I am looking forward to meeting as many children and young people as I can, hearing their stories, and speaking out on their behalf”.

Starring as Eleven in Netflix’s hit series Stranger Things, the British national has supported the launch of UNICEF’s One Love global campaign, to help fundraise and protect children and families from the effects of COVID-19.

Among many other initiatives, the Screen Actors’ Guild Award winner was also a major player in UNICEF’s global partnership with the jewelry brand Pandora, who donated $1 million towards the activation and fundraiser.

Latin America

Grammy-winning artist and devoted advocate for early childhood education, Shakira Mebarak, has supported UNICEF’s work and helped raise awareness for the world’s most vulnerable children since 2003.

Seven years ago, she became a member of former UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown’s International Commission on Financing Global Education, and was honoured in 2017 at the World Economic Forum, receiving the Crystal Award for her humanitarian work.

Reminding that “today’s babies will drive tomorrow’s business”, the Colombian singer/songwriter has said that “their capacity to contribute will shape tomorrow’s societies, will solve tomorrow’s problems”.

North America

One of the bestselling music artists of all time, UN Goodwill Ambassador Katy Perry has put into action her commitment to improving the lives of children since she assumed her role in 2013.

The United States-born artist has traveled extensively to highlight the needs of some of the world’s most vulnerable, raise awareness of UNICEF’s emergency relief efforts and use her voice to advocate for children across the globe.

“UNICEF works to ensure that every child, urban or rural, rich or poor, has a chance to thrive, to grow and to contribute to their families and communities – as well as to have the opportunity to shape the world that we live in”, according to the superstar.

Also a social media luminary, who was the first to surpass 100 million followers on Twitter, last year she announced the birth of her child with UNICEF Ambassador Orlando Bloom via UNICEF’s Instagram account, encouraging donations to the agency to ensure every mother and newborn get the care they need.

‘Save as many lives as possible, and leave no one's health behind’: Japan’s message to the world

In a pre-recorded message for the high-level debate of the 76th General Assembly, Mr. Suga highlighted that it is necessary to create an environment where all countries and regions can secure vaccines equitably with no political or economic conditions.

“‘Save as many lives as possible and leave no one’s health behind’. This has been the conviction that Japan, as a country upholding human security and universal health coverage, and I, have adhered to throughout this battle against the pandemic”, he said, recalling that his country has provided approximated 23 million vaccines doses through the COVAX facility and other initiatives.

“Today, I am pleased to announce that, with additional contributions, Japan will provide up to 60 million vaccine doses in total” he added.

The Prime Minister also informed that Japan is implementing a programme called ‘Last One Mile Support’ to ensure the deliveries of immunizations to vaccination centres to each country and region.

“Through these initiatives, Japan has provided assistance of the order of $3.9 billion worldwide and will continue to make the utmost effort in overcoming COVID-19”, he added.

Four key actions for a better future

Mr. Suga stressed that there are four points that Japan considers particularly important in guiding the world towards a better future.

The first one, he said, is to build resilient global health systems: “We must learn from this pandemic and prepare ourselves for the future. Our experiences this time have taught us that there should be no geographical vacuum in addressing global health issues, and it is important that relevant information and knowledge on all countries and regions is shared promptly and extensively in a free and transparent manner”.

Another important measure for a better future is to create a green and sustainable society by fighting climate change.

“Japan aims to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 46 per cent in fiscal year 2030 from its fiscal year 2013 levels, setting an ambitious target which is aligned with the long-term goal of achieving net-zero by 2050”, he explained.

Mr. Suga also emphasized the importance of a free and open international order based on the rule of law.

“We must uphold universal values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law that our predecessors have established to maintain peace and prosperity in each region and in the world. I am convinced that the foundation of this undertaking is not force, but a free and open international order”, he stated.

Finally, the Primer Minister highlighted the importance of a more peaceful and secure international community. He said that Japan is determined to play a proactive role in this arena and in establishing a rules-based international order, with the support from Member States at the election of non-permanent members of the Security Council in 2022.

Asking world leaders to adhere to the Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of Nuclear Weapons (NPT), he said that his country, as the only one that had experienced the devastation of atomic bombings, will endeavour to bridge the gaps among countries with different positions.

