Coronavirus | Human rights more essential now, says U.N.

Document highlights importance of universal access to healthcare as well as protecting livelihoods

Skilled workers prepare personal protective equipment (PPE) suits in the wake of coronavirus pandemic, in Patna on April 23, 2020.

Human rights are needed now more during the COVID-19 pandemic than ever, says a United Nations policy brief released on Thursday.

“This is not a time to neglect human rights; it is a time when, more than ever, human rights are needed to navigate this crisis in a way that will allow us, as soon as possible, to focus again on achieving equitable sustainable development and sustaining peace,” the document titled “COVID-19 and Human Rights: We are all in this together”, it states.

While certain restrictions on movement are permitted under international law for security and national emergency reasons, they should be only for that purpose, proportionate and non-discriminatory. “The availability of effective and generalised testing and tracing, and targeted quarantine measures, can mitigate the need for more indiscriminate restrictions,” it notes.

Apart from restrictions on movement, the U.N. document says, education has been affected with 191 countries closing schools, impacting about 1.6 billion students, which are 91.3% of the world’s total enrolled learners.

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The U.N. highlights the importance of universal access to healthcare as well as protection of livelihood in protecting lives.

“Effective action to mitigate the worst impacts, on jobs, livelihoods, access to basic services and family life, protect people’s lives, enable people to comply with public health measures and ease recovery once these measures can be lifted,” it observes, giving examples of good practices such as providing emergency water supply to slums, suspending evictions for unpaid rent and protecting jobs and wages through measures like universal income and support for employers.

Equitable responses

The responses to the outbreak needs to be equitable. “If the virus persists in one community, it remains a threat to all communities, so discriminatory practices place us all at risk. There are indications that the virus, and its impact, are disproportionately affecting certain communities, highlighting underlying structural inequalities and pervasive discrimination that need to be addressed in the response and aftermath of this crisis.”

While 167 countries have closed borders, “at least 57 states” have not made any exceptions for asylum seekers. This is forcing many people to go back to dangerous environments, it says.

“Authorities need to be open and transparent in their decision-making and willing to listen to and respond to criticism,” it argues.

“It is important that all actors, especially governments, ensure that international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law and standards are at the centre of all COVID-19 responses,” it points out.

Among other pieces of advice are governments should ensure accessible and quality healthcare to all without discrimination, make stimulus packages and other economic measures people-centric, ensure income security and availability of food, water, sanitation and housing.