Monday, March 30, 2020

COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns

COVID-19 stoking xenophobia, hate and exclusion, minority rights expert warns

World Bank/Curt Carnemark
A woman wears a medical mask in China. (file photo)
    
30 March 2020
Human Rights
Combatting the COVID-19 pandemic must also include stamping out what one independent human rights expert has called the “darker sides” of the disease: verbal and physical attacks against Chinese and other minority communities, and excluding them from access to healthcare.
“COVID-19 is not just a health issue; it can also be a virus that exacerbates xenophobia, hate and exclusion,” said Fernand de Varennes, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues, in a statement issued on Monday.
He reported that politicians and groups are exploiting fears surrounding the disease to scapegoat certain communities, leading to a rise in violence against them.
This has included physical attacks against Chinese and other Asians, hate speech blaming Roma and Hispanics for the spread of the virus, and calls by some political leaders for migrants to be denied access to medical services.

Safeguard human rights

Mr. de Varennes said countries need to show that the human rights of all people must be protected, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized.
“Combatting the epidemic requires tackling its darker sides. Firm actions by States and all of us to safeguard the human rights of the most vulnerable and marginalised, including minorities, indigenous communities and migrants, are urgent and necessary”, he stressed.
More than 200 countries have reported cases of the new coronavirus disease, which first emerged in Wuhan, China, last December.
There were 638,146 cases globally as of Sunday, and more than 30,000 deaths, according to data from the World Health Organization (WHO).
“The coronavirus outbreak endangers the health of all of us, with no distinction as to language, religion or ethnicity. But some are more vulnerable than others”, said Mr. de Varennes.
He urged people everywhere to resist the rise in discriminatory and hate speech against Asian and other minorities by using the hashtag #IAmNotAVirus on social media.

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

Protect people in prisons, detention centres

Meanwhile, authorities are being urged to consider measures to mitigate COVID-19 risk in places such as prisons, immigration detention facilities, closed refugee camps and psychiatric institutions.
The UN Subcommittee on Prevention of Torture issued the advice on Monday, in a call to protect people deprived of their liberty during the pandemic.
“Governments have to take precautionary measures necessary to prevent the spread of infection, and to implement emergency measures to ensure detainees have access to appropriate levels of health care and to maintain contact with families and the outside world”, said Sir Malcolm Evans, the Committee Chairperson.
Measures include reducing prison populations by allowing early or temporary release of low-risk offenders, and extending the use of bail for all but the most serious cases.v
Courtesy:UN News

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posted by Sunny @ March 30, 2020   0 Comments

Monday, March 23, 2020

Water access critical to beating back COVID-19 spread in slum areas



Water access critical to beating back COVID-19 spread in slum areas

© UN-Habitat/Kirsten Milhahn
Fresh water for the residents of the Majengo slums on Kenya's coast has come on tap as part of a UN-Habitat rehabilitation project. (August 2018)
    

23 March 2020
Health
As regular hand washing is a key tool in combating COVID-19, the UN and its partners are taking steps to ensure people living in informal settlements have access to running water at this critical time, according to the agency working to achieve more sustainable cities.
UN-Habitat said the impacts of the new coronavirus disease could be considerably higher on the urban poor living in slums, where overcrowding also makes it difficult to follow other recommended measures such as social distancing and self-isolation. 
UN-Habitat is based in Nairobi, home to the Kibera slum, where people live hand-to-mouth and water access points are hard to find. They are even harder to get to when movement restrictions are in place, in the hope of preventing further spread of the disease. 

Coronavirus Portal & News Updates

As resident Anna Nyokabi put it: “We don’t have enough water to drink and cook our food, so where will we get water to wash our hands frequently?” 

More than two billion affected 

If the international community is to beat back COVID-19, then Governments must provide Ms. Nyobaki - and the more than two billion people worldwide like her - with continuous access to sufficient water. 
That’s the opinion of 10 independent experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.   



UN-Habitat
✔@UNHABITAT

Measures to prevent in informal settlements can be a little difficult to achieve. We are working in Mathare, Kenya, to set up hand washing stations to help fight . These wash stations are set up at the one stop resource centre there.


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“People living in informal settlements, those who are homeless, rural populations, women, children, older persons, people with disabilities, migrants, refugees and all other groups vulnerable to the effects of the pandemic need to have continuous access to sufficient and affordable water”, they said in a statement issued on Monday. 
“Only this will allow them to comply with the recommendations of health institutions to keep strict hygiene measures”. 
The experts, who are not UN staff nor are they paid by the Organization, called on Governments to immediately prohibit cuts to those people who cannot pay their water bill. 
“It is also essential that they provide water free of cost for the duration of the crisis to people in poverty and those affected by the upcoming economic hardship. Public and private service providers must be enforced to comply with these fundamental measures”, they added. 

