Beirut

UN human rights experts call for justice and accountability in response to Beirut explosion
GENEVA (13 August 2020) – The colossal deadly explosion in Beirut on 4 August requires a prompt and independent investigation that underscores international human rights obligations, clarifies responsibilities related to the explosion, and leads to justice and accountability, UN human rights experts* said today. They issued the following statement:

“The scale and impact of the lethal explosion are unprecedented. We are deeply concerned about the level of irresponsibility and impunity surrounding human and environmental devastation on this scale. The catastrophic blast occurred while Lebanon is already confronted by a devastating political, economic and financial crisis, as well as the COVID-19 pandemic, leading to a sharp deterioration of human rights protection and much suffering…

This explosion and its aftermath have brought into focus systemic problems, a deficit of good governance, and allegations of widespread corruption. This has resulted in a failure to ensure protection of the rights of all without discrimination, including the rights to life, personal liberty, health, housing, food, water, education, and to a healthy environment. We are concerned that this tragedy will expose cracks in the executive, legislative, and justice institutions, leading to delays and challenges in ensuring effective remedies for all those affected.

We support calls for a prompt, impartial, credible and independent investigation based on human rights principles, to examine all claims, concerns and needs in relation to the explosion as well as the underlying human rights failures. The investigation should be protected from any undue influence and be given a strong and broad mandate to effectively probe any systemic failures of the Lebanese authorities and institutions to protect human rights. Any such investigation should integrate a gender-lens and must also grant victims and their relatives effective access to the investigative process, respecting their right to be informed and to participate. The investigation, as well as other actions linked to the disaster, must also protect the privacy as well as the confidentiality of the identities and testimony of victims, witnesses, associates, colleagues and their families. The findings and recommendations of the investigation should be made public.

The investigation should also consider Lebanon’s international obligations governing the handling of dangerous substances and the right of everyone to information on risks to life and health. In addition to human rights and criminal law, the investigation should also examine Lebanon’s obligations under international commercial and shipping law.

We stand ready to cooperate with the Lebanese authorities, civil society, and the international community including by supporting the investigation(s) and other measures in order to minimize the harm of this disaster, ensure accountability, build back better in full respect of the multi-religious and multi-cultural fabric of the society and prevent similar tragedies in the future. The international community should also provide timely and effective support to all the people in Lebanon, including their demands for justice, based on international solidarity and cooperation.

In view of the seriousness of our concerns, we urge consideration of a special debate at the UN Human Rights Council this September so as to explore all possible avenues by which (i) Justice for the multiple victims of the explosion, and for the people in Lebanon at large, is rendered effectively, transparently and impartially; (ii) Non-repetition is secured through long-term systemic reforms based on open consultations with the people in Lebanon; and (iii) Urgent assistance is provided by the international community to Lebanon and its people to address the immediate needs of shelter, food, medical, health and other related needs emerging from the disaster.

We also stand in solidarity with the people of Lebanon, and especially extend our concern and condolences to the victims.
ENDS

The Experts:
Mr. Marcos A. Orellana, Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes;
Ms. Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions;
Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food;
Ms. Fionnuala D. Ní Aoláin, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism;
Michael Lynk, Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian Territory occupied since 1967;
Mr. Clément Nyaletsossi Voule,Special Rapporteur on the rights of peaceful assembly and association;
Mr. Léo Heller, Special Rapporteur on the human rights to water and sanitation;
Mr. Diego García-Sayán, Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers;
Ms. Claudia Mahler, Independent Expert on the enjoyment of all human rights by older persons;Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises,
Surya Deva, Elżbieta Karska, Githu Muigai, Dante Pesce (Vice-Chair), Anita Ramasastry (Chair); Ms. Yuefen Li, Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt and other related international financial obligations of States on the full enjoyment of all human rights, particularly economic, social and cultural rights;
Ms. E. Tendayi Achiume, Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance;
Mr. Obiora C. Okafor, Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity;
Mr. Ahmed Shaheed, Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief;
Mr. Nils Melzer, Special Rapporteur on torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment;
Ms. Elizabeth Broderick (Chair), Ms. Melissa Upreti (Vice Chair), Ms. Alda Facio, Ms. Meskerem Geset Techane, Ms. Ivana Radačić, Working Group on discrimination against women and girls;
Mr. David R. Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment;
Mr. Olivier De Schutter, Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights;
Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, Special Rapporteur on adequate housing as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, and on the right to non-discrimination in this context;
Ms. Isha Dyfan, Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia;
Mr. Joe Cannataci,Special Rapporteur on the right to privacy;
Ms. Siobhán Mullally, Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children;
Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health;
Ms. Cecilia Jimenez-Damary, Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons; Members of the Working Group on Arbitrary Detention: Ms. Leigh Toomey (Chair-Rapporteur), Ms. Elina Steinerte (Vice-Chair), Mr. José Guevara Bermúdez, Mr. Seong-Phil Hong, Mr. Sètondji Adjovi;
Ms. Irene Khan, Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression.

Indigenous Peoples

USAID Launches its First Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
August 10, 2020
Statement by USAID Acting Administrator Barsa
The launch of the Policy on Promoting the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (PRO-IP) is a historic step for the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This groundbreaking policy represents the first time the Agency has laid out specific guidance for how we globally engage, work with, and empower Indigenous Peoples in a systematic way. Efforts are already under way to build institutional capacities in the Amazon Basin and in Nicaragua, support the Batwa from the Congo Basin to reduce the threat of deforestation and commercial bushmeat trade, improve livelihoods and food security across 237 Indigenous Peoples communities in Paraguay, and promote rights awareness at the government level in Uganda.

PRO-IP recognizes the value of Indigenous Peoples’ own decision-making processes, expertise as environmental and cultural stewards, and aspirations as rightful leaders for their development priorities. Further, it recognizes that they should be critical partners with USAID in the conservation of cultural and natural resources. PRO-IP builds on USAID’s experience in supporting Indigenous Peoples’ rights, consistent with our strategic approach to empower individuals and communities through helping governments, civil society including faith-based organizations, and the private sector on the Journey to Self-Reliance.

USAID is also pleased to announce the creation of the first global public-private partnership for Indigenous Peoples. Under USAID’s Global Development Alliance (GDA), the Indigenous Peoples Alliance for Rights and Development Program will provide technical support to our Missions globally to implement PRO-IP effectively.

