The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 3 April 2021 :: Number 361

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

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

Four Freedoms

Facing Biggest International Tests in Decades, Humankind Must Keep Striving for Better World, Secretary-General Says upon Receiving International Four Freedoms Award
31 March 2021 SG/SM/20665
Following are the remarks of UN Secretary-General António Guterres on receiving the International Four Freedoms Award, today:
On behalf of the women and men of the United Nations, thank you for this high honour. This International Four Freedoms Award is especially meaningful given its deep connection to both President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt.

Every day from my office at United Nations Headquarters in New York, I see a beautiful site. It’s called Four Freedoms Park — and it stands on the edge of Roosevelt Island on the East River. To my eye, it is a lighthouse. It is a daily guide and reminder that even through the darkest storms, we have a shared destination.

As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights puts it so well: “the advent of a world in which human beings shall enjoy freedom of speech and belief and freedom from fear and want has been proclaimed as the highest aspiration of the common people.” “The highest aspiration” — in other words, achieving those fundamental freedoms is both a goal that is paramount and a struggle that is never-ending.

The mission of the United Nations is a constant work in progress, for progress. For more than 75 years — around the world and around the clock — United Nations personnel have strived to make those rights real in the lives of people. We know that cause belongs to every one of us. It takes us all. Especially now.

Today, we are facing the biggest international tests since the idea of the United Nations was little more than a dream in the eyes of Franklin Roosevelt and others. The COVID-19 pandemic has unleashed new storms. A global health crisis. Economic catastrophe — with a disproportionate impact on the world’s women. A human rights emergency. New waves of hate, disinformation and outright lies.

At the same time, we are also confronting a planetary emergency. Accelerating climate change. Growing pollution. Collapsing biodiversity. All of this threatens the environment on which everyone’s future depends.

But through all of these storms, the lighthouse still points the way home. We can get there with conviction, commitment and cooperation. To the cynics who dismissed such goals as too lofty, FDR had a ready reply. It is true, he said, that “great teachings are not perfectly lived up to today. But I would rather be a builder than a wrecker.”

As Prime Minister Rutte so eloquently put it, this Award is indeed an incentive for us to keep building. It will inspire all of us to keep pushing. To keep striving. And to keep working for a better world — together.

Myanmar

Myanmar: Joint Statement by UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict & the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children
Thursday, 1 April 2021
The UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict, Virginia Gamba, and the UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Violence against Children, Dr Najat Maalla M’jid condemn in the strongest possible terms the ongoing violence against civilians, including children, in Myanmar since the military coup on 1 February.

The SRSGs are alarmed by the number of children who have lost their lives or have been injured as a result of the violence. As of 31 March, at least 44 children have been documented as killed according to UN funds and programs on the ground, including a 7-year-old girl shot while in her home. Countless other boys and girls have been seriously injured.

The SRSGs also strongly condemn the widespread attacks on schools and hospitals and protected personnel, with 35 incidents documented including arrests and violence against teachers and health personnel, which prevent life-saving interventions from reaching civilians. They further condemn the military use of education and health facilities, with more than 120 incidents documented.

Moreover, UN funds and programs on the ground have indicated that at least 900 children and young people have been arbitrarily detained. Although many of these have been released, many more are still held without access to legal counsel. This is in clear violation of international law which states that detention of children should only be used as a measure of last resort, for the shortest period possible and legal support should be provided to all children in contact with the justice system.

“We remind the Tatmadaw and the police in Myanmar that any use of force must be necessary and proportionate and not in contravention of international humanitarian and human rights law. We further urge them to stop the detention of children as clearly stated in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. We call on the Tatmadaw to halt widespread violence against children in any manifestation, to refrain from forcefully using or detaining children, to hold perpetrators of violence against children accountable and to uphold and respect Myanmar’s Child Laws. The children of Myanmar deserve no less.”

The two Special Representatives further express their deep concern over the longer-term effects of the current events in Myanmar on the physical and mental wellbeing of children and their families. The longer the current situation of widespread violence continuous, the more it will contribute to a continuous state of distress and toxic stress for children, which can have a lifelong impact on their mental and physical health.

Echoing the Secretary-General’s urgent appeal to the military in Myanmar to refrain from violence and repression and to hold those responsible for the serious human rights violations committed in the country accountable, SRSG Maalla M’jid and SRSG Gamba call on the Tatmadaw and defense and security forces in Myanmar to immediately cease excessive force and ensure the protection of civilians, particularly children from all such related violence.

Parliamentarians – Human Rights

IPU reports sharp increase in abuse against parliamentarians, driven largely by Myanmar
Tue, 30/03/2021 – 11:54
The IPU Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians is monitoring a record 601 cases of alleged violations against parliamentarians around the world. This represents a significant uptick compared to 552 cases in December 2020. The caseload includes many new claims, particularly from Myanmar and Turkey.
The committee took decisions on these and a number of other cases of alleged abuse of parliamentarians in Afghanistan, Belarus, Burundi, Colombia, Eritrea, Gabon, Mauritania, Mongolia, Thailand, Togo and Venezuela [see Decisions summary below]:

164th session of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
Decisions of the Committee on the Human Rights of Parliamentarians
Virtual session, 8 to 20 March 2021
DH/2021/164/R.1
Africa
Burundi: Mr. Pasteur Mpawenayo
Eritrea: 11 parliamentarians
Gabon: Mr. Justin Ndoundangoye
Mauritania: Mr. Mohamed Ould Ghadda
Mauritania: Mr. Biram Dah Abeid
Togo: Mr. Agbéyomé Kodjo

Americas
Colombia: Mr. Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento
Colombia: Mr. Jorge Tadeo Lozano Osorio
Colombia: Mr. Alvaro Araujo Castro
Venezuela: 134 parliamentarians

Asia
Afghanistan: Two parliamentarians
Mongolia: Mr. Zorig Sanjasuuren
Myanmar: 39 parliamentarians
Thailand: Mr. Jatuporn Prompan

Europe
Belarus: Mr. Anatoly Lebedko
Turkey: 64 parliamentarians

The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It was founded more than 130 years ago as the first multilateral political organization in the world, encouraging cooperation and dialogue between all nations. Today, the IPU comprises 179 national Member Parliaments and 13 regional parliamentary bodies. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments become stronger, younger, gender-balanced and more diverse. It also defends the human rights of parliamentarians through a dedicated committee made up of MPs from around the world.

