António Guterres is the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, who took office on 1 January 2017.
COVID-19 doesn’t care who we are, where we live, what we believe, or any other distinction. We want all the solidarity to face it together. However, the pandemic continues to unleash a tsunami of hatred and xenophobia, scapegoating and scaremongering.
Anti-foreigner sentiment has surged online and on the streets. Anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have spread, and anti-Muslim attacks similar to COVID-19 have occurred. Immigrants and refugees have been vilified as the source of the virus, and denied access to health care. With other older people among the most vulnerable, despicable memes have emerged, suggesting that they are also the most useless. And journalists, whistleblowers, medical professionals, humanitarian workers and human rights defenders are targeted just for doing their jobs.
We will need to act now to protect our societies’ immunity to the virus of hate. That is why today I call for an all-out effort to end hate speech on a global scale.
I call on political leaders to show solidarity with all members of their societies and build social cohesion.
I call on schools to focus on virtual literacy at a time when billions of young people are online and extremists are preying on captive and potentially desperate audiences.
I call on the media, especially social media companies, to do more to report and, in accordance with foreign human rights laws, racist, misogynistic and other destructive content.
I call on civil society to raise awareness among other vulnerable people and devoted actors to serve as models of mutual respect.
And I ask each and every one in the world to stand up to hate, to treat each other with dignity, and to take every opportunity to spread kindness.
Last year I submitted the United Nations Strategy and Plan of Action against Hate Speech to the United Nations efforts against hate speech. As we fight this pandemic, we have a duty to protect people, end stigma, and prevent violence.
Defeat hate speech and COVID-19 together.
“You see, we’re not making these pictures to make ourselves feel better. That kind of traditional perception of what a benefactor is. We are making these paintings because we are completely convinced that it is not necessary, in today’s world, for so many other people. to enjoy the discomfort, for so many other people to enjoy the hardships, for so many other people to see their lives and livelihoods at risk. “
Dr. David Nabarro has committed his life to global health. After a long career that has taken him from the horrors of the Iraq war to the devastating aftermath of the Indian Ocean tsunami, he still feels compelled to act on the enormous inequalities in the world. health care.
“What helps me stay awake at night are the inequalities endemic in our world. . . We see a lot of unnecessary suffering. “
The Manguinhos Ballet, named after its favela in Rio de Janeiro, is back on level after a long absence due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It has 250 young people and adolescents from the favela as interpreters. The ballet organization provides social assistance in a network where poverty, hunger and teenage pregnancy are constant problems.
The pandemic has put many other people to the test, and journalists are no exception. Not only has the coronavirus waged a war against the lives and well-being of other people, but it has also spawned countless clinical deceptions and lies.