Featured Journal Content

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/

Collective property rights reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon
Kathryn Baragwanath and Ella Bayi
PNAS first published August 11, 2020. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1917874117
Significance
Deforestation in the Amazon has reached record highs in 2019 and poses a serious threat to climate change. In Brazil, about 2 million hectares of indigenous land are still awaiting homologation, and thus do not have their full property rights. We find that granting property rights significantly reduces the levels of deforestation inside indigenous territories, and the results are of significant orders of magnitude. Our local effects indicate that areas of land right inside a territory with full property rights experience significantly less deforestation than those right outside of the border. Collective property rights might thus provide an effective way to reduce deforestation in the Brazilian Amazon.
Abstract
In this paper, we draw on common-pool resource theory to argue that indigenous territories, when granted full property rights, will be effective at curbing deforestation. Using satellite data, we test the effect of property rights on deforestation between 1982 and 2016. In order to identify causal effects, we combine a regression discontinuity design with the orthogonal timing of homologation. We find that observations inside territories with full property rights show a significant decrease in deforestation, while the effect does not exist in territories without full property rights. While these are local average treatment effects, our results suggest that not only do indigenous territories serve a human-rights role, but they are a cost-effective way for governments to preserve their forested areas. First, obtaining full property rights is crucial to recognize indigenous peoples’ original right to land and protect their territories from illegal deforestation. Second, when implemented, indigenous property rights reduce deforestation inside indigenous territories in the Amazon rainforest, and could provide an important positive externality for Brazil and the rest of the world in terms of climate change mitigation.

Gates Open Research
https://gatesopenresearch.org/browse/articles
[Accessed 15 Aug 2020]
Software Tool Article metrics AWAITING PEER REVIEW
Utilizing passive sensing data to provide personalized psychological care in low-resource settings [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]
Prabin Byanjankar, Anubhuti Poudyal, Brandon A Kohrt, Sujen Man Maharjan, Ashley Hagaman, Alastair van Heerden
Peer Reviewers Invited
Funder: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
PUBLISHED 05 Aug 2020
Abstract
Background: With the growing ubiquity of smartphones and wearable devices, there is an increased potential of collecting passive sensing data in mobile health. Passive data such as physical activity, Global Positioning System (GPS), interpersonal proximity, and audio recordings can provide valuable insight into the lives of individuals. In mental health, these insights can illuminate behavioral patterns, creating exciting opportunities for mental health service providers and their clients to support pattern recognition and problem identification outside of formal sessions. In the Sensing Technologies for Maternal Depression Treatment in Low Resource Settings (StandStrong) project, our aim was to build an mHealth application to facilitate the delivery of psychological treatments by lay counselors caring for adolescent mothers with depression in Nepal.
Methods: This paper describes the development of the StandStrong platform comprising the StandStrong Counselor application, and a cloud-based processing system, which can incorporate any tool that generates passive sensing data. We developed the StandStrong Counselor application that visualized passively collected GPS, proximity, and activity data. In the app, GPS data displays as heat maps, proximity data as charts showing the mother and child together or apart, and mothers’ activities as activity charts. Lay counselors can use the StandStrong application during counseling sessions to discuss mothers’ behavioral patterns and clinical progress over the course of a five-week counseling intervention. Awards based on collected data also can be automatically generated and sent to mothers. Additionally, messages can be sent from counselors to mother’s personal phones through the StandStrong platform.
Discussion: The StandStrong platform has the potential to improve the quality and effectiveness of psychological services delivered by non-specialists in diverse global settings.

Featured Journal Content

The Lancet
Aug 15, 2020 Volume 396 Number 10249 p447-512
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Editorial
Humanitarian crises in a global pandemic
The Lancet
On Aug 19, the world will mark a UN World Humanitarian Day very different from any other. But while COVID-19 captures the world’s focus, other humanitarian crises also need attention, as evidenced most recently by the tragic aftermath of the explosion in Beirut.

Even before COVID-19, 2020 was going to be a year marked by humanitarian need. Mark Lowcock, head of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), predicted that in 2020 “168 million people worldwide will need humanitarian assistance and protection. That represents about one person in 45 on the planet. It is the highest figure in decades.” Conflict in Yemen, Syria, DR Congo, the Sahel, and elsewhere is driving food shortages and displacement of people—the UN estimated that 80% of Yemenis require urgent humanitarian aid. Deepening economic crises, such as in Venezuela, are causing hunger and mass migration, and climate change is increasing the risk of natural disasters, famine, and drought. There were 79·5 million forcibly displaced people by the end of 2019, and access to health care is often poor in these settings; 80% of all refugees live in low-income and middle-income countries with weak health systems.

COVID-19 is exacerbating the inequalities faced by individuals and families in humanitarian crises. With national governments looking inwards and putting their own citizens first, people in need of humanitarian assistance are being neglected.

As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread, governments worldwide have introduced travel restrictions, inadver tently stopping aid workers from travelling, and thereby hampering humanitarian responses. In some cases, aid workers already in-country cannot deliver vital services because of government restrictions aimed at protecting their own citizens. In Greece, asylum seekers and migrants are still under strict lockdown regulations as the rest of the country returns to normality, limiting their access to basic services. Globally, the risk of starvation in some camps because of a lack of access to aid constitutes a bigger threat than the virus itself, according to Amnesty International.

An interruption of aid means even less access to soap and water, which is important for controlling the spread of COVID-19. Other non-pharmaceutical interventions—physical distancing and avoiding crowds and indoor spaces—are unsuitable in many humanitarian settings. Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh, for example, has a population density of 40 000 people per km2, 40 times more than the country as a whole. Isolating confirmed cases is extremely difficult under these circumstances, and personal protective equipment is often difficult to obtain because countries have introduced export restrictions.

Governments are also using the pandemic as an excuse to advance anti-migrant agendas under the flimsy pretext of protecting their citizens from COVID-19. The USA suspended asylum and large swaths of the immigration programme, despite having the highest number of COVID-19 cases in the world. Since March 20, the Trump administration has turned back more than 20 000 migrants at the US border, which is a violation of domestic and international legal obligations. In Bosnia, local authorities cut off the water supply to migrant populations to force them to move on.

