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Former President Michelle Bachelet re-entered the debate on the ravages that the COVID-19 crisis is causing worldwide, with messages on Twitter and in a virtual conference organized by the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations in Geneva (ACANU).
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights focused on the management of the pandemic, warning about the strategy of lack of control implemented in some countries. “Letting politics or the economy direct the response of # COVID19 at the expense of health and #Human Rights will cost lives,” he warned in a message via Twitter.
On the social network, the former president stressed that “for countries that are coming out of the confinement, and those that have not yet experienced the full force of # COVID19, flexibility and responsiveness will be crucial. Adapting policies quickly in response to local waves of contagion is critical. ” In this line, he maintained that “if the reopening of the companies is mismanaged, the sacrifices made during the initial closure will have been in vain.”
Earlier, in the meeting with the correspondents, the senior official maintained that the COVID-19 pandemic showed the planet that “the current economic system does not work because it produces great inequalities,” so the world that comes out of the current health crisis must have other bases.
“When building recovery we must think of a new economy that is inclusive and sustainable,” said Bachelet at a conference.
A less free or different world?
The former Chilean president did not dare to predict whether the world after the pandemic will be less free than the previous one, although she did predict a “different reality, in which we will have to adapt our behaviors.”
In the current situation, societies “have accepted that some freedoms are restricted, such as those of movement or assembly, but these measures must be clear, proportionate, and limited in time,” he stressed.
The high commissioner added that the “new normal” could last for years, depending on the evolution of the coronavirus and whether or not a vaccine is found against it, and in this regard stressed that, if a form of immunization is found, it must be guaranteed that its doses reach all populations in the world.
“There is no return to the starting box”
“We are not going to go back to the day this started,” insisted Bachelet, who stressed that in future post-COVID societies “more should be invested in health, since for a long time that item has been scarce and even the richest countries showed they were not prepared. “
Another issue in the field of human rights that should be monitored is the use of digital technologies for monitoring infections, “something important to prevent the spread of the virus but that can be used in the wrong ways.”
In this regard, systems should be adopted “for voluntary use, which protect privacy and ensure that the data collected is used only for health purposes,” Bachelet said, fearing that some governments would use these monitoring mechanisms against critical or dissenting voices.
The elderly, main victims
The high commissioner stressed that at a time when many countries are beginning to alleviate confinements and other measures of physical distancing, the most marginalized communities, such as the oldest, should not be forgotten, whom she recalled as one of the most affected groups. because of the pandemic.
“The abandonment of the elderly in residences in some countries during the first wave of the pandemic was horrible,” said the former president, who opened the door to future investigations of these events by the United Nations.
“I am sure that some commissions and committees (of the UN system) will observe these cases,” she said, although she also pointed out that before “each country must conduct deep investigations to identify what happened, and make the necessary corrections. in those inappropriate facilities. “
Hate speech and climate change
Bachelet also recalled how during the pandemic hate speech against certain groups has increased, and stated that “if the (political) leaders do not condemn stigmatization or xenophobia, there are often terrible reactions, such as attacks on health workers” or critical journalists.
“On the one hand, these workers are applauded and on the other, they are stigmatized, and it is important that the leaders see that the enemy is the virus, not the people,” he said.
Bachelet also reflected on the need for greater environmental awareness with this virus, such as the one that was beginning to re-emerge in recent years towards climate change.
“Most of the emerging diseases of recent years, not only COVID-19 but also SARS, MERS or Ebola, are transmitted from wild animals to humans, so in response to the pandemic they should be taken in serious climate action, maintenance of biodiversity and respect for nature, “he concluded.
Bachelet also reflected on the need for greater environmental awareness with this virus, such as the one that was beginning to re-emerge in recent years towards climate change.
“Most of the emerging diseases of recent years, not only COVID-19 but also SARS, MERS or Ebola, are transmitted from wild animals to humans, so in response to the pandemic they should be taken in serious climate action, maintenance of biodiversity and respect for nature, “he concluded.
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