“We aim to achieve a meaningful outcome at the Review Conference to be held next year. We will also continue to work on the control and disarmament of conventional weapons, or “’Disarmament that Saves Lives’”.

Full statement available here.

Syria: 10 years of war has left at least 350,000 dead

These are a result of a war that spiralled out of the 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assad’s rule.

Based on the “rigorous work” of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), she said that the tally, which includes civilians and combatants, is based on “strict methodology” requiring the deceased’s full name, the date of death, and location of the body.

People behind the numbers

In the first official update on the death toll since 2014, Ms. Bachelet informed the Council that more than one in 13 of those who died due to conflict, was a woman – 26,727 in all – and almost one in 13 was a child – a grim total of 27,126 young lives lost.

The Governorate of Aleppo saw the greatest number of documented killings, with 51,731 named individuals.

Other heavy death tolls were recorded in Rural Damascus, 47,483; Homs, 40,986; Idlib, 33,271; Hama, 31,993; and Tartus, 31,369.

“Behind each recorded death was a human being, born free and equal, in dignity and rights”, reminded the High Commissioner.

“We must always make victims’ stories visible, both individually and collectively, because the injustice and horror of each of these deaths should compel us to action.”

More accountability needed

Her office, OHCHR, is processing information on alleged perpetrators, recording victims civilian or combatant status and the type of weapons used, Ms. Bachelet said.

To provide a more complete picture of the scale and impact of the conflict, the UN agency has also established statistical estimation techniques to account for missing data.

The High Commissioner explained that documenting deaths complements efforts to account for missing people and that her office has been helping the families of the missing, to engage with international human rights mechanisms.

Given the vast number of those missing in Syria, Ms. Bachelet echoed her call for an independent mechanism, with a strong international mandate, to “clarify the fate and whereabouts of missing people; identify human remains; and provide support to relatives”.

No end to the violence

Today, the daily lives of the Syrian people remain “scarred by unimaginable suffering”, the UN human rights chief said, adding that they have endured a decade of conflict, face deepening economic crisis and struggle with the impacts of COVID-19.

Extensive destruction of infrastructure has significantly affected the realization of essential economic and social rights, and there is still no end to the violence.

“It is incumbent upon us all to listen to the voices of Syria’s survivors and victims, and to the stories of those who have now fallen silent for ever”, the High Commissioner concluded.

South Sudan ‘determined to never go back to war’

A decade after gaining independence from Sudan, the country remains “on a path of nation-building” and is working to implement a 2018 revitalized peace deal which led to the formation of a unity government last year.

“I want to assure our friends and partners that we are determined to never go back to war,” said Ms. De Mabior.

“We must replace the destruction of war with the productive use of our vast natural resources and national assets for the good of our people.”

Prioritize nation-building

The Vice-President recalled that when South Sudan became independent, the international community pledged to build capacity in nation-building, establishing a UN mission in the country, UNMISS, to support this process.

“However, after the outbreak of the war, that vision was abandoned, and priority was placed on protecting civilians and providing humanitarian assistance. As a result, support for capacity building of the State was terminated,” she said.

Ms. De Mabior stressed that supporting a State’s ability to govern responsibly and effectively is essential. It is also necessary to guard against what she called “the unintended consequences of dependency on humanitarian assistance.”

Given improvements in peace and security, she said it was now time to transition from emergency towards sustainable development.

“It is a painful and shameful situation for a country endowed with vast fertile land to be regarded as poor,” she added.

“We must ensure peace and security in the country and double our efforts to support our people who want to return, and are returning, to their areas of origin, for them to participate fully in nation-building and contribute to building food security in the country.”

Support youth and women

South Sudan is also “a youthful country”, and the Vice-President called for continued efforts to develop the skills of its youth and women “to provide an alternative to picking up the gun again and engaging in destructive behavior.”

Encouraging developments have included joint efforts by the national security forces and their UNMISS counterparts to promote rural peace and security, while the Government is set to unveil a national youth service programme.

“To fulfill the vision of our liberation struggle, we must use our oil revenues to fuel economic growth through investment in agriculture,” she said.

“We will invest in infrastructure to connect our rural communities to the markets. We need the public and private sectors, including foreign investors, to join hands in turning South Sudan’s potential wealth into a reality.”