Humanitarian organisations are responding, and the pandemic is giving them a chance to develop new ways of working. Whether moving to offering more services remotely, giving patients more medicines at a time to minimise contact, or using their experiences to develop tailored local responses, these organisations will keep trying to better serve people in humanitarian crises. But they cannot succeed unsupported.

UNOCHA suggests that the global COVID-19 humanitarian response plan will cost US$10·3 billion, but only 20% has so far been pledged. By contrast, in just 2 months, governments spent $10 trillion on economic stimuli for their own economies. COVID-19 will worsen health burdens in humanitarian settings, and international disputes over resources have left people in these settings without support. This is nonsensical. If nothing else, COVID-19 is likely to persist in humanitarian settings where health care is poor even if the rest of the world moves on, constantly risking another outbreak.

As states find themselves consumed with their own more immediate problems, they must remember that other humanitarian crises around the world have not diminished, and that the inequality exacerbated by COVID-19 is not resolved by myopically focusing on local problems. True concern for inequality demands attention to all the world’s humanitarian needs.

Milestones :: Perspectives :: Research

INCB, WHO and UNODC statement on access to internationally controlled medicines during COVID-19 pandemic
Scope (COVID-19 and non-COVID-19 patients affected by the pandemic)
14 August 2020 Statement
The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB), the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) call on governments to ensure that the procurement and supply of controlled medicines in countries meet the needs of patients, both those who have COVID-19 and those who require internationally controlled medicines for other medical conditions.

There is a need to ensure access to controlled medicines such as sedatives and analgesics for intubation protocols for the treatment of patients with COVID-19. Non-COVID patients continue to require controlled medicines for the management of pain and palliative care, surgical care and anaesthesia, mental health and neurological conditions, and for the treatment of drug use disorders.

It is important to remember the needs of existing patients who require controlled medicines for the management of these health conditions. These patients faced barriers to accessing controlled medicines before the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic has further resulted in interruptions of the medicines supply chain, and it is critical that access to essential health services and medications not be forgotten or de-prioritised during this pandemic.

Need for equitable access
As the pandemic increasingly affects countries with under-resourced health infrastructure and services, it is an ethical imperative to ensure that all people in all countries of the world are able to access essential medicines. This includes those medicines that are under international control.

Governments should ensure that sufficient quantities of internationally controlled medicines, of assured quality, are available and affordable to people under medical care.  Throughout the duration of the pandemic and beyond the acute phase of burden on the healthcare infrastructure, it is critical that governments work cooperatively to ensure that no country, no region, no district, no city and no patient is left behind. Competent national authorities, manufacturers, suppliers and distributors play a crucial role in ensuring that internationally controlled medicines urgently needed for medical treatment are available within and across national borders.  The supply chain is the foundation of quality medical care because without the necessary supplies, including essential controlled medicines, patients will suffer.

Solutions to address barriers
Governments are reminded that in acute emergencies, it is possible under the International Drug Control Conventions to utilize simplified control procedures for the export, transportation and supply of medicinal products containing controlled substances, especially in those cases where the competent authorities in the importing countries may not be operating at full capacity. Competent national authorities may permit the export of medicines containing narcotic drugs and/or psychotropic substances to affected areas even in the absence of the corresponding import authorizations and/or estimates. Urgent deliveries do not need to be included in the estimates of the receiving countries affected by emergencies. When possible, competent national authorities are also encouraged to issue electronic import and export authorizations through the INCB International Import and Export Authorization System (I2ES), PEN Online and share related contingency measures in the forum therein.

Countries should ease COVID-19 related transport restrictions for controlled medicines and consider local production solutions when feasible, to meet the COVID-19 driven demand spikes.

To assist countries as they work to find solutions to the lack of access and availability of controlled medicines, the three organizations suggest the following technical assistance and support documents:
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to the Guide on Estimating Requirements for Substances under International Control developed by the International Narcotics Control Board and the World Health Organization for use by Competent National Authorities.
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to WHO’s toolkit on the clinical care of severe acute respiratory infections, which includes guidance on the use of controlled medicines for the treatment of COVID-19 patients.
:: Countries are further advised to utilize WHO’s operational guidance for maintaining essential services during an outbreak to balance the demands of responding to the COVID-19 pandemic whilst simultaneously ensuring that essential health services and provision of medication for other ongoing medical conditions are maintained.
:: Countries are encouraged to refer to normative guidance such as the WHO List of Essential Medicines and guidelines for the pharmacological and radiotherapeutic management of cancer pain in adults and adolescents.
:: Countries are further advised to refer to and utilize the strategies presented in UNODC’s Technical Guidance: Increasing Access and Availability of Controlled Medicines developed in collaboration with experts, civil society partners and other international partners.
:: Under the UNODC-WHO-UICC Joint Global Program, countries are encouraged to reach out to UNODC and WHO for technical assistance and support at the national level that also involves civil society partners.

Conclusions
The work of doctors, nurses, and health care professionals in general, who provide treatment and care to people including the most vulnerable, needs to be supported and safe and effective medicines should be available, accessible and affordable at all times for people who need them.

INCB, WHO and UNODC are committed to continue to work together to address this critical issue and will expand joint efforts to engage with other partners and increase advocacy and technical assistance to countries for improving access to controlled medicines during the COVID-19 pandemic and mitigate barriers to ensure that both patients affected by COVID-19 or by other non-COVID-related conditions requiring medicines under international control have access to these medicines when they need them.

EMERGENCIES

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

Situation report – 208
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
15 August 2020

Confirmed cases :: 21 026 758 [week ago: 19 187 943 ]
Confirmed deaths :: 755 786 [week ago: 716 075]

Highlights [selected]
:: The International Narcotics Control Board, World Health Organization, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime have released a statement calling on governments to ensure that the procurement and supply of controlled medicines in countries meet the needs of patients, both those who have COVID-19 and those who require internationally controlled medicines for other medical conditions.

:: While several countries i n the Americas have implemented innovative strategies to boost immunization programmes during the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns about risk of exposure, as well as challenges accessing services during lockdown, have led to a reduction in vaccination coverage. This was shown in a series of surveys carried out by the WHO Regional Office for the Americas.

