Governance – Democracies and Authoritarianism

How to Keep the Lights On in Democracies: An Open Letter of Concern by Scholars of Authoritarianism
October 31, 2020
Editorial Board
The #NewFascismSyllabus is a crowd-sourced collection of writings on the history of fascist, authoritarian, and populist movements and governments during the 20th and 21st centuries.

Regardless of the outcome of the United States’ election, democracy as we know it is already imperiled. However, it is not too late to turn the tide.

Whether Donald J. Trump is a fascist, a post-fascist populist, an autocrat, or just a bumbling opportunist, the danger to democracy did not arrive with his presidency and goes well beyond November 3rd, 2020.

While democracy appeared to be flourishing everywhere in the years following the end of the Cold War, today it seems to be withering or in full-scale collapse globally. As scholars of twentieth century authoritarian populism, fascism, and political extremism, we believe that unless we take immediate action, democracy as we know it will continue in its frightening regression, irrespective of who wins the American presidency in early November.

In contrast to the hollow proclamations of economic and political liberalism’s “inevitable” triumph over authoritarianism in all its iterations, studying the past demonstrates that democracy is extremely fragile and potentially temporary, requiring vigilance and protection. Scholars of race, colonialism, and imperialism have further deepened our perspectives by reminding us of how the myths of national “greatness” were and continue to be written on the backs of largely silenced, marginalized and oftentimes enslaved or unfree, “others.”

We study the conditions that have historically accompanied the rise of authoritarian and fascistic regimes. In nearly every case, we have observed how profound social, political, and economic disruptions, including the ravages of military conflicts, depressions, and the enormous pressures caused by globalization, deeply shook people’s confidence in democracy’s ability to adequately respond to their plights, or even provide basic forms of long-term security.

We have seen all of these patterns in our study of the past, and we recognize the signs of a crisis of democracy in today’s world as well. The Covid-19 pandemic has exposed profound inequalities of class and race across the globe. As the last four years have demonstrated, the temptation to take refuge in a figure of arrogant strength is now greater than ever.

To meet the challenge at hand, there are several things we must do.

We must boldly and unapologetically safeguard critical thinking based on evidence. This includes demonstrating the virtues of entertaining a wide array of positions and perspectives, and support, both in word and deed, for investigative journalism, science and the humanities, and freedom of the press.

We need swift and tangible commitments from corporate media organizations and governments to tackle the dangers of misinformation and media concentration. We must encourage coalitions organized across differences of race, class, gender, religion and caste, while respecting the perspectives and experiences of others.

We need to reveal and denounce any and all connections between those in power and those vigilante and militia forces using political violence to destabilize our democracies. Much like the active democratic movements across the globe from Nigeria to India, Belarus to Hong Kong, we must be prepared to defend pluralism and democracy against the growing dangers of communal violence and authoritarianism at the ballot box but, if necessary, also through non-violent protest in the streets.

We must defend the integrity of the electoral process and ensure the widest possible voter turnouts, not just in this election but in every election large and small in all of our hometowns.

And we must re-commit to a global conversation on support for democratic institutions, laws, and practices both within and between our respective countries. This includes directly confronting the unfettered greed that drives global inequality, which has unleashed geopolitical rivalries over access to resources, international migrations, and collapsed state sovereignties all over the world.

We need to turn away from the rule by entrenched elites and return to the rule of law. We must replace the politics of “internal enemies” with a politics of adversaries in a healthy, democratic marketplace of ideas. And above else, we need to work together to find ways to keep the light of democracy shining in our countries and all over the world. Because if we don’t, we will indeed face dark days ahead.

Signatories list at title link above.

Governance, Human Rights, Justice

General Assembly, Adopting Draft Upholding International Criminal Court’s Goal to End Impunity, Calls for Cooperation in Arresting Fugitives
General Assembly, Plenary Seventy-fifth Session, 18th & 19th Meetings (AM & PM)
GA/12280 2 November 2020

The General Assembly, acting without a vote, adopted a resolution today that acknowledges the role of the International Criminal Court in ending impunity and promoting human rights, and calls upon States to cooperate with the tribunal regarding the arrest of fugitive defendants.

By the terms of the resolution “Report of the International Criminal Court”, the Assembly welcomed the 123 States that have become parties to the Rome Statute, the 1998 treaty that created it, and called upon all States that have not done so to consider doing so without delay. The world body further called upon all States that have not yet done so to consider becoming parties to the Agreement on the Privileges and Immunities of the Court, while also emphasizing the importance of cooperation between the Court and States that are not parties to the Rome Statute.

It also looked forward to the nineteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute at Headquarters from 7 to 17 December, which will elect a new Prosecutor and six new judges to the Court, which is based in The Hague…

…Following adoption, several delegations disassociated themselves from consensus, included the United States. Some delegates, including those from Belgium and the State of Palestine, pointed at the United States decision to impose sanctions on the Prosecutor, Fatou Bensouda, and another senior official, and urged all nations to respect the Court’s independence.

The President of the Court, Chile Eboe-Osuji, in a pre-recorded statement at the start of the meeting, highlighted achievements and challenges, including threats by powerful global actors that rail against its existence and threaten to destroy it. Such attacks show that the Court is making a difference and cannot be ignored by those with a geopolitical interest in leaving innocent victims at the mercy of heinous crimes, he said, as he introduced its annual report (documents A/75/324 and A/75/324/Corr.1). Acknowledging that the Court, like humanity, is not perfect, he urged those States not party to the Rome Statute to reconsider their objections. He added that the findings of an Independent Expert Review into strengthening the Court, will spur reforms while also consolidating its values…

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Growing Docket of International Court of Justice Signals Rising Confidence in Its Legitimacy, Say Delegates, as General Assembly Concludes Debate
3 November 2020 GA/12281
The General Assembly concluded its debate on the report of the International Court of Justice today, with speakers describing the growing docket of the principal United Nations judicial organ as a sign of rising confidence among Member States in the authority and legitimacy of its judgements and advisory opinions.

