A new Oxfam report: it talks about inequality spread all over the world. In a shocking revelation, 252 men have more wealth than all 1 billion women and girls of nations like Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean when combined. The top 1% have captured nearly 20 times more of global wealth than the bottom 50% of humanity since 1995. If the life expectancy of Black Americans were the same as White people, then 3.4 million Black Americans would have been alive today, and it was already 2.1 million before COVID-19. Talking about the harm done to the environment, 20 of the wealthiest billionaires emit 8000 times more carbon than the poorest 1 billion.

Read the report

The Yearbook captures the full range of the Committee’s activities in a given year and serves to make the Committee’s work more visible and accessible. It has quickly evolved into a valuable tool for civil society, human rights practitioners, academics, States and all those with an interest in the potential of human rights to tackle problems of poverty, social injustice and inequality.

The 2020 edition contains information on the Committee’s latest State reviews, individual communication decisions, general comments and statements. This includes details of the Committee’s engagement with all dimensions of the coronavirus crisis, as well as issues as wide ranging as the climate emergency, evictions, gender equality and land rights. Used wisely, its guidance may be critical in shaping the world that we wish to build as we emerge from the coronavirus pandemic.

Please take note of this very important report of the Global Network for the Right to Food and Nutrition:

20210719_state-rtfn-report_2021_eng_v15.pdf (righttofoodandnutrition.org

This year’s ITUC Global Rights Index documents a shameful roll call of governments and companies that have pursued an anti-union agenda in the face of workers who have stood in solidarity providing essential work to keep economies and communities functioning.

The ITUC Global Rights Index is a benchmark against which we will hold governments and employers to account as we build a new social contract with jobs, rights, social protection, equality and inclusion and rebuild the trust that has been shattered by repressive governments and abusive companies.

On 14 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution on “Global health and foreign policy: strengthening health system resilience through affordable health care for all”, A/RES/75/130. The resolution was adopted by vote, 181-1-0, in contrast to previous resolutions on the topic adopted yearly by consensus based on proposals by the core group of the Global Health and Foreign Policy Initiative.

The draft resolution A/75/L.41 was presented by Brazil, Equatorial Guinea, Fiji, France, Indonesia, Mali, Mongolia, Norway, Senegal, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand and Viet Nam. Informal consultations were led by Indonesia.

The resolution reflects consensus on a number of issues. One core issue is the need for continued leadership, multilateral commitment and collaboration to address the COVID-19 pandemic. The resolution also calls for urgent support to fund and close the funding gap for the Access to COVID-19 Tools Accelerator and its mechanisms, such as the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, and to support equitable distribution of diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines, and further explore innovative financing mechanisms aimed at ensuring continuity and strengthening of essential health services. The resolution also notes the need for all States parties to fully implement and comply with the International Health Regulations (2005) which requires adequate capacity of all countries to prevent, detect, assess, notify and respond to public health threats, and support research and development, to prevent and control emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that pose a risk to global public health.  It also calls upon Member States to strengthen the resilience of their health systems as an integral part of their preparedness for health emergencies. Continue reading

Even before the COVID pandemic hit, hundreds of millions of workers worldwide were being paid less than the minimum wage.

Read the ILO report