Featured Journal Content

PLoS Medicine
http://www.plosmedicine.org/
(Accessed 4 Apr 2020)
Editorial
Migrant and refugee health: Complex health associations among diverse contexts call for tailored and rights-based solutions
Paul Spiegel, Kolitha Wickramage, Terry McGovern
| published 31 Mar 2020 PLOS Medicine
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003105
Migration is a natural state of humankind and has been documented throughout history. Some people may flee violence and persecution, while others simply seek a better life. Although migration is often classified into these two basic categories, the reality is more complex and nuanced: people migrate for a myriad of interconnected cultural, economic, religious, ethnic, and political reasons. Depending upon the epoch, migration has been seen in a positive or a negative light. Currently, the terms migrant and refugee have become politically charged and are widely misused for political and populist purposes. However, no matter how migration is portrayed at a specific point in time, it will inexorably continue. Thus, the need to ensure the protection, health, and welfare of people on the move is imperative and provides the rationale for the accompanying PLOS Medicine Special Issue on Refugee and Migrant Health [1]. This imperative is not only a matter of humanity and equity but is also necessary for the global economy, as migration is inherently linked to economic growth [2].

The governance needed to provide health services to this diverse and widespread group of people—from low-waged migrant workers and undocumented migrants to refugees—is unclear. How can we attain universal health coverage in this complex and uncertain environment? At the 72nd World Health Assembly in May 2019, a global action plan was agreed upon that seeks to establish a “framework of priorities and guiding principles…to promote the health of refugees and migrants.” The Global Compact on Migration, developed through intergovernmental negotiations and adopted in December 2018, enshrined health as a cross-cutting priority for migration governance. It is, however, unlikely that governments will apply such frameworks, unfortunately. Despite widespread recognition of the numerous migration-related health risks, mobile populations are often met with punitive border policies, arbitrary detention, abuse, and extortion and are denied access to healthcare. All too often, government policies prioritize the politics of xenophobia over their responsibilities to act forcefully to counter them. As human beings, migrants are entitled to universal human rights without discrimination, and to the “highest attainable standard of health” according to international law. Migration health remains at the margins of policy prioritization for most governments, and thus universal health coverage remains elusive for the vast majority of migrants and refugees [3].

Seeking to raise awareness of the health inequities and different contexts faced by migrants and forcibly displaced persons, as well as to promote research, service, and policy innovation in this area, this Special Issue is devoted to migrant and refugee health in the broadest sense. The articles included, as well as the findings themselves, are as diverse as the topic itself. Here, we discuss the results from some of the articles illustrating different themes to portray this diversity.

The health status of migrants and refugees, along with healthcare coverage and utilization, has quite naturally been explored in some detail among different migrant populations and, unsurprisingly, the health effects vary according to the populations and contexts studied. In a study done in a high-income setting (the city of Bradford in the United Kingdom) where about one-third of mothers had been born in a different country, for example, the proportion of mothers who had visited the emergency department at least once for a consultation involving their children was found to be lower for migrants compared to nonmigrant mothers. However, among all mothers who utilized emergency services, the utilization rate was significantly higher than that of nonmigrant mothers [4]. Such findings can be useful for planning health provision and identifying possible barriers to attendance.

Mobility and relocation can create substantial vulnerabilities, including an increased risk of sexual violence, human trafficking, and labor exploitation, along with a need for child protection [5]. In conflict-affected settings, migration may coincide with weakened protections from family and social networks that leave people, particularly women and girls, vulnerable to exploitation. In a study by Amber Lalla and colleagues, Oromo and Somali refugee women in the Kakuma Refugee camp in Kenya were found to experience multiple sources of insecurity, including violence and neglect, in all spaces of the refugee camp [6]. Health services, including sexual and reproductive health services, are also often limited. However, a qualitative study done in a humanitarian setting in the Democratic Republic of the Congo documents knowledge of contraceptive methods among adolescent and young women as well as unmet need, indicating that other factors may play a greater role in influencing contraceptive use than displacement [7].

While migration often creates new vulnerabilities, it may also serve as a protective factor for migrants leaving highly disadvantaged contexts. In a comparison of international migrants, internal migrants, and nonmigrants in Bangladesh, Randall Kuhn and colleagues [8] found that people who moved primarily to become guest workers in Gulf Cooperative Countries faced comparable or lower injury and mortality risks compared to those who remained in their country of origin.

Health authorities often cite concerns over communicable diseases in migrant populations, which could be perceived to increase risks of disease transmission. However, there are often insufficient data and misinformation about these risks, and the reality is much more nuanced and context specific. A study of HIV diagnosis and care cascades in Australia found an overall improvement among all persons between 2013 and 2017, while cascades for migrants had larger gaps compared to nonmigrants, particularly among key migrant populations [9]. Investigations among Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh found that, despite multiple vaccination campaigns, immunity gaps still existed among children, particularly for diphtheria and polio [10,11].

These and other research studies featured in this Special Issue address a great diversity of migration trajectories and contexts. The evidence harnessed has highlighted different effects and complex associations between migration and health across different settings, including diverse mobility dynamics across different phases of the migration cycle. Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers need to calibrate national and regional policy and programmatic levers by using the best available evidence for their specific context; clearly there is no “one size fits all” conclusion and recommendations when it comes to migration health. Governments and policymakers must commit to and invest in evidence-informed processes while avoiding perceptions and misinformation.

It is clear from the articles in this Special Issue that much of the research in migration health is generated in high-income countries, with limited research productivity on migrant typologies occurring in low- and middle-income countries. With anticipated increases in the numbers of refugees and migrants in the future, there is a clear call for increased investment and support for health research in settings in which the needs of refugees and migrants are greatest. In addition, the health impacts for the largest populations of migrants who are engaged in low-wage work in precarious contexts remain poorly researched [12]. We hope that the research approaches and evidence featured in this issue will encourage future migration health research to address these evidence and equity gaps for the benefit of the growing and vulnerable populations of refugees and migrants worldwide.

References at title link above.

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Pandemics and Violence Against Women and Children
Center for Global Development – Working Paper
Amber Peterman , Alina Potts , Megan O’Donnell , Kelly Thompson , Niyati Shah , Sabine Oertelt-Prigione and Nicole van Gelder
April 1, 2020
Times of economic uncertainty, civil unrest and disaster are linked to a myriad of risk factors for increased violence against women and children (VAW/C). Pandemics are no exception. In fact, the regional or global nature and associated fear and uncertainty associated with pandemics provide an enabling environment that may exacerbate or spark diverse forms of violence. Understanding mechanisms underlying these dynamics are important for crafting policy and program responses to mitigate adverse effects.

Based on existing published and grey literature, we document nine main (direct and indirect) pathways linking pandemics and VAW/C, through effects of (on):(1) economic insecurity and poverty-related stress, (2) quarantines and social isolation, (3) disaster and conflict-related unrest and instability, (4) exposure to exploitative relationships due to changing demographics, (5) reduced health service availability and access to first responders, (6) inability of women to temporarily escape abusive partners, (7) virus-specific sources of violence, (8) exposure to violence and coercion in response efforts, and (9) violence perpetrated against health care workers. We also suggest additional pathways with limited or anecdotal evidence likely to effect smaller sub-groups.

