UN Experts Calls For Maintaining Human Rights In Global Fight Against Coronavirus
Umer Jamshaid Published March 26, 2020 | 11:24 PM
A group of UN human rights experts stressed Thursday that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual
UNITED NATIONS, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 26th Mar, 2020 ) :A group of UN human rights experts stressed Thursday that in addition to public health and emergency measures, battling the COVID-19 pandemic, must respect the fundamental human rights of every individual.
"Everyone, without exception, has the right to life-saving interventions and this responsibility lies with the government", said the group of 42 experts representing nearly every independent rights specialist working within the Human Rights Council-mandated system - maintaining that the scarcity of resources or insurance schemes should never justify discrimination against certain groups of patients.
"Everybody has the right to health", they declared.
They cited people with disabilities, older persons, minority communities, the internally displaced and those living in extreme poverty, as well as people in detention, the homeless, refugees and other groups needing government support.
While advances in biomedical sciences are vital for the right to health, the experts underscored that "all human rights" were equally as important and that non-discrimination, participation, empowerment and accountability must be applied "to all health-related policies".
The UN experts supported measures recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to defeat the pandemic and on States to act with determination to provide the needed resources to all sectors of public health systems from prevention and detection to treatment and recovery.
But addressing this crisis is more than that, it was pointed out.
"States must take additional social protection measures so that their support reaches those who are at most risk of being disproportionately affected by the crisis", they spelled out, including women, "who are already at a disadvantaged socio-economic position, bear an even heavier care burden, and live with a heightened risk of gender-based violence".
The UN experts expressed their gratitude and admiration to health workers around the world who are heroically battling the outbreak.
"They face huge workloads, risk their own lives and are forced to face painful ethical dilemmas when resources are too scarce", they elaborated. "Healthcare workers need to have all possible support from States, business, media and the public at large.
"COVID-19 is a serious global challenge", the experts acknowledged, adding that it is also "a wake-up call" to revitalize universal human rights principles, which, along with trust in scientific knowledge, "must prevail over the spread of fake news, prejudice, discrimination, inequalities and violence".
According to the experts, throughout this crisis, the business sector in particular has a responsibility to protect human rights.
Only with concerted multilateral efforts, solidarity and mutual trust, will we defeat the pandemic while becoming more resilient, mature and united.
"When the vaccine for COVID-19 comes, it should be provided without discrimination", they advocated.
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