Glass ‘half-empty’

Ms. De Mabior reported progress in implementing aspects of the Revitalized Peace Agreement, particularly in the creation of state and national bodies and public financial management reforms

However, “the glass remains half-empty” in implementing a permanent ceasefire and transitional security arrangements, she said, noting the urgency for a unified army.

“The security sector reform is the most challenging part of the Agreement as it contains elements at the center of the violent conflicts in the country,” she said, calling for continued dialogue.

“Building sustainable peace requires inclusivity, collective investment, determination, diligence, and patience.”

Meanwhile, relations with Sudan have also improved, though outstanding issues remain over the oil-rich Abyei border area.

Ms. De Mabior stressed her country is determined to learn from the past.

“We must make the Revitalized Peace Agreement succeed, and we can only do that with the support of our regional and international partners. Simply stated, South Sudan desires and is ready to turn a new page,” she said.

Link to speech here

Afghanistan: Girls’ education must be a given, urges deputy UN chief

Ms. Mohammed was speaking during a panel discussion on supporting a future for girls’ education in Afghanistan, held on the margins of the UN General Assembly.

Prominent women advocates from Afghanistan and the international community also participated in the discussion, held both online and in person, and moderated by BBC correspondent Laura Trevelyan from UN Headquarters in New York.

‘Front and centre’

Asked if international aid to Afghanistan could be conditional on education for women and girls, Ms. Mohammed responded “absolutely”, stating that the issue “continues to remain upfront” in ongoing discussions with the de facto authorities.

“This is where we have to have resolve: that recognition comes with your ability to be part of a global family. That has a certain set of values and rights that must be adhered to. And education is up front and centre, especially for girls and for women.”

The deputy UN chief urged the international community to draw on Afghan women’s expertise and support them in preventing a reversal of two decades of gains in girls’ education.

A ‘zero condition’

Ms. Mohammed also reminded Afghan women that the UN is still on the ground, delivering for the people.

“You can be assured that we will continue to amplify your voices and make it a zero condition that girls must have an education before the recognition of any Government that comes in,” she said.

Education is ‘everything’

The Taliban seized power in August and recently confirmed that while secondary schools were reopening, only boys would be returning to the classroom. Women teachers in the country are also unable to return to work.

This week, the administration’s spokesperson said a “safe learning environment” would need to be established before girls could go back to high school, according to media reports.

For engineer Somaya Faruqi, captain of the Afghan girls’ robotics team that has competed worldwide, education means “everything”.

“My generation grew up with a dream: achieving great things for our country by pursuing an education. The world will have everything to gain by standing with us,” said Ms. Faruqi, who left Afghanistan in the wake of the takeover.

Education is both a right and an investment in a country’s future, said Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF.

‘Important moment’

Prior to the Taliban takeover, UNICEF was operating in areas of Afghanistan under the group’s control. She said the agency learned that many Taliban members believed education was important for their boys and girls.

Even though UNICEF tripled the number of schools open in Afghanistan, with 10 million children attending, four million of them girls, the country was already falling behind in educational provision. COVID-19 has further impacted progress.

“Girls and boys in many of the provinces are starting to return to school, but we are not seeing the girls returning to secondary school,” said Ms. Fore.

“So, this is a real important moment for the de-facto authorities to be thinking about in every region, in every rural village: how to get the children – all the children, girls and boys – to school.”

Both Ms. Fore and the UN Deputy Secretary-General spoke of the promise of digital technology and distance learning as a solution for expanding educational opportunities.

“Out in the rural communities, there is skills-building and there are community-based programmes, and we can do more with distance education and remote learning,” the UNICEF chief said. “We need to have women teachers going back to schools, and we need more women teachers.”

No compromises on women’s rights

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and UN Messenger of Peace, Malala Yousafzai, famously survived a Taliban assassination attempt while a teenager campaigning for girls’ education in her native Pakistan.

Ms. Yousafzai feared the return of atrocities targeting women, as well as terrorism and extremism, both in Afghanistan and the region, and urged the international community to ensure women’s rights are upheld.

“We cannot make compromises on the protection of women’s rights and on the protection of human dignity. This is a commitment that the UN has made, that they are there to work for the protection of human dignity,” she said.

“So now is the time that we stick to that commitment and ensure that their rights in government are protected. And one of those important rights is the right to education.”

