1/ My final report to the @UNHumanRights Council, on the State’s duty to prevent exposure to the virus that causes #COVID19, is available here: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Environment/ToxicWastes/Pages/Annual.aspx

A few key points below

#coronavirus #covid_19 #HRC45 #HumanRights

2/ Everyone is essential, and everyone has a right to be protected from exposure to hazardous substances, including the virus that causes COVID-19.

3/ While some States addressed the grave threat of exposure to the coronavirus with remarkable determination, resolve & transparency --many Governments failed in their duty to prevent exposure. For those, the failure is a multifaceted violation of their #humanRights obligations.

4/ These obligations include the human rights to life, dignity, and health, often coinciding with feverish violations of the rights to information & freedom of expression. Principles such as equality, non-discrimination, international cooperation & transparency were all but lost

5/ Most States still have not taken warnings to heart, as #deforestation, #biodiversity collapse, #climate change, illegal #wildlife trade, & other environmental harms continue to raise the risk of emergence of #zoonotic diseases like #COVID19

6/ Ironically, the unemployment and economic collapse argued to have prevented States from exercising prudent and precautionary measures to prevent exposure, especially among communities most vulnerable, are now exacerbated by their inaction.

7/ Recognizing the interconnectedness between COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases, there is an urgent need to enhance global efforts to prevent non-communicable diseases #NCDs resulting from unhealthy environments, workplaces and consumer products. https://www.propublica.org/article/new-research-shows-disproportionate-rate-of-coronavirus-deaths-in-polluted-areas

8/ Misinformation, the silencing of public health experts who are human rights #defenders, opaque decision-making, and policy driven by politics and profit rather than science has proven catastrophic.

9/ States should recognize that what has been done to save lives from COVID-19 - and the grave cost of inaction - is not dissimilar to the health crisis of pollution & other hazardous substances, resulting in widespread, systemic violations of the rights of vulnerable groups

10/ Underlying structural inequalities and pervasive discrimination must be addressed in the response and aftermath of this COVID19 crisis, to #BuildBackBetter upon the principles of equality, dignity and accountability, and #HumanRights.

Read more: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/Environment/ToxicWastes/Pages/Annual.aspx