ICC International Criminal Court

Executive Order on the Termination of Emergency With Respect to the International Criminal Court

April 01, 2021   Presidential Actions

…I, JOSEPH R. BIDEN JR., President of the United States of America, find that, although the United States continues to object to the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) assertions of jurisdiction over personnel of such non-States Parties as the United States and its allies absent their consent or referral by the United Nations Security Council and will vigorously protect current and former United States personnel from any attempts to exercise such jurisdiction, the threat and imposition of financial sanctions against the Court, its personnel, and those who assist it are not an effective or appropriate strategy for addressing the United States’ concerns with the ICC.

Accordingly, I hereby terminate the national emergency declared in Executive Order 13928 of June 11, 2020 (Blocking Property of Certain Persons Associated With the International Criminal Court), and revoke that order, and further order:

Section 1.  In light of the revocation of Executive Order 13928, the suspension of entry as immigrants and nonimmigrants of individuals meeting the criteria set forth in section 1(a) of that order will no longer be in effect as of the date of this order and such individuals will no longer be treated as persons covered by Presidential Proclamation 8693 of July 24, 2011 (Suspension of Entry of Aliens Subject to United Nations Security Council Travel Bans and International Emergency Economic Powers Act Sanctions)…
…

The ICC welcomes the decision by the US Government ending sanctions and visa restrictions against ICC personnel
Press Release  2 April 2021
The International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”) welcomes the decision by the US Government to revoke Executive Order 13928, ending sanctions against the ICC Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and a senior staff member of her office, Phakiso Mochochoko, as well as visa restrictions on certain ICC personnel.

The Court is mindful that the United States has traditionally made important contributions to the cause of international criminal justice. The Court stands ready to reengage with the US in the continuation of that tradition based on mutual respect and constructive engagement.

In the fulfilment of its independent and impartial judicial mandate, the Court acts strictly within the confines of the Rome Statute, as a Court of last resort, in a manner complementary to national jurisdictions. The Court relies on the support and cooperation of its States Parties, representing all regions of the world, and of the international community more broadly.

Global Gender Gap Report 2021

World Economic Forum – Insight Report

30 March 2021  :: 405 pages

PDF: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/WEF_GGGR_2021.pdf

   Another generation of women will have to wait for gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt, closing the global gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 years to 135.6 years.

Pandemic Pushes Back Gender Parity by a Generation, Report Finds

31 Mar 2021

· Another generation of women must wait for gender parity as an extra 36 years are added to the time remaining to close the gender gap

· Despite progress in education and health, women face economic hurdles, declining political participation and workplace challenges

· Iceland remains the world’s most gender-equal country, followed by Finland, Norway, New Zealand and Sweden

· Report calls for strategies and polices that emphasize investment in the care sector, equal hiring practices and skills development

· Discover the full report, infographics and more information here: wef.ch/gendergap21

Geneva, Switzerland, 31 March 2021 – Another generation of women will have to wait for gender parity, according to the World Economic Forum’s Global Gender Gap Report 2021. As the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to be felt, closing the global gender gap has increased by a generation from 99.5 years to 135.6 years.

Progress towards gender parity is stalling in several large economies and industries. This is partly due to women being more frequently employed in sectors hardest hit by lockdowns combined with the additional pressures of providing care at home.

The report, now in its 15th year, benchmarks the evolution of gender-based gaps in four areas: economic participation and opportunity; educational attainment; health and survival; and political empowerment. It also examines the drivers of gender gaps and outlines the policies and practices needed for a gender-inclusive recovery.

The deterioration in 2021 is partly attributed to a widening political gender gap in several large population countries. Despite over half of the 156 indexed countries registering an improvement, women still hold only 26.1% of parliamentary seats and 22.6% of ministerial positions worldwide. On its current trajectory, the political gender gap is expected to take 145.5 years to close, compared to 95 years in the 2020 edition of the report, an increase of over 50%…

Heritage Stewardship

Mali and UNESCO receive symbolic reparation on behalf of international community for destruction of Timbuktu’s mausoleums

Press release  03/30/2021

Almost a decade after the destruction of the mausoleums at Timbuktu, a UNESCO World Heritage site, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has awarded a symbolic one euro to the Government of Mali and UNESCO for the damage suffered by the Malian people and the international community as a whole as a result of the destruction of Timbuktu’s cultural property in 2012.

This gesture follows the ICC’s conviction of Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi for his responsibility in the destruction of several cultural properties in Timbuktu, a site inscribed on the World Heritage List since 1988. Between June and July 2012, during the occupation of northern Mali by armed groups, several mausoleums as well as the sacred gate of the Sidi Yahia Mosque were destroyed, causing consternation in the international community.

“Mali’s age-old heritage was targeted because it embodied the living soul of a society and a people. In the face of fanaticism, the Malians have given a lesson in tolerance, dialogue and peace. Today, attacks on cultural heritage continue, in the Sahel, in Iraq, Syria, Yemen and Libya. We must therefore sustain the global mobilization that can be modelled on what has been done in Mali,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General.

Upon referral by the government in Bamako, the ICC opened a war crimes investigation. On 27 September 2016, it convicted Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi. He was handed a nine-year prison term and ordered to pay 2.7 million euros in reparations to the victims, including the community of Timbuktu, the people of Mali and the international community that rallied around the reconstruction, a task that was completed in 2015.

Individual and collective reparations began last January, in application of the ICC’s decisions. Considering the priceless and universal value of the destroyed buildings, the ICC ordered that a symbolic euro be paid to the Malian State and UNESCO respectively. 

The Organization mobilized with the support of the European Union and Switzerland for the reconstruction of the ancient mausoleums, the rehabilitation of the three mosques of Djingareyber, Sankore and Sidi Yahia, and the safeguarding of the ancient manuscripts, of which nearly 4,200 had been burnt or stolen. UNESCO’s action was also made possible by a close partnership with the Malian authorities, the local communities and the Timbuktu masons’ guild, and the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA).