Based on these mechanisms, we suggest eight policy and program responses for action by governments, civil society, international and community-based organizations. Finally, as research linking pandemics directly to diverse forms of VAW/C is scarce, we lay out a research agenda comprising three main streams, to better (1) understand the magnitude of the problem, (2) elucidate mechanisms and linkages with other social and economic factors and (3) inform intervention and response options. We hope this paper can be used by researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to help inform further evidence generation and policy action while situating VAW/C within the broader need for intersectional gender- and feminist-informed pandemic response.

Masks and handwashing Vs. physical distancing: Do we really have evidence-based answers for policymakers in resource-limited settings?
BRAC April 4, 2020
by Asif Saleh and Richard A. Cash
…For the first time, more than half of the world’s population is under some form of movement restriction to reduce the transmission of an infectious disease.

As more governments grapple with the immense difficulty of bringing their country to a halt, we see an important pattern emerging: leaders from low and middle-income countries are increasingly skeptical of mimicking policies that may have worked in China, South Korea, Germany, and elsewhere because of radical differences in demography, health system capacity, and cultural context.

Given the economic shock created by physical distancing policies, they are right to ask questions. Our own assessment of disease modeling, such as that conducted by Walker et al., finds it is deeply, even explicitly, biased towards optimising for the parametres of wealthy countries—on age distribution, ability of families to self-isolate, assumptions on capacity to scale up testing, and the ability to provide critical care and social support. We have yet to see models that optimise for younger populations in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, extreme population density of megacities, high rates of intergenerational-mingling, the likelihood of reverse migration, or the prevalence of other health conditions. Critical care is unavailable in these societies and health systems will have no ability to provide lifesaving treatment to the vast majority of its citizens. Bangladesh has 500 ventilators for a population of over 165 million; Liberia has three.

Public health experts seemed surprised to see physical distancing backfire—for example, urban migrants fleeing cities to avoid paying rent and be with their family during the crisis has occurred at an unthinkable scale. An estimated 10 million migrants left Dhaka in the 48 hours prior to Bangladesh’s national “holiday” began, and there are similar stories emerging from Kenya and beyond. Have epidemiological models accounted for the possibility that the policies could fuel widespread community transmission, rather than contain COVID-19? To those who know these populations intimately, it was the obvious consequence.

These models do not exclude just small pockets of people with unique circumstances. There are 1.2 billion people globally living in informal slums, which by definition are crowded and lack sufficient access to water and sanitation facilities meaning any force of isolation or quarantine is impossible. In some slums the density is as high as 800,000 people per square mile—for comparison, New York City’s is 27,000. If these policies turn out to lack efficacy, then the economic losses will have been for naught. Is the global health community monitoring this risk and updating their advice?

In addition to over prescribing physical distancing, the global health community should consider emergency provision of food or cash as an essential, lifesaving intervention to accompany forced loss of income. These programs have lagged far behind, despite the fact that for the 636 million people living in extreme poverty, severe food insecurity is immediate, predictable, and in many cases, preventable by appropriate policies.

Lastly and most crucially, we urge the global health community to better evaluate and promote infection control measures that are less disruptive to the livelihoods of the poor and feasible in low-resource settings. Some of the best interventions we have, such as handwashing, are underemphasised. The World Health Organization includes good respiratory hygiene as part of its standard guidance on how to reduce respiratory virus transmission. In places where people don’t cover their mouth or nose with a tissue or elbow when coughing or sneezing, efforts to promote these practices have been piloted successfully in schools in Bangladesh and may be a good investment to scale quickly. Furthermore, many South Asian countries have factories where masks could be quickly produced at scale, getting some of the millions of workers in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Myanmar and beyond back into factories that are currently closed due to the deepening troubles in the garment industry, while also enabling an infection control measure widely practiced in East Asia. Already India’s Ministry of Health has indicated that they are considering recommendations around homemade masks as a protective measure.

There are rapid examples of frugal, innovative improvisations popping up across the world, including some amazing crowd-sourced entertainment on staying healthy, but the global health community remains too fixated on policies built for a different context to consider them seriously.

While it may be difficult for epidemiologists to consider policy options without meaningful physical distancing, rapid expansion of widespread testing, and availability of critical care, this is the scenario most leaders in Africa and South Asia currently face. They deserve every bit as much rigour and decision-making support as the leaders in wealthier countries. There is an opportunity to come out of this pandemic with more solidarity and equality, and in pursuing it we save more lives together.

Asif Saleh is the executive director of BRAC Bangladesh. Richard A. Cash, M.D., M.P.H. is an American global health researcher, public health physician, internist, and Prince Mahidol Award winner. He is a senior lecturer and a director at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.

COVID-19 – Global Trade in Medical Products

WTO issues new report on worldwide trade in COVID-19 medical products
3 April 2020
The WTO Secretariat has released a new report on trade in medical products critical for the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The report traces trade flows for products such as personal protective products, hospital and laboratory supplies, medicines and medical technology while providing information on their respective tariffs.

Trade in medical products which have now been described as critical and in severe shortage during the COVID-19 crisis(1) totalled about US$ 597 billion in 2019, accounting for 1.7% of total world merchandise trade according to the report. The ten largest supplying economies accounted for almost three-quarters of total world exports of the products while the ten largest buyers accounted for roughly two-thirds of world imports.

Commitments made under various WTO negotiations and agreements have helped slash import tariffs on these products and improve market access, with the average tariff on COVID-19 medical products standing at 4.8%, lower than the 7.6% average tariff for non-agricultural products in general. The statistics show that 52% of 134 WTO members impose a tariff of 5% or lower on medical products. Among them, four members do not levy any tariffs at all: Hong Kong, China; Iceland; Macao, China; and Singapore. The report, however, also identifies markets where tariffs remain high. Tariffs on face masks, for example, can be as high as 55% in some countries.

Key points
:: Germany, the United States and Switzerland supply 35% of medical products; (2)
:: China, Germany and the United States export 40% of personal protective products;
:: Imports and exports of medical products totalled about US$ 2 trillion, including intra-EU trade, which represented approximately 5% of total world merchandise trade in 2019;
:: Trade of products described as critical and in severe shortage in the COVID-19 crisis totalled about US$ 597 billion, or 1.7% of total world trade in 2019;
:: Tariffs on some products remain very high. For example, the average applied tariff for hand soap is 17% and some WTO members apply tariffs as high as 65%;
:: Protective supplies used in the fight against COVID-19 attract an average tariff of 11.5% and go as high as 27% in some countries;
:: The WTO has contributed to the liberalization of trade in medical products in three main ways:
. The results of tariff negotiations scheduled at the inception of the WTO in 1995;
. Conclusion of the plurilateral sectoral Agreement on Pharmaceutical Products (“Pharma Agreement”) in the Uruguay Round and its four subsequent reviews;
. The Expansion of the Information Technology Agreement in 2015.

The report is available here.

Press Freedom

UNESCO Launches the first Call for the Global Media Defence Fund
01/04/2020
UNESCO seeks partners in promoting media freedom, to be supported under the Global Media Defence Fund, established thanks to the initiative of the governments of the United Kingdom and Canada, within the framework of their Global Campaign for Media Freedom. Under this first call for partnerships, half million USD will be distributed in small grants to relevant not-for-profit organizations.