Health, Human Rights

Removing Human Rights Barriers to Health: Findings and Lessons
Global Fund 04 November 2020
Programs to remove human rights barriers to HIV, TB and malaria services are essential to increasing the effectiveness of Global Fund grants. Such programs help to ensure health services reach those most affected by the three diseases. The Global Fund Strategy 2017-2022 recognizes and reaffirms this through its human rights objective.
Breaking Down Barriers initiative

As part of attaining this objective, the Global Fund’s Breaking Down Barriers initiative aims to dramatically scale up programs to remove these obstacles. The Global Fund has now published a summary of key findings of the baseline assessments undertaken as part of the initiative:
Breaking Down Barriers Initiative: Summary of Key Findings of the Baseline Assessments in 20 Countries [download in English]

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Global Fund – Breaking Down Barriers Initiative :: Summary of Key Findings of the Baseline Assessments in 20 Countries
8 JUNE 2020 :: 14 pages GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
Acknowledgement: With regard to the research and writing of this report, the Global Fund would like to acknowledge the work of Dr. Joanne Csete of the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University.
4. Findings of the Baseline Assessments
Cross-cutting findings
4.1 Barriers to health services are many and severe.
4.2 There is high intersectionality of barriers to health services.
4.3 Programs to address human rights-related barriers exist but are small, inadequately supported, not coordinated and not evaluated.
4.4 Programs to remove human rights-related barriers to services are not sufficiently integrated into or linked to the prevention, treatment and key population programming they are meant to support.
4.5 Capacity of and support for key population-led organizations is insufficient.
4.6 There is need for adequate support to and roll out of increased monitoring and evaluation efforts.
4.7 Costs for comprehensive programs are not being met.
4.8 The range of donors available to support programs is limited.

5. Findings Related to Particular Program Areas
5.1 One-off activities are inadequate to lead to sustained change or to create local cadres of expertise.
5.2 There is lack of sufficient attention to barriers in prisons and other closed settings.
5.3 Members of key populations do not have sufficient access to justice.
5.4 Gender inequality and gender-based violence that lead to vulnerability to HIV, TB and malaria are not being sufficiently addressed.
5.5 There is insufficient attention to and understanding of human rights-related barriers to TB services.
5.6 The understanding of human rights-related barriers to malaria services is in its earliest phase.

7. Conclusion
The baseline assessments in the 20 countries of the Breaking Down Barriers initiative are an important source of new and practical programmatic information on human rights-related barriers to HIV, TB and malaria services; the populations affected by them; recent or current programs to address these barriers; and ways in which all 20 countries could realistically consider mounting a comprehensive response to reduce these barriers. In most countries, the baseline assessments informed the development of proposals for the catalytic human rights funding that is part of the initiative. In all countries, the baseline results have helped to shape subsequent discussions among all stakeholders of strategies and actions for developing a scaled-up, comprehensive response to human rights-related barriers to health services.

Migration – Africa

IOM Launches Continental Strategy for Africa 2020-2024
2020-11-03 20:55 International Organization for Migration
Geneva – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has launched its Continental Strategy for Africa 2020-2024 in a virtual event live-streamed and attended by representatives from the African Union Commission (AUC), the regional economic communities (RECs), and other key partners.

Intra-African migration remains a dominant trend in contemporary African migration. The Strategy frames the Organization’s new orientation with Africa at policy and strategic levels. It is consistent with the goals and objectives of the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM) to which almost all African countries adhere, as well as the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, the IOM strategic vision, and IOM Migration Governance Framework (MIGoF)…

The Strategy lays the foundations for renewed and strengthened cooperation with the AUC, AU RECs, and African Union Member States as well as the UN system, among other key stakeholders, for better governance of African migration to foster inclusive and sustainable development in Africa.

It also underlines the needs and priorities of African countries, corresponding to the AU Agenda 2063 and other relevant international and regional instruments. Over the coming five years, key areas of trends and drivers will include climate change and environmental degradation, demographic and urbanization trends, the increasing feminization of migration, growing internal migration, and continued humanitarian and development challenges.

IOM’s partnerships with AUC, RECs and Member States will help strengthen the role of migration in the development of African countries, address its challenges, and promote the positive aspects of migration through effective governance frameworks. It will also strengthen migration governance and management through innovative and dynamic approaches connected to African realities and values systems.

Concerted and coordinated actions are needed in a spirit of shared responsibility among States and other national and international stakeholders to maximize the gains of migration and address its challenges, including the negative impact of COVID-19 on migration and border management systems, and on the protection of migrants.

International Human Rights Law Review
Volume 9 (2020): Issue 2 (Oct 2020)
https://brill.com/view/journals/hrlr/9/2/hrlr.9.issue-2.xml
Contents

Connecting the Right of Collective Legal Capacity by Indigenous Peoples with the Right of Individual Legal Capacity by Persons with Disabilities
By: Matthew S Smith and Michael Ashley Stein
Pages: 147–183
Publication Date: 24 Oct 2020
Abstract
This Article explores the juridical implications of indigenous peoples’ right to legal capacity in the Inter-American system for cases involving the same right of persons with disabilities within that system and beyond. It explicates the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ (IACtHR) three-factor test in Saramaka People v Suriname and analogizes its reasoning with rationales underpinning the right to legal capacity under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (crpd). It then demonstrates how the IACtHR can apply a Saramaka-style test to future cases brought by persons with disabilities challenging legal capacity restrictions. The Article further argues that the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) should also apply this rule to align its legal capacity jurisprudence with the crpd’s mandates. Finally, it suggests that the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (crpd Committee) ought to consider this rule when resolving individual communications and thereby guide courts.

Non-refoulement Principle and Its Application to Refugees and Asylum Seekers Who Have Committed Offences in Africa
By: Jamil Ddamulira Mujuzi
Pages: 213–251
Publication Date: 24 Oct 2020
Abstract
The 1951 Convention Relating to the Status of Refugees and the 1969 African Union Convention Governing the Specific Aspects of Refugee Problems in Africa have been ratified by many African States. These treaties deal with, inter alia, the principle of non-refoulement generally and the protection of asylum seekers or refugees convicted of offences. Some States in Eastern and Southern Africa have also enacted domestic legislation giving effect to these treaties and the principle of non-refoulement is provided for in most of these pieces of legislation, albeit sometimes in different ways. This article assesses legislation and case law from Eastern and Southern African States to demonstrate how courts have dealt with the principle of non-refoulement in the context of refugees and/or asylum seekers who have been convicted of offences. It also considers relevant legislation and case law prohibiting extradition if there are grounds to believe that the extradited person could be subjected to torture in a receiving State.