‘Listen to the people’

Fawzia Koofi, Afghanistan’s first woman Deputy Speaker of Parliament, was also the first girl in her family to go to school.

She believes other predominantly Muslim countries in the region could press the Taliban on girls’ education, because what is happening in Afghanistan differs from the rest of the Islamic world.

“Within the Taliban there might be individuals who have a different interpretation of Islamic principles, or even a self-made interpretation, which cannot become part of the government’s policy,” said Ms. Koofi.

“When they were fighting, probably they had a different policy. But when they are in the government, they have to listen to the people of Afghanistan.”

Deadly ‘invisible shipwrecks’ plague migrants bound for Canary Islands

By the end of last month, the International Organization for Migration’s (IOM) Missing Migrants Project recorded 785 people, including 177 women and 50 children, who had died or disappeared this year. 

Frank Laczko, Director of IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre noted that the actual numbers are likely much higher.

“Invisible shipwrecks, in which there are no survivors, are believed to be frequent occurrences on this route but are nearly impossible to verify”, he said.

Deadly August

August was the deadliest month in terms of documented fatalities – with 379 lives lost – accounting for nearly half of the total number of deaths recorded this year, according to IOM.

These figures reveal a two-fold increase compared to the recorded deaths during the same period last year, when about 320 people lost their lives on the Western Africa-Atlantic Route.

Migrant deaths soar

In all of 2020, 850 migrant deaths were recorded on this route – the highest documented number of lives lost in a single year since 2014, when IOM first began collecting data. 

Even when boats are reported in distress, it is difficult to determine the number of lives lost.

In the first eight months of this year, 9,386 people had arrived in the Canary Islands by sea, a 140 per cent increase over the same period in 2020 (3,933).

Deadly days at sea

Survivor testimonies have indicated that these journeys are becoming ever riskier. 

One of seven survivors from a vessel carrying 54 passengers that drifted for two weeks – before capsizing close to the Mauritanian coast in mid-August – told IOM that after three days at sea, their engine was lost, and they ran out of food and water.

“People were already starting to die”, the survivor said, describing bodies “thrown into the sea” to lighten the load of the boat, to prevent everyone from dying.

“There were people who looked like they had gone mad, sometimes they bit each other, they shouted, and they threw themselves into the sea”, she added.

There were people who looked like they had gone mad, sometimes they bit each other, they shouted, and they threw themselves into the sea — Survivor

Without a trace

Reports of remains washing ashore along the Atlantic coast or frequently being caught up in the trawl nets of fishing vessels, are further indications of “invisible shipwrecks.”

“The lack of concerted efforts to recover migrant remains on this and all routes means that hundreds of families are left bereaved”, said Mr. Laczko. In the first six months of 2021, the Spanish civil society organization Caminando Fronteras, estimated that 36 boats heading to the Canary Islands disappeared without a trace.

Comprehensive response needed

Conflict and poverty – exacerbated by measures to counter the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with limited regular migration channels – continue to compel people to undertake extremely perilous journeys at sea.

“Ending this senseless loss of life on all maritime migration routes to Europe requires a comprehensive response, enhanced State-led search and rescue capacities and pathways for safe, orderly and regular migration”, the IOM official stated.

With region ‘at a crossroads’, Palestinian President calls on UN’s Guterres to convene international peace conference

Speaking on the fourth day of the high-level week of the General Assembly, in a pre-recorded message, Mr. Abbas said the initiative should be “in line with the internationally-recognized terms of reference and United Nations resolutions and the Arab Peace Initiative, and under the sole auspices of the international Quartet.”

He also asked UN chief António Guterres “to work on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions on protection” in order “to take the necessary steps towards developing an international mechanism for protection.” The mechanism should be activated “on the borders of the occupied State of Palestine in 1967, including East Jerusalem.”

“To ensure our initiative is not open-ended, we must state that Israel, the occupying Power, has one year to withdraw from the Palestinian territory it occupied in 1967, including East Jerusalem,” he explained. “And we are ready to work throughout this year on the delineation of borders and solving all final status issues under the auspices of the international Quartet and in accordance with United Nations resolutions.”

“The international community’s support for this initiative, consistent with international law and United Nations resolutions, may save the region from an unknown fate,” he added.