UN-Water working with providers and communities 

To address water access in slums, a coalition of UN agencies under the banner of UN-Water is working with national and local governments, as well as civil society organizations, women, youth groups and community leaders. 
They are supporting a UN-Habitat-led global network of small-scale water and sanitation service providers, utilities and authorities.  The network offers peer-to-peer support on a not-for-profit basis, and can provide technical advice, online training and other support, in addition to sharing information and active learning on COVID-19 response. 
“Utilities can be encouraged to maintain water and sanitation service continuity and in ensuring affordability is not a barrier to access for the urban poor”, said UN-Habitat, which is a member of UN-Water. 
UN agencies, programmes and other entities are also putting emergency safe drinking water and handwashing facilities in key locations in informal settlements and high-density public places such as markets, and bus stations. 
They also are actively engaging community leaders and groups through existing slum networks, youth centres and networks, to train community leaders, to manage handwashing facilities, and to disseminate information about COVID-19.  
Finally, in their work they are prioritizing the elderly and people living with chronic medical conditions who are the most vulnerable to the impacts of the disease. 
C

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posted by Sunny @ March 23, 2020   0 Comments

UNICEF sounds alarm over water cuts in Syria as efforts ramp up to prevent COVID-19 spread





UNICEF sounds alarm over water cuts in Syria as efforts ramp up to prevent COVID-19 spread

© UNICEF/Masoud Hasan
Two young children wait to collect water trucked in by UNICEF from other areas of the Middle East to Tal Tamer, Syria. (16 October 2019)
    


23 March 2020
Humanitarian Aid
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and its relief partners in Syria are warning that water disruptions in the country’s war-battered north-east could exacerbate risks posed by the global coronavirus pandemic. 
In statement from Damascus, Fran Equiza, UNICEF Representative in Syria, said on Monday that the water supply from the Allouk station – the main source of water for some 460,000 people – has been interrupted
It is the latest in a series of pumping disruptions over the past weeks, he said.
“The interruption of water supply during the current efforts to curb the spread of coronavirus disease puts children and families at unacceptable risk. Handwashing with soap is critical in the fight against COVID-19,” he said.

UNICEF mobilizes against pandemic

Around the globe, UNICEF’s water, sanitation and hygiene programmes are stepping up their fight against the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The multisectoral response is being led by the World Health Organization (WHO) at the global level.



Fran Equiza@franequiza

Water from the Allouk water station has been interrupted again putting 460k people at risk in northeast . Interruption of water supply during the current efforts to curb the spread of the Coronavirus disease puts children at unacceptable risk.https://www.unicef.org/mena/press-releases/interruption-key-water-station-northeast-syria-puts-460000-people-risk-coronavirus …

Interruption to key water station in the northeast of Syria puts 460,000 people at risk as efforts...

unicef.org

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In north-east Syria, where many of the families reliant on the Allouk water station live in camps for displaced persons, UNICEF says access to uninterrupted, reliable access to safe water is essential to ensure that residents are not forced to resort to unsafe water sources.  
“UNICEF and partners are supporting families in the city of al-Hassakeh and camps for displaced families with water trucking, but this barely covers minimum needs if the water supply is interrupted again,” he said.  

Life without water amid COVID-19 outbreak 

The supply interruption to the Allouk station is one in a series of service disruptions related to ongoing fighting in northeast Syria. 
In an October 2019 statement, UNICEF reported that water from Allouk had been cut off for more than a week amid continued violence in the town of Ras Al-Ain, where the water station is located.   
According to the agency, the two main electricity lines supplying power to the Allouk station were damaged by fighting. While technical teams were able to reach the water station, they were not fully able to repair the damage.  
Today, Mr. Equiza emphasized the importance of safe water and handwashing – not just in the time of COVID-19, but every day. 
“No child should have to live even one day without safe water. Clean water and handwashing save lives.  Water and water facilities must not be used for military or political gains – when they do, children are the first and most to suffer,” he said. 

Virus threatens lives in conflict zones 

As humanitarian workers worldwide brace to shield the most vulnerable from the spread of COVID-19, the international community is demanding more action to protect women, children and others in the world’s conflict hotspots. 
Calling for a worldwide ceasefire in a virtual press conference earlier today, UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that armed conflict continues to rage on despite the expanding risks posed by the pandemic.  
“The most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price. They are also at the highest risk of suffering devastating losses from COVID-19,” he said, adding that health systems in many conflict-affected countries have collapsed and people displaced by violent conflict are doubly vulnerable. 
“The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war,” the UN chief said. 

 

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posted by Sunny @ March 23, 2020   0 Comments