The Protection of Non-nationals’ Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in un Human Rights Treaties
By: Claire Lougarre
Pages: 252–290
Publication Date: 24 Oct 2020
Abstract
The decade of austerity policies resulting from the 2008 economic crisis significantly impeded the realisation of economic, social and cultural (esc) rights worldwide, especially for non-nationals who became targets of populist nationalist ideologies. The Coronavirus disease (covid-19) pandemic and its subsequent recession have heightened existing levels of inequalities, putting non-nationals’ access to health, housing, food, water and work under unprecedented strains. It is thus, crucial to analyse the extent to which un human rights treaties recognise non-nationals’ esc rights, in order to assess their ability to offer protection in this context. This article sheds light on the ambiguities of key un human rights treaties in this regard. It then analyses the attempts of relevant un treaty bodies to circumvent such issues; and finally suggests legal paths allowing un treaty bodies to further assert their protection of non-nationals’ esc rights during the covid-19 pandemic.

Featured Journal Content – Stewardship

Nature
Volume 587 Issue 7832, 5 November 2020
http://www.nature.com/nature/current_issue.html
News & Views | 14 October 2020
Satellites could soon map every tree on Earth
An analysis of satellite images has pinpointed individual tree canopies over a large area of West Africa. The data suggest that it will soon be possible, with certain limitations, to map the location and size of every tree worldwide.
Niall P. Hanan & Julius Y. Anchang
… A previous estimate2 of the total number of trees on a global scale was obtained using field data from approximately 430,000 forest plots around the world. The authors of that study used statistical regression models to estimate tree density between the field sites, on the basis of vegetation type and climate. Their analysis suggested that there are approximately three trillion trees globally. However, this approach to tree-density estimation has inherent errors and uncertainties, particularly for drylands, for which relatively few field measurements are available to calibrate the models….

Article | 14 October 2020
An unexpectedly large count of trees in the West African Sahara and Sahel
Deep learning was used to map the crown sizes of each tree in the West African Sahara, Sahel and sub-humid zone using submetre-resolution satellite imagery, revealing a relatively high density of trees in arid areas.
Martin Brandt, Compton J. Tucker[…] & Rasmus Fensholt
Abstract
A large proportion of dryland trees and shrubs (hereafter referred to collectively as trees) grow in isolation, without canopy closure. These non-forest trees have a crucial role in biodiversity, and provide ecosystem services such as carbon storage, food resources and shelter for humans and animals1,2. However, most public interest relating to trees is devoted to forests, and trees outside of forests are not well-documented3. Here we map the crown size of each tree more than 3 m2 in size over a land area that spans 1.3 million km2 in the West African Sahara, Sahel and sub-humid zone, using submetre-resolution satellite imagery and deep learning4. We detected over 1.8 billion individual trees (13.4 trees per hectare), with a median crown size of 12 m2, along a rainfall gradient from 0 to 1,000 mm per year. The canopy cover increases from 0.1% (0.7 trees per hectare) in hyper-arid areas, through 1.6% (9.9 trees per hectare) in arid and 5.6% (30.1 trees per hectare) in semi-arid zones, to 13.3% (47 trees per hectare) in sub-humid areas. Although the overall canopy cover is low, the relatively high density of isolated trees challenges prevailing narratives about dryland desertification5,6,7, and even the desert shows a surprisingly high tree density. Our assessment suggests a way to monitor trees outside of forests globally, and to explore their role in mitigating degradation, climate change and poverty.

EMERGENCIES

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

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
last update: 7 November 2020, 10:30 GMT-4
Confirmed cases :: 49 106 931 [week ago: 45 428 731] [two weeks ago: 42 055 863]
Confirmed deaths :: 1 239 157 [week ago: 1 185 721} [two weeks ago: 1 141 567]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 219

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WHO Director-General’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 6 November 2020
6 November 2020
:: Today, WHO and UNICEF are jointly launching an emergency appeal to rapidly boost measles and polio vaccination. We estimate that $655 million US dollars is needed to address dangerous immunisation gaps in children in non-Gavi eligible countries.
:: As the pandemic unfolds, as countries have reflected, they have used intra action reviews to make their responses stronger.  An Intra-Action Review uses a whole-of-society, multi-sectoral approach, acknowledging the contributions of all relevant stakeholders involved in COVID-19 preparedness and response at the national and sub-national levels.
:: Intra-Action Reviews not only help countries improve their COVID-19 response but also contribute towards their long-term health security. To date, 21 countries have completed them and others are in pipeline.
:: Today we are happy to welcome the Ministers of Health from Indonesia, the Kingdom of Thailand and South Africa to share their experience and lessons from COVID-19.

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Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 04 November 2020
:: The Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) for polio eradication will host its 19th meeting via video conference from 17 – 19 November 2020 to discuss overall situation report; ongoing COVID-19 impact, outbreaks and vaccine deployment among other issues. In preparation for the meeting, we have made the necessary meeting documents available here.
:: Fahima Ahmed Hassan is a 25-year-old community mobilizer who goes the extra mile to ensure parents of children under the age of five are well informed of the polio vaccination campaign and ready to vaccinate their children in Somalia. Take a look at this photo essay showing Fahima and other mobilisers lay the groundwork for vaccinators.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: 20 cVDPV2 cases
:: Pakistan: one WPV1 case and one WPV1 positive environmental sample
:: Burkina Faso: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Cameroon: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Central African Republic: one cVDPV2 case
:: Chad: two cVDPV2 cases
:: Congo: one cVDPV2 case
:: Côte d’Ivoire: one cVDPV2 case
:: Somalia: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: South Sudan: three cVDPV2 cases

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 7 Nov 2020]

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
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 7 Nov 2020]
Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso – 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
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi Floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique – 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
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – 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 7 Nov 2020]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – Page not responding at inquiry
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 – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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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.
COVID-19
:: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 51: occupied Palestinian territory, issued 5 November 2020, information for period: 5 March – 5 November 2020

East Africa Locust Infestation – No new digest announcements identified

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 31 October 2020 :: Number 339

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 31 Oct 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

Stewardship of Science

Joint Appeal for Open Science
27/10/2020
We, the Directors-General of UNESCO and WHO and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, reaffirm the fundamental right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications and advocate for open, inclusive and collaborative science.