Until Sunday 10 May 2020, UNESCO will be accepting proposals for innovative projects that will enhance journalists’ legal protection and their access to legal assistance, as well support investigative journalism contributing to tackling impunity, at the local, regional and/or international level by advancing at least one of the following Global Media Defence Fund’s Outputs:

:: Output 2: Reinforcing the operationalization of national protection mechanisms and peer support networks, including by supporting governments and other institutions to develop national frameworks, action plans and legislation relevant to the safety of journalists and the issue of impunity, to ensure journalists’ rapid access to legal assistance, bolster their defense and enhance their safety;

:: Output 3: Supporting investigative journalism that contributes to reduced impunity for crimes against journalists, and enhancing the safety of those conducting this line of work;

:: Output 4: Enhancing structures for fostering strategic litigation in order to protect environments where the legal frameworks are conducive to an independent, free and plural media ecosystem.

Under this first Call for Partnerships, for total amount of USD $500,000 (five hundred thousand US dollars), the Global Media Defence Fund will consider applications for funding from relevant not-for-profit stakeholders, including civil society organizations, media associations, human rights organizations, rule of law initiatives, investigative journalism networks and academic institutions…

The Global Media Defence Fund is a UNESCO’s Multi-Partner Trust Fund with the goal of enhancing media protection and improving the access of journalists to specialized legal assistance. Its particular niches are supporting legal defense based on international standards on media freedom, as well as investigative journalism contributing to tackle impunity for crimes against journalists. The implementation approach consists in seeking applications for funding from external relevant non-profit organizations.

The Global Media Defence Fund was made possible thanks to the initial major donations by the United Kingdom and Canada and their respective pledges of £3 million (USD $3,7 million) over five years and of 1 million Canadian Dollars (USD $750,000) to the Fund. Additional donations have been received by the Czech Republic, Latvia, and Luxemburg. This Fund synergizes with other activities implemented by UNESCO in the field of freedom of expression, and its action contributes to the implementation of the UN Plan of Action on the Safety of Journalists and the Issue of Impunity.

Featured Journal Content

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 4 Apr 2020]
Research Article
Measuring the predictability of life outcomes with a scientific mass collaboration
Matthew J. Salganik, et al.
Significance
Hundreds of researchers attempted to predict six life outcomes, such as a child’s grade point average and whether a family would be evicted from their home. These researchers used machine-learning methods optimized for prediction, and they drew on a vast dataset that was painstakingly collected by social scientists over 15 y. However, no one made very accurate predictions. For policymakers considering using predictive models in settings such as criminal justice and child-protective services, these results raise a number of concerns. Additionally, researchers must reconcile the idea that they understand life trajectories with the fact that none of the predictions were very accurate.
Abstract
How predictable are life trajectories? We investigated this question with a scientific mass collaboration using the common task method; 160 teams built predictive models for six life outcomes using data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a high-quality birth cohort study. Despite using a rich dataset and applying machine-learning methods optimized for prediction, the best predictions were not very accurate and were only slightly better than those from a simple benchmark model. Within each outcome, prediction error was strongly associated with the family being predicted and weakly associated with the technique used to generate the prediction. Overall, these results suggest practical limits to the predictability of life outcomes in some settings and illustrate the value of mass collaborations in the social sciences.

Featured Journal Content – Heritage Stewardship

Nature
Volume 580 Issue 7801, 2 April 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html
Review Article | 01 April 2020
Rebuilding marine life
Analyses of the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions indicate that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050 if major pressures, including climate change, are mitigated.
Carlos M. Duarte, Susana Agusti[…] & Boris Worm
Abstract
Sustainable Development Goal 14 of the United Nations aims to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development”. Achieving this goal will require rebuilding the marine life-support systems that deliver the many benefits that society receives from a healthy ocean. Here we document the recovery of marine populations, habitats and ecosystems following past conservation interventions. Recovery rates across studies suggest that substantial recovery of the abundance, structure and function of marine life could be achieved by 2050, if major pressures—including climate change—are mitigated. Rebuilding marine life represents a doable Grand Challenge for humanity, an ethical obligation and a smart economic objective to achieve a sustainable future.

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Nature Reviews Genetics
Volume 21 Issue 4, April 2020
https://www.nature.com/nrg/volumes/21/issues/4
Review Article | 07 February 2020
Pan-genomics in the human genome era
Although single reference genomes are valuable resources, they do not capture genetic diversity among individuals. Sherman and Salzberg discuss the concept of ‘pan-genomes’, which are reference genomes that encompass the genetic variation within a given species. Focusing particularly on large eukaryotic pan-genomes, they describe the latest progress, the varied methodological approaches and computational challenges, as well as applications in fields such as agriculture and human disease.
Rachel M. Sherman & Steven L. Salzberg

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International Journal of Heritage Studies
Volume 26, Issue 5 2020
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rjhs20/current
Article
Heritage destruction in Myanmar’s Rakhine state: legal and illegal iconoclasm
Ronan Lee & José Antonio González Zarandona
Pages: 519-538
Published online: 21 Sep 2019
ABSTRACT
In this article we map heritage destruction in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. We outline the historic and contemporary political context in Myanmar explaining the background of the Rohingya Muslim ethnic group and addressing the contribution of religion and political change to anti-Rohingya discrimination and violence in Myanmar. We trace patterns of heritage destruction as legal and/ or illegal iconoclasm and specify the key elements of heritage destruction in Rakhine state. Our analysis focusses on the use of heritage destruction in Rakhine state as a tool of genocide, and we suggest that heritage destruction in Myanmar’s Rakhine state ought to be understood as part the authorities’ policies of genocide against the Rohingya. We conclude the article with a call for UNESCO to act to extend its ‘Unite4Heritage’ campaign to include the destruction of heritage by state actors.

Global Governance :: Internet

China and Huawei propose reinvention of the internet
New architecture would enable cutting-edge technologies but western countries fear more control for state-run internet services
Anna Gross and Madhumita Murgia
March 27, 2020
China has suggested a radical change to the way the internet works to the UN, in a proposal that claims to enable cutting-edge technologies such as holograms and self-driving cars but which critics say will also bake authoritarianism into the architecture underpinning the web.

The telecoms group Huawei, together with state-run companies China Unicom and China Telecom, and the country’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), jointly proposed a new standard for core network technology, called “New IP”, at the UN’s International Telecommunication Union (ITU).

The proposal has caused concerns among western countries including the UK, Sweden and the US, who believe the system would splinter the global internet and give state-run internet service providers granular control over citizens’ internet use. It has gained the support of Russia, and potentially Saudi Arabia, according to western representatives at the ITU.

“Below the surface, there is a huge battle going on over what the internet will look like,” said a UK delegate to the ITU, who asked not to be named.

“You’ve got these two competing visions: one which is very free and open and . . . government hands-off . . . and one which is much more controlled and regulated by governments.”

Huawei has said that parts of the technology for the new network architecture are already being built, with the help of multiple states and companies, but would not name those involved. It has also said elements will be ready to be tested by early 2021.

