UN, humanitarian partners launch largest COVID-19 response plan to aid 5.4M poorest Filipinos
The UN and humanitarian partners in the Philippines launched today the largest international humanitarian response plan in the country since Typhoon Haiyan.https://t.co/7JCvER5E5epic.twitter.com/3Lh0d41stz
According to the UN, the Humanitarian Country Team, the COVID-19 Response Plan aims to provide “critical health interventions and multi-sectoral humanitarian assistance” to those in epidemic hotspots and will be the largest response since 2013, when Typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda ravaged the country and claimed some 7,800 lives.
“The pandemic is challenging the capacity of response of any single country in the world”, said Gustavo Gonzalez, UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in the Philippines.
“Our role is to make best use of our global knowledge and resources to join Government’s efforts to contribute to the safety and well-being of the Filipino people”, he added.
Building resiliency
Some 50 UN and local and international non-Government partners are involved in the programme. And with a price tag of about P6 billion – $122 million – 23 per cent of the response plan has already been mobilized, the UN said.
The plan is being kicked off as the epicenter of Manila and surrounding provinces have returned to lockdown after eased quarantine measures saw a surge in cases.
Millions remain out of jobs, while the already crippled economy face bleak forecasts, according to news reports.
The response plan to COVID-19 concentrates on supporting the Government in addressing its immediate challenges, including health, food security, water and sanitation.
And while it spans until the end of the year, the plan will be updated according to needs as they arise throughout the deadly pandemic.
The response plan is also a steppingstone to the UN’s mid- and long-term support to COVID-19 recovery, which will be developed in the upcoming UN Socioeconomic and Peacebuilding Framework.
“As we work together to support Government efforts to contain the virus against the demand to restore the economy, the UN and humanitarian partners will continue to seize opportunities to build greater resiliency, equity and inclusivity, in short, to build forward better,” Mr. Gonzalez explained.
India treats Confucius Institutes and higher education cooperation in fair manner’: China
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By —- Shyamal Sinha
China on Tuesday said it hopes India maintains healthy and stable development of people-to-people contact and cultural exchanges between two countries.
Confucius Institutes are public educational partnerships between colleges and universities in China with those in other countries and deals in Chinese language teaching. “Over the years, Confucius Institutes have played an important role in promoting Chinese language teaching in India and China-India people-to-people and cultural exchanges. This has been generally recognised by the Indian education community,” read the statement.
The Embassy of China in a statement said Beijing hopes New Delhi will treat “Confucius Institutes and higher education cooperation in a fair and objective manner”.
The statement comes as the government of India is reported to review Chinese language programmes across universities.
“Indian relevant parties can treat Confucius Institutes and China-India higher education cooperation in an objective and fair manner, avoid politicising normal cooperation and maintain healthy and stable development of China-India people-to-people and cultural exchanges,” it said.
It said that the Confucius Institutes have played an important role in promoting Chinese language teaching in India and China-India people-to-people and cultural exchanges.
Confucius Institutes are public educational partnerships between colleges and universities in China with those in other countries and deals in Chinese language teaching.
The Embassy statement further added that the demand for Chinese language teaching is expanding in India.
“China-India cooperation on Confucius Institute Project has been carried out for more than 10 years,” it stated.
The National Education Policy (NEP) has not mentioned Mandarin – group of Sinitic Chinese languages from the list of the examples of foreign languages.
All Confucius Institutes were established by the Chinese and Indian universities after signing a legally binding cooperation agreement in accordance with the principles of mutual respect, friendly consultation, equality and mutual benefit and on the premise that the Indian side applied voluntarily and met the conditions for running the Institute. China-India cooperation on Confucius Institute Project has been carried out for more than 10 years,” it stated. Yesterday it was reported that the Ministry of Education will review the setting up of local chapters of the Confucius Institutes in association with seven local colleges and universities in the country.
United Nations Under-Secretary-General (USG) and Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, and Special Adviser (SA) and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Da’esh/ISIL in Iraq, Karim A. A. Khan Q.C., commended religious leaders for endorsing an Interfaith Statement on the Victims of ISIL.
