Covid-19 response ineffective, lacking in human rights-based approach – CPDE

NEW YORK - Aug. 2, 2021 - PRLog -- In a recent webinar (https://web.facebook.com/CSOPartnership/videos/796312404650181), global civil society platform CSO Partnership for Development Effectiveness (CPDE) described the pandemic response around the world as ineffective and seriously lacking in terms of human rights and the Leave No One Behind principle, through its research World in lockdown, development on hold: A special CPDE report on the (in)effectiveness of the Covid-19 response.

Dr. Michael Ryan, Executive Director of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Emergencies Programme and keynote speaker at the event, echoed the findings: He lamented that the world is "not doing a really good job at ensuring that basic human rights are being upheld... We got an F, in terms of not leaving everyone behind."

He later congratulated CPDE on the report, remarking, "It's quite impressive. I really like the way you looked at democratic ownership and inclusive partnerships, transparency, accountability. And that focus on results, I think that's really important."

In the CPDE study, Co-Chair Beverly Longid, and Latin America and the Caribbean region's Josefina Villegas shared that many states have used the pandemic to attack human rights and civil liberties, such as the freedoms of movement, association, and organisation, and that some countries have deployed excessive police force, instead of comprehensive medical solutions as the primary response to the pandemic.

Ulrika Modeer of the United Nations Development Programme, explained that the pandemic's main challenge to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) would be the growing inequalities which have enabled the spread of the pandemic. Meanwhile, Gabriella Fesus of the European Commission (EC) spoke of EC's efforts to mobilise resources, including financial and technical support, and acknowledged that there is a need to improve the system, and develop further ownership, alignment, and inclusiveness.

Independent researcher for the CPDE International CSOs sector Catherine Turner found the same impacts on global civil society: limitations to operating environment, and concerns around funding, and being excluded from decision-making.

Helen Holm, coordinator for Covid-19 response at the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) then talked about how donors can do better in applying the effective development cooperation principles in the pandemic response.

Finally, Monica Asuna, Deputy Chief Economist at the National Treasury of Kenya, shared challenges in addressing the country's priority concerns, especially the need for social assistance to the heavily affected and for health equipment and other resources to fight the pandemic.

The discussions were moderated by CPDE Co-Chair Justin Kilcullen.

To download the study, csopartnership.org/covid-19.#