Painting a gloomy picture of under-investment in health, Secretary-General António Guterressaid in his video message to senior ministers: “Universal Health Coverage is not only essential to end the pandemic, it will also drive progress across all health-related SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals]”.
#COVID19 is eroding decades of progress made towards universal health coverage.
We need to invest in stronger health systems now to ensure that everyone can access to health care without experiencing financial hardship. pic.twitter.com/0SFoJoNKJ2
“COVID-19 has made the need for Universal Health Coverage…more urgent than ever”, the UN chief upheld, reminding that it is also a major recommendation in the policy brief that he launched just a day earlier.
Other recommendations in the policy guidance include strengthening public health measures; coordinating a global pandemic response; and protecting other health services during the pandemic, including mental health and sexual and reproductive health programmes.
“We also call for funding for the groundbreaking ACT-Accelerator initiative to ensure everyone, everywhere, has access to future COVID-19 vaccines, tests and treatment”, Mr. Guterres said, adding that it should be seen as “a global public good”.
The Secretary-General said he hoped the meeting would “build momentum for urgent action” to transform policies and systems to deliver health and human security for all.
‘Urgency, determination and innovation’
The World Health Organization (WHO) reiterated that COVID-19 has eroded decades of progress towards ensuring that everyone, everywhere can get the health care they need without experiencing financial hardship.
Investing in stronger health systems is not only crucial in responding to the coronavirus but also to protect people from future health threats and make health for all a reality.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that the pandemic has “exposed the geopolitical fault lines of our world” and strained the solidarity “so badly needed” to address the “shared global crisis”.
But far from derailing efforts to achieving universal coverage, “the pandemic must drive us to forge ahead with even more urgency, determination and innovation”, he told the virtual meeting.
The WHO chief reminded nations that investing in health is not optional, but instead “the foundation for stable, prosperous and peaceful foundations and economies”.
Promoting and protecting health also promotes and protects jobs, education, peace, sustainability and more, he stressed. While acknowledging the crises caused by COVID-19, Tedros said that it must be a turning point, “a catalyst for making universal health coverage a reality”.
“The only way forward is together, working in solidarity for a healthier, safer and fairer world, as if it was a matter of life and death, because it is”, the top UN health official spelled out.
As part of the response to the pandemic, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres has been issuing a series of policy briefs to provide ideas to governments on how to address the consequences of this crisis, leaving no one out. He launched his latest policy brief entitled, “Covid-19 and Universal Health Coverage”, with a video message on Wednesday.
He called for greater investments in universal health coverage saying the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of strong public healthcare systems and emergency preparedness for communities and economies globally.
Guterres called on everyone to draw “hard lessons” from the pandemic, for which the world was not prepared. One of the lessons, he said, “is that under-investment in health can have a devastating impact on societies and economies.”
Nine months into the crisis, he pointed out, Covid-19 has claimed more than one million lives and infected more than 30 million people in 190 countries, with new waves of rising infections. It has cost the global economy $375 billion a month, about 500 million jobs have been lost so far, and decades of human development are going into reverse.
The pandemic has revealed utterly inadequate health systems, yawning gaps in social protection, and major structural inequalities within and between countries.
Healthcare for all
Even though health is a fundamental right and universal health coverage (UHC) a key target for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), Guterres pointed out, at least half of the world’s population does not have full coverage of essential health services and over 800 million people spend at least 10 per cent of their household budgets to pay for health services.
The Secretary-General underlined the need for governments to invest in universal health coverage and to make public health programmes inclusive and equitable, without financial barriers. “Health treatment should not depend on financial status,” he insisted.
Pope Francis on healthcare
As Guterres launched his policy brief entitled, “Covid-19 and Universal Health Coverage”, on Wednesday, Pope Francis in the Vatican called for more equitable and inclusive healthcare systems that leave no one out. “Healthcare systems need to become much more inclusive and accessible to the disadvantaged and those living in low-income countries,” he said in a message to the virtual plenary meeting of the Vatican’s Pontifical Academy of Sciences.