Mali’s Head of State, Bah Ndaw, declared that “the global mobilization on this issue advanced the legal framework for protection with the inclusion of heritage protection in MINUSMA’s mandate, a first in the history of UN peacekeeping missions. This action was also decisive for the consideration of culture as a security issue, with the historic adoption by the UN Security Council in March 2017 of Resolution 2347” on the protection of heritage. 

Joint Statement – “International Pandemic Treaty”

COVID-19 shows why united action is needed for more robust international health architecture
30 March 2021
[Editor’s text bolding]
The COVID-19 pandemic is the biggest challenge to the global community since the 1940s. At that time, following the devastation of two world wars, political leaders came together to forge the multilateral system. The aims were clear: to bring countries together, to dispel the temptations of isolationism and nationalism, and to address the challenges that could only be achieved together in the spirit of solidarity and cooperation, namely peace, prosperity, health and security.

Today, we hold the same hope that as we fight to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic together, we can build a more robust international health architecture that will protect future generations. There will be other pandemics and other major health emergencies. No single government or multilateral agency can address this threat alone. The question is not if, but when. Together, we must be better prepared to predict, prevent, detect, assess and effectively respond to pandemics in a highly coordinated fashion. The COVID-19 pandemic has been a stark and painful reminder that nobody is safe until everyone is safe.

We are, therefore, committed to ensuring universal and equitable access to safe, efficacious and affordable vaccines, medicines and diagnostics for this and future pandemics. Immunization is a global public good and we will need to be able to develop, manufacture and deploy vaccines as quickly as possible.

This is why the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator (ACT-A) was set up in order to promote equal access to tests, treatments and vaccines and support health systems across the globe. ACT-A has delivered on many aspects but equitable access is not achieved yet. There is more we can do to promote global access.

To that end, we believe that nations should work together towards a new international treaty for pandemic preparedness and response.

Such a renewed collective commitment would be a milestone in stepping up pandemic preparedness at the highest political level. It would be rooted in the constitution of the World Health Organization, drawing in other relevant organizations key to this endeavour, in support of the principle of health for all.  Existing global health instruments, especially the International Health Regulations, would underpin such a treaty, ensuring a firm and tested foundation on which we can build and improve.

The main goal of this treaty would be to foster an all-of-government and all-of-society approach, strengthening national, regional and global capacities and resilience to future pandemics. This includes greatly enhancing international cooperation to improve, for example, alert systems, data-sharing, research, and local, regional and global production and distribution of medical and public health counter measures, such as vaccines, medicines, diagnostics and personal protective equipment.

It would also include recognition of a “One Health” approach that connects the health of humans, animals and our planet. And such a treaty should lead to more mutual accountability and shared responsibility, transparency and cooperation within the international system and with its rules and norms.

To achieve this, we will work with Heads of State and governments globally and all stakeholders, including civil society and the private sector. We are convinced that it is our responsibility, as leaders of nations and international institutions, to ensure that the world learns the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic.

At a time when COVID-19 has exploited our weaknesses and divisions, we must seize this opportunity and come together as a global community for peaceful cooperation that extends beyond this crisis. Building our capacities and systems to do this will take time and require a sustained political, financial and societal commitment over many years.

Our solidarity in ensuring that the world is better prepared will be our legacy that protects our children and grandchildren and minimizes the impact of future pandemics on our economies and our societies.

Pandemic preparedness needs global leadership for a global health system fit for this millennium. To make this commitment a reality, we must be guided by solidarity, fairness, transparency, inclusiveness and equity.

By:
J. V. Bainimarama, Prime Minister of Fiji;
Prayut Chan-o-cha, Prime Minister of Thailand;
António Luís Santos da Costa, Prime Minister of Portugal;
Mario Draghi, Prime Minister of Italy;
Klaus Iohannis, President of Romania;
Boris Johnson, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom;
Paul Kagame, President of Rwanda;
Uhuru Kenyatta, President of Kenya;
Emmanuel Macron, President of France;
Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany;
Charles Michel, President of the European Council;
Kyriakos Mitsotakis, Prime Minister of Greece;
Moon Jae-in, President of the Republic of Korea;
Sebastián Piñera, President of Chile;
Andrej Plenković, Prime Minister of Croatia;
Carlos Alvarado Quesada, President of Costa Rica;
Edi Rama, Prime Minister of Albania;
Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa;
Keith Rowley, Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago;
Mark Rutte, Prime Minister of the Netherlands;
Kais Saied, President of Tunisia;
Macky Sall, President of Senegal;
Pedro Sánchez, Prime Minister of Spain;
Erna Solberg, Prime Miniser of Norway;
Aleksandar Vučić, President of Serbia;
Joko Widodo, President of Indonesia;
Volodymyr Zelensky, President of Ukraine
Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization.

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COVID-19 vaccine and treatment innovators response to global leaders urgent call for international pandemic treaty – IFPMA
30 March 2021
[Editor’s text bolding]
In view of the social and economic impact of current COVID-19 crisis, political leadership in preparing for any eventual future pandemic is crucial. Over the last 12 months we have seen the importance of a strong innovation system and the successful development of several safe and highly effective vaccines in record time. The discussions around a possible International Pandemic Treaty need to take into account the important role played by the innovative biopharmaceutical industry and its supply chain in fighting the virus. It will be important to acknowledge the critical role played by the incentive system in developing tests, therapeutics, and vaccines to contain and defeat the coronavirus. We hope that the discussions on an International Pandemic Treaty will address enablers for future pandemic preparedness – the importance of incentives for future innovation, the immediate and unrestricted access to pathogens, and the importance of the free flow of goods and workforce during the pandemic – in addition to continuing the multi stakeholder approach undertaken in ACT-A and COVAX.
The biopharmaceutical industry and its supply chain is part of the solution for future pandemics and therefore should play a role in shaping an international Pandemic Treaty.
In the short term, in acknowledgement of the current coronavirus crisis, we hope politicians will support the free flow of goods and workforce, acknowledge the unprecedented efforts in collaboration and voluntary tech transfer across vaccine makers from developed and developing countries and show solidarity to ensure the highly effective COVID-19 vaccines reach people so that no one is left behind.