In a PowerPoint presentation and an official standard proposal obtained by the Financial Times, Huawei describes the existing internet infrastructure that underpins global networks — known as TCP/IP — as “unstable” and “vastly insufficient” to meet the requirements of the digital world by 2030, including self-driving cars, the ubiquitous internet of things and “holo-sense teleportation”.

Instead, the Chinese proposals suggest the ITU take a “long-term view” and “shoulder the responsibility of a top-down design for the future network”.

Huawei said that New IP is being developed purely to meet the technical requirements of a rapidly-evolving digital world and that it has not built any type of control into its design. It said it was leading a group at the ITU focused on future network technology. “The research and innovation of New IP is open to scientists and engineers worldwide to participate in and contribute to,” added a spokesperson.

The ITU is currently led by Chinese telecoms engineer Houlin Zhao, who was nominated to the position by China’s MIIT in 2014. But a forthcoming paper for Nato by Oxford Information Labs, a cyber security company, whose authors are also UK delegates to the ITU, warns that New IP will enable “fine-grained controls in the foundations of the network” and that the Chinese approach “will lead to more centralised, top-down control of the internet and potentially even its users, with implications on security and human rights”…

EMERGENCIES

Coronavirus [COVID-19]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC

Editor’s Note:
We certainly recognize the velocity of global developments in the COVID-19 pandemic. While we have concentrated the most current key reports just below, COVID-19 announcements, analysis and commentary will be found throughout this issue, in all sections.
Beyond the considerable continuing coverage in the global general media, the WHO’s authoritative guidance is available here:
:: Daily WHO situation reports here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

:: WHO Coronavirus disease (COVID-2019) daily press briefings here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings

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Situation report – 75 [WHO]
Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19)
4 April 2020
[Excerpts]
SITUATION IN NUMBERS
Globally
1 051 635 confirmed (79 332)
56 985 deaths (6664)

Western Pacific Region
110 362 confirmed (1432)
3809 deaths (49)

European Region
583 141 confirmed (41 333)
42 334 deaths (5231)

South-East Asia Region
6528 confirmed (647)
267 deaths (22)

Eastern Mediterranean Region
65 903 confirmed (3667)
3592 deaths (154)

Region of the Americas
279 543 confirmed (32 070)
6802 deaths (1202)

African Region
5446 confirmed (183)
170 deaths (6)
 

WHO RISK ASSESSMENT
Global Level – Very High

HIGHLIGHTS

:: One new country/territory/area reported cases of COVID-19 in the past 24 hours: Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba.

:: As worldwide cases climb above 1 million and deaths over 50 000, Dr Tedros stressed that the best way for countries to end restrictions and ease their economic effects was to attack the virus with an aggressive and comprehensive package of measures. His speech can be found here.

:: WHO has released new technical guidance recommending universal access to public hand hygiene stations and making their use obligatory on entering and leaving any public or private commercial building and any public transport facility. It also recommends that healthcare facilities improve access to and practice of hand hygiene. Find more here.

:: WHO/Europe has received a €30 million contribution from the European Commission for 6 WHO European Region Member States – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine – to meet immediate needs in their responses to COVID-19. More information is available here.

Emergencies

Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Ebola Outbreak in DRC 86: 31 March 2020
[Excerpts]
Situation Update WHO Health Emergencies Programme Page 2
There have been no new cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported since 17 February 2020. The last individual confirmed to have Ebola was discharged from an Ebola Treatment Centre on 3 March after recovering and testing negative for the virus twice. On 9 March, the last contacts finished their follow-up period. These developments are significant milestones in this outbreak. However, there is still a high risk of re-emergence of EVD, and it is critical to maintain response activities to rapidly detect and respond to any new cases, and to continue ongoing support and health monitoring operations for EVD survivors – as outlined in the WHO recommended criteria for declaring the end of the EVD outbreak.
There is ongoing surveillance, pathogen detection, and clinical management activities in previously affected areas, including alert validation, rapid diagnosis of suspected cases, and building partnerships with community members to strengthen investigation of potential EVD deaths in communities. Insecurity remains a challenge in continuing response activities, which could delay the detection of potential flare-ups.

…Conclusion
Due to challenges related to continued insecurity and population displacement in previous hotspots and potential shortages of resources required to carry out response activities amidst other local and global emergencies, there remains a high risk of re-emergence of EVD in the period leading up to the declaration of the end of the outbreak, as well as for several months following that declaration. In order to mitigate the risk of re-emergence, it is critical to maintain surveillance and rapid detection and response capacities, prioritize survivor care, and maintain cooperative relationships with survivors’ associations.

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 01 April 2020
Summary of new viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan: one WPV1 case
:: Pakistan: four WPV1 cases, nine WPV1 positive environmental samples and eight cVDPV2 cases
:: Benin: one cVDPV2 case
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo) – two cVDPV2 cases
:: Ethiopia: five cVDPV2 cases
:: Ghana: five cVDPV2 cases and four cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Malaysia: 15 cVDPV1 positive environmental samples and four cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Togo: five cVDPV2 cases

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Call to action to support COVID-19 response
Polio Oversight Board Statement
02/04/2020
The COVID-19 pandemic response requires worldwide solidarity and an urgent global effort.  The Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) stands ready to respond.

GPEI’s response to COVID-19 is driven by two principles.  The first is our public health imperative to ensure that the polio programme fully plays its part in the COVID-19 response, supported by our second, underlying principle that when the emergency ends we will be ready to end polio with urgency and determination.

GPEI assets at service of COVID-19 response
The Polio Oversight Board (POB) has agreed that for the next four to six months, GPEI programmatic and operational assets and human resources, from global to country level, will be made available to enable a strong response to COVID-19, while maintaining critical polio functions, such as surveillance and global vaccine supply management.

GPEI will continue to deploy polio-funded personnel to the COVID-19 response and make available coordination mechanisms, such as emergency operations centers, and physical assets such as transportation or IT hardware.  Through our extensive front-line worker networks in many countries, we will ensure the collection of information to provide evidence-informed guidance in line with WHO recommendations. At country level, the polio surveillance network is being trained on COVID-19 case detection, case and contact tracing, laboratory testing and data management.   Our data management systems and front-line staff are already ramping up action in many countries, and wherever the polio programme has a presence we will continue to serve the response.

GPEI will also seek assurances that when GPEI staff is supporting COVID-19 front line activities, they will be provided with the necessary training, materials, equipment and logistics support to do so safely, in line with infection prevention and control measures. The GPEI is conscious that women, who make up most caregivers and health workers, are likely to bear a heavier burden as the pandemic plays out in polio-affected countries. Their health and safety are a priority and we are working on ways to mitigate impact including making sure that their voices are heard in management and leadership positions.