The Statement followed extensive engagement with religious authorities by UNITAD which continued during USG Dieng’s visit to Iraq between 1–6 March. The statement is the first time Iraqi religious leaders have formally endorsed a common statement on the need for justice and the rights of victims and survivors of ISIL. USG Dieng and SA Khan applauded its adoption by His Excellency Sheikh Dr. Ahmed Hassan al-Taha Chairman of the Iraq Jurisprudence Council, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbala’i, His Holiness Baba Sheikh Khurto Hajji Ismail Yazidi Supreme Spiritual Leader, and His Beatitude Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans and Head of the Chaldean Catholic Church.
In the Statement, religious leaders repudiate and condemn the violence of ISIL as completely contrary to their respective faiths. It also underscores that members of all religions across Iraq have been impacted by the crimes of Da’esh, and that all survivors must be supported in their efforts to continue their lives within their communities. The Statement also recognizes the many acts of heroism in which members of their respective communities rose up in defense of those from other religious and ethnic backgrounds.
USG Dieng and SA Khan were particularly pleased that the religious leaders spoke with one voice in acknowledging the tremendous suffering members of their communities had endured as a result of sexual and gender-based violence and in underlining their commitment to ensure that survivors of such crimes are fully supported and do not suffer from any form of stigmatization. Noting the particular suffering endured by children impacted by the crimes of ISIL, the religious leaders recognized that such children are blameless and should benefit from love and kindness.
The critical importance of ensuring that ISIL members are held individually responsible for crimes committed, through fair trials in a court of law, as well as the investigation of cases of those disappeared and abducted by ISIL, is further underlined in the Statement. In this regard, all religious authorities expressed their strong collective support for the work of UNITAD.
USG Dieng and SA Khan emphasized that the collective endorsement of this statement reflected the religious leaders’ joint effort in advancing accountability for crimes committed by ISIL and prioritizing the need for justice and accountability – as well as empathy and solidarity for all victims. They stressed the crucial role religious leaders can play in fostering a peaceful and inclusive society and noted their essential role in ensuring effective support to the survivors of ISIL, countering violent ideology, mistrust and fear, and in bringing people together on the common ground of humanity.
SA Khan stated “This Statement constitutes an extremely important moment, representing as it does, a coming together of leaders from the Christian, Sunni, Shia and Yazidi communities, around universal values represented and promoted by their respective faiths. Justice for the victims of ISIL, support for survivors and an emphasis on inclusion and support in preference to exclusion, stigmatization and derision are important elements to ensure support for survivors – whether men, women or children. I am particularly grateful to the religious leaders for reiterating their unequivocal support for UNITAD and its mandate to vindicate the rights of victims and survivors to justice.”
USG Dieng stated “This Interfaith Statement constitutes a strong symbol of unity and a renewed call to deepen efforts to address concerns from all citizens of Iraq in their quest for a future together and in peace. It also represents a strong endorsement from these religious communities of the imperative to hold ISIL members responsible for their crimes”.
Reflecting his engagement with religious authorities across Iraq during the visit, as well as the statement made by Sheikh Ahmed Hasan al-Taha upon signature, USG Dieng further noted that efforts were also needed to ensure that accountability is delivered for all crimes committed against members of all communities in Iraq. He noted that such work would serve to strengthen the basis for stable and peaceful relations across Iraq, and that in his capacity as Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide, he will continue to engage with national governments, UN partners and other actors to promote justice for all victims as well as recognition of their suffering.
Upon endorsing the Statement during a meeting with USG Dieng and SA Khan on 6 March, His Eminence Sheikh Abdul Mahdi Al-Karbala’i described the meeting as “an historic day” and he called upon other religious communities to also endorse the Statement. In the same vein, Cardinal Sako proposed a follow-up conference to broaden the endorsement for the Statement by other religious communities and build upon it.