UNICEF fund aims to raise US$2.5 billion for COVID-19 health supplies; low- and middle-income countries set to benefit
Denmark makes first donation to support the global equitable access to COVID-19 tests, treatments and vaccines
NEW YORK/COPENHAGEN, 30 March 2021 – UNICEF has launched a fund to support low- and middle-income countries access to COVID-19 health supplies, including vital tests, treatments and vaccines. The fund, which leverages UNICEF’s Procurement Services to purchase supplies, provides an opportunity for donors to join the largest health and vaccines supply operation the world has ever seen.

The Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator Supplies Financing Facility (“ACT-A SFF”) aims to initially raise US$2.5 billion by the end of 2021. Of this, US$1 billion is intended for vaccines and associated immunization campaign supplies including those not covered financially by the COVAX Facility, such as AMC92 country cost-sharing doses through COVAX and support for self-financing participants’ vaccine and delivery costs. Another US$1 billion is for diagnostics and US$500 million is for therapeutics.
Contributions to the facility will help bring the world closer to the global ACT-A goal of providing low- and middle-income countries with the health supplies they need to help bring the acute phase of the pandemic to an end.

“An undertaking of this magnitude requires immediate support, which is why UNICEF has established the ACT-A Supplies Financing Facility,” said Etleva Kadilli, Director of UNICEF Supply Division. “The facility serves as one of the most efficient and most impactful vehicles for supporting the global COVID-19 response by making targeted interventions to get supplies to where they are needed at competitive prices.”

The Government of Denmark has contributed to the fund with a donation of US$4.8 million for immunization supplies to be used in Africa. These supplies will include cold chain and personal protective equipment (PPE) that are essential for carrying out safe COVID-19 immunization campaigns…

The launch of the SFF also complements UNICEF’s efforts to accelerate access to lifesaving supplies, including vaccines and other non-immunization commodities, through its Vaccine Independence Initiative (“VII”) financial mechanism. In 2020, VII supplied hundreds of millions of doses of vaccines for non-COVID-19 immunizations, as well as millions of gloves, masks and medical supplies, as well as other essential commodities.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 23 January 2021
Confirmed cases :: 129 902 402 [week ago: 125 781 957] [two weeks ago: 121 969 223]
Confirmed deaths :: 2 831 815 [week ago: 2 759 432] [two weeks ago: 2 694 094]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 223

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29 March 2021
Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 29 March 2021

30 March 2021
Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 30 March 2021
Overview
Globally, new COVID-19 cases rose for a fifth consecutive week, with just over 3.8 million new cases reported in the last week. The number of new deaths increased for the second consecutive week, increasing by 5% compared to last week, with over 64 000 new deaths reported. All regions reported an increase in the number of cases this week, and all regions, except for the African Region, reported an increase in the number of deaths. The European Region and the Region of the Americas continue to account for nearly 80% of all the cases and deaths.
In this edition, special focus updates are provided on:
:: COVID-19 and Health and Care Workers (HCWs)
:: SARS-CoV-2 variants

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 31 March 2021

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and ES positives):
:: Afghanistan: five cVDPV2 cases and two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: two WPV1 and one cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Côte d’Ivoire: 34 cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Guinea: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Liberia: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Niger: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Senegal: two cVDPV2 cas es and one positive environmental sample
:: South Sudan: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples

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Statement by UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore on killing of polio workers in Afghanistan
NEW YORK, 30 March 2021 – “Four polio vaccinators, three of them women, came under attack this morning, March 30, while carrying out their life-saving work for children in Nangarhar province, Jalalabad, Afghanistan. Tragically, the three women were killed.
“UNICEF is outraged by this attack.
“UNICEF expresses its deepest condolences to the families, colleagues and friends of the courageous vaccinators who were at the forefront of efforts to combat the spread of polio and keep Afghanistan’s children safe from this disabling disease.
“Frontline health workers should never be a target of violence. They must be able to carry out their life-saving activities in a safe and secure environment.
“UNICEF has been working for years with the Government, the World Health Organization, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative and partners on polio vaccination campaigns in the country.
“We remain committed to supporting polio eradication efforts in Afghanistan.”

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::::::

WHO/OCHA Emergencies

Editor’s Note:
Continuing with this edition, we include information about the last apparent update evident on the WHO emergency country webpages, recognizing almost universal and significant interims since last update regardless of the level of the emergency listed.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 3 Apr 2021]

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements [Last apparent update: 12 Jan 2021]
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 November 2020]
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 29 Jun 2020]
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 17 July 2020]
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 February 2020]
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 October 2020]
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2020]

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 3 Apr 2021]
Burkina Faso
:: Burkina Faso : visite du ministre de la santé et des Partenaires techniques financie… 01 avril 2021

Iraq
:: COVID Vaccines – Baghdad, 25 March 2021 – Amid a global shortage of COVID-19 vaccines, Iraq has received 336 000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine through the COVAX Facility…The AstraZeneca vaccines manufactured by SK-Bio Institute of South Korea arrived on Thursday 25 March 2021

Myanmar
:: 23 March 2021 News release Building Bangladesh Capacity on Infection Prevention and Control

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 5 July 2020]
Angola – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16 March 2021]
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 04 July 2019]
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 12 June 2018]
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 22 August 2019]
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 2 March 2020]
Libya – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 7 October 2019]
Malawi Floods – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update 05 March 2021]
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 16-12-2020]
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 8 July 2019]
Mozambique – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 03 November 2020]
Niger– No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update:06 mars 2021]
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 4 September 2019]
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 27 August 2019]
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new digest announcements
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 24 June 2020]
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 1 May 2019]
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 10 May 2019]

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 3 Apr 2021]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 30 June 2018]
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 25 novembre 2020]
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 06 March 2021]
Mali – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 3 May 2017]
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 20 July 2018]
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified [Last apparent update: 21 October 2020]

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

UN OCHA – Current Emergencies
COVID-19 – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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::::::

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 27 March 2021 :: Number 360

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 27 Mar 2021

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

Children’s Rights – Digital Environment

General Comment on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment
COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD
March 2, 2021 :: 20 pages
Overview
At its 86th session, the Committee on the Rights of the Child adopted its general comment No. 25 (2021) on children’s rights in relation to the digital environment. A terminology glossary, explanatory note and child-friendly version are also available.  In March 2019, the Committee invited all interested parties to comment on the concept note of the general comment, and received 136 submissions on the concept note. In parallel, 709 children and young people in 28 countries were consulted. In August 2020, the Committee invited all interested parties to comment on its draft general comment, and received 142 submissions from States, regional organisations, United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions and Children’s Commissioners, children’s and adolescent groups, civil society organisations, academics, the private sector, and other entities and individuals.