Pause in immunization campaigns
All countries planning to conduct poliovirus preventative campaigns are advised to temporarily postpone these campaigns until the second half of 2020. Countries which were planning to conduct poliovirus outbreak response campaigns are advised to postpone these campaigns until 1 June 2020 and then reevaluate based on the status of the COVID-19 pandemic…

Download the full statement

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 28 Mar 2020]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Ebola Outbreak in DRC 86: 31 March 2020
[See Ebola above for detail]

Mozambique floods
:: World Health Organization: 10 cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Mozambique
02 April 2020

Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 28 Mar 2020]
Iraq
:: The fight to contain COVID-19 in Iraq April 1, 2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 28 Mar 2020]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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::::::

UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: COVID-19 Update No. 04 – 2 April 2020
HIGHLIGHTS
:: Number of people confirmed by the Ministry of Health to have COVID-19: 16 (including two fatalities)
:: Areas of concern: Densely populated areas, notably Damascus/Rural Damascus and those living in camps, collective shelters and informal settlements in northeast Syria (NES), as well as areas where hostilities may be ongoing making sample collection more challenging.
:: Populations of concern: All groups are susceptible to the virus. However, the elderly (those 60 years and above) and people with underlying health conditions are particularly at risk; as are vulnerable refugee and IDP populations and healthcare workers with inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE).

Yemen
::  Yemen: Flash Floods in southern governorates – Flash Update No. 1 (As of 31 March 2020)

::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

::::::
::::::

COVID-19: Resource Hubs, Portals, Special Collections
Number One :: 31 March 2020

GE2P2 Global Foundation
Center for Disaster & Humanitarian Ethics

Editor
Steven Martin, MPhil
Senior Researcher
GE2P2 Global Foundation
steven.martin@ge2p2global.org

PDF: The Sentinel – Special Bulletin_COVID-19 Resources_Version 1-0_31 March 2020

As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads, a range of organizations globally have launched portals, resource pages, and digital collections of guidance, recommendations, resources, and other content. Our initial inventory presented below will be refreshed regularly as we anticipate that these resources will grow in number and depth.

At the global health governance/guidance level, the World Health Organization has launched a portal which includes authoritative daily situation reports and press briefings, updates on R&D for medicines and vaccines, country and technical guidance, travel advice and more.

Other UN agencies have launched resource collections focused to their remits including UNICEF for children’s issues, including guidance on strengthening protection measures for children during pandemic. Joint guidance from IFRC, UNICEF and WHO includes practical actions and checklists for administrators, teachers, parents and children. UNESCO has published [in Spanish] ethical guidelines for the conduct of research during the COVID-19 pandemic. The World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Veterinary Association issued a joint statement addressing the roles and responsibilities of the veterinary profession for public health in the pandemic.

Also at global level, the Global Fund has issued guidance on the pandemic’s impact on supply chain logistics involving health products. Given that robust risk management processes in medical laboratories are the best defense against errors and false results, ISO has updated ISO 22367, the relevant international standard.

At the multilateral level, the OECD’s Tackling the coronavirus [COVID-19] resource collates key impacts, country profiles, data, videos, policy responses, resources and real-time data. The European Commission has made available relevant standards for medical supplies to facilitate increases in production.

In the human rights space, Freedom House has produced guidelines for protecting democracy and political rights in the context of COVID-19. Similarly, Human Rights Watch has outlined concerns posed by the coronavirus outbreak, drawing on examples of government responses to date, and recommends ways governments and other actors can respect human rights in their response. ISPCAN has drawn together resources for child protection professionals.

In the humanitarian response sector, Elrha has launched and will continue to update Coronavirus (COVID-19): Resources for humanitarians which will capture content which supports response efforts from a range of organizations. Disaster ready provides access to a collection of free resources from reputable health organizations such as WHO, CDC, KonTerra to help responders of COVID-19 to work safely and promote infection prevention, preparedness and well-being during this pandemic. Evidence Aid is compiling links to entry points for this literature and features Italian and Japanese guidelines on COVID-19. ALNAP’s COVID-19 Response Portal features a collection of guidelines, tools, papers and lessons learnt which are relevant to responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic. Sphere has also issues guidance based on humanitarian standards, applying humanitarian standards to fight COVID-19. The CHS Alliance sets out a principled and people-centered approach management, response and adaptation to COVID-19 aligned with the Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS). ICRC has published guidance on inclusive programming during coronavirus. The IASC has identified identify specific challenges and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration in camps and camp-like settings.

Ethical analysis and resources are being aggregated by The Hastings Center including guidance, tools, and resources for Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) and Clinical Ethics Consultation (CEC), and an Ethical Framework for Health Care Institutions & Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

The philanthropic/donor sector response to the coronavirus outbreak.is being served by a resource maintained by the Council on Foundations.

:::::::
:::::::

Below is an alphabetical list for easy navigation, and a more extended listing with titles and links:

ALNAP (The COVID-19 Response Portal)
CHS Alliance https://www.chsalliance.org/get-support/article/covid-19-and-the-chs/
Council on Foundations (COVID-19 Resource Hub).
Disaster ready (Coronavirus (COVID-19)
European Commission (Coronavirus: European standards for medical supplies made freely available to facilitate increase of production).
Evidence Aid (Coronavirus resources)
Freedom House (https://freedomhouse.org/article/principles-protecting-civil-and-political-rights-fight-against-covid-19) and (https://freedomhouse.org/article/freedom-house-offers-guidelines-protecting-democracy-during-pandemic)
Global Fund (COVID-19 Impact on Supply Chain Logistics: Assessment and Recommendations).
Hastings Center (COVID-19: Supporting Ethical Care and Responding to Moral Distress in a Public Health Emergency). and (https://www.thehastingscenter.org/ethicalframeworkcovid19/)
Human Rights Watch (https://www.hrw.org/news/2020/03/19/human-rights-dimensions-covid-19-response)
IASC (https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/other/interim-guidance-scaling-covid-19-outbreak-readiness-and-response-operations-camps-and-camp )
ICRC (https://www.icrc.org/en/document/covid-19-coronavirus-inclusive-programming)
ISAC (https://interagencystandingcommittee.org/other/interim-guidance-scaling-covid-19-outbreak-readiness-and-response-operations-camps-and-camp)
ISO (Reducing the risk of errors in medical laboratories with updated International Standard).
ISPCAN (ISPCAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON COVID-19)
OECD (Tackling the coronavirus (COVID-19))
SPHERE (https://spherestandards.org/coronavirus/)
UNESCO (https://en.unesco.org/news/ethics-research-times-pandemic-covid-19)
UNICEF (COVID-19: Children at heightened risk of abuse, neglect, exploitation and violence amidst intensifying containment measures) (COVID-19: IFRC, UNICEF and WHO issue guidance to protect children and support safe school operations)
WHO https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019
World Organisation for Animal Health and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) (COVID-19 and veterinary activities designated as essential)

:::::::
:::::::

ALNAP [to 28 Mar 2020]
The COVID-19 Response Portal
This portal holds a vast collection of guidelines, tools, papers and lessons learnt from across and beyond the ALNAP Membership which are relevant to responding to the current COVID-19 pandemic.

CHS Alliance [to 28 Mar 2020]
26 March 2020
COVID-19 and the Core Humanitarian Standard: How to meet our CHS commitments in the coronavirus pandemic
The Core Humanitarian Standard on Quality and Accountability (CHS) sets out our sector’s core commitments to the people we assist. It guides us in taking a principled and people-centred approach to the way we manage the response and adaptation to COVID-19. This is a guide to how the CHS commitments can inform your response to the pandemic, along with some useful resources…

Council on Foundations [to 28 Mar 2020]
Council Resources for Responding to COVID-19
Council resources for foundations responding to Coronavirus (COVID-19).