USG Dieng and SA Khan noted that the adoption of the Statement represented the beginning of a process of further engagement with other religious leaders in Iraq and both emphasized that the statement remains open for signature and that any and all faith leaders who wish to sign or endorse the Statement and implement the principles reflected within it are welcome to do so.
Religious leaders from communities across Iraq called for greater “healing and reconciliation” during a UN-organized event on Thursday, reaffirming their commitment to support survivors of crimes perpetrated by ISIL terrorist fighters.
Key signatories of a landmark Interfaith Statement on the Victims and Survivors of ISIL – representing Islam, the Christian church and other faiths – joined the discussion online, held under the auspices of the UN Special Adviser who also heads up the Investigative Team to Promote Accountability for Crimes Committed by Da’esh / ISIL (UNITAD) and co-hosted by the international coalition, Religions for Peace, which consists of 90 national and six regional Interreligious Councils.
The event was made possible by the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, headed up by Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser, Adama Dieng.
Mr Dieng said it was and honour to be accompanied by religious representatives “whose tireless work, days after day, is making a difference in the lives of all Iraqis. Their leading efforts for justice, peace and reconciliation constitutes an example for all society to follow.”
He noted that many of the challenges for peace in Iraq did not start with the emergence of ISIL nor have they ended with its military defeat: “Many communities still feel vulnerable and consider that not enough is being done to protect not only their linguistic, religious or cultural heritage, but their very physical integrity. Addressing long-term grievances is one the most effective ways of prioritizing prevention of human rights violations, including atrocity crimes.”
He noted that Iraqi society has experienced “the tremendous cost of not addressing long-term grievances. It must therefore work to build and strengthen an inclusive society, where diversity is not perceived as a flaw but as an asset.
The prevention of genocide chief said he was convinced that Thursday’s Interfaith Statement on Victims and Survivors of ISIL constitutes “an essential step in this direction, in line with the Plan of Action for Religious Leaders and Actors to Prevent Incitement to Violence that Could Lead to Atrocity Crimes. I am proud to support it and commit my Office’s assistance in ensuring its full implementation.”
The participants condemned ISIL’s ideologically-driven acts of terror as being “contrary to the core principles of our religious faiths as well as the fundamental values of humanity”.
“What can religion be if not for peace?”, UNITAD Head, Karim Asad Ahmad Khan QC said to the meeting.
Attacks ‘far from over’
The UNITAD chief, expressed gratitude to Iraq religious leaders for their courage “in these difficult times” as they together support survivors and victims of ISIL.
Stressing that as ISIL attacks are “far from over” across the world, he exhorted representatives of all religions to denounce the group’s ideology as alien to religious values and those of all humanity.
According to Mr. Khan, the only way to respond to groups like ISIL, is for religious leaders to support each other and each other’s communities.
“Whenever people seek to weigh the worth of humans by their own belief, there should be alarm”, flagged the Special Advisor, adding that everyone must “start to implement a zero tolerance to intolerance.”
No religion spared
All religions across Iraq have been impacted by ISIL atrocities, the signatories said, as they underlined the importance of supporting survivors within their own communities.
“In showing ISIL crimes are divorced from the values of all faiths, Iraqi religious leaders have exposed crimes of ISIL”, upheld the UNITAD chief.
At the same time, the participants also noted that their brutality had prompted “acts of heroism” in which religious communities rose up in defence of those from different religious and ethnic backgrounds.
The most vulnerable
In recognizing the “tremendous suffering” endured by victims of sexual and gender-based violence, the signatories underscored their commitment to ensuring that those individuals are “fully supported” and do not suffer from stigmatization.
And for the “innocent children of God” impacted by ISIL, they stressed that “whatever pain these children have suffered, they are blameless” and called on the terrorists to return every child they have abducted to their rightful families.
Delivering justice
Justice will only be delivered for ISIL victims by ensuring that those who fought in its name, are held responsible for their actions, and that people forced to flee the violence, can return home safely.