“If anyone should be given preference,” the Pope said, “let it be the neediest and most vulnerable among us.” And when vaccines are available, there should be equitable access to them regardless of income, always starting with the least, he said.
The UN policy brief also made recommendations such as checking further transmission of Covid-19 through proven public health measures and a coordinated global response; protecting the delivery of other health services during the pandemic; ensuring that everyone, everywhere has access to future vaccines, tests and treatment; and strengthening preparedness.
With 358 votes in favour, 277 against and 56 abstentions, MEPs adopted the resolution on the rule of law in Bulgaria. The document calls for full and unconditional respect for European values, BNR reported.
The European Parliament regrets the significant deterioration in the compliance with the rule of law, democracy and fundamental rights in Bulgaria, including the independence of the judiciary, the separation of powers, the fight against corruption and freedom of the media.
The continuing systemic problems in the judiciary have been criticized. The resolution expresses solidarity with the demands for justice, transparency and democracy, concerns about the process of constitutional reform and changes to the election law before the elections.
The resolution is not legally binding. Prior to the vote, Socialist and Green groups voted in favour of the resolution, while the European People’s Party voted against.
The European Parliament on Thursday voted to downgrade its attendance at the November G20 summit in Saudi Arabia over human rights concerns, and to urge for sanctions.
The bill is one of the strongest political messages the institution has ever issued on Saudi Arabia and comes on the two-year anniversary of the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
MEPs approved a wide-ranging resolution that condemns Saudi human rights abuses and urges the European Union to downgrade its representation at the upcoming G20 Leaders’ Summit to avoid legitimizing human rights violations.
Belgian MEP and vice chair of the delegation for the relations with Arab Peninsula Marc Tarabella said: “We are all aware of the importance of Saudi Arabia as a partner of the European Union and for the stability of the Middle East. However, this must not be an alibi for violating human rights.”
“The assassination of Khasoggi remains unpunished, Raif Badawi is still in prison; Loujain al-Hathloul and the women activists and even members of the royal family like Prince Salman Abdulaziz and Princess Basmah are detained without charges for years.
“For these reasons, with this resolution we strongly urge the Presidents Von der Leyen and Charles Michel to reconsider EU’s participation in the G20 summit organized by the Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman in November. This would be an opportunity for the EU to show coherence with its values and to not legitimize the impunity for the crimes committed in Saudi Arabia.”
The bills lists a litany of human rights abuses in Saudi Arabia, including, but not limited to:
The flogging of dissident author Raif Badawi
The imprisonment and death sentence of teenage activist Ali Mohammed Baqir al-Nimr
The prosecution of women’s rights activists
The murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi
Humanitarian violations in Yemen
Ill treatment of Ethiopian migrants
Poor working conditions for migrant laborers
Numerous executions
The bill could mean that European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and President of the European Council Charles Michel will not attend November’s virtual summit in Riyadh, if they heed the call of the Parliament.
The joint resolution was written by MEPs from the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats group, the Renew Europe group and the Greens–European Free Alliance. The dominant center-right European People’s Party group was not involved in the resolution.
Khashoggi sanctions
The bill also calls on Saudi Arabia to:
Accept and care for refugees from Yemen
End abuse and torture of those in detention
End migrant deportations
Allow investigations into human rights violations
Allow rights monitors into the country
Abolish the Kafala system used to monitor migrant laborers
It also urges the European Council to adopt sanctions against those responsible for the murder of journalist Khashoggi.
Sources within the European Parliament said the bill sent the message that the promotion of human rights and EU support of Saudi Arabia were contradictory.
“It would be quite embarrassing to see Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel sit next to Mohammed bin Salman,” the source, who requested anonymity, told DW. “If you want to deal with the EU in terms of diplomatic exchange, economy and trade, you also have to deal with European values and the respect of human rights.”