General Comments [Selected Excerpts]
I. Introduction
1. The children consulted for the present general comment reported that digital technologies were vital to their current lives and to their future: “By the means of digital technology, we can get information from all around the world”; “[Digital technology] introduced me to major aspects of how I identify myself”; “When you are sad, the Internet can help you [to] see something that brings you joy”.1

2. The digital environment is constantly evolving and expanding, encompassing information and communications technologies, including digital networks, content, services and applications, connected devices and environments, virtual and augmented reality, artificial intelligence, robotics, automated systems, algorithms and data analytics, biometrics and implant technology.2

3. The digital environment is becoming increasingly important across most aspects of children’s lives, including during times of crisis, as societal functions, including education, government services and commerce, progressively come to rely upon digital technologies. It affords new opportunities for the realization of children’s rights, but also poses the risks of their violation or abuse. During consultations, children expressed the view that the digital environment should support, promote and protect their safe and equitable engagement: “We would like the government, technology companies and teachers to help us [to] manage untrustworthy information online.”; “I would like to obtain clarity about what really happens with my data … Why collect it? How is it being collected?”; “I am … worried about my data being shared”.3

4. The rights of every child must be respected, protected and fulfilled in the digital environment. Innovations in digital technologies affect children’s lives and their rights in ways that are wide-ranging and interdependent, even where children do not themselves access the Internet. Meaningful access to digital technologies can support children to realize the full range of their civil, political, cultural, economic and social rights. However, if digital inclusion is not achieved, existing inequalities are likely to increase, and new ones may arise…

II. Objective
7. In the present general comment, the Committee explains how States parties should implement the Convention in relation to the digital environment and provides guidance on relevant legislative, policy and other measures to ensure full compliance with their obligations under the Convention and the Optional Protocols thereto in the light of the opportunities, risks and challenges in promoting, respecting, protecting and fulfilling all children’s rights in the digital environment…

IV. Evolving capacities
19. States parties should respect the evolving capacities of the child as an enabling principle that addresses the process of their gradual acquisition of competencies, understanding and agency.9 That process has particular significance in the digital environment, where children can engage more independently from supervision by parents and caregivers. The risks and opportunities associated with children’s engagement in the digital environment change depending on their age and stage of development. They should be guided by those considerations whenever they are designing measures to protect children in, or facilitate their access to, that environment. The design of age-appropriate measures should be informed by the best and most up-to-date research available, from a range of disciplines.

20. States parties should take into account the changing position of children and their agency in the modern world, children’s competence and understanding, which develop unevenly across areas of skill and activity, and the diverse nature of the risks involved. Those considerations must be balanced with the importance of exercising their rights in supported environments and the range of individual experiences and circumstances.10 States parties should ensure that digital service providers offer services that are appropriate for children’s evolving capacities.

21. In accordance with States’ duty to render appropriate assistance to parents and caregivers in the performance of their child-rearing responsibilities, States parties should promote awareness among parents and caregivers of the need to respect children’s evolving autonomy, capacities and privacy. They should support parents and caregivers in acquiring digital literacy and awareness of the risks to children in order to help them to assist children in the realization of their rights, including to protection, in relation to the digital environment…

9 General comment No. 7 (2005), para. 17; and general comment No. 20 (2016), paras. 18 and 20.
10 General comment No. 20 (2016), para. 20.
11 General comment No. 5 (2003), para. 45; general comment No. 14 (2013), para. 99; and general comment No. 16 (2013), paras. 78–81.

Development

Data for Better Lives – Worlds Development Report 2021
A World Bank Group Flagship Report
2021 :: 350 pages
PDF: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/35218/9781464816000.pdf

World Bank Group President David Malpass: Foreword to the World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives

Data governance is the subject of intense debate in advanced economies and increasingly among large emerging markets. And yet many complex policy questions remain unanswered. In response, World Development Report 2021: Data for Better Lives surveys the emerging landscape and provides policy makers with a framework for thinking through the issues, opportunities, and trade-offs. One thing is clear: the perspective of lower-income countries has so far been largely absent from these global debates and urgently needs to be heard.

Data are a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they offer tremendous potential to create value by improving programs and policies, driving economies, and empowering citizens. On the other hand, data accumulation can lead to a concentration of economic and political power, raising the possibility that data may be misused in ways that harm citizens. Data are a resource that can be used and reused repeatedly to create more and more value, but there is a problem—the more data are reused, the higher is the risk of abuse.

It is hard to imagine a more dramatic example of these opportunities and tensions than the COVID-19 pandemic. Countries around the world have moved swiftly to repurpose mobile phone records to monitor the spread of the virus. But at the same time they have struggled to balance this benefit against privacy concerns and the risk of misuse.

Beyond pandemic times, the statistical capacity to produce and effectively use core economic and social data is limited. Many poor countries are unable to accurately track public finances, report on external debt, or monitor their development goals. Without such data, the ability to hold governments accountable and track progress withers.

Data governance arrangements to facilitate greater use of data while safeguarding against misuse remain in their infancy. The legal and regulatory frameworks for data are inadequate in lower-income countries, which all too often have gaps in critical safeguards as well as shortages of data-sharing measures. There, the data systems and infrastructure that enable interoperability and allow data to flow to more users are incomplete; less than 20 percent of low- and middle-income countries have modern data infrastructure such as colocation data centers and direct access to cloud computing facilities. Even where nascent data systems and governance frameworks exist, a lack of institutions with the requisite administrative capacity, decision-making autonomy, and financial resources holds back their effective implementation and enforcement.

