Poorer nations most likely to face covid inequalities: Commonwealth S-G

Agencies

February 24, 2021

Strong leadership fought COVID-19 in Africa: the next step is to harness research

Geneva, Feb 24: Poorer countries will most likely "bear the brunt of hundreds of thousands of needless deaths" due to inequalities in access to COVID-19 vaccines.

This dire warning was given by the Commonwealth Secretary-General Patricia Scotland in a video address to the High-Level Segment at the 46th session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva on Tuesday.

More than 130 high-level dignitaries, including heads of state, foreign ministers and heads of international organisations, spoke during the High-Level Segment.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General said: "COVID-19 has shone a harsh light on health inequalities within and between countries. Nowhere is this more evident than in access to vaccines.

"Although vaccines are a vital lifeline, they remain out of the grasp of far too many.

"Crucially, it means that citizens of the poorest nations may bear the brunt of hundreds of thousands of needless deaths.

"We must not allow this. Leaders of our world must come together to ensure that this does not happen."

The Secretary-General also warned inequitable vaccine access could derail the global economic recovery and make wealthier nations lose money.

She added: "Covid has taught us that in order for any of us to be safe, we all must be safe. We must act together."

This past year has enhanced lingering existential threats, including the climate emergency, the Secretary-General stated.

She reaffirmed the Commonwealth's resolve to support small states and other vulnerable countries to protect the environment and tackle climate change.

The Commonwealth's 54 member countries include 32 small states.

Social injustices, including discrimination, poverty among marginalised communities and violence against women and girls, have also been exacerbated by the pandemic.

The Secretary-General called for inclusive development and multilateral co-operation, stressing that recommitment to human rights must be central to Covid-19 recovery efforts.

She concluded: "Human rights are not the panacea to all challenges brought about by the pandemic, by climate change or by the never-ending list of conflicts across the world. But the last 12 months have taught a painful lesson to humanity. We must learn from experience.

"We have to make human rights central to building back better. Without human rights, humanity is not a sustainable project. We cannot afford to fail."

The Commonwealth is a voluntary association of 54 independent and equal sovereign states. The combined population is 2.4 billion, of which more than 60 per cent is aged 29 or under.

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Hundreds of Palestinian kids kidnapped, imprisoned, tortured by Israel: UN expert expresses shock

News Network

November 14,2024

The UN special rapporteur for Palestine has slammed Israel’s parliament for passing a law authorizing the detention of Palestinian children, who are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” in Israeli custody.

Francesca Albanese, the UN special rapporteur on the rights situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, in a Thursday post on X, characterized the experiences of Palestinian minors in Israeli detention as extreme and often inhumane.

The UN expert highlighted the grave impact of this policy, noting that up to 700 Palestinian minors are taken into custody each year, a practice she described as part of an unlawful occupation that views these children as potential threats.

Albanese said Palestinian minors in Israeli custody are “tormented often beyond the breaking point” and that “generations of Palestinians will carry the scars and trauma from the Israeli mass incarceration system.”

She further criticized the international community for its inaction, suggesting that ongoing diplomatic efforts, which often rely on the idea of resuming negotiations for peace, have contributed to normalizing such human rights violations against Palestinian children and the broader population.

The comments by Albanese came in response to Israel’s parliament (Knesset) passing a law on November 7 that authorizes the detention of Palestinian children under the age of 14 for “terrorism or terrorist activities.”

Under the legislation, a temporary five-year measure, once the individuals turn 14, they will be transferred to adult prison to continue serving their sentences.

Additionally, the law allows for a three-year clause that enables courts to incarcerate minors in adult prisons for up to 10 days if they are considered dangerous. Courts have the authority to extend this duration if necessary, according to the Knesset.

The legislation underscores a shift in the treatment of minors and raises alarms among human rights advocates regarding the legal and ethical ramifications of detaining children and the conditions under which they may be held.

Thousands of Palestinians, including hundreds of children and women, are currently in Israeli jails—around one-third without charge or trial. Also, an unknown number are arbitrarily held following a wave of arrests in the wake of the regime's genocidal war on Gaza.

Since the onset of the Gaza war, the Israeli regime, under the supervision of extremist minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, has turned prisons and detention centers into “death chambers,” the ministry of detainees and ex-detainees’ affairs in Gaza says.

Violence, extreme hunger, humiliation, and other forms of abuse of Palestinian prisoners have been normalized across Israel’s jail system, reports indicate.

Over 270 Palestinian minors are being detained by Israeli authorities, in violation of UN resolutions and international treaties that forbid the incarceration of children, as reported by Palestinian rights organizations.

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