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
1955: First school for girls, 1970: First university for women
Girls have not always been able to go to school like these students in Riyadh. Enrollment at the first school for girls, Dar Al Hanan, began in 1955. The Riyadh College of Education, the first higher education institution for women, opened in 1970.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2001: ID cards for women
At the start of the 21st century, women could get personal ID cards for the first time. The cards are the only way for them to prove who they are, for example in disputes relating to inheritance or property issues. IDs were only issued with the permission of a woman’s guardian, though, and to the guardian instead of directly to the woman. Only in 2006 were women able to get IDs without permission.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2005: End of forced marriages – on paper
Saudi Arabia banned forced marriage in 2005, but marriage contracts continue to be hammered out between the husband-to-be and the father of the bride, not the bride herself.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2009: The first female government minister
In 2009, King Abdullah appointed the first female minister to Saudi Arabia’s government. Noura al-Fayez became the deputy education minister for women’s affairs.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2012: First female Olympic athletes
Saudi Arabia agreed to allow female athletes to compete on the national team for the Olympics for the first time. One of them was Sarah Attar, who ran the women’s 800 meter race at the 2012 Olympics in London wearing a headscarf. Before the Games, there was speculation that the Saudi Arabian team might be banned for gender discrimination if they didn’t allow women to participate.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2013: Women are allowed to ride bicycles and motorbikes
Saudi leaders allowed women to ride bicycles and motorbikes for the first time in 2013 — but only in recreational areas, wearing full Islamic body covering and with a male relative present.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2013: First women in the Shura
In February 2013, King Abdullah swore in the first 30 women to the Shura, Saudi Arabia’s consultative council. This allowed women to be appointed to these positions, soon they would be allowed to actually run for office…
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2015: Women can vote and get elected
In Saudi Arabia’s 2015 municipal elections, women were able to vote and run for office for the first time. By contrast, New Zealand was the first country to give women the vote, in 1893. Germany did so in 1919. At the 2015 Saudi polls, 20 women were elected to municipal roles in the absolute monarchy.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2017: First female head of the Saudi stock exchange
In February 2017, the Saudi stock exchange names the first female chairperson in its history, Sarah Al Suhaimi.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2018: Women to be allowed in sports stadiums
On October 29, 2017, the country’s General Sports Authority announced that women would be allowed into sports stadiums for the first time. Three previously male-only arenas will soon be open for women as well, starting in early 2018.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2018: Driving ban eliminated
On September 26, 2017, Saudi Arabia announced that women would soon be allowed to drive, causing a flurry of driving courses for women to prepare for June 2018, when they would no longer need permission from their male guardian to get a driver’s license or need their guardian in the car when they drive.
Women’s rights in Saudi Arabia: A timeline
2019: Saudi women to be notified by text message if they are divorced
The new law, designed to protect them from having their marriage ended without their knowledge, will allow women to check their marital status online or visit a court to get a copy of divorce papers. Human rights defenders say the law does nothing to address the fact that Saudi women can only obtain divorces in exceedingly limited cases — such as with her husband’s consent or if he has harmed her.
In his prayer intention for October 2020, Pope Francis asks everyone to pray that women be given greater leadership roles in the Church.
It has become the custom of Pope Francis to release a video message detailing his prayer intention for each month.
This month, the video is a collaboration with the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life. It highlights the role of the laity, whom Pope Francis considers true protagonists in the proclamation of the Gospel.
In the video, the Pope asks especially that women be given participation in “areas of responsibility in the Church” because they “tend to be left aside.”
Over his pontificate, Pope Francis has made many gestures to give momentum to this desire to give women greater weight in the Church. The Pope’s Evangelii gaudium reads:
“Demands that the legitimate rights of women be respected, based on the firm conviction that men and women are equal in dignity, present the Church with profound and challenging questions which cannot be lightly evaded” (104).
Fr. Frédéric Fornos S.J., International Director of the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, observes that “since 2013, much has been accomplished, but more needs to be done.”