Considering that Open Science can reduce inequalities, help respond to the immediate challenges of Covid-19 and accelerate progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, we therefore:
:: Call on every Member State to ensure the fundamental right to access scientific research and its applications, with a view to creating a global knowledge commons and closing existing gaps in science, technology and innovation, especially in developing countries and with respect to women;

:: Commit to supporting the international scientific community by fostering a culture of collaboration and solidarity, rather than competition, and by sharing research outcomes and knowledge wherever possible in order to make science widely accessible to everyone;

:: Commit to advocating for the development and sharing of legal frameworks and policies to effectively implement the principles of Open Science;

:: Recall that effective and sustainable public policies should rely on verified information, facts and scientific knowledge for the benefit of all;

:: Support the tremendous potential of science in meeting societal needs and shaping the future of humanity, when it is based on equal opportunities and scientific literacy for all;

:: Recognize that Open Science is critical to improving and maintaining socio-economic welfare and integration in the global economy, and that the growing interconnectedness of today’s world has helped shape a modern approach to science;

:: Acknowledge the power of scientific cooperation and diplomacy to unite nations, civil society, the private sector and the world, while stressing the importance of evidence-based decision-making;

:: Call on Member States and all stakeholders to join the Solidarity Call to Action and the WHO COVID-19 Technology Access Pool that seeks to facilitate sharing of knowledge, intellectual property and data for the response to the pandemic.

The core idea behind Open Science is to allow scientific information, data and outputs to be more widely accessible (Open Access) and more reliably harnessed (Open Data) with the active engagement of all stakeholders (Open to Society). The Open Science movement has emerged from the scientific community and has rapidly spread across nations, calling for the opening of the gates of knowledge. In a fragmented scientific and policy environment, a stronger global understanding of the opportunities and challenges of Open Science is needed.

We call upon all Member States, policy-makers, civil society representatives, youth networks and the scientific community to uphold the ideals of Open Science, at all stages of the scientific process, in view of the elaboration of the international recommendation on Open Science.

Governance/Security – Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW)

Nuclear ban: “Today is an historic day. We call on world leaders to act with courage and join the right side of history”
Geneva/New York, 24 October 2020 – The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement welcomes the coming into force of the UN Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW).

Fifty States have now ratified the Treaty, meaning that it will enter into force as an instrument of international humanitarian law in 90 days. The Treaty is the first globally applicable multilateral agreement to comprehensively prohibit nuclear weapons. It prohibits their use, threat of use, development, production, testing and stockpiling. It also commits States to clearing contaminated areas and helping victims. By providing pathways for the elimination of nuclear weapons, the TPNW is an indispensable building block towards a world free of nuclear weapons

Francesco Rocca, President of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC), said: “Today is an historic day: even a few years ago, the dream of a nuclear ban recognized by the international community seemed unfathomable. This is a victory for every citizen of the world, and it demonstrates the importance of multilateralism. I would like to congratulate all 50 States that have ratified the treaty and to call on all the other world leaders to act with courage and join the right side of history.

“The simple reality is that the international community could never hope to deal with the consequences of a nuclear confrontation. No nation is prepared to deal with a nuclear confrontation. What we cannot prepare for, we must prevent”, Mr Rocca said.

There are over 14,000 nuclear bombs in the world, thousands of which are ready to be launched in an instant. The power of many of those warheads are tens of times greater than the weapons dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), said: “Today is a victory for humanity, and a promise of a safer future. Too many times we have seen the dangerous logic of nuclear deterrence drag the world to the brink of destruction. Too many accept nuclear weapons as an inevitable part of the international security architecture. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons allows us to imagine a world free from such inhumane weapons as an achievable goal.”…

Governance – Democracy/Competence

Financial Times
Opinion – Geopolitics
Incompetence is the real threat to democracy
The west has to think of governance as a kind of permanent referendum on the efficacy of the system itself
Janan Ganes October 28 2020

The most famous quotes in praise of democracy do not make a principled case for it. If, as Winston Churchill claimed, it is the worst form of government bar all the others “that have been tried”, then verifiable outcomes are what matter. “No famine has ever taken place in the history of the world in a functioning democracy,” found the economist Amartya Sen, implying, once more, that utility is the test. Popular self-rule is to be preferred because it allows for better results, not because it is right in and of itself.

Keep this in mind as the most important democracy of all goes out to vote. Donald Trump is a threat to this system of government, yes, but not in the way that is most often alleged. The US president is not an autocrat in the familiar sense. When the coronavirus pandemic gave him a chance to hoard power, he did almost the opposite, bemoaning even mild incursions into personal freedom. He has more often denuded the unelected or “deep” state than he has turned it on the masses. He remains uninterested to the point of boredom in the awesome potential of his office.

No, Mr Trump’s principal threat to the cause of democracy is governmental incompetence. It promises to tarnish the worldwide reputation of the system as the one that works. If the idea takes hold that China has controlled the virus and avoided a recession, while the US remains beset by both, the signal to the rest of the globe will be unmistakable. Autocracy is the strong horse.

It will not matter that several multi-party democracies have fared well against the virus. With respect to Germany and New Zealand, the US experience has an outsized effect on global sentiment. After all, the world’s disillusionment with democracy, as tracked by the political scientist Yascha Mounk and other scholars, has coincided with lots of individual countries thriving handsomely under the system.

What did the reputational harm was the botched war in Iraq, the 2008 financial crisis, a slow recovery and other troubles that trace disproportionately back to the democratic US. To adapt what Thomas Jefferson supposedly said about France, everyone has two countries, their own and America. Events here are followed abroad with unique and sometimes weird assiduity.