To this end, they underscored their “strong collective support” for UNITAD’s work while stressed the importance of exposing ISIL’s offenses in a court of law.
“Investigating the cases of disappeared persons and those abducted” not only delivers justice for victims but also promotes “understanding of the severity and scale” of the violence and prevents “future revisionism”, maintained the signatories.
In closing, they highlighted their “common commitment” and “collective stamina” to promote “justice, tolerance, reconciliation and forgiveness” as the most effective way to combat ISIL’s crimes in Iraq.
This also serves as “a key step in preventing the re-emergence” of any similar terrorist ideology or groups, said the religious leaders.
EURONEWS – With Gianni Infantino’s running of world football being examined by a Swiss special prosecutor, FIFA’s hopes of shedding the image of scandal have been derailed by its president’s secret meetings with authorities.
A Swiss special prosecutor opened a criminal case into the Infantino’s conduct last week over his meetings with the country’s attorney general who has been leading a sprawling investigation into football corruption.
“The FIFA president is subject to a criminal investigation by the Swiss judicial authorities,” FIFA said, “but he has not been charged nor is he guilty of anything. … FIFA and its president will continue to cooperate fully with the judicial authorities in Switzerland until these investigations are concluded.”
It is five years since Sepp Blatter was toppled by a FIFA ethics verdict of financial wrongdoing which came in the fallout from a wave of arrests of high-ranking football officials by Swiss and American authorities.
Now Infantino’s talks with Swiss attorney general Michael Lauber about the corruption probe has put them both in the sights of a special prosecutor. There are records of what was said in the three meetings.
“It’s a matter of record now that there is a criminal investigation — we can’t erase that,” FIFA deputy secretary general Alasdair Bell told The Associated Press on Monday. “In that respect the damage is, to some extent, irreversible.”
“It’s almost preposterous to suggest that because someone doesn’t remember the details of a meeting, therefore something criminal should have been discussed,” he said.
“I don’t really think it’s reckless not to take minutes when the FIFA president meets the attorney general of the country,” Bell added. “You don’t really expect when you go to meet the most senior prosecutor in the country, to have a discussion about governance reform at FIFA, to have a discussion about the ongoing cases involving FIFA … after that to end up yourself being the subject of a criminal investigation.”
But special prosecutor Stefan Keller has written to Infantino to say he cannot “exclude the possibility that something criminal might have been discussed you can’t remember,” according to a version recounted by Bell.
The potential criminal charges facing Infantino could be “incitement to abuse office, incitement to violate secrecy, incitement to obstruct justice,” Bell said.
Gianni Infantino can remain FIFA president and should not be forced from power while under criminal investigation, world football’s governing body told AP at the weekend.
Lauber was recused and disciplined after it was revealed he had three meetings with Infantino to discuss the FIFA investigations, which has included at least 25 open criminal proceedings.
There is no timeframe for completing the cases in a country that has been slow to progress investigations linked to FIFA.
A criminal proceeding against Blatter — for a $2 million payment he authorized to then-FIFA vice president Michel Platini in 2011 for uncontracted salary — remains open after almost five years.
“It doesn’t help Lauber’s case that for five years the office of the attorney general, for which he’s responsible, has made very little, if any, progress on all these FIFA corruption cases, including the one with Sepp Blatter,” Bell said. “It doesn’t look good at all. I think it looks particularly bad when you can see and compare it with the progress the authorities in the United States made with the cases they handled.”
Describing education as “the key to personal development and the future of societies”, António Guterres issued recommendations to get children back in the classroom in a policy brief launched alongside a new global campaign called Save our Future.
“As the world faces unsustainable levels of inequality, we need education – the great equalizer – more than ever,” he said in a video message.
“We must take bold steps now, to create inclusive, resilient, quality education systems fit for the future.”
The UN estimates that the pandemic has affected more than one billion students worldwide.
Despite efforts to continue learning during the crisis, including through delivering lessons by radio, television and online, many are still not being reached.
The UN chief said learners with disabilities, members of minority or disadvantaged communities, as well as refugees and displaced persons, are among those at highest risk of being left behind.