U.S. Government Action on COVID-19
Stay up-to-date on the latest legislation and government actions in the United States concerning COVID-19.

COVID-19 Resource Hub
Resources and news for philanthropy’s response to the coronavirus outbreak.

Disaster ready [to 28 Mar 2020]
Coronavirus (COVID-19) Learning Resources
Collection of free resources from reputable health organizations such as WHO, CDC, KonTerra, and EJ4 will help responders of COVID-19 to work safely and promote infection prevention, preparedness and well-being during this pandemic

European Commission [to 28 Mar 2020]
Coronavirus: European standards for medical supplies made freely available to facilitate increase of production
Upon the urgent request of the Commission, CEN and CENELEC, in collaboration with all their members, have agreed to immediately make available a number of European standards for certain medical devices and personal protective equipment.

Evidence Aid [to 28 Mar 2020]
Italian guidelines on Novel Coronavirus
Created on 29 February 2020. Last updated 29 February 2020. Compiled by colleagues at the Cochrane Drugs and Alcohol Group in Italy

Japanese guidelines on Novel Coronavirus
Created on 26 February 2020. Last updated 26 February 2020. Compiled by colleagues at Bukkyo University, co-ordinated by Prof. Hajime Takeuchi MD. A. Guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, Japan.

Coronavirus resources
Claire Allen
The outbreak of the Coronavirus is leading to a rapidly expanding and evolving literature. Evidence Aid is compiling links to entry points for this literature and will include these on this web page. If you have any suggestions for other resources that we might consider linking to, please let us know.

Freedom House [to 28 Mar 2020]
Freedom House Offers Guidelines for Protecting Democracy during Pandemic opens in new tab
Press release
March 24, 2020

Principles for Protecting Civil and Political Rights in the Fight against Covid-19 opens in new tab
Perspectives
March 24, 2020

Global Fund [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19 Impact on Supply Chain Logistics: Assessment and Recommendations
12 March 2020

The Hastings Center [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19: Supporting Ethical Care and Responding to Moral Distress in a Public Health Emergency
Guidance, tools, and resources for Hospital Ethics Committees (HECs) Clinical Ethics Consultation (CEC)

Ethical Framework for Health Care Institutions Responding to Novel Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19)
Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to COVID-19. Ethical Framework for Health Care Institutions & Guidelines for Institutional Ethics Services Responding to the Coronavirus Pandemic.

Human Rights Watch [to 28 Mar 2020]
Human Rights Dimensions of COVID-19 Response
March 19, 2020
This document provides an overview of human rights concerns posed by the coronavirus outbreak, drawing on examples of government responses to date, and recommends ways governments and other actors can respect human rights in their response.

ICRC [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19: Inclusive programming during the time of coronavirus
This paper brings together guidance and messages from the ICRC’s Operations Diversity Inclusion, Sexual Violence and Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse teams, in collaboration with the Global Adviser on Children.
27-03-2020 | Article

IFRC [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19: IFRC, UNICEF and WHO issue guidance to protect children and support safe school operations
GENEVA/NEW YORK, 10 March 2020 – The International Federation of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO) today issued new guidance to help protect children and schools from transmission of the COV …

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 28 Mar 2020]
IOM Joins Global Response to Prevent the Spread, Mitigate the Impact of COVID-19 on Crisis-Affected Communities
2020-03-25 16:52
Geneva – Today (25 March) the International Organization for Migration (IOM) is joining the health and humanitarian community to launch the interagency COVID-19 Global Humanitarian…

ISAC [to 28 Mar 2020]
Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings (jointly developed by IFRC, IOM, UNHCR and WHO)
People affected by humanitarian crises, particularly those displaced and/or living in camps and camp-like settings, are often faced with specific challenges and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration when planning for readiness and response operations for the COVID-19 outbreak.

ISPCAN [to 28 Mar 2020]
ISPCAN’S RECOMMENDATIONS ON COVID-19
ISPCAN is committed to providing support to individuals, caregivers, and professionals as they navigate through the COVID 19 pandemic by providing up-to-date resources in collaboration with our partner organizations around the globe. We have gathered resources on this topic and want our members to also share.

OECD [to 28 Mar 2020]
Tackling the coronavirus (COVID-19)
What are the impacts and consequences of the coronavirus pandemic on our lives and our societies – and what are some of the solutions we can find to boost our healthcare systems, secure our businesses, maintain our jobs and education, and stabilise financial markets and economies?

OIE [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19 and veterinary activities designated as essential
Joint Statement by the World Organisation for Animal Health and World Veterinary Association
In the framework of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Veterinary Association (WVA) jointly draw attention to the roles and responsibilities of the veterinary profession for public health. They highlight the specific veterinary activities which are key to ensure a continuum in food safety, disease prevention and emergency management.

SPHERE [to 28 Mar 2020]
COVID-19 guidance based on humanitarian standards
COVID-19 guidance based on humanitarian standards, applying humanitarian standards to fight COVID-19. The guidance can be download in multiple languages.

UNESCO [to 28 Mar 2020]
Ethics in research in times of pandemic COVID-19
The Covid-19 pandemic has arrived in Latin America and the Caribbean and with it the certain possibility that various types of related biomedical research will be carried out on vulnerable populations in the region.
26/03/2020

WHO [to 28 Mar 2020]
Daily WHO situation reports here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/situation-reports

Daily WHO press briefings here: https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019/media-resources/press-briefings

COVID-19: IFRC, UNICEF and WHO issue guidance to protect children and support safe school operations
Guidance includes practical actions and checklists for administrators, teachers, parents and children
10 March 2020

WHO: Guiding principles for immunization activities during the COVID-19 pandemic
Interim guidance – 26 March 2020
This document provides guiding principles and considerations to support countries in their decision-making regarding provision of immunization services during the COVID-19 pandemic and is endorsed by the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization.

:

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 28 March 2020 :: Number 310

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

PDF:The Sentinel_ period ending 28 Mar 2020

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities   [see PDF]
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

COVID-19 :: “Global Ceasefire”

Secretary-General Calls for Global Ceasefire, Citing War-Ravaged Health Systems, Populations Most Vulnerable to Novel Coronavirus
23 March 2020 SG/SM/20018
Following is UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ appeal for a global ceasefire amid the COVID-19 pandemic, issued today in New York:

Our world faces a common enemy: COVID-19. The virus does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks all, relentlessly.

Meanwhile, armed conflict rages on around the world. 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.

Let’s not forget that in war-ravaged countries, health systems have collapsed. Health professionals, already few in number, have often been targeted. Refugees and others displaced by violent conflict are doubly vulnerable.

The fury of the virus illustrates the folly of war.

That is why today, I am calling for an immediate global ceasefire in all corners of the world. It is time to put armed conflict on lockdown and focus together on the true fight of our lives.

To warring parties, I say: Pull back from hostilities. Put aside mistrust and animosity. Silence the guns, stop the artillery, end the airstrikes.

This is crucial — to help create corridors for life-saving aid. To open precious windows for diplomacy. To bring hope to places among the most vulnerable to COVID-19.

Let us take inspiration from coalitions and dialogue slowly taking shape among rival parties to enable joint approaches to COVID-19. But we need much more.