:: Africa is marking six months since the first cases of COVID-19 were detected on the continent. Cases have been gradually increasing, with South Africa bearing the brunt of the crisis, with over hal f a mi l lion cases and 11 000 deaths

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Access/Procurement/Supply

CEPI reserves manufacturing capacity for COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience
13 Aug 2020
:: Vaccine manufacturing capacity in 2020 and 2021 has been reserved for vaccines designated by CEPI.
:: Reserved manufacturing capacity at SK bioscience will support COVAX goal to produce 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2021.
August 13 2020, Oslo, Norway– An agreement between CEPI and SK bioscience Co. Ltd. (SK bioscience) has secured capacity to manufacture COVID-19 vaccines at SK bioscience’s facilities in South Korea, supporting the goal of CEPI and its COVAX partners to produce 2 billion doses of safe and effective vaccine by the end of 2021.
Under the terms of the agreement, SK bioscience will reserve manufacturing capacity in 2020 and 2021 exclusively for the development and production of COVID-19 vaccines designated by CEPI. CEPI has an option to extend the reservation of manufacturing capacity beyond 2021, should it be needed…

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 12 August 2020
:: A cVDPV2 outbreak has been detected in Sudan. WHO and UNICEF are working closely with the Ministry of Health to plan and launch an effective outbreak response to limit virus spread.
:: Polio vaccination campaigns continue to resume in countries worldwide in the context of strict COVID-19 infection prevention and control measures. This week a campaign will go ahead in some areas of Pakistan, the second held in the nation since campaigns resumed in July.
:: Dr. Joanna Nikulin has been appointed as the Coordinator of the GPEI Hub in Amman, Jordan, effective immediately. Dr. Nikulin has over 15 years of experience in polio eradication, immunization and child health, and has served in some of the most challenging settings worldwide. She has been acting as the interim Hub Coordinator since September 2019.
:: Tributes have been paid by the polio programme to David Newberry, fondly remembered as the ‘father of the Core Group Polio Project’. After years spent eradicating smallpox and fighting guinea worm, David turned his determination and expertise to the battle against polio. Under his leadership, immense progress was made against polio in countries including Angola, India, Ethiopia, Uganda, Bangladesh and Nepal. Colleagues of David extend their deepest sympathies to his family and friends, and remember him fondly here.

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: 14 cVDPV2 cases and eight cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: five WPV1 positive environmental samples and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Chad: five cVDPV2 cases
:: Cote d’Ivoire: six cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): one cVDPV2 case
:: Ethiopia: two cVDPV2 cases
:: Mali: two cVDPV2 positive environmental samples
:: Sudan: three cVDPV2 positive environmental samples

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Polio vaccination campaigns resume in Afghanistan and Pakistan after COVID-19 disruptions leave 50 million children unimmunized
KATHMANDU, 11 August 2020 – Polio immunization campaigns have resumed in Afghanistan and Pakistan – the last two polio-endemic countries in the world – months after COVID-19 left 50 million children without their polio vaccine.

In Afghanistan, polio immunization programmes restarted in three provinces in July. A second campaign covering almost half of the country will start this month. In Pakistan, an initial round of vaccinations took place at the end of July, covering about 780,000 children. A nationwide vaccination campaign is slated to start later this month.

“These life-saving vaccinations are critical if children are to avoid yet another health emergency,” said Jean Gough, UNICEF Regional Director for South Asia. “As the world has come to see only too well, viruses know no borders and no child is safe from polio until every child is safe.”…

Child vaccination drives, including polio campaigns, were halted in both Afghanistan and Pakistan in March 2020 to avoid the risk of COVID-19 transmission to children, caregivers and vaccinators themselves. As a result, reported polio cases have reached 34 in Afghanistan and 63 in Pakistan, including in some previously polio-free parts of the country…

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Emergencies

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

Last WHO Situation Report published 23 June 2020

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 15 Aug 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 15 Aug 2020]
Iraq
:: WHO and Ministry of Health launch second phase of COVID-19 awareness-raising campaign
Baghdad, Iraq, 10 August 2020 – Yesterday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Ministry of Health of Iraq launched the second phase of a COVID-19 awareness-raising campaign in the heavily populated, high-risk areas of Thi Qar and Missan, south of Baghdad. The campaign “Your health is important” will be extended later in the month to Basra, Wasit, and to Sulaymaniyah, north of the capital Baghdad…

Measles in Europe
:: Measles and rubella elimination: verification process continues amid COVID-19 pandemic 13-08-2020

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
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 15 Aug 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. 
Yemen
:: 12 August 2020 Yemen: COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Monthly Report (July 2020)

Syrian Arab Republic
– 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.
East Africa Locust Infestation
::  Desert Locust situation update – 14 August 2020

COVID-19
:: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) Situation Report 40: occupied Palestinian territory, issued 13 August 2020, information for period: 5 March – 13 August 2020

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 8 August 2020 :: Number 328

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 8 Aug 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

Lebanon

Beirut explosion: Donors pledge aid for Lebanon but want reform
BBC News, 9 Aug 2020
International donors have pledged a quarter of a billion euros in aid for Lebanon five days after the explosion which devastated a swathe of Beirut. But an online donor summit arranged by France called at the same time for reforms to be made….

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Statement by IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva on the International Conference on Support to Beirut and the Lebanese People
August 9, 2020
Washington, DC: Ms. Kristalina Georgieva, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), made the following statement today at the end of the high-level “International Conference on Support to Beirut and the Lebanese People” after the August 4 explosion:
“I would like to thank French President Emmanuel Macron for bringing us together just days after the devastating explosion in Beirut and express heartfelt solidarity with the Lebanese people. It is a terrible tragedy, coming at a terrible time. Lebanon has been struggling with profound economic and social challenges, aggravated by a pandemic, but even more so by the shortage of political will to adopt and implement meaningful reforms the people of Lebanon have been calling for. This is the moment for Lebanese policymakers to unite and address the severe economic and social crisis. It is also a moment for the international community to stand by the country and its people – with urgent humanitarian assistance, and support for reforms to pull Lebanon from the brink of economic collapse.

“Over the last months we have been engaged intensely with the Lebanese authorities, as well as with civil society and the international community, on a reform package aimed at addressing the deepening crisis, strengthening governance and accountability, and restoring confidence in the economy. Unfortunately these discussions have yet to yield results.