Even those students who can access distance learning face challenges, as success depends on their living conditions, and other factors such as fair distribution of domestic duties.
Looming potential catastrophe
A learning crisis existed even before the pandemic, the Secretary-General said, as more than 250 million children were out of school.
Furthermore, only a quarter of secondary school children in developing countries were leaving school with basic skills.
“Now we face a generational catastrophe that could waste untold human potential, undermine decades of progress, and exacerbate entrenched inequalities,” said Mr. Guterres. “The knock-on effects on child nutrition, child marriage and gender equality, among others, are deeply concerning.”
Children work from home in Guatemala following guidelines received from the Ministry of Education during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Back to school
The policy brief calls for action in four key areas, starting with the re-opening of schools once local transmission of COVID-19 is under control.
The UN chief also called for greater investment in education, as low- and middle-income countries had already faced an annual funding gap of $1.5 trillion prior to the pandemic.
“Education budgets need to be protected and increased,” he said.
“And it is critical that education is at the heart of international solidarity efforts, from debt management and stimulus packages to global humanitarian appeals and official development assistance.”
Education initiatives must also seek to reach those at greatest risk of being left behind, he continued. They also should be sensitive to the specific challenges faced by girls and boys, and women and men, while also addressing the digital divide.
Quality education for all
For his final recommendation, the UN chief highlighted what he sees as the “generational opportunity” to deliver quality education for all children, in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The 17 goals, which world leaders adopted five years ago, provide a pathway to a more sustainable future that benefits both people and the planet.
“To achieve this, we need investment in digital literacy and infrastructure, an evolution towards learning how to learn, a rejuvenation of life-long learning and strengthened links between formal and non-formal education,” said Mr. Guterres.
“And we need to draw on flexible delivery methods, digital technologies and modernized curricula while ensuring sustained support for teachers and communities.”
INDORE, India — Of the hundreds of millions of people employed in the informal economy in Indian cities, tens of millions have returned to their rural homes because of the pandemic. This mass exodus has awakened public consciousness to the precarious condition of people working in this sector, many of whom live in informal urban settlements without social protections.
The Baha’i Chair for Studies in Development at Devi Ahilya University, Indore, sees this period as especially important in promoting long-term approaches to development thinking. The Chair has been bringing together economists and academics in a series of online gatherings titled “Making Cities Belong to those Who Build Them” to examine the effects of the pandemic on marginalized people.
Arash Fazli, Assistant Professor and Head of the Baha’i Chair, explains how a new conception of human nature—one that sees the nobility of every human being and protects each one against prejudice and paternalism—is essential to any discussion on development.
“People living in urban poverty, particularly those who have migrated from rural areas, are predominantly spoken of as a pitiful group who suffer oppression and have all kinds of needs, or who are at most a source of labor. Yet to define people by the circumstances of their oppression is to deny them their full humanity.
“Advancing toward a more sustainable, prosperous, and peaceful future for our cities first requires a recognition of the nobility of each human being. Those who live in informal settlements lead meaningful and productive lives through creativity and ingenuity, strong social bonds, and spiritual convictions that give them joy, hope, and resilience in the face of dire circumstances.”
Slideshow 5 imagesThe Baha’i Chair for Studies in Development at Devi Ahilya University, India, sees this period as especially important in promoting long-term approaches to development thinking. The Chair has been bringing together economists and academics in a series of online gatherings titled “Making Cities Belong to those Who Build Them” to examine the effects of the pandemic on marginalized people.
The Baha’i Chair was established nearly 30 years ago to promote interdisciplinary research and scholarship in the field of development from a perspective that regards human prosperity as an outcome of both material and spiritual progress. At the most recent gathering held by the Chair, participants explored how urban development can become more inclusive of marginalized people.
