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	“Covid-19 is a wake-up call – and we are oversleeping” by Global Call to Action Against Poverty, agencies   Oct. 2021   Statement on the 17 October 2021 – International Day for the Eradication of Poverty   “Covid-19 is a wake-up call – and we are oversleeping,” United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres recently declared in a report to UN members, exhorting them to overcome ‘paralysis’ and ‘our collective failure’ to adequately address issues of health, climate, gender, inequalities, human rights and more. We could not agree more.   Millions of people participated in the Global Week of Action #Act4SDGs from 17 to 28 September 2021 during the UN General Assembly. GCAP and partners organized People’s Assemblies in 28 countries at local and national level. Marginalised people raised their voices to national governments and media. They called for a world characterised by Sustainable Equality for All, where No One is Left Behind!   The demands were brought to virtual Regional Assemblies and the Global People’s Assembly from 21 to 23 September 2021 – coordinated by GCAP in cooperation with 40 civil society networks with 950 participants. The assembly agreed on the Declaration of Global People’s Assembly 2021: http://bit.ly/3nMpa7B   On the 17th October 2021 GCAP calls for action on the following:   1. A People’s Vaccine   Vaccination coverage in low-income countries is less than 2 percent, while the vast majority of COVID-19 vaccine doses have gone to only ten countries. No community is safe from the pandemic, until we are all safe. No nation can fully reopen, until every nation can. Vaccine Inequality has an immense social and economic impact on countries with low vaccination rates.   We call for free and universal access to the COVID-19 vaccine – as well as the tools required to control the pandemic, including diagnostic tests; drugs, oxygen and other therapeutics; plus masks and personal protection equipment – for all, as soon as possible, but no later than June 2022.   To accomplish this, we need an immediate temporary waiver of intellectual property protections on all COVID-19 technologies (a ‘TRIPS Waiver’) and demand that the vaccine know-how is shared as soon as possible to drive down the cost and scale up production in all continents as part of an emergency plan for universal coverage.   2. Social Protection   “Like slavery and apartheid, poverty is not natural,” Nelson Mandela proclaimed at GCAP’s outset. “It is man-made and it can be overcome and eradicated by the action of human beings.”   Mandela’s proclamation is as true today as it was in 2005. With the right policies in place, we can transform the hopes, dreams and lives of every person who has suffered the injustice of poverty and discrimination.   Keep your promise to end poverty and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals with a new deal that delivers social protection for all. Social protection systems are a proven, direct and fast-acting mechanism to end poverty and reduce inequalities. Two independent UN human rights experts have called for a Global Fund for Social Protection. We need to create this today.   While international funding and support is important, it does not replace the responsibility of national and local governments to fund rights-based, national social protection floors. National governments must put cash into the hands of people who need it the most.   They must also ensure that students from low-income and marginalised communities, particularly girls, are not left behind during periods of home-based education. Social protection is a right, not a carrot to curry political favour or a stick to withhold to punish political enemies.   3. Climate Justice   COVID-19 recovery packages present a major opportunity for the world to ‘build back better’ by addressing the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and in particular their impact on marginalised and excluded communities, refugees and migrants, women and youth.   Put People and Planet before Profits and respect the rights of Mother Earth. Meet and exceed the Paris Agreement commitments. Work to ensure that global temperatures do not rise more than 1.5º C. Leave fossil fuels in the ground. Eliminate and reallocate subsidies paid to the fossil fuel industry. Stop building new coal plants and retire the existing fleet.   Wealthy countries must finance the energy transition, provide funding to prevent and recover from calamities and honour their commitment to provide at least US$100 billion annually for climate financing. This assistance must be provided as grants, not debt-inducing loans   4. Financing for Sustainable Equality and The Risk of Austerity   Sound health polices and social protection, including funding to ensure quality education for all, are needed now more than ever. Yet the IMF and governments across the globe are opting for austerity measures that undercut recovery, cut services and prioritise debt payments.   Austerity is a deadly policy that puts the achievement of the the Sustainable Development Goals in jeopardy. Austerity is also not needed: there are plenty of alternative policies to pay for vaccination programmes, social protection, climate justice and to balance budgets. These include:   Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) – The International Monetary Fund issued US$650 billion of ‘Special Drawing Rights’ in August 2021 to boost global liquidity and ‘help countries cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. SDRs may seem technical – but their creation presents a fantastic opportunity to finance vaccines and sustainable equality for all.   Please allocate these additional resources to ensure that marginalized communities benefit from the SDR allocations. When these funds are invested in public health and social protection programmes, individuals from excluded communities must be involved in the programmes and processes, from start to finish, to ensure their success.   