The global fate of democracy is on the ballot in next Tuesday’s presidential election, then, but not because a second Trump term would bring a police state or the suspension of universal suffrage. More likely, it would mean more failure to fix problems of collective action, as well as more social division on the streets and more political torpor in Washington. If so, a second term would be a kind of anti-advertisement for democracy. For countries that sit on the long spectrum between multi-party competition and outright dictatorship, a shuffle in the latter direction might come to seem only prudent.

That is a lot of countries. In 1945, democracies were in the minority. Their number did not overtake that of autocratic and “mixed” systems until near the end of the 20th century. In other words, most of the world has relatively shallow experience of democracy, if it has any at all. It is liable to change systems if an alternative proves itself as a surer source of prosperity and order. China’s rise from middle-income to rich status would do it, especially if it coincided with a malfunctioning US.

And so an election that is often framed in terms of fundamental values is better understood as a practical matter. If Joe Biden defeats Mr Trump, there will be much talk of “healing” and the re-moralisation of public life under the benign Democrat. But the most useful service he can perform on behalf of democracy is to govern well, starting with the crusade against Covid-19. Nothing would do more to shore up confidence in the system within and (crucially) outside the US.

This point will remain true long after both men have departed. The gravest challenge facing democracy in this century is the possibility of superior outcomes in the non-democratic or part-democratic world, not this or that rogue leader. Democracy’s rival is no longer an unworkable Soviet dogma, but a pragmatic superpower that is only nominally communist.

To see it off, the west has to think of governance as a kind of permanent referendum on the efficacy of democracy itself. The better its social outcomes, the stronger its base of support. Appealing to some innate human thirst for self-mastery is not enough. The dark implication of Churchill’s otherwise droll line is that, were a system to come along that outperforms our own, we should cave to it. A President Biden would have to ensure that proposition is never tested.

Governance – Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia, the Open Technology Fund

New York Times
Oct. 27, 2020
Politics
Trump Appointee Rescinds Rule Shielding Government News Outlets From Federal Tampering
The action comes amid concern that Michael Pack is turning outlets under his purview, including Voice of America, into a pro-Trump public relations arm.
By Pranshu Verma
WASHINGTON — The chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Monday rescinded a rule that protects news outlets funded by the government, including Voice of America, from federal tampering.
The official, Michael Pack, defended the move as a way to improve management, but critics have expressed concerns that he is turning news outlets under his purview into a pro-Trump public relations arm…

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U.S. Agency for Global Media
Press Release
Background on rescinding a so-called “firewall rule”
October 26, 2020
Today, as the first Senate-confirmed head of the U.S. Agency for Global Media (USAGM), I took action to rectify a regulatory situation that was both in tension with the law and harmful to the agency and the U.S. national interest.

In its final hours of existence, the Broadcasting Board of Governors (BBG) issued a so-called “firewall rule,” instituting a significant misinterpretation of the 1994 International Broadcasting Act (IBA). I rescinded that rule based upon extensive legal analysis of the regulation and its conflict with Congress’s statutory mandate for USAGM – BBG’s successor – to support the foreign policy of the United States.

The “firewall rule” created a barrier between USAGM and the U.S. taxpayer-funded broadcasters and grantees under its management: the Voice of America, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia, and the Open Technology Fund. The rule prohibited the CEO from engaging in managerial and editorial oversight, which Congress mandated the CEO to conduct to ensure that the agency carries out its proper governmental mission.

Not only was this rule based on flawed legal and constitutional reasoning, it made the agency difficult to manage and less able to fulfill its important mission to inform, engage, and connect people around the world in support of freedom and democracy.

The rule made it difficult for me to perform my legally-binding, statutory duty “to direct and supervise all broadcasting activities,” “to review and evaluate the mission and operation of, and to assess the quality, effectiveness, and professional integrity of, all such activities within the context of the broad foreign policy objectives of the United States,” and “to ensure that United States international broadcasting is conducted in accordance with the [highest] standards and principles.”

Indeed, the USAGM CEO role was created precisely because members of both parties deemed the old BBG structure – comprised of a part-time, nine-member board – to be ineffective in performing the duties listed above. By instruction of Congress, I am required to make the agency more efficient and more effective in fulfilling its mission.

The rule threatened constitutional values because the Constitution gives the President broad latitude in directing the foreign policy of the United States. The President’s representatives in furthering U.S. foreign policy interests, including USAGM and its CEO, must be able to ensure that the agency fulfills the “broad foreign policy objectives” of the United States established by the President, as required of USAGM by statute.

Beyond the legalities, the rule made the agency difficult to manage. No agency run by a CEO, or another type of head, has any kind of “firewall” between himself and the rest of his agency. An organization, especially a large one, cannot be successful if senior management is limited in overseeing and managing personnel below it.

To be sure, without that authority and responsibility, USAGM would be effectively unaccountable to Congress and the President. In other words, if a barrier existed between USAGM senior management and all other personnel, USAGM senior management could not be held accountable for problems outside of it, since it had no power to fix those problems. USAGM senior management must have the ability to oversee and manage personnel, for it is mandated to further U.S. foreign policy through, among other steps, maintaining the “professional independence and integrity” of the technical and professional experts who carry out the agency’s statutory mission…

By statute, the responsibility of the CEO is to make sure that individuals whose jobs are funded by the U.S. taxpayer adhere to the highest standards of their profession. The rescinded regulation prevented me from fulfilling this weighty responsibility.

USAGM broadcasters are not commercial news companies. In fact, the agency is prohibited by law from duplicating the services of such companies. Rather, USAGM is a federal agency of the U.S. government tasked with advancing human rights as well as promoting uniquely American ideas and values. At a time when foreign governments, particularly those in China, Russia, and Iran, are spending enormous resources spreading disinformation to undermine freedom and democracy, this duty is more important than ever.

America needs a strong, well-managed, well-structured organization overseeing civilian U.S. international broadcasting that is also accountable to Congress. My action today will move us closer to that goal.