Partha Mukhopadhyay of the Centre for Policy Research, Delhi, spoke about the different reasons given by migrants for returning to their home villages. “They have come to the city to support their families, and during difficult times they feel responsible to take care of those who remain in the village. At the same time, they don’t have faith that they will be taken care of in the city should something happen to them. … At these two levels, you realize that [migrants] still don’t belong to the city even if they have spent their entire working lives there.”
Slideshow 5 images
Caroline Custer Fazli, a research scholar with the University of Bath, United Kingdom, and member of the Indian Baha’i community, said at the gathering that research in informal settlements in Indore, India, has highlighted rich elements of the residents’ culture that often go unrecognized.
Discussions also highlighted the need for structures that allow marginalized populations to advocate for themselves. Siddharth Agarwal, of the Urban Research Centre, New Delhi, spoke about several strategies of social solidarity that have emerged in his organization’s experience, including the formation of women’s groups that are able to assess their communities’ needs and seek for their rights to be upheld through a process of “gentle but persevering negotiation” with authorities.
Vandana Swami, a professor at Azim Premji University, Bangalore, observed that “cities have never been built for the poor,” and that urban areas attempt to keep the existence of people living in poverty out of view.
Slideshow 5 images
Siddharth Agarwal, of the Urban Research Centre, New Delhi, spoke about several strategies of social solidarity that have emerged in his organization’s experience, including the formation of women’s groups that are able to assess their communities’ needs and seek for their rights to be upheld through a process of “gentle but persevering negotiation” with authorities.
In reflecting on the seminar, Dr. Fazli explains how ideas inspired by the Baha’i teachings can shed light on questions concerning development. “The long term purpose of these conversations is to provide new language and concepts which can allow new ways of thinking about urban development and effecting policy.
“Common ways of looking at this subject are from the perspective of access to material resources. While it is true that those living in poverty lack material means, they lead lives of meaning and purpose. When we recognize that social progress has a material and a spiritual dimension, we begin to see all the inhabitants of the city as potential contributors to the material and spiritual prosperity of the whole.
“Poverty is a great injustice that must be systematically addressed. But experience has shown that even well-meaning development interventions create dependence, exploitation and resentment when they are based on paternalistic assumptions about people living in poverty. Ultimately development will only bear enduring fruits when people become protagonists in their own development and are assisted to work with others in society to achieve common goals for collective social progress. Seeing the potential in everyone to contribute to this process, requires going beyond materialistic frameworks of thought and seeing the moral and spiritual capacities of people.”
Covid-19 impact and response measuresThe COVID-19 pandemic has dramatically affected our world and our way of living with dire loses and substantial consequences on every aspect of our daily existence. The Commission for Territorial Cohesion Policy and the EU Budget (COTER) at the European Committee of the Regions will prepare regular bulletins on the policy fields within its remits reflecting recent research, articles and discussions on the socio-economic impact of the pandemic in Europe and on the different actions and response measures planned and implemented at EU, national, regional and local level.
Tips and contributions to: [email protected].
“In the coming days and weeks, children and families will be at risk of being hit simultaneously by two disasters, COVID-19 and hurricanes,” cautioned Bernt Aasen, UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean.
In the coming days and weeks, children and families will be at risk of being hit simultaneously by two disasters, #COVID19 and a stronger hurricane season.
Displacement and service interruption caused by storms could leave children and families more vulnerable to virus.
While acknowledging that displacement, infrastructure damage and service interruptions caused by storms – particularly in coastal areas – could render individuals more vulnerable to the disease and its impacts, the UN children’s agency expressed special concern that a powerful storm could severely undermine ongoing efforts to stem COVID-19.
The coronavirus could spread easily in crowded emergency shelters or displacement sites where physical distancing would be difficult to ensure, according to UNICEF.
At the same time, existing control measures like handwashing could falter if water, sanitation and health infrastructure were to be damaged or destroyed.
“This is the perfect storm we fear for the Caribbean and Central America,” said the UNICEF official.
Hampered efforts
In addition to straining national and local health systems in the region, the pandemic is also raising serious questions about the aftermath of a catastrophic hurricane, including movement restrictions and budget shortfalls, which may hinder national hurricane preparedness efforts.