Rich nations do not need the extra reserves; they must donate them to countries that need the funds to fight the pandemic and finance sustainable equality.   Low- and middle- income countries should invest the SDRs in their people, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalised; they should not be left in reserves or used as collateral to finance more debt. More SDRs are needed to fight the pandemic: the IMF should issue 3 trillion SDRs.   Tax Justice – More than 130 countries have endorsed a plan to set an effective minimum global tax rate of 15 percent. The rate is far too low. We agree with the Independent Commission for the Reform of International Corporate Taxation which proposes a 25% minimum global corporate tax. The other big problem is that this reform will not curb profit shifting effectively. That means that mainly a few rich countries will get the additional taxes.   Especially lower income countries lose their tax revenues. Additionally, there are loopholes that allow financial firms, oil companies and others in the extractive industries to avoid paying their fair share. These loopholes must be closed, just as tax havens and tax evasion need to be addressed. There is also the opportunity to enact the financial transaction taxes on currency trading, stocks, bonds and derivatives that could generate at least US$200 billion per year.   Development Cooperation – More than 50 years ago, OECD nations made a commitment to spend 0.7 percent of their Gross National Income as Official Development Assistance. Despite reaffirming this pledge many times, not even half of what has been promised is being delivered. Donor nations: keep your promise! Provide quality aid, without strings attached.   Debt Justice – Lower tax revenues and currency depreciations, coupled with higher expenditures to fight COVID-19 and address “natural” disasters, have led to a sharp increase in impoverished country debt. As financial companies like Blackrock, JPMorgan, HSBC and UBS demand repayment, countries are forced to choose between their credit rating and paying for essential services.   Many debts are illegitimate – driven by predatory lending, saddled with onerous and unjust terms or incurred by private corporations but assumed by the public sector. Public sector debts, for all countries in need, must be canceled unconditionally for at least the next four years.   We must also create a fair, transparent, binding and multilateral framework for debt crisis resolution, under the auspices of the United Nations.   5. Leave No One Behind   The COVID-19 virus may not discriminate, but people do. Communities that have traditionally borne the brunt of xenophobic hatred, economic marginalisation, caste bigotry and modern-day slavery suffer higher COVID-19 infection and death rates, as a result of inadequate, inferior access to health care and lower vaccination rates. Refugees and migrants also face a higher risk of contracting COVID-19. Even when vaccinations are made available, undocumented migrants are often, understandably wary.   A ‘shadow pandemic’ of gender-based violence has emerged in COVID-19’s wake. Child Marriage is on the rise, as the economic toll of the pandemic leads more families to marry off their children at a young age. Twenty million girls from low- and middle- income countries have been unable to participate in home-based learning while their schools are closed. They may never return to the classroom.   Global, national and local action is needed to put a stop to discrimination and ensure that resources reach those most in need.   http://gcap.global/news/gcap-newsletter-17-october-2021/ Visit the related web page
	UN chief condemns ‘military coup’ in Sudan by United Nations news, agencies   3 Jan. 2022 (UN News)   The United Nations’ Secretary-General has condemned the continued violence targeting protestors in Sudan, following the 25 October military takeover.   In a statement, António Guterres called upon the Sudanese security forces to exercise the utmost restraint and fulfil their obligations in relation to the rights to freedom of assembly and expression.   Mr. Guterres also took note of the resignation of Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok. According to news agencies, Mr. Hamdok resigned after another day of mass protests that rocked the capital of the country, Khartoum.   After being detained during the 25 October military takeover, along with senior officials and political activists, the Prime Minister had been reinstated by the army in an effort to quell the protests. However, Opposition parties and protestors rejected the move, calling instead for an immediate return to civilian rule.   Mr. Guterres said he regrets that "a political understanding on the way forward is not in place, despite the gravity of the situation."   The Secretary-General encouraged all stakeholders to continue engaging in meaningful dialogue in order to reach an inclusive, peaceful and lasting solution.   “Sudanese aspirations for a transition that leads to a democratic dispensation are critical. The UN remains ready to support these efforts”, he said.   Volker Perthes, Head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission in Sudan (UNITAMS) is “deeply concerned” by the number of civilians killed and injured in the ongoing protests.   He urged the security forces to abide by their obligations under international law and strictly uphold the rights of protestors to freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. “Perpetrators of violence must be brought to justice”, he said. “The aspirations of the Sudanese people for a democratic path should be the cornerstone of all efforts to solve the current crisis".   http://news.un.org/en/story/2022/01/1109962   25 Oct. 2021   UN chief condemns ‘ongoing military coup’ in Sudan . (UN News)   UN Secretary-General, António Guterres has condemned the “ongoing military coup” in Sudan, saying Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok and all other officials, “must be released immediately.”   