He also points out that “by virtue of Baptism, we are all called to faithfully proclaim and serve the Gospel of Jesus Christ, to be missionary disciples of the Lord. Nonetheless, among the lay faithful, women have been consciously and unconsciously relegated to an inferior level. As Francis reminded us in Querida Amazonia, many women, moved by the Holy Spirit, keep the Church alive in many parts of the world with remarkable devotion and deep faith. It’s essential that they participate more and more in areas where decisions are made. This requires a profound change of mentality; it requires our conversion, which implies prayer.”
Full text of the prayer intention:
No one has been baptized a priest or a bishop. We have all been baptized as lay people.
Lay people are protagonists of the Church.
Today, it is especially necessary to create broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the Church.
And we must emphasize the feminine lay presence because women tend to be left aside.
We must promote the integration of women, especially where important decisions are made.
We pray that by the virtue of baptism, the laity, especially women, may participate more in areas of responsibility in the Church, without falling into forms of clericalism that diminish the lay charism.
Cities including Budapest, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, Oslo, Prague, and Tirana have signed the European Circular Cities Declaration, committing to leading the circular transition, to new models of production and consumption, changing and decoupling economic growth from resource use whilst improving human well-being and reducing emissions.
The Declaration has been launched at the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns, the flagship European conference on local sustainable development.
European Cities of Tirana (Albania); Ghent, Leuven, and Mechelen (Belgium); Prague (Czechia); Copenhagen, Høje-Taastrup and Roskilde (Denmark); Helsinki, Lappeenranta, Oulu, Tampere and Turku (Finland); Grenoble (France); Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany); Budapest (Hungary); Florence and Prato (Italy); Wiltz (Luxembourg); Guimarães (Portugal); Bergen and Oslo (Norway); Ljubljana and Maribor (Slovenia); Seville (Spain), and Eskilstuna, Malmö and Umeå (Sweden) have joined forces to support and act on the transition to a circular economy and signed the European Circular Cities Declaration. The Declaration was launched at the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns – Mannheim2020 at the policy panel Circular Economy in Cities.
Major cities including Budapest, Copenhagen, Helsinki, Ljubljana, Oslo, Prague, and Tirana have signed the European Circular Cities Declaration, recognizing the need of accelerating the transition from a linear to a circular economy in Europe. Cities and regions signing the declaration are committed to acting as ambassadors and champion a circular economy that leads to a resource-efficient, low-carbon, and socially responsible society, in which resource consumption is decoupled from economic growth.
Cities and regions are cradles of innovation and socio-economic transformation with an enormous potential to lead the transition to a circular economy. Local and regional governments manage a number of key sectors in urban areas, such as mobility and waste management, and are ultimately responsible for controlling land use and urban planning. As such, they are ideally placed to foster a circular economy and lead the way towards a more sustainable, resilient future. The European Circular Cities Declaration provides a common, shared vision of a circular city that helps ensure cities act as a joined force on the road to circularity.
The Declaration has been launched by Anni Sinnemäki, Helsinki’s Deputy Mayor for Urban Environment, at the 9th European Conference on Sustainable Cities & Towns – Mannheim2020, and launching signatories invite cities and regions from across Europe to join them in signing the Declaration.
“Helsinki is ready and willing to promote circular economy. Our declaration includes crucial fields for cities, such as construction work. Cooperation is essential in leading the transition: Helsinki is willing to learn more from other cities and also to share our own experiences,”
Deputy Mayor of Helsinki
“Our climate ambitions go hand-in-hand with a greener and more circular economy. Reducing our carbon footprint must go into everything. Products must be built to last a long time, to be repaired and from materials that can be reused. In that way, we avoid that valuable resources end up as waste,” remarked Lan Marie Berg, Vice Mayor of Oslo, one of the founding signatories of the Declaration. “The ‘cycles’ will involve new business-models, new value creation and new job opportunities.”
“Local and regional governments are key players in the transition to a circular economy and the involvement and the commitment of local and regional authorities is critical. This Declaration comes at a time in which leadership and concrete action is needed, and the signing Cities are calling on their peers to join them in this endeavour,” highlighted Mark Hidson, Global Director of ICLEI’s Sustainable Procurement Centre.