“As we continue to take precautions to keep families safe from COVID-19, efforts to prepare for hurricane now are vital to mitigate the spread of virus among the most vulnerable communities”, Mr. Aasen explained.
Danger on the horizon
As UNICEF reported in a recent Child Alert, over the coming years the Caribbean region is expected to experience intensified storms and subsequent population displacements.
In late May, tropical storm Amanda caused flooding and landslides in parts of El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. At least 33 people were killed in the region and thousands were displaced. All three countries have confirmed cases of COVID-19.
And in the 10-year period from 2010 to 2019, storms caused 895,000 new displacements of children in the Caribbean and 297,000 in Central America, according to the UN children’s agency.
Stepping up
Across the region, UNICEF is working to support hurricane preparedness efforts and public health responses to COVID-19 through education, community outreach and technical support.
In collaboration with Governments and other partners, the agency is working to build disaster resilience among communities in the region, including by adjusting hurricane preparedness and response plans to reflect COVID-19 risks with a focus on vulnerable groups, like children, pregnant women and single-headed female families.
Moreover, UNICEF is also working to improve coordination mechanisms and tools for timely needs assessments and response based on evidence and with Governments on climate change adaptation policies to ensure that they are child sensitive and informed by the long-term perspectives of youth and adolescents.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Emergency Committee on COVID-19 met Friday to review the current coronavirus pandemic at what chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, called “a sobering moment”.
At a regular press briefing on Monday in Geneva, he recalled that when the Committee met three months ago, WHO had received reports of three million COVID-19 cases and more than 200,000 deaths.
“Since then”, he updated, “the number of cases has increased more than five-fold to 17.5 million, and the number of deaths has more than tripled, to 680,000”.
In addition to the direct toll of the virus, the Committee noted the impact disrupted services is having on a range of other diseases, which are compounding reduced immunization coverage, cancer screening and care, and mental health services.
And on top of the health impact, COVID-19 is causing social, economic and political damage, according to the WHO official.
Mitigation measures
The Committee suggested a range of proposals for countries to bring the virus under control, including enhanced political commitment and leadership for national strategies and localized response activities driven by science, data, and experience.
They also acknowledged that Member States have “tough choices” to make to turn the epidemic around.
While recognizing that “it’s not easy”, the WHO chief maintained that “when leaders step up and work intensely with their populations”, the disease can be “brought under control”.
“It’s never too late to turn this pandemic around”, Mr. Tedros upheld, adding that “if we act together today”, we can save lives and livelihoods.
Recommendations
The Committee recommended that countries engage in the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, participate in relevant clinical trials, and prepare for safe and effective therapeutics and vaccine introduction, the WHO Director-General told reporters.
He also informed them that some vaccines are currently in phase three clinical trials, sharing his hope of having “a number of effective vaccines”.
“For now”, Mr. Tedros explained, “stopping outbreaks comes down to the basics of public health and disease control”, including testing, isolating and treating patients, along with tracing and quarantining their contacts.
Meanwhile, individuals must keep physical distance, wearing a mask, clean their hands regularly and cough safely away from others.
It’s never too late to turn this pandemic around — WHO chief
“The message to people and Governments is clear: do it all”, he stated, “and when it’s under control, keep going!”
Masking up
This week, WHO is also launching a so-called “mask challenge”, by encouraging people to send in photos of themselves wearing a protective mask.
In addition to being a key tool to stop the virus, masks have come to represent solidarity.
“If you’re a health worker, a frontline worker, wherever you are – show us your solidarity in following national guidelines and safely wearing a mask – whether caring for patients or loved ones, riding on public transport to work, or picking up essential supplies” Mr. Tedros urged.
He reiterated WHO’s recommendation that mothers with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 should be encouraged, the same as all other mothers, to initiate or continue to breastfeed, saying that the “many, many benefits of breastfeeding for newborn babies and children substantially outweigh the potential risks for COVID-19 infection”.