Michael Pack, Chief Executive Officer, U.S. Agency for Global Media

COVID-19 Impacts/Solutions — UN Secretary General

Funding for COVID-19 Vaccines, Treatments Fastest Way to Save Lives, Economy, Secretary-General Tells World Health Summit, Urging Global Solidarity
25 October 2020 SG/SM/20364
Following is UN Secretary General António Guterres’ message to the virtual World Health Summit, in New York today:
The COVID-19 pandemic is the greatest crisis of our age. Just seven months since it was declared, over 1 million people have died, and tens of millions have been infected. Cases are still rising, and new spikes and waves are occurring in places that had suppressed the virus for many months.

The indirect impact of the pandemic is wreaking havoc on societies and economies. Travel restrictions and lockdowns have resulted in the loss of 500 million jobs so far and are costing the global economy some $375 billion every month.

Reports of gender-based violence are skyrocketing. Mental illness is a crisis within a crisis. Deaths from other health conditions are likely to increase, as resources are redirected towards COVID-19. Some 24 million children could drop out of school, with life long impact. COVID-19 is driving us even farther off course from achieving the vision and promise of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

The first hard lesson of this crisis is that we were not prepared. Global health and emergency response systems have been tested and found wanting. Access to health is a human right denied to billions of people around the world.

Universal health coverage is the path to high-quality, equitable, affordable health care. Strong public health systems and emergency preparedness are essential steps to greater resilience. All countries have signed up to universal health coverage by 2030. But, we cannot wait 10 years. We need health systems that work, before we face an outbreak of something more contagious than COVID-19, more deadly or both.

The second lesson is that we are not powerless. If we follow the science, and demonstrate unity and solidarity, we can overcome the pandemic. Public health measures, including masks, physical distancing and hand washing, are proven means of keeping the virus at bay.

We need to protect the vulnerable – older people and those with pre-existing conditions. We must stop holding and attending events that amplify the spread of the virus; and we must work with communities on sharing information and building trust.

Numerous Governments have demonstrated that taking targeted, local measures immediately outbreaks occur can stamp them out. At the same time, we must persevere with comprehensive public health measures that the World Health Organization (WHO) identified on day one: find, isolate, test and care for cases, and trace and quarantine their contacts.

Third, we need global solidarity every step of the way. Developed countries must support health systems in countries that are short of resources. And we must join together as Governments, the private sector, civil society and all partners, to make sure vaccines, tests and treatments are available to everyone, everywhere. A vaccine must be a global public good.

Fully funding the ACT-Accelerator is the fastest way to end the pandemic. Vaccines, tests and therapies are more than life savers. They are economy savers and society savers.

There is no choice between saving people’s lives and saving jobs. Protecting people from the virus is the best way to keep schools open and businesses running. It will prevent the virus from spreading even more widely and returning in wave after wave.

But, as I have said before, there is no panacea during a pandemic. Relief will come not through one single step, but through smartly combining cutting-edge research with basic public health.

The fourth lesson is that misinformation and disinformation are deadly allies of the virus. They are contributing to deaths and infections, and to social tensions that have led to violence. Unless we counter rumours, conspiracy theories and lies, they will negate our other efforts.

The United Nations “Verified” campaign aims to ensure people have access to accurate advice that protects and promotes health. I welcome efforts by social media platforms and others to prevent the spread of false stories and advice, and promote scientific, fact-based analysis — although more needs to be done.

The World Health Summit and the M8 Alliance are important platforms to champion and work together for global health. This gathering, bringing together science, politics, business and civil society, is the place to build new partnerships, share best practices and take decisions that could save lives. Let us use this opportunity to confront the COVID-19 crisis together, with the urgency and integrity it requires. Thank you.

Vaccine Nationalism

COVID-19 and the cost of vaccine nationalism
Rand Research Report :: RR-A769-1
Marco Hafner, Erez Yerushalmi, Clement Fays, Eliane Dufresne, Christian Van Stolk
2020 :: 75 pages
DOI: https://doi.org/10.7249/RRA769-1
Overview
Experience shows that, in response to pandemics, national governments tend to follow their own interests instead of pursuing a more globally coordinated approach. This nationalistic behaviour could have negative consequences on how well the COVID-19 global pandemic is managed and contained.
A situation in which countries push to get first access to a supply of vaccines, potentially hoarding key components for vaccine production, has been commonly referred to as ‘vaccine nationalism’. This report examines how the management of the COVID-19 crisis may be affected by vaccine nationalism and what the associated economic cost would be of inequitable access to vaccines across countries.

Key Findings
:: Vaccine nationalism could lead to the unequal allocation of COVID-19 vaccines and cost the global economy up to $1.2 trillion a year in GDP terms
Even if some countries manage to immunise their populations against the virus, as long as the virus is not under control in all regions of the world, there will continue to be a global economic cost associated with COVID-19.

:: Until there is a widely available vaccine for COVID-19, physical distancing measures will continue to affect key sectors of the global economy negatively, especially those that rely on close physical proximity between people
The global cost associated with COVID-19 and its economic impact could be $3.4 trillion a year. For the EU it will be about 5.6 per cent in annual GDP, about $983 billion. The loss incurred by the UK is about 4.3 per cent — an annual loss of about $145 billion. The US loses about 2.2 per cent in annual GDP, about $480 billion.

:: Even if nationalistic behaviour is inevitable, there are economic incentives to providing access to vaccines across the globe
Based on previous estimates, it would cost $25 billion to supply lower income countries with vaccines. The US, the UK, the EU and other high-income countries combined could lose about $119 billion a year if the poorest countries are denied a supply. If these high-income countries paid for the supply of vaccines, there could be a benefit-to-cost ratio of 4.8 to 1. For every $1 spent, high-income countries would get back about $4.8.

Recommendations
:: Investing in vaccine development and equitable access would be economically beneficial in the long run.
:: To encourage international sharing of vaccines, we need enforceable frameworks for vaccine development and distribution, managed by established international forums.
:: The international effort to support vaccination distribution needs to be sustained over time.