“We are ready to redouble our efforts. But we need unity of purpose in Lebanon—we need all institutions to come together determined to carry out much needed reforms.

“First, to restore the solvency of public finances and the soundness of the financial system. Current and future generations of Lebanese must not be saddled with more debts than they can ever repay. This is why the IMF requires debt sustainability as a condition for lending. And the financial system must be solvent—those who benefitted from past excessive returns need to share the burden of bank recapitalization, to protect the life savings of the vast majority of ordinary Lebanese depositors.

“Second, to put in place temporary safeguards to avoid continued capital outflows that would further undermine the financial system while reforms are taking hold. This includes adopting legislation to formalize capital controls in the banking system and eliminate the current multiple exchange rate system to help protect Lebanon’s international reserves while reducing rent-seeking and corruption.

“Third, upfront steps to reduce the protracted losses in many state-owned enterprises. There must be more predictability, transparency, and accountability—with comprehensive audits of key institutions, including the central bank.

“Finally, an expanded social safety net has to be in place to protect the most vulnerable people. They must not be asked to bear the brunt of this crisis.

“Commitment to these reforms will unlock billions of dollars for the benefit of the Lebanese people. This is the moment for the country’s policymakers to act decisively. We stand ready to help.”

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Press briefing note on Lebanon – UN OHCHR
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
7 August 2020
This week’s horrific blast in Beirut has brought into sharp focus the need for the international community to step up and help Lebanon and its people at their time of crisis. Only a swift international response and sustained engagement will prevent many more lives being lost.

Four weeks ago, the High Commissioner issued a stark warning that the situation in Lebanon was fast spiralling out of control. Then, she urged the Government, political parties and leaders to enact urgently needed reforms and to address essential needs such as shelter, food, electricity, health and education.

In her statement on July 10, the High Commissioner pointed to the situation of the most vulnerable. Today, every Lebanese is weighing how they will manage going forward after the triple tragedy of the socio-economic crisis, COVID-19 and the ammonium nitrate explosion.

With large swathes of the city unfit to live in, the country’s principle port all but destroyed and the health system on its knees, the situation is dire. Victims’ calls for accountability must be heard, including through undertaking an impartial, independent, thorough and transparent investigation into the explosion.

As the city and the country rebuilds, the need to protect the rights of the poorest and most vulnerable through collective action and reform, will be more important than ever.

This tragic event must be a turning point for the country’s leaders to overcome political stalemates and address the grievances of the population first aired during the protests in October 2019.

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UNESCO convenes partners to coordinate support for cultural heritage after the tragic explosion in Beirut
08/7/2020
While reiterating expressions of condolence and solidarity with the people of Lebanon in the wake of the tragic explosions in Beirut on 4 August 2020, UNESCO is taking action and organizing a meeting on 10 August together with the Directorate General of Antiquities in the Ministry of Culture of Lebanon, and its partners – ALIPH, ARC-WH, Blue Shield, ICCROM, ICOM, and ICOMOS – to jointly assess the situation and determine how the international community can support Lebanon in its efforts to safeguard the invaluable cultural heritage of Beirut.

The explosions destroyed a number of cultural assets in Beirut, which are a testimony to the country’s rich culture, identity and history. Important museums and galleries including the Sursock Museum and the Archaeological Museum of the American University in Beirut, as well as the urban cultural heritage districts of Gemmayzeh and Mar-Mikhaël, are among the sites that are reported to be severely damaged. Other galleries such as Malerie Marfa and Galerie Tanit are reported to be completely destroyed.

Culture and heritage are fundamental to societies and give strength and comfort to communities emerging from loss and tragedy. While humanitarian needs are of immediate concern, the protection and rehabilitation of cultural heritage and the prevention of further damage and loss are important for the longer-term recovery of the city and its people. This first coordination meeting aims to identify concrete measures that can be proposed to the Lebanese Government as well as local authorities and institutions in Beirut.

UNESCO stands ready to assist the people of Lebanon as they recover from this tragic incident.

Human Rights –Child Labour

ILO Child Labour Convention achieves universal ratification
04 August 2020
All 187 member States of the International Labour Organization (ILO) have ratified the ILO Convention on the Worst Forms of Child Labour, 1999 (No. 182).

GENEVA (ILO News) – For the first time in the ILO’s history, an International Labour Convention has been ratified by all member States. Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour achieved universal ratification, following ratification by the Kingdom of Tonga.

The Convention is the most rapidly ratified Convention in the history of the Organization, since its adoption 21 years ago by the International Labour Conference.

“Universal ratification of Convention 182 is an historic first that means that all children now have legal protection against the worst forms of child labour,” said ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. “It reflects a global commitment that the worst forms of child labour, such as slavery, sexual exploitation, the use of children in armed conflict or other illicit or hazardous work that compromises children’s health, morals or psychological wellbeing, have no place in our society.”…

The ILO estimates that there are 152 million children in child labour , 73 million of whom are in hazardous work. Seventy per cent of all child labour takes place in agriculture and is mostly related to poverty and parents’ difficulties finding decent work.

Convention No. 182 calls for the prohibition and elimination of the worst forms of child labour, including slavery, forced labour and trafficking. It prohibits the use of children in armed conflict, prostitution, pornography and illicit activities such as drug trafficking, and in hazardous work…

“Ending child labour by 2025 in all its forms” is included under Target 8.7 of the Sustainable Development Goals , adopted by all UN Member States in 2015. The global partnership, Alliance 8.7 , for which the ILO provides the Secretariat, brings together over 250 partners and 21 Pathfinder Countries to coordinate, innovate and accelerate progress to end child labour, forced labour, human trafficking and modern slavery. The universal ratification of Convention No. 182 demonstrates the will of all ILO member States to ensure that every child, everywhere, is free from child labour and its worst forms.

This landmark achievement comes just months before the start of the International Year for the Elimination of Child Labour in 2021 , to be led by the ILO in collaboration with partners. Its aim is to raise awareness of the issue and to help accelerate the pace of progress.