To address these concerns, World Development Report 2021 calls for a new social contract for data—one that enables the use and reuse of data to create economic and social value, promotes equitable opportunities to benefit from data, and fosters citizens’ trust that they will not be harmed by misuse of the data they provide. However, in seeking such a social contract, lower income countries are too often disadvantaged because they lack the infrastructure and skills to capture data and turn them into value; the scale and agency to participate equitably in global data markets and their governance; and the institutional and regulatory frameworks to create trust in data systems.

Forging a new social contract for data is a pressing domestic policy priority that will require strengthening national data systems and engaging all stakeholders at the national level. Because of the global scale of data, some of the most challenging aspects of the social contract also call for closer international cooperation to harmonize regulations and coordinate policies—bilaterally, regionally, and globally. Critical areas for international engagement include reform of international taxation rights for data-driven businesses, World Trade Organization arrangements for trade in data-enabled services, regional collaboration on the development of data infrastructure, international harmonization of technical standards to support interoperability, and bilateral collaboration on law enforcement and antitrust regulation…

Realizing the full value of data will depend on a substantial commitment and effort, and it will be difficult. But the cost of failure is a world of missed opportunities and greater inequities.

David R. Malpass
President, The World Bank Group

Integrity – Elections, Human Rights, Economic Recovery

Organization of American States [OAS] and Facebook to Cooperate on Electoral Integrity, Human Rights and Economic Recovery, among other areas
March 22, 2021
The Organization of American States (OAS) and Facebook signed a cooperation agreement to work on initiatives in several areas, including electoral integrity, human rights and economic development in the Americas…

The agreement provides for the development and implementation of joint research projects, training programs, and dissemination of studies in areas of mutual interest. The joint initiative seeks to continue improving responses to issues such as disinformation, electoral integrity, freedom of expression or the protection of human rights defenders, in pursuit of having an increasingly plural online and offline debate….

Facebook’s Vice President of Global Affairs and Communication Nick Clegg added that the company has created teams and systems to protect the integrity of elections on its platforms at key moments for democracy. Since 2017, he said, Facebook has worked on more than 200 elections around the world, many of them in Latin America…

FCV Settings – Quality of Care

WHO – Quality of care in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings
Fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable (FCV) settings is a broad term describing a range of situations including humanitarian crises, protracted emergencies and armed conflicts. In FCV settings delivery of quality health services faces significant challenges, including disruption of routine health service organization and delivery systems, increased health needs, complex and unpredictable resourcing issues, and vulnerability to multiple public health crises. Despite the difficulty of addressing quality in FCV settings, the need is acute, given the significant health needs of the populations in such environments and the increasing numbers of people for whom FCV settings are home.

WHO is working with Member States, the Global Health Cluster, and technical and academic partners to support action to address quality in FCV settings. Building on the foundations of the WHO National quality policy and strategy initiative, WHO has developed a technical document, “Quality of care in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings: taking action”. The document outlines a practical approach to action planning and implementation of quality interventions in FCV settings and is accompanied by a curated compendium of tools.

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Introducing the WHO technical package on quality of care in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings
24 March 2021
The World Health Organization is calling for action to address quality of care in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable (FCV) settings, with the release of a technical package on this subject. On 16 March 2021, WHO hosted a global webinar to introduce the content of the technical package and consider how it can be applied by a range of stakeholders to drive action. A recording of the webinar is available here.

The challenge of quality in FCV settings
In FCV settings, where nearly a quarter of the world’s population lives, there are many challenges to the delivery of quality health services, such as damaged infrastructure and systems, insufficient numbers of trained health workers, and increased health needs. FCV settings include a range of situations such as humanitarian crises, protracted emergencies and armed conflicts. Poor quality care accounts for an estimated 15% of all deaths in low- and middle-income countries [1]; this is likely to be worse in FCV settings. Estimates indicate 60% of preventable maternal deaths, 53% of deaths in children under 5, and 45% of neonatal deaths take place in fragile settings where political conflict, displacement and natural disasters prevail [2]. As WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, “for our sisters and brothers already facing such extreme adversity, the cost of inaction on quality of care is needless human suffering and lives lost. This is a preventable tragedy”.

WHO’s response
WHO has responded to this need through development of this technical package. The package is the product of a two-year collaboration between WHO HQ, WHO EMRO and the University of North Carolina and has undergone wide consultation. It consists of a document outlining a flexible approach to taking action on quality of care in FCV settings and an accompanying tools and resources compendium.

Dr Tedros issued a call to the global community in his remarks, highlighting that “the challenge now is to put these tools into action, to work together and learn together, and to proceed with compassion and conviction in our shared mission to achieve universal health coverage”.

Heritage Stewardship

ICC: The Office of the Prosecutor publishes Draft Policy on Cultural Heritage for consultation
Press Release : 23 March 2021
Today, 23 March 2021, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or the “Court”), published a draft Policy on Cultural Heritage for consultation and comments by States Parties to the Rome Statute, civil society, and the wider community of stakeholders.

The development of this Policy is in line with the Office of the Prosecutor’s Strategic Plan to pay particular attention to crimes against and affecting cultural heritage and the commitment of the Office to systematically investigate and prosecute such crimes. “Cultural heritage is the embodiment of the continuity of the human story, a celebration of identity, our commonality and the richness of our diversity. We all have a duty to protect cultural heritage,” stated Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda in contextualising this policy initiative. The draft Policy on Cultural Heritage is the manifestation of these commitments within the framework of the Rome Statute.

The Office therefore welcomes and encourages comments on the draft Policy. Comments can be sent to: OTPLegalAdvisorySection@icc-cpi.int, by Friday, 16 April 2021, midnight (CET). All input received by this deadline will be carefully considered in the internal review and revision process.