End the sickness of war and fight the disease that is ravaging our world. It starts by stopping the fighting everywhere. Now. That is what our human family needs, now more than ever.

COVID-19 :: G20

Remarks by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva During an Extraordinary G20 Leaders’ Summit
March 26, 2020
International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva made the following statement today following a conference call of G20 Leaders’ Summit:
“I am grateful to the Saudi presidency for calling this extraordinary summit – so we can close ranks as a global community to protect people’s lives and guard the world economy. We project a contraction of global output in 2020, and recovery in 2021. How deep the contraction and how fast the recovery depends on the speed of containment of the pandemic and on how strong and coordinated our monetary and fiscal policy actions are.

“You, the G20 leaders, have already taken extraordinary steps to save lives and safeguard your economies.

“Particularly critical is the targeted fiscal support to vulnerable households and to large and small businesses, so they can stay afloat and get quickly back to work. Otherwise it will take years to overcome the effects of widespread bankruptcies and layoffs.

“Such support will accelerate the eventual recovery, and put us in a better condition to tackle challenges such as debt overhangs and disrupted trade flows.

“And it is paramount we recognize the importance of supporting emerging market and developing economies to overcome the brunt of the crisis and help restore growth. They find themselves particularly hard hit by a combination of health crisis, sudden stop of the world economy, capital flight to safety, and – for some – sharp drop in commodity prices. These countries are the main focus of our attention. We have a considerable, $1 trillion strong, financial capacity to place in their defense, working closely with the World Bank and other International Financial Institutions (IFIs).

The challenge though is enormous:
:: Exceptionally large number of countries simultaneously require IMF emergency financing.
:: Emerging markets are dramatically impacted by record high capital outflows and severe shortage of FX liquidity
:: Many low income countries step into this crisis under a high burden of debt.

“We must act at par with the magnitude of the challenge. For us at the IMF it means working with you to make our crisis response even stronger. For this we ask your backing to:
:: Double our emergency financing capacity.
:: Boost global liquidity through a sizeable SDR (Special Drawing Right) allocation, as we successfully did during the 2009 global crisis and by expanding the use of swap type facilities at the Fund
:: Support action of official bilateral creditors to ease the debt burden of our poorest members during the times of global downturn.

“We will get through this crisis together. Together we will lay the ground for a faster and stronger recovery.”

COVID-19 :: UN Funding Appeal – USD$2 billion

A global approach is the only way to fight COVID-19, the UN says as it launches humanitarian response plan
OCHA 25 March 2020
:: UN humanitarian chief warns that failing to help vulnerable countries fight the coronavirus now could place millions at risk and leave the virus free to circle back around the globe.
:: UN launches US$2 billion global humanitarian response to fight COVID-19 across South America, Africa, the Middle East and Asia.
:: Governments urged to commit to fully supporting the global humanitarian response plan, while sustaining funding to existing humanitarian appeals.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres today [Wednesday, 25 March] launched a $2 billion coordinated global humanitarian response plan to fight COVID-19 in some of the world’s most vulnerable countries in a bid to protect millions of people and stop the virus from circling back around the globe.

COVID-19 has killed more than 16,000 people worldwide and there are nearly 400,000 reported cases. It has a foothold across the globe and is now reaching countries that were already facing humanitarian crisis because of conflict, natural disasters and climate change.

The response plan will be implemented by UN agencies, with international NGOs and NGO consortia playing a direct role in the response. It will:
:: deliver essential laboratory equipment to test for the virus, and medical supplies to treat people;
:: install handwashing stations in camps and settlements;
:: launch public information campaigns on how to protect yourself and others from the virus; and
:: establish airbridges and hubs across Africa, Asia and Latin America to move humanitarian workers and supplies to where they are needed most.

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres said:
“COVID-19 is menacing the whole of humanity – and so the whole of humanity must fight back. Individual country responses are not going to be enough. “We must come to the aid of the ultra-vulnerable – millions upon millions of people who are least able to protect themselves. This is a matter of basic human solidarity. It is also crucial for combating the virus. This is the moment to step up for the vulnerable.”

Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock said:
“COVID-19 has already upended life in some of the world’s wealthiest countries. It is now reaching places where people live in warzones, cannot easily access clean water and soap, and have no hope of a hospital bed if they fall critically ill.

“To leave the world’s poorest and most vulnerable countries to their fate would be both cruel and unwise. If we leave coronavirus to spread freely in these places, we would be placing millions at high risk, whole regions will be tipped into chaos and the virus will have the opportunity to circle back around the globe.

“Countries battling the pandemic at home are rightly prioritizing people living in their own communities. But the hard truth is they will be failing to protect their own people if they do not act now to help the poorest countries protect themselves.

“Our priority is to help these countries prepare and continue helping the millions who rely on humanitarian assistance from the UN to survive. Properly funded, our global response effort will equip humanitarian organizations with the tools to fight the virus, save lives, and help contain the spread of COVID-19 worldwide.”…

COVID-19 :: Detention

Urgent action needed to prevent COVID-19 “rampaging through places of detention” – Bachelet
GENEVA (25 March 2020) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet has called on governments to take urgent action to protect the health and safety of people in detention and other closed facilities, as part of overall efforts to contain the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Covid-19 has begun to strike prisons, jails and immigration detention centres, as well as residential care homes and psychiatric hospitals, and risks rampaging through such institutions’ extremely vulnerable populations,” said Bachelet.

“In many countries, detention facilities are overcrowded, in some cases dangerously so. People are often held in unhygienic conditions and health services are inadequate or even non-existent. Physical distancing and self-isolation in such conditions are practically impossible,” she added.

“Governments are facing huge demands on resources in this crisis and are having to take difficult decisions. But I urge them not to forget those behind bars, or those confined in places such as closed mental health facilities, nursing homes and orphanages, because the consequences of neglecting them are potentially catastrophic,” the High Commissioner said.

“It is vital that governments should address the situation of detained people in their crisis planning to protect detainees, staff, visitors and of course wider society,” she added.

“With outbreaks of the disease, and an increasing number of deaths, already reported in prisons and other institutions in an expanding number of countries, authorities should act now to prevent further loss of life among detainees and staff,” Bachelet said.

The High Commissioner urged governments and relevant authorities to work quickly to reduce the number of people in detention, noting several countries have already undertaken some positive actions. Authorities should examine ways to release those particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, among them older detainees and those who are sick, as well as low-risk offenders. They should also continue to provide for the specific health-care requirements of women prisoners, including those who are pregnant, as well as those of inmates with disabilities and of juvenile detainees.

“Now, more than ever, governments should release every person detained without sufficient legal basis, including political prisoners and others detained simply for expressing critical or dissenting views,” Bachelet stressed.

When people are released, they should be medically screened and measures taken to ensure that if needed they receive care and proper follow-up, including health monitoring.

“Under international human rights law, States have an obligation to take steps to prevent foreseeable threats to public health and have a duty to ensure that all who need vital medical care can receive it,” Bachelet said.

For those in detention, the State has a particular duty to protect inmates’ physical and mental health and well-being, as set out by the UN Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (also known as the Nelson Mandela Rules).

