COVID-19: A human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis

The report, titled “We are all in this together: Human Rights and COVID-19 Response and Recovery”, recognizes the disproportionate effects of COVID-19 on certain communities, the rise of hate speech, the targeting of vulnerable groups, and the risks of heavy-handed security responses for instance, and suggests a human rights approach to COVID-19 response and recovery to ensure that no one is left behind.

In a statement, the UN Secretary-General noted that the “message is clear:  People — and their rights — must be front and centre” and that “we must ensure that any emergency measures — including states of emergency — are legal, proportionate, necessary and non-discriminatory, have a specific focus and duration, and take the least intrusive approach possible to protect public health.”