The Declaration reflects broader European efforts to rethink the way our economies and societies are organized. The recent launch of the European Green Deal showcases the European Union’s ambitious plans to become “first climate-neutral continent by 2050” and to transform itself into a fair and prosperous society where economic growth is decoupled from resource use and environmental harm. Such a transformation is both a challenge and an opportunity for Europe’s cities. With 75% of Europeans now living in urban areas, cities account for 75% of natural resource consumption, 50% of global waste, and 60-80% of greenhouse gas emissions.
The Declaration offers several benefits to cities and regions willing to take that lead. Signatories will have opportunities for collaboration with peers, and become part of a powerful unified group of cities that will help raise awareness of the long-term political, societal, environmental and financial benefits of the circular economy, and contribute to the development of a supportive political framework.
The European Circular Cities Declaration is accompanied by a ‘supporting document’ which presents in more detail a common vision and understanding of what the circular economy transition will look like at the local level and which levers local governments can use to bring it about. It furthermore presents a list of useful resources that can support local governments in this process.
New technologies in plant breeding, especially gene editing technologies such as nobel-prize winning CRISPR, enable the targeted and precise modification of the genetic material of plants. In 2018, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) decided in a landmark case that these technologies are subject to the same legal regulations as genetically modified organisms (GMOs). In the journal “Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy,” Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen from the University of Bayreuth and Prof. Dr. Justus Wesseler from the University of Wageningen analyze the consequences of this legal situation. In the long term, it will have a negative impact on Europe and a positive impact on China.
Mutagenesis, a conventional genetic engineering process, is used to trigger random changes in the genetic material of plants, for example by chemical agents or atomic radiation. With gene editing, individual plant characteristics can be changed in a targeted manner. This procedure involves using so-called “gene scissors” (CRISPR) – developed by Emmanuelle Charpentier and Jennifer A. Doudna, who today were awarded the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their research work on editing genomes.
“Compared to mutagenesis, gene editing is considerably more precise and produces far less uncontrollable side effects. It is considered perfectly safe by international experts, and a promising way to provide a growing world population with sufficient food. Nevertheless, its use is regulated much more strictly in EU law than conventional mutagenesis. In practice, this means that genetically modified plants may only be produced within the EU and put on the market if they have successfully undergone an expensive and time-consuming approval procedure. They may not be used at all in certified organic products. Farmers in EU member states therefore have little chance of using new genetic engineering techniques to produce food and thus to remain competitive on the world market,” says Prof. Dr. Kai Purnhagen. “It displays a failure of our EU legal system that cannot provide a legal environment where nobel-prize winning techniques can be used for the benefit of the EU citizen,” Purnhagen explains. Since October he has been Professor of Food Law at the new Faculty of Life Sciences: Food, Nutrition & Health at the Kulmbach campus of the University of Bayreuth.
Based on economic studies, the new publication shows that the import of genetically modified plants and food into the EU is also made considerably more difficult. This applies in particular to imports from countries that are among the EU’s main trading partners, such as the U.S.. U.S. companies that produce new plants by means of genetic modification and are excluded from the EU’s internal market could even be held liable if they thereby impair the export opportunities of other U.S. companies. If the current legal situation in the EU remains as it is, the People’s Republic of China, in particular, is likely to benefit from genetic engineering advances in the field of plant breeding—as will African countries that are increasingly trading with China. These countries could possibly secure food supply in their populations through imports from China, without having to rely on trade with the EU. And biotech companies in the UK are also likely to see new potential in world trade as a result of Brexit.
Purnhagen points out that the EU, with its rigorous regulation of new genetic technologies, is even doing harm to its own ecology. “An EU bio-economy that relies on sustainable rather than fossil raw materials in all sectors of the economy can only be made a reality if a sufficient amount of high-quality biomass is available. To achieve this, however, it is essential to improve the relevant plants, using modern genetic engineering. Moreover, many bioreactors today already depend on genetically modified enzymes in order to work efficiently,” says Purnhagen.