Measures taken amid a health crisis should not undermine the fundamental rights of detained people, including their rights to adequate food and water. Safeguards against ill-treatment of people in custody, including access to a lawyer and doctor, should also be fully respected.

“Restrictions on visits to closed institutions may be required to help prevent COVID-19 outbreaks, but such steps need to be introduced in a transparent way and communicated clearly to those affected. Suddenly halting contact with the outside world risks aggravating what may be tense, difficult and potentially dangerous situations,” Bachelet said. She noted examples of alternative measures taken in some countries, such as setting up expanded videoconferencing, allowing increased phone calls with family members and permitting email.

“COVID-19 poses a huge challenge to the whole of society, as governments take steps to enforce physical distancing. It is vital such measures are upheld, but I am deeply concerned that some countries are threatening to impose prison sentences for those who fail to obey. This is likely to exacerbate the grave situation in prisons and do little to halt the disease’s spread,” Bachelet warned.
“Imprisonment should be a measure of last resort, particularly during this crisis.”

COVID-19 :: Camps

Interim Guidance on Scaling-up COVID-19 Outbreak in Readiness and Response Operations in Camps and Camp-like Settings (jointly developed by IFRC, IOM, UNHCR and WHO)
Posted on Tuesday, March 17, 2020
People affected by humanitarian crises, particularly those displaced and/or living in camps and camp-like settings, are often faced with specific challenges and vulnerabilities that must be taken into consideration when planning for readiness and response operations for the COVID-19 outbreak. They are frequently neglected, stigmatized, and may face difficulties in accessing health services that are otherwise available to the general population. In the context of this Interim Guidance, the people in humanitarian situations affected by this guidance may include internally displaced persons (IDPs), host communities, asylum seekers, refugees and returnees, and migrants when in similar situations. While further adaptations might be needed for some population groups, including those living in slums this interim guidance is issued to assist field staff to immediately respond to urgent needs.

COVID-19 :: Humanitarian Flight Operations

ICAO assisting with humanitarian flight operations during COVID-19
Montréal, 25 March 2020 – As part of its ongoing efforts in the global response to COVID-19, ICAO has taken action to assist the United Nations Humanitarian Air Service (UNHAS), managed by the World Food Programme (WFP), as it continues to try to deliver reliable and effective passenger and light cargo transport during the COVID-19 pandemic in support of wide-ranging humanitarian goals.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently drew attention to the fact that the COVID-19 virus “does not care about nationality or ethnicity, faction or faith. It attacks all, relentlessly.” He underscored that as armed conflicts still rage around the world, “the most vulnerable — women and children, people with disabilities, the marginalized and the displaced — pay the highest price.”

With WFP facing difficulties in keeping abreast of global airport closures, posing risks to the reliable transport of relief staff and supplies, ICAO assisted with a new app it had already been developing to monitor government aeronautical information for up-to-the-minute airport closure updates.

ICAO’s Regional Offices have been actively coordinating with WFP counterparts and have been assisting with their efforts to expand MEDEVACS capacity globally and to establish seven dependable hub airports to support its worldwide humanitarian flight operations…

“UNHAS operations are critical to many citizens and societies no matter the global situation, and in many instances they are the only option for getting supplies to the world’s most remote and challenging locations,” noted ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu. “As we work together to respond to a global pandemic they become even more important, however, and therefore throughout the COVID-19 pandemic we’re calling on governments to be cognizant and proactive in assuring and supporting these vital air services.”

COVID-19 :: Education

UNESCO rallies international organizations, civil society and private sector partners in a broad Coalition to ensure #LearningNeverStops
26/03/2020
At a time of when 87% of the world’s student population is affected by COVID-19 school closures, UNESCO is launching a global education coalition to support countries in scaling up their best distance learning practices and reaching children and youth who are most at risk.

Over 1.5 billion learners in 165 countries are affected by COVID-19 school closures.
“Never before have we witnessed educational disruption on such a scale,” said UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “Partnership is the only way forward. This Coalition is a call for coordinated and innovative action to unlock solutions that will not only support learners and teachers now, but through the recovery process, with a principle focus on inclusion and equity.”…

Multilateral partners, including the International Labor Organization, the UN High Commission for Refugees, The United Nations Children’s Fund, the World Health Organization, the World Food Programme and the International Telecommunication Union, as well as the Global Partnership for Education, Education Cannot Wait, the OIF (Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie) the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, and the Asian Development Bank have joined the Coalition, stressing the need for swift and coordinated support to countries in order to mitigate the adverse impacts of school closures, in particular for the most disadvantaged.

The private sector, including, Microsoft, GSMA, Weidong, Google, Facebook, Zoom, KPMG and Coursera have also joined the Coalition, contributing resources and their expertise around technology, notably connectivity, and capacity strengthening. Companies using learner and educational data have committed to uphold ethical standards.

Philanthropic and non-profit organizations, including Khan Academy, Dubai Cares, Profuturo and Sesame Street are also part of the Coalition, mobilizing their resources and services to support schools, teachers, parents and learners during this time of unparalleled educational disruption.
Media outlets are also invited to join the Coalition, as has done the BBC World Service as part of its commitment to supporting young people in lockdown across the globe. The BBC will be producing advice, stories, and media education materials to help isolated young people understand how the Coronavirus may affect them…

Specifically, the Coalition aims to:
:: Help countries in mobilizing resources and implementing innovative and context-appropriate solutions to provide education remotely, leveraging hi-tech, low-tech and no-tech approaches
:: Seek equitable solutions and universal access
:: Ensure coordinated responses and avoid overlapping efforts
:: Facilitate the return of students to school when they reopen to avoid an upsurge in dropout rates

“We are working together to find a way to make sure that children everywhere can continue their education, with special care to the most vulnerable and disadvantaged communities,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization, in a video message marking the Coalition’s launch, together with UNESCO Director-General and other personalities.

COVID-19 :: Fake Medicines

COVID-19: WCO launches an IPR CENcomm Group for data exchange on counterfeit medical supplies and fake medicines
25 March 2020
While the world is gripped by the fight against COVID-19, criminal organizations have turned this global pandemic into an opportunity to carry out their fraudulent activities, particularly by trafficking counterfeit medical supplies such as face masks and medical gloves.

Recognizing the importance of permanent and real-time exchange of relevant information to fight these criminal activities, the World Customs Organization (WCO) launched the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) CENcomm Group on the newly modernized CENcomm 3.0 platform.

“The WCO stands for a united and strong response to any crisis, which affects the global supply chain and safety of societies,” said WCO Secretary General Dr. Kunio Mikuriya. “This new IPR CENcomm group will globally enhance real-time intelligence sharing on fake medical supplies and medicines and enable Customs worldwide to fight illicit trade. Organized criminal groups will not be the winner in this challenge,” added Dr. Mikuriya.

This tool, a web-based communication system, will allow a closed user group of Customs officers to exchange intelligence information, messages and alerts via secure channels. This information exchange will empower and enhance participating administrations’ risk management and enforcement operations in the areas of countering IPR infringements and consumers safety capacity.

The WCO urges its 183 Members to register for the IPR CENcomm Group and to submit the details of their national contact points of this group.

The WCO is constantly monitoring the development of this situation and is updating its Members on any new development through the dedicated WCO webpage.