Corona virus pandemic becoming human right crises: Antonio Guterres

Corona virus pandemic becoming human right crises: Antonio Guterres

Part of: GS-II- UN and COVID-19 (MAINS-PERSONALITY TEST)

“Human rights — civil, cultural, economic, political and social — are both the goal and the path,”
Antonio Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres said that the Corona virus pandemic is a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis. The U N Chief said, there is discrimination in the delivery of public services to tackle COVID-19 and there are structural inequalities that impede access to them.
Mr Guterres said

the pandemic has also seen disproportionate effects on certain communities,
the rise of hate speech,
the targeting of vulnerable groups and
the risks of heavy-handed security responses undermining the health response.

He warned that with rising ethno-nationalism, populism, authoritarianism and a push back against human rights in some countries, the crisis can provide a pretext to adopt repressive measures for purposes unrelated to the pandemic.

Mr Guterres issued a call to action to countries, businesses and people to help renew and revive human rights across the globe, laying out a seven-point plan amid concerns about climate change, conflict and repression.He said, governments must be transparent, responsive and accountable and stressed that press freedom, civil society organizations, the private sector and civic space are essential.

Guterres said any emergency measures — including states of emergency — must be “legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory, have a specific focus and duration, and take the least intrusive approach possible to protect public health.” The report said the best response is proportionate to the immediate threat and protects human rights.

“The message is clear: People — and their rights — must be front and center,” Guterres stressed.

About UNHRC:

Established in 2006 with the aim of promoting and protecting human rights around the globe, as well as investigating alleged human rights violations.

Made up of 47 member states, which are selected by the UN General Assembly on a staggered basis each year for three-year-long terms.

Members meet around three times a year to debate human rights issues and pass non-binding resolutions and recommendations by majority vote.

Members serve for a period of three years and are not eligible for immediate re-election after serving two consecutive terms.

The council also carries out the Universal Periodic Review of all UN member states, which allows civil society groups to bring accusations of human rights violations in member states to the attention of the UN.

Source: U.N web

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