Heritage Stewardship – Biodiversity

Biodiversity high on standards agenda
A new expert committee on biodiversity just formed.
International Organization for Standardization (ISO)
By Clare Naden on 4 August 2020

Biodiversity ensures life. It creates the air that we breathe, the food that we eat, the medicines that save lives and the water we so badly rely on. But over-exploitation of land and species, intensive farming, pollution and climate change have eroded biodiversity to the point that we are now faced with natural disasters, food and water shortages, zoonoses and more. Strengthening biodiversity, therefore, is fundamental to sustainable development.

Recognizing this, ISO has just formed a committee of experts from all over the world dedicated to developing standards that help organizations do just that. ISO/TC 331, Biodiversity, will be chaired by AFNOR, ISO’s member for France, and intends to provide a holistic approach by bringing together, and expanding on, existing national and international expertise to address biodiversity issues.

Committee Manager Caroline Lhuillery said the work of ISO/TC 331 will help to encourage organizations, including government and business, to embed biodiversity issues into their strategies, decision making and actions.

“Some three-quarters of the world’s land and two-thirds of the marine environment have been significantly modified by human intervention, creating real dangers for our populations,” she said.

“The desire is to turn the tables to create a healthier relationship between our economies and our ecosystems, a relationship that encourages the preservation of biodiversity while creating opportunities for sustainable development. A global approach is needed in order to achieve this.”

Future standards from the committee will include standardized terms and definitions to be used globally, methodologies for impact analysis, frameworks for defining strategies and action plans, monitoring and reporting tools, and more. ISO/TC 331 also intends to develop guidelines on specific biodiversity issues such as ecological engineering, nature-based solutions and relevant technologies.

The new committee’s outputs will be useful to national and local authorities, businesses and other relevant organizations to improve their current activities related to biodiversity and facilitate the development of new products and initiatives.

Use of the future standards will enable organizations to directly contribute to the United Nation’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 13 (Climate Action), SDG 14 (Life below Water) and SDG 15 (Life on Land). The committee’s work will also indirectly benefit the remaining SDGs, as all human activities depend on biodiversity. Those interested in contributing to ISO/TC 331 should contact their national ISO member.

COVID-19 Second Order/Third Order Effects – Education

UN Secretary-General warns of education catastrophe, pointing to UNESCO estimate of 24 million learners at risk of dropping out
Press release 08/6/2020
UN Secretary-General António Guterres today launched the Education in the time of COVID-19 and beyond Policy Brief warning that the pandemic has created the most severe disruption in the world’s education systems in history and is threatening a loss of learning that may stretch beyond one generation of students. School closures are also likely to erase decades of progress, according to the Policy Brief, which builds on UNESCO’s data and features recommendations on ways to avert the looming catastrophe.

UNESCO led the drafting of the Secretary-General’s Policy Brief which contains inputs from 15 sister organizations…

The Brief calls for national authorities and the international community to come together to place education at the forefront of recovery agendas and protect investment in education. With this objective, UNESCO will convene a special session of the Global Education Meeting before the end of the year.

UNESCO data shows that nearly 1.6 billion learners in more than 190 countries, 94% of the world’s student population, were affected by the closure of educational institutions at the peak of the crisis, a figure that stands at 1 billion today. As many as 100 countries have yet to announce a date for schools to reopen.

The Policy Brief points to UNESCO’s projections whereby 24 million learners from pre-primary to tertiary education risk not finding their way back to their studies in 2020 following the COVID-19-induced closures. The largest share of learners at risk, 5.9 million, live in South and West Asia. Another 5.3 million students at risk are in sub-Saharan Africa. Both regions faced severe educational challenges even before the pandemic, which is likely to worsen their situation considerably.

According to UNESCO, tertiary education is likely to experience the highest dropout rate and a projected 3.5% decline in enrolment, resulting in 7.9 million fewer students. Pre-primary education is the second worst affected level with a projected 2.8% decline in enrolment, i.e. 5 million fewer children attending. According to these projections, 0.27% of primary and 1.48% of secondary education students, corresponding to 5.2 million girls and 5.7 million boys at both levels, risk dropping out of school.

“These findings emphasize the urgent need to ensure the continuity of learning for all in the face of this unprecedented crisis, in particular the most vulnerable,” says UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay. “The Brief calls to protect investment in education at all levels, and warns that according to UNESCO estimates, the pandemic will increase the gap in funding needed to reach the internationally agreed 2030 Sustainable Development Goal on Education (SDG4) in low and lower-middle income countries by one third, from the already staggering shortfall of USD 148 billion.”..

The Brief makes recommendations in four areas to mitigate the effects of the pandemic:
[1] Suppress transmission of the virus and plan thoroughly for school reopening: this covers health and safety measures, attention to the needs of marginalized children and joint planning and consultation with teachers, parents and communities The UN has issued guidance to help governments in this complex endeavour.

[2] Protect education financing and coordinate for impact: despite public spending constraints, national authorities must protect education budgets and include education in COVID stimulus packages. The international community must protect official development assistance for education. Relieving, postponing and restructuring debt for low and lower-middle income countries is part of the solution to help countries invest in education.

[3] Strengthen the resilience of education systems for equitable and sustainable development: Building back resilience requires a priority focus on equity and inclusion, with measures to address the needs of the most marginalized and vulnerable learners and to ensure that economic strains and gender norms do not prevent girls from returning to school. Risk management capacities need to be reinforced at all levels.

[4] Reimagine education and accelerate positive change in teaching and learning: The scale of innovations made in a short time to ensure learning continuity proves that change can happen quickly. They have set the ground to reimagine education and build systems that are more forward-looking, inclusive, flexible and resilient. Solutions must address learning losses, preventing dropouts, particularly of the most marginalized, and ensuring the social and emotional welfare of students, teachers and staff. Other priorities include better support to the teaching profession, removing barriers to connectivity, investing in digital technologies and flexible learning pathways.

The UN Policy Brief is being launched alongside #SaveOurFuture, a multi-partner campaign led by ten entities, including UNESCO, to raise awareness of the global education emergency and urge increased investment to build better, more inclusive and resilient education systems for the future.
:: Secretary-General’s Policy Brief on Education and COVID-19

COVID-19 – Humanitarian Exemptions

UN Experts: Sanctions proving deadly during COVID pandemic, humanitarian exemptions not working
Geneva (7 August 2020) – People in countries under sanctions cannot protect themselves against COVID-19 or get life-saving treatment if they fall ill because humanitarian exemptions to the sanctions are not working, UN human rights experts* said today.