COVID-19 – “Green Recovery

The Rockefeller Foundation Commits USD$1 billion to Catalyze a Green Recovery from Pandemic
10.26.20 Press Release
:: Driving public-private investment, transformative solutions, and a more inclusive, sustainable future
:: Launching next chapter for the 107-year old philanthropic institution

October 26, 2020 | NEW YORK – The Rockefeller Foundation will commit USD1 billion over the next three years to catalyze a more inclusive, green recovery from the Covid-19 pandemic. Building on current efforts and long-standing programs, the Foundation will focus on two key areas: catalyzing billions of dollars in private and concessional investments to scale distributed renewable energy across developing countries; and ensuring more equitable access to Covid-19 tests and vaccines, science-based tools, and data to fight the pandemic, while strengthening public health systems to prevent future outbreaks. In addition to this unique, one-time commitment of additional resources, The Rockefeller Foundation’s efforts and energies, as a whole, will be rededicated and reoriented toward improving the lives of the world’s poorest people and addressing inequities made worse by this virus.

“There’s no going back to the past, to before-Covid. We need to reimagine the future we want,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of the Rockefeller Foundation. “To meet this moment, we must leverage all our resources and relationships to build an equitable, sustainable future, where everyone has the opportunity to realize their full potential and climate disaster is avoided. The time to act is right now to make sure vulnerable children and families are included in the pandemic response and recovery.”

Prior to the pandemic, half the world’s population lacked access to essential health services, and more than 800 million people worldwide lacked access to electricity. Billions more have their potential diminished by unreliable or insufficient energy access, predominantly provided by carbon-emitting fuels. The energy accessibility gap has further widened because of the pandemic. This year alone, more than 100 million people have seen their electricity access severed because they couldn’t pay their bills during the pandemic, with the toll falling disproportionately on the poor and most vulnerable. The World Bank also estimates that the combined impact of climate change and the damage done by Covid-19 will push 132 million people into poverty.

This calls for bold action to address these disparities and ensure a global response that assures a more inclusive, sustainable future for all…

… Collaborating with global investors, international organizations, and governments, the Foundation will focus on driving historic public-private investment in infrastructure that accelerates access to clean, safe, and reliable renewable energy across Africa, Asia, and Latin America…

About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation advances new frontiers of science, data, and innovation to solve global challenges related to health, food, power, and economic mobility. As a science-driven philanthropy focused on building collaborative relationships with partners and grantees, The Rockefeller Foundation seeks to inspire and foster large-scale human impact that promotes the well-being of humanity throughout the world by identifying and accelerating breakthrough solutions, ideas, and conversations.

EMERGENCIES

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

Weekly Epidemiological and Operational updates
last update: 8 October 2020, 20:00 GMT-4
Confirmed cases :: 45 428 731 [week ago: 42 055 863] [two weeks ago: 39 023 292]
Confirmed deaths :: 1 185 721 [week ago: 1 141 567] [two weeks ago: 1 099 586]
Countries, areas or territories with cases :: 219

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Statement on the fifth meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic
30 October 2020 Statement
The fifth meeting of the Emergency Committee convened by the WHO Director-General under the International Health Regulations (IHR) (2005) regarding the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) took place on Thursday, 29 October 2020 from 12:30 to 16:05 Geneva time (CEST)…

Proceedings of the meeting
…After ensuing discussion, the Committee unanimously agreed that the pandemic still constitutes an extraordinary event, a public health risk to other States through international spread, and continues to require a coordinated international response. As such, the Committee considered the COVID-19 pandemic to remain a public health emergency of international concern and offered advice to the Director-General.

The Director-General determined that the COVID-19 pandemic continues to constitute a PHEIC. He accepted the advice of the Committee to WHO and issued the Committee’s advice to States Parties as Temporary Recommendations under the IHR (2005).

The Emergency Committee will be reconvened within three months, at the discretion of the Director-General. The Director-General thanked the Committee for its work.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 28 October 2020
:: Acknowledging the critical role of leadership in gender mainstreaming, the GPEI launched a Gender Champion for Polio Eradication  Our Champions commit to supporting the GPEI Gender Equality Strategy, highlighting the role of gender in achieving eradication and advocating for its full implementation.
:: In our latest edition of Coffee with Polio Experts, we get to hear from Dr Zubair Wadood on the impact of COVID-19 on the global polio eradication effort, and how the polio infrastructure is supporting COVID response.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: two WPV1 positive environmental samples and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Pakistan: 18 WPV1 positive environmental samples and 16 cVDPV2 cases
:: Cameroon: two cVDPV2 cases
:: Chad: eight cVDPV2 cases
:: Côte d’Ivoire: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): four cVDPV2 cases
:: Mali: 15 cVDPV2 cases
:: Nigeria: one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: South Sudan: 9 cVDPV2 cases

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 31 Oct 2020]

Syrian Arab Republic
:: WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean hands-over medical supplies during his visit to Syria
24 October 2020, Damascus, Syria – A chartered aircraft has landed in Damascus International Airport from the WHO’s logistics hub in Dubai, carrying WHO supplies to support the health response in Syria. The 8.8-ton shipment includes medical kits and medicines for almost 2000 beneficiaries and enough personal protective equipment to protect more than 4000 health care workers.

Democratic Republic of the Congo – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 31 Oct 2020]
Burkina Faso
:: Préparation pour une réponse efficace aux situations sanitaires exceptionnelles : Le…
30 octobre 2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – 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
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi Floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique – 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
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – 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 31 Oct 2020]

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – Page not responding at inquiry
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 Humanitarian Update No. 20 As of 29 October 2020

Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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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.
COVID-19
::    Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 50: occupied Palestinian territory, issued 29 October 2020, information for period: 5 March – 29 October 2020

East Africa Locust Infestation
:: Desert Locust situation update – 26 October 2020
Another generation of breeding starts in the Horn of Africa
As expected, the situation remains very critical as more swarms form and a new generation of breeding has now started in Ethiopia and Somalia, which will cause new swarms to form by mid-December that are likely to move southwards and threaten Kenya. Although countries are better prepared compared to a year ago, survey and control operations need to continue to detect and reduce as many infestations as possible. In addition, locusts are increasing along both sides of the southern Red Sea.

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 24 October 2020 :: Number 338

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 24 Oct 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

Featured Journal Content

UN Chronicle
75th Anniversary of the United Nations
We All Must Take Action
Jane Goodall 23 October 2020
Jane Goodall is an ethologist and environmentalist, DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

We live in turbulent times. Most countries are still battling the COVID-19 pandemic, which has caused so much suffering and loss of life and has disrupted global economies. In addition, there is a far worse threat to our future—the climate crisis. Unfortunately, we have brought these nightmares upon ourselves by our violence against nature and animals.