The Bayreuth scientist estimates that the chances of fundamentally changing the legal situation created by the European Court of Justice in 2018 are slim. In his view, in recent years, the political majority in the EU member states has shifted in favor of the strict regulation of new technologies in plant breeding. This constellation is likely to become even more entrenched after the UK, which has traditionally favored rather liberal legislation in this area, leaves the EU. “The widespread willingness in the EU to regulate new plant breeding methods in a particularly restrictive manner is essentially based on an interpretation of the precautionary principle that most countries outside the EU do not follow. This principle requires politicians and the courts to carefully examine dangers and to specifically exclude irresponsible risks. Unfortunately, however, this has translated into a tendency in the EU to place an important branch of biotechnology—despite its great economic and ecological potential—under blanket suspicion,” says Purnhagen.
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Global efforts to end extreme poverty are suffering their worst setback in 25 years due to major challenges such as the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, climate change and conflicts. The effects of these are felt by all countries, but particularly in those with large, poor populations according to a report by the World Bank.
The increase in poverty from 2019 to 2020, the report notes, is projected to be larger than any time since the World Bank started tracking poverty globally. This is the first projected increase since the 1998 Asian financial crisis which shook the global economy.
An estimated 115 million people will be affected by extreme poverty in 2020 according to the report released on Wednesday, titled “Poverty and Shared Prosperity 2020: Reversals of Fortune.”
Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than $ 1. 90 (£1.50) a day.
Pope Francis has repeatedly highlighted the need for a new economic model based on solidarity as we strive to set the foundations for a world that is more just and less violent.
Between 1990 and 2017, the number of extremely poor people fell from 1.9 billion to 689 million, according to the World Bank. Global extreme poverty dropped by an average of one per cent point per year between 1990 and 2015, but fell by less than half a percentage point per year between 2015 and 2017.
Before the pandemic, the extreme poverty rate was expected to drop to 7.9 percent in 2020. However, it is now likely to affect between 9.1 to 9.4 percent of the world’s population. The World Bank says that by 2021, as many as 150 million people could become extremely poor
While the coronavirus pandemic is a new obstacle, conflicts and climate change have been a major cause of the increase in extreme poverty in parts of the world for many years.
Poverty and conflict
According to the report, more than forty per cent of the poor live in conflict-affected countries as the effects of conflicts especially in its extreme forms – the destruction of assets, households and natural resources – often leave a legacy which is often difficult to recover from.
For example, conflicts in Syria and Yemen nearly doubled the poverty rates in the Middle East and North Africa between 2015 and 2018.
Poverty and climate change
The World Bank reports high concentrations of poor people in regions facing the major challenge of climate change, including Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. This is largely due to the increase in food prices, exposure to disasters and poor health conditions that affect those populations.
The report projects that climate change will drive 68 million to 135 million people into poverty by 2030.
Poverty and Covid-19
The Covid-19 pandemic further compounds the effects of other long-existing causes of extreme poverty. According to the report, its impact could drastically increase the number of extremely poor people by 88 to 115 million, due to its disruption to international trade and travel, among others.
Besides, the pandemic’s effects have spread and affect populations that were previously spared. The “new poor”, the World Bank notes, are likely to be more urban and educated than the “chronic poor” who are more engaged in informal services and manufacturing. Middle-income countries like India and Nigeria may be home to approximately 75 percent of the new poor.
Addressing extreme poverty
The World Bank recommends responding to the urgent crisis in the short run, while continuing to focus on other foundational developmental problems, including climate change and conflict.
It proposes closing the gap between policy aspirations and their attainment in practice, enhancing the sharing of data on the novel coronavirus, investing in preparedness and preventive measures, and improving cooperation to form a better-shared sense of solidarity.
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Gospel Truth for the Twenty-Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jesus again in reply spoke to the chief priests and elders of the people in parables, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ Read more
