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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, highlighted today UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet.
“When building recovery we must think of a new economy that is inclusive and sustainable”Bachelet said at a virtual conference organized by the Association of Accredited Correspondents to the United Nations in Geneva (ACANU).
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 liberties are restricted, such as those of movement or assembly, but these measures must be clear, proportionate, and limited in time“He stressed.
Also read: WHO warns that COVID-19 could become an endemic virus: “It may never go away”
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 against it is found, and in that sense he stressed that, if a form of immunization were found, it must be ensured that their doses reach all populations in the world.
Technologies can be used in the wrong ways
“We are not going back to the day this started”, Bachelet insisted, who stressed that in future post-COVID societies “More should be invested in healthWell, for a long time that game has been scarce and even the richest countries showed that 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 virus from spreading but that can be used in the wrong ways.”
Also read: The United States accused China of trying to steal vaccine data for COVID-19
In this regard, they must be adopted systems “for voluntary use, which protect privacy and ensure that the data collected is used only for health purposes“Bachelet pointed out in the face of fears that some governments will use these monitoring mechanisms against critical or dissident voices.
The elderly, main victims
The high commissioner stressed that at a time when many countries are beginning to ease confinement and other physical distancing measures the most marginalized communities should not be forgotten, as well as the older ones, whom he remembered as one of the groups most affected by the pandemic.
“The abandonment of the elderly in residences in some countries during the first wave of the pandemic was horrible”, declared the former Chilean president, who opened the door to future investigations of these events by the United Nations.
Also read: Chinese Ambassador to Chile: “There is more and more information showing that the coronavirus can come from the US”
Hate speech and climate change
Bachelet also recalled how during the pandemic hate speech against certain groups has increased, and stated that “If (political) leaders do not condemn stigmatization or xenophobia there are often terrible reactionssuch 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 increased environmental awareness with this virus, like 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 climate action must be taken seriously in response to the pandemic, the maintenance of biodiversity and respect for nature ”, he concluded.
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