“Sanctions are bringing suffering and death in countries like Cuba, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Venezuela and Yemen,” said Alena Douhan, special rapporteur on the negative impact of unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights. “Sanctions should be lifted – or at a minimum eased – so people can get basics like soap and disinfectants to stay healthy, and so that hospitals can get ventilators and other equipment to keep people alive.”

Nothing has improved, she said, since she called in April for lifting of all unilateral sanctions that prevent sanctioned states from adequately fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, or since the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies made a similar appeal.

“Sanctions that were imposed in the name of delivering human rights are in fact killing people and depriving them of fundamental rights, including the rights to health, to food and to life itself,” said Douhan and other UN experts. Water, soap, and electricity needed by hospitals, fuel for delivering vital goods, and food are all in short supply because of the sanctions.

“We renew our call for sanctioning countries to urgently lift, suspend or minimize their sanctions so that medicine, medical equipment, food and fuel can get through,” the experts said.

They welcomed efforts by many states, intergovernmental organizations and nongovernmental organizations to try to help sanctioned countries fight COVID-19. “We particularly welcome the willingness of the European Union, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Russia, China, the United States and other donors to ship much needed medical supplies.”

However, in place of time-consuming and often costly procedures for getting humanitarian exemptions to sanctions, the UN experts said exemptions should be granted on the presumption that the stated purpose is actually humanitarian, with a burden of proof on others to show it is not.

“To guarantee human rights and solidarity in the course of the pandemic, licenses for delivery of humanitarian aid should be provided in the easiest way – preferably automatically upon request,” Douhan said. “Individuals and humanitarian organizations involved in the delivery of such aid should in no way be subjected to secondary sanctions.”

*The experts: Ms Alena Douhan, Special Rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights; Mr. Obiora Okafor, the Independent Expert on human rights and international solidarity; Ms. Tlaleng Mofokeng, Special Rapporteur on the right to physical and mental health; Mr. Michael Fakhri, Special Rapporteur on the right to food; Ms Agnès Callamard, Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

EMERGENCIES

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

Situation report – 201
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
8 August 2020

Confirmed cases :: 19 187 943 [week ago: 17 396 943]
Confirmed deaths :: 716 075 [week ago: 635 173]

Highlights [selected]
:: WHO has published guidance on the public health surveillance of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in humans caused by infection with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). This document combines and supersedes the Global surveillance guidance for COVID-19 caused by human infection with COVID-19 virus: Interim guidance, and Surveillance strategies for COVID-19 human infection: Interim Guidance 10 May 2020.

:: A plane carrying 20 tonnes of trauma and surgical supplies from WHO has landed in Beirut, Lebanon to support the treatment of patients injured by the blast which occurred in the city on 4 August. This latest emergency has occurred at a time of recent civil unrest, economic crisis, the COVID-19 outbreak and heavy refugee burden. “We are in this together, and we are committed to supporting Lebanon in this very difficult time” said Dr Najat Rochdi, UN Resident Coordinator in Lebanon…

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COVID-19 Vaccines – Access/Procurement/Supply

Up to 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses to be made available for low- and middle-income countries as early as 2021
:: New landmark collaboration between the Serum Institute of India (SII), Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to accelerate manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries in 2021

:: Vaccines will be priced at maximum US$ 3 per dose and made available to up to 92 countries included in Gavi’s COVAX Advance Market Commitment (AMC)

:: Dr Seth Berkley: New collaboration will help “ensure we have additional manufacturing capacity to begin producing doses for every country, not just the wealthy few”

Geneva, 7 August 2020 – A new landmark collaboration between SII, the world’s largest vaccine manufacturer by volume, Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation will accelerate the manufacture and delivery of up to 100 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines for low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as part of the Gavi COVAX AMC, a mechanism within the COVAX Facility.

The collaboration will provide upfront capital to SII to help them increase manufacturing capacity now so that, once a vaccine, or vaccines, gains regulatory approval and WHO Prequalification, doses can be produced at scale for distribution to LMIC countries as part of the Gavi COVAX AMC mechanism as early as the first half of 2021.

“Too many times we’ve seen the most vulnerable countries left at the back of the queue when it comes to new treatments, new diagnostics and new vaccines,” said Dr Seth Berkley, CEO of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance. “With COVID-19 vaccines we want things to be different. If only the wealthiest countries in the world are protected, then international trade, commerce and society as a whole will continue to be hit hard as the pandemic continues to rage across the globe. This new collaboration is an important step in our efforts to prevent this from happening, helping to ensure we have additional manufacturing capacity to begin producing doses for every country, not just the wealthy few. We now need other vaccine manufacturers to step up and follow SII’s lead.”

The funding will help de-risk manufacturing by SII for candidate vaccines from AstraZeneca and Novavax, which will be available for procurement if they are successful in attaining full licensure and WHO Prequalification. SII has set a ceiling price of US$ 3 per dose, a price enabled by investments made by partners such as CEPI and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The arrangement also provides an option to secure additional doses if the vaccines pillar of the ACT Accelerator sees a need for it.

“In an attempt to make our fight against COVID-19 stronger and all-embracing; SII has partnered with Gavi and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to advance the manufacturing and delivery of up to 100 million doses of future COVID vaccines for low and middle income countries in 2021,” said Adar Poonawalla, CEO of Serum Institute of India. “The rampant spread of the virus has rendered the entire world in an unimaginable halt of uncertainty. And to ensure maximum immunization coverage and contain the pandemic, it is important to make sure that the most remote and poorest countries of the world have access to affordable cure and preventive measures. Through this association, we seek to ramp up our constant efforts to save the lives of millions of people from this dreadful disease.”

