The Shortcomings and short-sightedness were there before
NO, COVID-19 has not brought about a significant game change in international health cooperation
By Claudio Schuftan
No, it has not taken the pandemic to acknowledge the setbacks in international health cooperation. Its shortcomings and short-sightedness have been with us all along.
What are the observations regarding the COVID and its impact on international health cooperation?
Yes, The COVID-19 pandemic has been changing the global health landscape. But I contend that it has not been a true game changer in international health cooperation. Take, for instance COVAX, the ACT Accelerator and the Country Readiness and Delivery workstream: Contrary to what WHO, UNICEF and GAVI claim, these three ‘vaccines pillars of the access to COVID-19 Tools’. Through the CRD workstream, WHO, UNICEF, and GAVI working together at the global and regional levels were supposed to develop and disseminate adaptable global resources (e.g., guidance, trainings, tools, and communication materials) and coordinate and provide technical assistance to support the implementation of COVID-19 vaccines.
By now, we have seen that these resources had a late start, were unsatisfactory in delivering sufficient vaccine doses to countries rendered poor and were of little help to governments and health workers to implement the needed range of strategies to increase the uptake of COVID-19 vaccination. (WHO - COVAX, 2021)
In short, I contend that it has not taken the pandemic to acknowledge the setbacks of SDGs progress since the SDGs rather already started-off with those challenges, inequalities and disparities and have little to show for at mid-term to 2030.
Yes, COVID 19 has significantly reshaped health systems and policies. But not in any major way the manner in which organizations involved in international health cooperation are operating. Proof of this reshaping is that health systems were so taken up by pandemic responses that other vital curative and preventive services suffered. Add to this the burnout of health staff and its consequences is still with us today.
Yes, the effects of COVID-19 have set back economic progress in most countries, erasing hard-won gains, including those on the struggle against poverty. But, really, the pandemic has mainly rather aggravated (and exposed) the longstanding structural drivers of health inequalities already present at least since the millennium development goals (MDGs), as well as in the sustainable development goals (SDGs). The 2030 Agenda has basically put on hold ongoing efforts and gutted progressive policies (e.g. on HIV, TB and malaria) to solve the challenges, inequalities and disparities that have only been laid bare once again by the global COVID-19 pandemic.
In short, I contend that it has not taken the pandemic to acknowledge the setbacks of SDGs progress since the SDGs rather already started-off with those challenges, inequalities and disparities and have little to show for at mid-term to 2030.
Photo: 2C2K Photography/Mural Artist: @dragon76art/flickr, CC BY 2.0
Food is not regarded as a human right in the Agenda 2030
Given the interest of this Bulletin’s readership, and to begin with, be cognizant of the fact that, although the SDGs explicitly mention the right to water, to health and to education as universally guaranteed human rights, access to affordable and sufficient food is not given such recognition (see reference below). The right to food is not even mentioned in the SDGs text, i.e., contrary to the international consensus reached during the past 50 years, food is not regarded as a human right in the SDGs document. I do not need to convince the readers of how the pandemic impinges on the right to food, both on what we are seeing so far and on what we can certainly foresee.
The SDGs road map simply assumes that market mechanisms will suffice to secure nutritious and safe food for all. Well, the market, has done its share of damage in the pandemic --you just need to watch your news on TV. One can only question how and why the right to food disappeared from such an important international agreement as the SDGs. To explain this fact, be aware that the full realization of this human right is not favored by the openly adamant US opposition, as well as the dual EU attitude evident during the negotiations of the SDGs. The defense of corporate interests in this attitude can only be suspected. (Vivero & Schuftan, 2016).
One can only question how and why the right to food disappeared from such an important international agreement as the SDGs.
I dare say that the fight against malnutrition and the achievement of the United Nations' ‘Zero Hunger Challenge' (United Nations 2012) will, therefore, not be guided by the human right to adequate food and nutrition --COVID or not.
This all should not surprise you. Where do we see economic, social and cultural rights of affected populations mentioned in the vast (overwhelming?) COVID black and grey literature and social media? The human rights aspects over-and-over brought up have to do with civil and political rights (resisting vaccination, masks use, lockdowns, school closures…) pounded on us day-in-day-out. The (false) arguments fall back on people’s freedoms being curtailed (?). Have the ‘resistors’ ever asked themselves where their freedom clashes with others’ freedom to be free of COVID? Or with the freedom to have a bed in an ICU overcrowded with unvaccinated resistors?
It will be about de-constructing the dominant narrative of food as a commodity so as to replace it by a human rights narrative placing food squarely as a human right, a commons and a public good.
We are asked how we think we can positively influence the course of events?
Well, a lot is already happening with public interest Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and social movements taking different actions.
As relates to the nutrition part of the international cooperation responsibility, I would make a call to influence the development of national legal frameworks that do include the right to food; that further come-up and implement schemes similar to those guaranteeing universal access to health and to education - but for food. Human rights-friendly countries and public interest CSOs are to keep a vigilant attitude so as to defend the agreed minimum standards of the right to food in international negotiations (including trade) and national programs. It will be about de-constructing the dominant narrative of food as a commodity so as to replace it by a human rights narrative placing food squarely as a human right, a commons and a public good.
A caveat here: Extremely important will be the vigilance of the rolling out of the various streams and coalitions coming out of the UN Food Systems Summit (that FIAN and others have serious reservations about mostly in relation to conflict of interest issues). No less important will be the vigilance of the activities of SUN and of One Nutrition since all of these will have activities dubiously labeled as ‘nutrition responses in the realm of COVID’.
References
Vivero Pol JL, Schuftan C. No right to food and
nutrition in the SDGs: mistake or success? BMJ Global Health.
2016 ;1(1):e000040. DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2016-000040. PMID: 28588925; PMCID:
PMC5321330. https://gh.bmj.com/content/1/1/e000040