In a statement, he called for the "immediate reconstitution" of the Government, which is due to guide Sudan through to democratic elections.   Long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was overthrown by the military following months of popular protest in April 2019, and a transitional government was set up comprising both military and civilian leadership, after a power-sharing agreement, that was due to lead to full democratic elections in 2023.   Now, according to news agencies, Sudan's military has dissolved civilian rule, arrested political leaders and declared a state of emergency. Protesters have reportedly taken to the streets of the capital, Khartoum, and there are reports of gunfire.   In a statement the Secretary-General said that “there must be full respect for the constitutional charter to protect the hard-won political transition."   In a further statement issued through his Spokesperson, Mr. Guterres said that "Sudanese stakeholders must immediately return to dialogue, and engage in good faith to restore the constitutional order and Sudan’s transitional process.   "The United Nations reiterates its unwavering commitment and support to the realization of Sudan’s political transition. Any attempts to undermine this transition process puts at risk Sudan’s security, stability and development.   He added that the UN "will continue to stand with the people of Sudan as they strive to fulfil their aspirations for a peaceful, prosperous and democratic future."   The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights also condemned the attempted coup. “These actions threaten the Juba Peace Agreement and jeopardize the important progress made towards democracy and respect for human rights”, Michelle Bachelet said.   She called on military authorities to abide by the constitutional order and international law, withdraw from the streets, and resolve any differences with civilian leaders serving on the Transitional Council through dialogue and negotiation.   “I utterly deplore the reported arrest of the Prime Minister, several Ministers, leaders of the Forces of the Freedom and Change and other civil society representatives, and call for their immediate release”, she continued.   Communication systems down   Ms. Bachelet also pointed out reports that the internet is down in the country and other means of communication are suspended.   “Blanket internet shutdowns contravene international law, and Internet and mobile services must be restored, as they are essential for people to seek and receive information, particularly in these unsettling circumstances”, she explained.   She asked military and security forces to refrain from unnecessary and disproportionate use of force, to respect people’s freedom of expression, as well as the right of peaceful assembly.   “It would be disastrous if Sudan goes backwards after finally bringing an end to decades of repressive dictatorship.”   “The country needs to move forward to consolidate democracy, a wish expressed countless times by the Sudanese people, including loudly and clearly on the streets last week and today”, she added.   The head of the UN Integrated Transition Assistance Mission Sudan (UNITAMS), also released a statement, declaring that the arrests of the Prime Minister, government officials and other politicians are “unacceptable.”    “I call on the security forces to immediately release those who have been unlawfully detained or placed under house arrest”, Volker Perthes said. “It is the responsibility of these forces to ensure the security and wellbeing of people in their custody.”    The UNITAMS chief, who acts as a Special Representative of the Secretary-General, also urged everyone involved to exercise the utmost restraint. “All parties must immediately return to dialogue and engage in good faith to restore the constitutional order”, Mr. Perthes concluded. http://bit.ly/3nvz6AJ   25 Oct. 2021   Sudan’s army seizes power in coup and detains prime minister   Sudan’s military has seized power in a coup, arresting leading civilian politicians including the prime minister, Abdalla Hamdok, and declared a state of emergency as thousands of protesters flooded the streets of Khartoum in opposition.   A health ministry official said late on Monday that seven protesters had been killed and 140 people wounded after security forces fired on demonstrators. As night fell in Khartoum, witnesses described gangs of young men armed with sticks reportedly beating anyone found on the streets.   Sudan has been on edge since a failed coup plot last month unleashed recriminations between military and civilian groups who have been sharing power since the toppling of the autocrat Omar al-Bashir two years ago.   Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, who headed Sudan’s power-sharing “sovereign council”, justified the seizure of power and the dissolution of the country’s transitional government by saying infighting between the military and civilian parties had threatened the country’s stability. The military was meant to have passed leadership of the joint sovereign council to a civilian figure in the coming months.   Large parts of the internet and mobile phone network were cut off in the immediate aftermath of the coup. As protesters blocked streets and set fire to tyres in the capital and its twin city of Omdurman, security forces used teargas to disperse protesters who chanted: “The people are stronger, stronger,” and: “Retreat is not an option!”   Members of a disparate alliance including warlords, military, militia leaders and former Bashir loyalists have been calling for the restoration of military rule, while several cabinet ministers took part last week in big protests in Khartoum and other cities against the prospect.   Hamdok, who was detained overnight, was reportedly moved to an undisclosed location after refusing to issue a statement in support of the coup, said the information ministry, which was still apparently under the control of his supporters.   