Health & Well Being

Photo: ECOSOC's 2020 Operational Activities Segment (OAS) on development issues took place through a series of virtual meetings from 19 to 22 May and on 27 May 2020, under the chairmanship of the Deputy Permanent Representative of Mexico, as ECOSOC Vice-President. Credit: UN

COVID-19 Puts to Test the UN Development System

By Elena Marmo, Global Policy Watch (GPW)

This article first appeared in the GPW's blog.

NEW YORK (IDN) – Across the UN System, all hands are on deck to address the impact of COVID-19 from immediate humanitarian and health needs, to medium and longer-term socio-economic policy. Various initiatives are circling one another, raising issues of governance, reporting and accountability. Member States in the ECOSOC Operational Activities Segment explored some of these questions as they related to the UN Development System (UNDS). At the same time, in the 28 May and 2 June meetings on Financing for Development, they also explored policy ideas, with an emphasis on accounting for vulnerability in macroeconomic analysis.

: Opinion Editor; UN INSIDER; 11 June 2020

Image: Extinction Rebellion. Credit: openDemocracy

Out of the Belly of Hell: COVID-19 and the Humanisation of Globalisation – Part 4: Next

Viewpoint by Anthony Barnett*

This article was originally published on openDemocracy. Any views or opinions expressed are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of IDN-InDepth News

LONDON (IDN) – In 1957-58, a flu pandemic killed around million people world-wide. In the UK estimates of the deaths it caused vary from 14,000 to 30,000. Before it arrived from Asia, a British Medical Journal report noted, “The public seems under the impression that nothing can be done to prevent the calamity”, and indeed nothing was done.

In 1968, the Hong Kong or H3N2 flu virus killed over 700,000 people worldwide, around 100,000 in the US. But there were no mass shutdowns of national economies.

: Phil Harris; OPINION; 09 June 2020

Photo: OCHA's Gema Cortés (right) interviews and photographs a woman in Bolivar, Venezuela prior to the outbreak of COVID-19. Credit: UN OCHA/Marrero

How a UN Official Got Out the Right COVID-19 Information from Venezuela

Viewpoint by Gema Cortés

The writer is Public Information Officer, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in Caracas. He contributed the following to UN OCHA on June 1.

CARACAS (IDN) – When I arrived in Venezuela ten months ago, access to basic services and products such as food and medicines was already challenging. Patience and good humour were the formula for overcoming the long queues to pay at the supermarket. In a country where local cash is not operational, credit cards, mobile payments and cryptocurrencies are the only ways to pay.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 05 June 2020

Caribbean Leaders Urge Global Response to COVID Pandemic

Call for Addressing Inequality, Unsustainable Debt and Socio-Economic Disparities

By Reinhard Jacobsen

BRUSSELS | NAIROBI (IDN) – Caribbean leaders have joined the United Nations in calling for solidarity and increased funding, as some of the world’s most vulnerable countries scale up their efforts to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. At a virtual summit in Kenya's capital city, Nairobi, they have highlighted the need for "a truly global response" to the pandemic which is devastating the economic systems around the world, particularly impacting 79 African, Caribbean and Pacific states. They also are stressed the need to "strengthen the multilateralism for development", and engage "our institutions to consider innovative solutions".

: Reinhard Jacobsen; THE WORLD; Latin America & the Caribbean; 04 June 2020

Did Japan Beat COVID-19 with a Decentralized Response?

A Grassroots Movement of Local Actions Has Been Credited for Success.

Viewpoint by Dan Sanchez

The writer is the Director of Content at the Foundation for Economic Education (FEE) and the editor of FEE.org. The article was originally published on FEE.org. It is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

ATLANTA, GA | U.S. (IDN) – Japan's nationwide state of emergency was officially lifted by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on May 25, who declared COVID-19 to be under control in the country. In his announcement of the move, Abe said, "Recently, new infection cases have fallen below 50 for the entire nation, and what was once nearly 10,000 hospitalized cases — that has now fallen below 2,000."

: Opinion Editor; THE WORLD; Asia-Pacific; 31 May 2020

Tackling the COVID-19 Crisis the Wrong Swedish and Effective Indian Way

Viewpoint by Manish Uprety F.R.A.S. and Jainendra Karn *

NEW DELHI (IDN) – Since time immemorial, humanity has confronted natural disasters and pandemics continually, and yet survived. But COVID-19 is unique in the sense that it has shaken and stirred both the UN World Health Organization (WHO) and the world to the core. With over 5.9 million COVID-19 cases and over 362,000 deaths globally, the very experience is the most overwhelming in our living memory.

: Opinion Editor; OPINION; 30 May 2020

Image: This page with Country Data provides access to key UN data resources on COVID-19 including specialized datasets on how COVID-19 has impacted key areas of development on the continent. Credit: Africa UN Knowledge Hub for COVID-19.

New Africa Digital Hub to Offer Quick, Factual Information On COVID-19

By Carla McKirdy

This report by Carla McKirdy first appeared in Africa Renewal, a magazine published by the United Nations in New York. The writer is Associate Information Management Officer at the United Nations, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

ADDIS ABABA (IDN) – As part of a coordinated approach to strengthen developing countries' responses to COVID-19, as well as increase access to lifesaving health technologies, the United Nations has launched a digital hub to circulate much-needed information, fast.

: UN Bureau; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 May 2020

Photo: Collage with focus on Bience Gawanas, Under-Secretary-General and Special Adviser on Africa to the UN Secretary-General with 2020 African Dialogue Series banner on top right. Source: OSAA.

UN Discusses the Challenges of Combating COVID-19 Pandemic and Silencing the Guns in Africa

By Santo D. Banerjee

NEW YORK (IDN) – In opening remarks to the Africa Dialogue Series on "COVID-19 and Silencing the Guns in Africa: Challenges and Opportunities", UN Secretary-General António Guterres said: "The pandemic has exposed the fragility of our societies. It is a global problem that demands a coordinated global response built on unity and solidarity". He commended African Governments for having responded swiftly.

: Santo D. Banerjee; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 29 May 2020

Photo: Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov addressing news conference on BRICS Foreign Ministers online conference. Credit: The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Five-member BRICS Works Out Ways to Combat the COVID-19 Pandemic

By Kester Kenn Klomegah

MOSCOW (IDN) – Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi has urged Brazil, Russia, India and South Africa to join Beijing and "stand firm by multilateralism, by the UN-centered international system" and "champion the approach of consultation and cooperation". China and the four countries comprise BRICS.

The group's member countries collectively represent about 26% of the world's geographical area. They are home to 3.6 billion people, about 42% of the world's population and a combined nominal GDP of $16.6 trillion.

: Kester Kenn Klomegah; SUSTAINABILITY; Health & Well Being; 27 May 2020

COVID-19: How the U.S. Ignored the Chinese and WHO Warnings

Viewpoint by Vijay Prashad*

This article was produced by Globetrotter, a project of the Independent Media Institute.

KOLKATA‎, India (IDN) – On March 20, just after the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global pandemic on March 11, the U.S. National Security Council (NSC) sent a cable to U.S. State Department instructing officials how they should speak about China and the novel coronavirus, according to the Daily Beast, which obtained the cable.