Two-state solution

Mahmoud Abbas noted that, 2021 marks the 73rd anniversary of the Nakba, a term used to refer to the events surrounding the establishment of the State of Israel.

“More than half the Palestinian people were uprooted from their land and deprived of their property in that time. Myself, my family and many others still possess the deeds to our land. These deeds are registered as part of the United Nations’ records,” Mr. Abbas said, holding a document he said was his family deed.

“Here is that deed, and many Palestinians carry theirs, as they still hold onto the keys of their houses to this day. We have not been able to recover our properties due to Israeli laws that disregard international law and violate United Nations resolutions.”

He said it was “regrettable that the policies of the international community and the decisions of the relevant United Nations bodies regarding a solution for the ‘Question of Palestine’ have until now not been upheld and implemented.”

Addressing domestic issues, he assured that the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) “is the legitimate and sole representative of the Palestinian people” and that they are committed to holding legislative and presidential elections and to the Palestinian National Council “as soon as holding such elections in Jerusalem is guaranteed as per signed agreements.”

“We call on the international community to help us bring pressure to bear upon the occupying Power to ensure these elections are held in Jerusalem as we cannot continue being deprived of elections,” he said.

Dialogue

Mr. Abbas also referred to the “constructive dialogue” currently underway with the United States Administration to resume Palestinian-US relations.

“From our side, we will strive to succeed in this endeavor so as to create conditions conducive to moving swiftly towards a final political settlement that ends the Israeli occupation of our country,” he assured.

He warned, though, that the current and former Israeli governments “have persisted in evading the two-State solution based on international law and UN resolutions.”

“These unilateral plans will not achieve security and stability for anyone as they undermine efforts for a genuine peace and prolong occupation and entrench the reality of one apartheid state,” he added.

For Mr. Abbas, “this is a moment of truth” and the region is at “a crossroads.”

“We have extended our hands time and time again for peace and still we cannot find a partner in Israel that believes in and accepts the two-State solution,” he assured. “The leaders of Israel no longer feel any shame while stating their blunt opposition to this solution that is supported by global consensus.”

Read the full statement in English here.

WHO backs Regeneron COVID-19 drug cocktail – with equal access, price cut

“This is a major breakthrough in the care of COVID-19 patients”, said Dr. Janet Diaz, WHO head of clinical care. “This is our first recommendation for a therapeutic for those patients with mild, moderate disease,” she said, because it reduces “the need for hospitalisation if they are at high risk”.

Effective ‘reduction in mortality’ 

WHO’s conditional recommendations are for use of the drug combination on patients who are not severely ill, but at high risk of being admitted to hospital with COVID-19, or those with severe cases of the disease and no existing antibodies.

“Giving them this additional antibody seems to show an effect. And what effect is that? A reduction in mortality” Dr. Diaz told a briefing in Geneva.

The antibody therapy was granted emergency use authorization in the United States November last year after it was used to treat former President Donald Trump when he was admitted to hospital with the virus. The United Kingdom has also approved Regeneron, while it is under review in Europe.

‘Meaningful’ benefit

The WHO recommendations were largely based on data from a British study of 9,000 patients in June which found that the therapy reduced deaths in hospitalised patients whose own immune systems had failed to produce a response.

“We are taking the information (from the UK study) and generalizing it to other persons,” said Dr. Diaz. “We saw there was a benefit we thought was meaningful.”

The treatment has been on the market for decades to treat many other diseases, including cancers. It is based on a class of drugs called monoclonal antibodies which mimic natural antibodies produced by the human body to fight off infections.

Equity, price cut call

Swiss drugmaker Roche, has been working in partnership with Regeneron, which holds the patent, to produce the antibody treatment.

Dr. Diaz urged Regeneron to lower the drug’s price and work on equitable distribution worldwide: “We know that the life-saving benefits and the benefits for patients with COVID-19 is significant and requires action.”

She added that WHO-hosted health agency UNITAID, has been negotiating directly with Roche for lower prices and equitable distribution across all parts of the world, “including low and middle-income countries”.

WHO has also been in discussions with the company for a donation and distribution of the drug through UN Children’s Fund UNICEF, following an allocation criteria set by the health agency. “We are working together with the company so we can address these very important issues so we can have equitable access” she said.