We have destroyed forests and polluted air, land and water, including our oceans, with agricultural, industrial and household wastes. We are building dams and roads and an endless number of shopping malls. Our reliance on fossil fuels has led to the release into the atmosphere of unprecedented amounts of carbon dioxide, a major component of the greenhouse gases that are trapping the heat of the sun. A warming planet has caused changes in weather patterns everywhere. Polar ice is melting; sea levels are rising; and devastating hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes, floods, droughts and fires have become more frequent and destructive.

Intensive farming is poisoning the environment with chemical pesticides and fertilizers, destroying wildlife habitats to grow grain. Irrigation in places not suitable for farming is draining the great aquifers. Much water is used to transform vegetables into animal protein. The billions of animals involved in factory farming produce methane, another major greenhouse gas. Moreover, factory farms along with the wildlife markets of Asia, the bushmeat markets of Africa, and the trafficking of animals and their parts around the globe to sell as food and medicine, or to drive the trade in exotic animals as pets, are all creating ideal conditions for a pathogen to jump from an animal to a person, where it could become a new zoonotic disease such as HIV/AIDS, Ebola, MERS, SARS—and COVID-19.

More and more people are realizing that as we emerge from the pandemic—as we shall—and go back to business as usual, abusing mother nature and plundering her finite natural resources, we could end up joining the ranks of those animals and plants that have gone extinct at an unprecedented rate. Our disrespect for the natural world, of which we are a part and on which we depend, threatens our own survival

So how can we avert disaster?

We must alleviate poverty, for the poor will fell the last trees in order to grow food or make money from charcoal. The urban poor cannot afford to question whether the things they buy caused harm to the environment, or are cheap because of child slave labour or inappropriate wages. They are merely trying to survive.

We must change the unsustainable, materialistic lifestyle that most of the rest of us follow. We can afford to make ethical choices and ask, “how does what I do now affect the health of the planet and future generations?”

We must bring discussion of the growth of the human population and their livestock into the open. There are some 7.2 billion of us on the planet today, and already in some places we are consuming the planet’s finite natural resources faster than nature can replenish them. It is estimated that there will be some 9.7 billion of us by 2050. And as we help raise people from poverty, they will understandably seek to emulate what they see as the desirable but sadly unsustainable lifestyles of the rest of us.

We must work towards a new relationship with the natural world and a new “green” economy that will provide many jobs. If we fail, conflicts between people will worsen—already people are fighting for water rights as freshwater supplies dwindle, and climate refugees are swelling the numbers of the millions fleeing armed conflict.

I have faith in the resilience of nature if we give it a chance. When I began studying chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960, the tiny (35 sq. km) Gombe National Park was part of the forest belt that stretched across equatorial Africa. By 1990, Gombe was a tiny island of forest surrounded by bare hills. There were too many people for the environment to support and they were too poor to buy food elsewhere. They were forced to cut down trees on even the steepest slopes to grow more food or make charcoal, causing erosion and mudslides in the process. I realized that if they did not find ways of making a living without destroying their environment, we could not hope to save the chimpanzees. So the Jane Goodall Institute initiated a holistic, community-based conservation programme that we call Tacare.

In addition to restoring fertility to the degraded farmland, it includes introducing permaculture and water management projects, improvements to health and education facilities, scholarships to give girls a chance to move into higher education, and microcredit programmes for people to take out loans for environmentally sustainable projects. We provide workshops to train villagers to use smartphones to monitor and protect their village forest reserves—home to most of Tanzania’s remaining chimpanzees. Knowing that protecting the environment is not only to protect wildlife, but their own future, the people of this region have become our partners in conservation. Today there are no bare hills around Gombe. Animals on the brink of extinction have been given another chance. There are so many projects of this type around the world.

Then there is the extraordinary human intellect. Scientists are coming up with amazing new technologies to help us live in greater harmony with nature, and we, as individuals, are working out ways to reduce our own environmental footprints.

Finally, we see the energy, commitment and enthusiasm of young people once they understand the problems and are empowered to take action. The Jane Goodall Institute’s environmental and humanitarian youth programme, Roots & Shoots, enables its young members from kindergarten through university to choose their own projects to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment—for all are interrelated. This movement, in partnership with other youth programmes with shared values, is now operating in more than 65 countries. As it began in 1991, many of the original members of the programme are now adults, some in decision-making positions.

Young people are growing organic food in their school gardens, learning about permaculture and regenerative agriculture, recycling and reusing, collecting trash, and spreading awareness about the illegal trade in wild animals and their body parts. They are volunteering in shelters for abandoned or rescued animals and in soup kitchens. They are raising money to help victims of natural disasters. Older members are educating younger children about the importance of protecting the environment and how animals are not merely things but sentient beings, individuals who can feel fear, despair—and pain.

It is encouraging to see the growing trend towards a plant-based diet, which is better for our health and the health of the environment, and alleviates the horrible suffering of millions of sentient, individual animals.

In response to consumer pressure for sustainably produced products, many companies are changing their practices. And big business often has the power to influence government policies.

Around the world millions of people are planting millions of trees and protecting and restoring forests and other habitats.

All of the measures set out above are reflected in the ambitious United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Among the Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are serious, practical objectives for maintaining the planet, its wildlife and its resources for the benefit of present and future generations. As the Organization celebrates its 75th Anniversary this year, which has been marked by a global pandemic and global fear, we are all called to renew our sense of solidarity and hope.

The world’s children and youth are no longer passive beneficiaries of hope but are often also it’s motivated ambassadors. A new United Nations photography exhibition, now also offered virtually, celebrates the last 75 years of the pursuit of a healthy and peaceful planet. It features images of life and resilience, and the role of our incredible youth. A few of these stunning photographs are featured in this article. I would encourage anyone seeking a sense of hope for our future to experience this exhibition however they can.

Perhaps the most important message is that each one of us can play a role in creating a better world—every day.