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Draft Policy on Cultural Heritage
The Office of the Prosecutor – International Criminal Court (ICC)
22 March 2021 :: 43 pages
PDF: https://www.icc-cpi.int/itemsDocuments/2021-03-22-otp-draft-policy-cultural-heritage-eng.pdf
Executive Summary [excerpts]
2. The concern for the protection of cultural heritage expressed in these and other international instruments has proven well-founded: crimes against and affecting cultural heritage are a pervasive feature of the atrocities within the Court’s jurisdiction. Wilful attacks on cultural heritage constitute a centuries-old practice that remains a feature of modern conflict. Recent examples include: the targeting of historical monuments in Syria and Iraq, in particular those with strong symbolic and inter-religious meaning; attacks directed against Mausoleums of saints and Mosques of Timbuktu in Mali, and the destruction at the alleged hands of the Da’esh (ISIS) of two cultural sites on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (“UNESCO”)’s tentative list (the Assyrian capital cities of Nimrud and Nineveh), drew global attention to cultural heritage crimes.7 Additionally, the destruction of the ancient Roman city of Palmyra, and its surrounding areas bore all hallmarks of repugnancy to the human conscience…

5. The Office seeks to address alleged crimes against or affecting cultural heritage in all stages of its work: preliminary examination, investigation, prosecution, and—when so invited—reparations. Wherever evidence permits, the Office will seek to include charges for crimes directed at cultural heritage, and will seek also to pursue and highlight evidence in situations affecting cultural heritage…

15. Specifically in this context, the Office broadly construes the term ‘cultural heritage’, to extend beyond cultural property and incorporate both a products and processes. It denotes a community’s sense of identity and belonging, and involves cultural resources, in both their tangible and intangible forms. Cultural heritage refers not only to physical forms of heritage, such as material objects and artefacts (including digital artefacts), but also to the practices and attributes of a group or society, that are inherited from past generations, maintained in the present, and bestowed upon future generations for benefit and continuity.

16. In particular, therefore, the Office will understand cultural heritage potentially to include monuments (such as architectural works, works of monumental sculpture and painting, elements or structures of an archaeological nature, inscriptions, cave dwellings, and other combinations of features of cultural value); buildings or groups of buildings (which, because of their architecture, homogeneity or place in the landscape, are of cultural value); sites (human works), moveable objects (such as works of art, sculpture, collections, or other moveable property of cultural value), intangible cultural heritage (such as the practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills that communities, groups, and in some cases individuals, recognise as part of their cultural heritage, together with the instruments, objects, artefacts, and cultural spaces associated therewith); and natural heritage (natural sites of cultural value, including certain landscapes or physical, biological, or geological formations).

17. The Office further views cultural heritage as the bedrock of cultural identity and endorses the understanding that crimes committed against cultural heritage constitute, first and foremost, an attack on a particular group’s identity and practices, but in addition, an attack on an essential interest of all humankind and the entire international community.8 Crimes against or affecting cultural heritage often touch upon the very notion of what it means to be human, sometimes eroding entire swaths of human history, ingenuity, and artistic creation.

18…The Office emphasises that it can only address harm to cultural heritage insofar as it constitutes or is relevant to crimes within the Court’s jurisdiction, notwithstanding other existing international obligations related to cultural heritage.

Objectives of the Policy
19. This Policy is intended to enhance the protection of cultural heritage by the Office, both through its publication and implementation in the Office’s activities, and, as appropriate, by raising awareness on these issues with external partners, and by fully exercising its centrality to the community of practice dedicated to the protection of cultural heritage. Furthermore, the Office stresses that the Court’s activities concerning cultural heritage must be exercised in a manner that comports with international law, human rights law and which is in conformity with article 21, including paragraph (3), of the Statute specifically.

20. The main objectives of this Policy are to:
(i) provide clarity and guidance to OTP staff in the application and interpretation of the Statute and the Rules of Procedure and Evidence (“RPE” or “Rules”), at all stages of the Office’s work, in order to effectively investigate and prosecute crimes against or affecting cultural heritage;
(ii) help strengthen the protection and the prevention of harm to cultural heritage;
(iii) promote the work of, and to support partners, including States, with the view to creating networks and synergies to coordinate efforts to protect cultural heritage, and to prevent and prosecute related crimes globally;
(iv) contribute, through its implementation, to the ongoing development of international jurisprudence regarding crimes against or affecting cultural heritage; and
(v) raise awareness regarding the importance of the protection of cultural heritage, including to support genuine national proceedings….

Coronavirus [COVID-19] – WHO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
Last update: 23 January 2021
Confirmed cases :: 125 781 957 [week ago: 121 969 223] [two weeks ago: 118 754 336]
Confirmed deaths :: 2 759 432 [week ago: 2 694 094] [two weeks ago: 2 634 370]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 223

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Weekly operational update on COVID-19 – 22 March 2021
Overview
In this edition of the Weekly Operational Update on COVID-19, highlights of country-level actions and WHO support to Member States include:
:: Calls for maintaining essential health services amid disruptions from COVID-19 pandemic
:: The role of traditional leaders for community-based interventions against COVID-19
:: The 1-year anniversary of Partners Platform and the COVID-19 Publication Review Committee
:: Support in minimizing risks from mass gatherings, preparing and supporting a COVID-19 vaccine campaign and support to virology laboratories
:: The Strategic Preparedness and Response Plan (SPRP) 2021 Operational Planning Guidelines, resource requirements and progress made to continue investing in the COVID-19 response and for building the architecture to prepare for, prevent and mitigate future health emergencies is included.
:: Updates on WHO/PAHO procured items, participation in the Unity Studies, and select indicators from the COVID-19 Monitoring and Evaluation Framework

Weekly epidemiological update on COVID-19 – 23 March 2021
Overview
Globally, COVID-19 confirmed cases continued to rise for a fourth consecutive week, with just under 3.3 million new cases reported in the last week . Concurrently, the number of new deaths reported plateaued after a six week decrease, with just over 60 000 new deaths reported. A marked increase in the number of new cases was reported from the South East Asia, Western Pacific, European and Eastern Mediterranean regions, all of which are on an upward trajectory in recent weeks. The European Region and the Region of the Americas continue to account for nearly 80% of all the cases and deaths.

In this edition, special focus updates are provided on:
:: Release of the WHO COVID-19 Detailed Surveillance Dashboard
:: SARS-CoV-2 variants of concern

COVAX updates participants on delivery delays for vaccines from Serum Institute of India (SII) and AstraZeneca
Statement 03/25/2021
:: The COVAX Facility has notified participating economies that deliveries of doses from the Serum Institute of India (SII) will be delayed in March and April
:: Delays in securing supplies of SII-produced COVID-19 vaccine doses are due to the increased demand for COVID-19 vaccines in India
:: Separately, participating economies in the COVAX Facility that have been allocated doses from the AstraZeneca manufacturing network have been notified that some first deliveries anticipated in March will now take place in April.