As the US embassy in Khartoum advised American citizens to shelter in place the coup attracted widespread international condemnation including from the US, UK, EU and UN.   Protesters blocked roads with barricades and burning tyres crowds, chanted the word “civilian” – for civilian rule – and accused Burhan of being in the pocket of the country’s Islamists.   As news of the arrests and coup spread, large numbers of protesters converged outside the military headquarters, where gunfire and injuries were reported.   Among the crowds converging on central Khartoum was Ahmed Osman, who said he was a relative of one of the ministers detained.   “I’ve been on the street since 2am when I learned about the disappearance of the minister. We don’t know to where they took him. He’s always been target of the Islamists,” said the young man, who had wrapped himself in the Sudanese flag. “It’s our country, isn’t it? We have to reject what’s going on.”   Some, however, welcomed the return of protesters to the streets after almost three years in which Sudan’s democratic transition has struggled, among them Walaa Salah, a political activist. “I think this is a good time for people to go back to the revolutionary path and to begin again.”   Witnesses in Khartoum described security forces from the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces stationed in the streets.   Sudan has experienced a number of coups since it gained independence from Britain and Egypt in 1956. Bashir came to power in a 1989 military coup that removed the country’s last elected government.   Since street protests brought Bashir down, a political transition has helped Sudan emerge from international isolation under his nearly three-decade rule. Elections were to be held by the end of 2023.   Sudan’s main pro-democratic political group, the Sudanese Professionals’ Association (SPA), said at least five senior government officials had been detained, and called on people to take to the streets.   “We urge the masses to go out on the streets and occupy them, close all roads with barricades, stage a general labour strike, and not to cooperate with the putschists and use civil disobedience to confront them,” the group said in a statement on Facebook. The Umma party, the country’s largest, also called for street protests. http://bit.ly/3vKrCxv   21 Oct. 2021   Protesters take to the streets demanding full civilian rule in Sudan   Hundreds of thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators have taken to the streets of the Sudanese capital Khartoum and other major cities demanding full civilian rule, just days after a sit-in was launched calling for a return to military government.   Images posted on social media showed vast crowds marching in different parts of the Sudanese capital in protests to reject military rule as the crisis in the country’s troubled transition from authoritarian rule deepened.   The military has shared power with civilians in an increasingly frayed transitional sovereign authority since a popular uprising removed President Omar al-Bashir after three decades in power.   At least one Sudanese journalist was reportedly shot in the head while covering the protests, which came amid mounting tension over the country’s faltering democratic transition.   According to some estimates, participants numbered in the hundreds of thousands. Protesters in Omdurman were met with heavy teargas to prevent them from crossing a key Nile bridge leading to central Khartoum. Plumes of smoke could be seen across the city as protesters burned tyres and waved Sudanese flags.   The demonstrations on Thursday were organised by Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), the civilian umbrella coalition that led the movement to topple Bashir.   Many chants were critical of the head of the ruling Sovereign Council, Gen Abdel Fattah al-Burhan, accusing him of being loyal to Bashir.   Seraj Omer, a 32-year-old musician and activist from Khartoum, told the Guardian he was protesting “to support the power of people and civilian power”.   The relationship between the military generals and Sudanese pro-democracy groups has deteriorated in recent weeks over the country’s future.   Sudan has been ruled by an interim civilian-military government since 2019. With Bashir toppled, the ruling generals agreed to share power with civilians representing the protest movement. The aftermath has been volatile.   “Let’s mark with our protests a new wave of popular uprising that will pave the way for a fully civilian and democratic rule,” read a statement by the Sudanese Professionals’ Association, which called for large rallies nationwide on Thursday. The group spearheaded the uprising that kicked off in December 2018 and culminated in Bashir’s ousting.   “October 21 is a lesson for any tyrants, loyalists or opportunists deluded into thinking they can turn back the hands of time,” wrote Sovereign Council member Siddig Tawer, one of several civilian officials who endorsed the protests.   Neighbourhood resistance committees said in a statement they were protesting the entire power-sharing agreement and demanded sole civilian rule.   Many businesses in central Khartoum were closed in anticipation of the protest and there was an extensive police presence. The military claims it is committed to the transition to democracy and elections at the end of 2023.   Prime minister Abdalla Hamdok, who leads the cabinet under the military-civilian power-sharing agreement, remains popular despite an economic crisis. He has said he is speaking to all sides in the crisis in order to find a solution.   http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/sudan-the-un-human-rights-council-should-act-urgently-and-hold-a-special-session/ http://www.fidh.org/en/region/Africa/sudan/sudan-the-army-must-restore-transition-towards-democracy Visit the related web page
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