Are Human Rights at the Heart of COVID-19 Responses in Southern Africa?

The declaration of COVID-19 as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on 12 March 2020 triggered a series of declarations of a state of disaster or the declaration of a state of emergency by many governments globally, including in Southern Africa. 

[/et_pb_cta][/et_pb_column][/et_pb_row][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”]

[et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default”]

To ensure that governments do not leverage on the emergency measures to shrink or further squeeze  the civic, democratic and civil society space, and erode human rights and other fundamental freedoms, the UN Office of High Commissioner for Human Rights issued a timely and bold guidance on Human Rights and COVID-19 on 13 May 2020. The COVID-19 Guidance provides a clear framework  on how to ensure that human rights are at the heart of COVID-19 responses and provided a standard matrix  of fundamental human rights and critical issues all member States should comply with in their respective Emergency Measures and practice.

[/et_pb_text]

[et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.7.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”441px” custom_padding=”||0px|||”]

In light of this, the African Judges and Jurists Forum (AJJF) is conducting a series of grounded, high-level webinars to

1. Critically reflect on whether the states in Southern Africa have compiled with the UN OHCHR Guidance on COVID-19 ,
2. Endeavour to re-imagine the role States could play now and in the post COVID-19 dispensation as citizens and democratic institutions try to reclaim the liberties, rights and democratic space lost during the COVID-19 epoch,
3. Create safe space for citizens and progressive solution holders (enablers) to cross-fertilize action ideas to rebuild communities together and ensure full restoration of civil liberties suspended during the COVID-19 period.  These series of  webinars are structured around the key topics flagged in the OHCHR COVID-19 Guidance and will involve a strategic mix of experts, practitioners, and the ordinary citizens, especially from the traditionally marginalized groups. AJJF has identified a number of key discussion topics informed by the OHCHR COVID-19 Guidance and  relevant within the Southern Africa context.

And the first webinar is scheduled this coming Friday as noted below;

okumu-masiga@africajurists.org

or +27736 202 608