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Gavi Board approves COVAX Buffer for high-risk groups in humanitarian settings
:: 5% of the total number of available doses procured through the COVAX Facility will be allocated to the COVAX Buffer
:: The COVAX Buffer will ensure access to vaccines for populations in humanitarian settings
:: José Manuel Barroso: “While the first resort in covering all high-risk groups, irrespective of their legal status, is including them in national vaccination plans, the COVAX Buffer will serve as a safety net to ensure these populations do not get left behind”
23 March 2021

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New Red Cross and Red Crescent plan to counter “deep and pervasive” inequities in pandemic response
Geneva, 24 March 2021 (ICRC/IFRC) – The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement has today launched a new plan that aims to tackle “deep and pervasive” inequities in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic…

The new Red Cross and Red Crescent analysis released today shows that, although present in all countries, these inequities have been particularly pronounced and damaging for people living in countries affected by humanitarian crises.

According to this analysis:
:: Countries that are not dealing with humanitarian crises have reported carrying out nearly 48 times more COVID-19 tests per capita than countries facing “severe” or “very severe” humanitarian crises.

:: People living in countries facing either no humanitarian crisis or crises that are considered “low” in severity are more than three times as likely to be supported with contact tracing for COVID-19.

:: Less than 2 per cent of COVID-19 vaccine doses globally have reportedly been administered in the 32 countries currently facing “severe” or “very severe” humanitarian crises.

COVID Vaccination: Incentives/Mandates/Certificates/Passports

WHO – Call for public comments: Interim guidance for developing a Smart Vaccination Certificate – Release Candidate 1
19 March 2021 Call for consultation
Interim Guidance pdf: https://cdn.who.int/media/docs/default-source/documents/interim-guidance-svc_20210319_final.pdf?sfvrsn=b95db77d_11&download=true

In response to the Statement on the sixth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, and the need for WHO to support Member States to deliver COVID-19 vaccines, at scale, with digital tools, WHO has developed this guidance and technical specifications document, in collaboration with a multi-disciplinary group of experts. The Guidance aims to support WHO Member States in adopting interoperability standards for digital documentation of vaccination status (i.e. Smart Vaccination Certificates).

It is critical to reiterate that the Smart Vaccination Certificate (SVC) is not intended to serve as an “immunity passport”. Furthermore, as per the “Interim position paper: considerations regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers”, currently, proof of COVID-19 vaccination is not recommended as a condition of departure or entry for international travel. Countries are advised to take a risk-based approach to international travel in the context of COVID-19. Additionally, along with the digital implementation of SVCs, it is recommended that the COVID-19 vaccination status should still be recorded through the paper-based International Certificate for Vaccination, and Prophylaxis based on the model presented in Annex 6 of the IHR…

As part of the public consultation, you can provide constructive feedback on this document by 12 April 2021. Please use the link to the feedback form to provide your comments. For any additional inquiries, please contact smartvaccination@who.int.

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Joint Statement on prioritization of COVID-19 vaccination for seafarers and aircrew
By International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), International Labour Organization (ILO), International Maritime Organization (IMO), International Organization for Migration (IOM) and World Health Organization (WHO)
25 March 2021 Statement
…More than 80% of global trade by volume is moved by maritime transport. The global economy depends on the world’s 2 million seafarers who operate the global fleet of merchant ships. Seafarers have been severely impacted by the travel restrictions imposed during the pandemic. As of January 2021, it is estimated that some 400,000 seafarers are stranded on board commercial vessels, long past the expiry of their contracts and unable to be repatriated. A similar number of seafarers urgently need to join ships to replace them…

With this statement, our organizations also call on governments to prioritize seafarers and aircrew in their national COVID-19 vaccination programmes, together with other essential workers…

Our organizations fully support the timely development of an international harmonized framework for vaccination certificates, to facilitate international travel for seafarers and aircrew. We invite governments and other stakeholders to bring the contents of this joint statement to the attention of the competent authorities and all parties concerned…

COVID Pandemic – Freedom of Expression

UNESCO & Columbia University collaborate on case law on freedom of expression in the context of COVID-19
03/26/2021
In partnership with UNESCO, Columbia University’s Global Freedom of Expression initiative published an online collection of case law related to COVID-19 from across the world, in English, French and Spanish. These decisions highlight the essential role of judicial actors in upholding the rule of law and human rights, especially in exceptional states of emergency.

The global pandemic has required restrictions on certain freedoms to save lives, but some governments have used it as an excuse to enact repressive measures in the name of national security and public health. Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, in partnership with UNESCO, has been tracking how courts around the globe have responded to these measures. We were relieved to find that the news is not all bad and many Courts have pushed back against executive overreach, balanced competing rights, and upheld international standards to protect freedom of expression, access to information and privacy during the crisis.

Hawley Johnson, Associate Director of Columbia Global Freedom of Expression, said, “The 15 legal rulings in this collection represent court decisions that protected, and in some cases, expanded freedom of expression while preserving public welfare during emergency health measures. Seminal court judgements among these have been translated into French and Spanish, covering themes ranging from public broadcasting, arbitrary arrests, disinformation and misinformation, and other restrictions related to the pandemic.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic, UNESCO has issued guidelines for judges and courts to serve as references to apply theoretical frameworks of international standards to protect freedom of expression. The production of the guidelines followed a webinar series (available in English, French and Spanish) on legal challenges to freedom of expression in relation with the COVID-19 pandemic, organized in June 2020.

Moreover, case analyses of 24 landmark rulings on freedom of expression issues from around the world have been translated from the English database into French, and published on the newly launched French webpage of the database. These court decisions pertain to the themes of freedom of expression, access to information and safety of journalists, intersecting with related issues such as digital rights, content regulation, censorship, hate speech, data protection and privacy.

Columbia Global Freedom of Expression is a centralized online database of case law and international and regional standards providing a global perspective on jurisprudence related to freedom of expression. It was created with the mission to survey, document, and strengthen free expression, and engages a global network of legal experts and scholars to analyse national, regional and international court cases.

This collaboration on online case law related to COVID-19 received support from the Open Society Foundations…