COVID-19 impact on the UN Humanitarian agencies, New Zealand role in the Pacific.
By Jean-Paul Bizoza Special Officer for Humanitarian Affairs (2020-21), The United Nations Association of New Zealand
The World Health Organization (WHO) affirms that the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic represents an international threat to humankind. The UN health agency reports that COVID-19 has affected 172 million and killed over 3 million people since it was first reported in Wuhan,Hubei province, in late December 2019.
The loss of human life on such scale presents an unprecedented challenge to global health, economic security and the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 3, which aims to ensure healthy lives and wellbeing for all. Likewise, the negative impact of the outbreak is already visible on global health systems in the countries that are experiencing outbreaks spike of COVID-19 cases particularly Italy, Spain, South Africa, USA, Brazil and recently India. The virus has overwhelmed health systems and triggered direct mortality and indirect loss of life from treatable conditions. Thus, COVID-19 is not only a global pandemic and it has also negatively affected financial markets and the global economy.
While many countries' health systems are on the verge of collapse due to the pandemic, the WHO considers New Zealand as ‘pandemic leadership master on Coronavirus response specifically for its robust contact-tracing, consistent public communications and extensive testing. The WHO recognizes that leadership, communication that help stop the transmission of COVID-19 and health guidelines compliance are key to New Zealand's COVID-19 success. It has co-opted NZ former prime minister Helen Clark as one of panel members for probing WHO's andemic response.
Reciprocally, New Zealand commends critical roles that the UN global health agency plays in the fight against the pandemic particularly data sharing, guidance and expertise. Although New Zealand success has been recognized globally, questions have been raised as to what role New Zealand could play to assist pacific nations or prevent the spread of COVID-19 to Pacific nations, which are still relatively free of the virus.
There are global concerns around mandatory and mass quarantines to severe restrictions on the movement of people. This has raised concerns about how countries adhere to international human rights obligations, Bills of Rights and other UN conventions that establish responsibilities, rights, and limitations, which are directly relevant to coronavirus pandemic. i.e., Governments and health systems have an obligation to ensure, to the best of their ability, adequate provision of health care for all.
The challenge that the international community now faces is how each member of states will strengthen global action, cooperation and leadership or assist the WHO to fight against Covid-19. This will require a cohesion, global response, construction criticism, engagement and initiatives that aim to help nations find common ground. The WHO believes that countries should collaborate and discourage racist discourses associated with COVID-19 particularly linguistic discrimination such as “imported cases, Chinese virus, India Virus, UK virus, RSA Virus , Brazil Virus, Portugal Virus etc...”
The racist COVID-19 phrases create hatred, distracts countries from fighting effectively the pandemic, and they are not aligned with the UN health agency and its ideals. Thus, associating the virus with foreigners also plays cognitive bias against outsiders only create fear of contagion. The WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reminds that "turning on each other or blaming does not help to fight the pandemic and the virus is the problem, not the people in order to fight COVID-19. He indicates that every country should focus on building more equal, inclusive and sustainable economies and societies that are more resilient in the face of pandemics, and the many other global humanitarian challenges we face."
COVID-19 from UNHCR perspective.
Many refugee camps suffer from insufficient hygiene and sanitation facilities, creating conditions conducive to the spread of free of COVID-19 particularly, social distancing, which seems to be physically impossible in many refugee camps or crowded urban areas. Deteriorated health conditions due to malnutrition, poor sanitation, lack of access to clean water, and basic medical care means displaced populations are acutely vulnerable.
NGOs: Due COVID-19 lockdown or restrictions of the movement, charities and international non- governmental organizations have a limit access to field operations where essential interventions in terms of life saving is highly needed. COVID 19 has affected not only the humanitarian donations, and it has worsened poverty to countries where conflict, violence, natural disasters, climatic or economic shocks have been deteriorating the resilience capacity of the population.
World Food program: (WFP) reports that COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted economic activities and triggered food insecurity especially in the countries that have experienced conflict and other disasters. In the Pacific the WFP collaborates with the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in responding to emergencies through Food Security and Logistics. Currently, New Zealand provides 60% around $1.331 billion (2018-2021) of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) funding.
To recap COVID-19 is an international threat to humankind. Therefore, nations need to strengthen the WHO ideals. The WHO came into force on 7 April 1948 with the main goal to lead partners in global health responses and direct international health through the United Nations' system. The WHO currently monitors the COVID-19 worldwide, provides technical guidance and medical equipment to vulnerable countries. It also delivers epidemiological and operational updates and disseminates them to all nations.
Furthermore, the WHO is leading countries for COVID-19 containment and coordinating Solidarity Response Fund. As COVID-19 increasingly affects countries with under-resourced health infrastructure and services, the WHO will ensure that all people in all UN member states are able to access essential medicines especially potential vaccine.
Finally, COVID-19 is here for the long haul, and the UNANZ should strengthen New Zealand engagement to UN Health and Humanitarian agencies. It needs to encourage COVID-19 frameworks that mainly focus on the WHO recommendations, sustaining economies and global health security. Furthermore, COVID -19 fight requires international solidarity. Covid-19 is a global challenge that demands researchers, policymakers, and governments to address multiple dimensions that go far beyond the implications of this pandemic for health and wellbeing. If the virus is allowed to move unchecked in some nations or regions, it will eventually resurge in others.