The Gavi COVAX AMC, which is currently seeking at least US$ 2 billion in initial seed funding, will meet at least part of the cost of procurement for the vaccine doses. Last week the Gavi Board agreed upon the final list of 92 countries that will be supported by the AMC. Under the new collaboration, AstraZeneca’s candidate vaccine, if successful, will be available to 57 Gavi-eligible countries. Novavax’s candidate, if successful, will be available to all 92 countries supported by the AMC. These countries align with SII’s licensing agreements with the two partners.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 5 August 2020

Summary of new WPV and cVDPV viruses this week (AFP cases and environmental samples):
:: Afghanistan: two WPV1 positive environmental samples
:: Pakistan: three WPV1 cases, 12 WPV1 positive environmental samples and one cVDPV2 positive environmental sample
:: Cameroon: one cVDPV2 case
:: Chad: three cVDPV2 cases
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): two cVDPV2 cases

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 8 Aug 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 8 Aug 2020]
Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
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 8 Aug 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 Response Update No. 08 – 4 August 2020
:: Recent Developments in Northwest Syria – Flash Update – As of 07 August 2020

Yemen
:: 05 August 2020 Yemen Humanitarian Update Issue 07 (July 2020)

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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.
East Africa Locust Infestation
::  Desert Locust situation update – 7 August 2020

COVID-19 – No new digest announcements identified

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 1 August 2020 :: Number 327

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 1 Aug 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

Nuclear Era

International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement urges all nations to end the nuclear era
Geneva, 31 July 2020 –Seventy-five years ago, on the morning of August 6, 1945, a B-29 warplane released a terrifying new weapon on Hiroshima.

The nuclear bomb wiped out the city, instantly killing an estimated 70,000 people and leaving tens of thousands more suffering horrific injuries. Three days later, on 9 August, a second nuclear bomb devastated the city of Nagasaki, immediately killing 39,000 people.

By 1950, an estimated 340,000 people had died because of the bombs’ effects, including from illnesses caused by exposure to ionizing radiation. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Japanese Red Cross Society witnessed the unimaginable suffering and devastation, as medical and humanitarian personnel attempted, in near-impossible conditions, to assist the dying and injured.

The 75th anniversary of the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki comes even as the risk of use of nuclear weapons has risen to levels not seen since the end of the Cold War. Military incidents involving nuclear states and their allies have increased in frequency, and nuclear-armed states have made explicit threats to use nuclear weapons.

Additionally, agreements to eliminate existing arsenals are being abandoned as new nuclear weapons are being developed, putting the world on the dangerous path of a new nuclear arms race. These developments add urgency to the international community’s efforts to prohibit and eliminate these unacceptable weapons. The indisputable evidence of their catastrophic impact makes it extremely doubtful that their use could ever comply with international humanitarian law.

“The horror of a nuclear detonation may feel like distant history. But today the risk of nuclear weapons being used again is high. Treaties to reduce nuclear arsenals and risks of proliferation are being abandoned, new types of nuclear weapons are being produced, and serious threats are being made. That’s an arms race, and it’s frightening. We must push all states to ban nuclear weapons and push nuclear weapons states to negotiate, in good faith, steps towards their elimination,” said Peter Maurer, president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

“The international community would not be able to help all those in need after a nuclear blast. Widespread radiation sickness, a decline in food production, and the tremendous scale of destruction and contamination would make any meaningful humanitarian response insufficient. No nation is prepared to deal with a nuclear confrontation,” said Francesco Rocca, president of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC).

Proving the wide support for a nuclear-free world, 122 states in July 2017 adopted the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW). The treaty will become legally binding for countries that ratify it after 50 do so; to date 40 have. The treaty prohibits the development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of nuclear weapons. For nuclear-armed states that join the treaty, it provides for a time-bound framework for the verified elimination of their nuclear weapons program.

Mr Maurer and Mr Rocca commended the states that have already joined the TPNW and encouraged all others to follow suit, ensuring the events of 1945 never occur again. The two leaders said it was crucial that the TPNW becomes a new norm of international humanitarian law.

“Not since the end of the Cold War has it been more urgent to call attention to catastrophic consequences and fundamental inhumanity of nuclear weapons. We must signal in a clear and unambiguous manner that their use, under any circumstances, would be unacceptable in humanitarian, moral and legal terms,” said Mr Rocca.

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 is tens of times greater than the weapons dropped on Nagasaki and Hiroshima.

“Weapons with catastrophic humanitarian consequences cannot credibly be viewed as instruments of security,” said Mr Maurer.

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Featured Journal Content

The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health
Aug 2020 Volume 4 Number 8 p555-640, e26-e34
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanchi/issue/current

Lancet Group Commission
Institutionalisation and deinstitutionalisation of children 2: policy and practice recommendations for global, national, and local actors
Philip S Goldman,, et al
Summary
Worldwide, millions of children live in institutions, which runs counter to both the UN-recognised right of children to be raised in a family environment, and the findings of our accompanying systematic review of the physical, neurobiological, psychological, and mental health costs of institutionalisation and the benefits of deinstitutionalisation of child welfare systems. In this part of the Commission, international experts in reforming care for children identified evidence-based policy recommendations to promote family-based alternatives to institutionalisation. Family-based care refers to caregiving by extended family or foster, kafalah (the practice of guardianship of orphaned children in Islam), or adoptive family, preferably in close physical proximity to the biological family to facilitate the continued contact of children with important individuals in their life when this is in their best interest. 14 key recommendations are addressed to multinational agencies, national governments, local authorities, and institutions. These recommendations prioritise the role of families in the lives of children to prevent child separation and to strengthen families, to protect children without parental care by providing high-quality family-based alternatives, and to strengthen systems for the protection and care of separated children. Momentum for a shift from institutional to family-based care is growing internationally—our recommendations provide a template for further action and criteria against which progress can be assessed.

Viewpoint
The effects of social deprivation on adolescent development and mental health
Amy Orben, Livia Tomova, Sarah-Jayne Blakemore
Summary
Adolescence (the stage between 10 and 24 years) is a period of life characterised by heightened sensitivity to social stimuli and the increased need for peer interaction. The physical distancing measures mandated globally to contain the spread of COVID-19 are radically reducing adolescents’ opportunities to engage in face-to-face social contact outside their household. In this interdisciplinary Viewpoint, we describe literature from a variety of domains that highlight how social deprivation in adolescence might have far-reaching consequences. Human studies have shown the importance of peer acceptance and peer influence in adolescence. Animal research has shown that social deprivation and isolation have unique effects on brain and behaviour in adolescence compared with other stages of life. However, the decrease in adolescent face-to-face contact might be less detrimental due to widespread access to digital forms of social interaction through technologies such as social media. The findings reviewed highlight how physical distancing might have a disproportionate effect on an age group for whom peer interaction is a vital aspect of development.