Call to manufacturers

In a statement, WHO said in parallel it had “launched a call to manufacturers who may wish to submit their products for pre-qualification, which would allow for a ramping-up of production and therefore greater availability of the treatment and expanded access.

ACT-A partners are also working with WHO on an equitable access framework for recommended COVID-19 therapeutics”. On that subject, Dr Diaz added that “there are bottlenecks and we are aware of those.

WHO has launched the pre-qualification expression of interest call so that the manufacturing companies can start to submit their dossiers to WHO”.

Mexico calls for respect for migrants’ rights, and ‘true international solidarity’

Mr. Ebrard said that the economic recovery from the crisis resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, has been marked by inequality. “The pandemic has highlighted the need for a strong and effective multilateral system”, he declared, calling for more solidarity between states.

“This unprecedented crisis cannot be overcome with unilateral or isolated actions, but rather through renewed cooperation and genuine international solidarity”, Mr. Ebrard underscored.

Universal healthcare

Speaking on the need to guarantee universal and equitable access to medicines, vaccines against COVID-19 and other medical supplies, Mr. Ebrard said this was an “urgent priority”.

Noting that while 33 per cent of the global population in high-income countries has already received at least one dose of the vaccine against COVID-19, only 1.4 per cent of people in low-income countries have had access to a vaccine, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs declared that “we need to promote vaccines being considered as global public goods”.

“The discrimination in the recognition of vaccines jeopardizes socioeconomic recovery, and the efficacy of mechanisms such as the COVAX platform”, he told world leaders during his in-person address to the Assembly.

The annual gathering is being held in a hybrid format, with in-person and online speeches, after being forced almost entirely online last year because of the pandemic.

Migrants’ rights and solidarity

In his speech, Mr. Ebrard referred to one of the subjects that deserve more attention in Mexico: migration and went on to highlight Mexican’s long tradition of solidarity with people who need assistance for humanitarian reasons.

“This is why we have granted international protection to people from Afghanistan who find themselves in a situation of extreme vulnerability, particularly to women and girls”, he added, and urged all to recognize that migration had benefited all societies at some point in their historic development.

Mr. Ebrard reaffirmed that it is a global responsibility to respect and defend the human rights of all persons, regardless of their migratory quality, and called for a safe, orderly and regular migration based on international cooperation.

In this sense, the Secretary of Foreign Affairs reaffirmed Mexico’s commitment to continue fighting hate speech, discrimination, xenophobia, racism, and other related forms of intolerance and violent extremism, including white supremacy.

Debt relief

Highlighting Mexico’s support for measures to ensure that least developed countries can benefit from multilateral support mechanisms for debt relief, Mr. Ebrard declared that middle-income countries also need support mechanisms to recover from the COVID-19 crisis.

“These countries, where Mexico is included, represent 75 per cent of the global population and are home to 62 per cent of people in situations of poverty”, he stated.

In this context, Mr. Ebrard called on international financial institutions, international banking, the private sector and all relevant actors in the field, to promote measures that prevent other countries from incurring in unsustainable levels of debt and managing to direct their scarce resources to the socioeconomic recovery from the crisis.

Gender equality

Mr. Ebrard went on to reiterate Mexico’s aim to promote a more equitable, fair and equalitarian society, highlighting the feminist foreign policy adopted by Mexico in 2020.

He stressed that peace is only possible if women and girls participate actively in its consolidation.

Full statement in Spanish here.

The threat of terrorism

Changes to MINUSMA

Elections

Africa

Asia

Europe

Latin America

North America

Four key actions for a better future

People behind the numbers

More accountability needed

No end to the violence

Prioritize nation-building

Support youth and women

Glass ‘half-empty’

‘Front and centre’

A ‘zero condition’

Education is ‘everything’

‘Important moment’

No compromises on women’s rights

‘Listen to the people’

Deadly August

Migrant deaths soar

Deadly days at sea

Without a trace

Comprehensive response needed

Two-state solution

Dialogue

Effective ‘reduction in mortality’

‘Meaningful’ benefit

Equity, price cut call

Call to manufacturers

Universal healthcare

Migrants’ rights and solidarity

Debt relief

Gender equality

Donate now

Get help now

Effective ‘reduction in mortality’ 