FCGH Alliance Calls for a Human Rights-Based Global Response to COVID-19

Read the full letter and see the list of organizations and individuals who signed on to the call in English and in Spanish.

The FCGH Alliance joined over 100 organizations and individuals to call on the heads of state and government of G20 countries for a coordinated, equitable, and human rights-based global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. This response should be “based in the universality of human rights [and meet] the needs of countries and people who are most vulnerable and have fewest resources.”

The letter to G20 leaders reads:

“We recognize that we are in an unprecedented situation of a colossal need for sharing and solidarity even as many of world’s wealthiest and best-resourced nations are experiencing their own severe public health emergencies. And we applaud governments that, even with domestic health emergencies, have offered support to other countries.

Yet these actions are far from commensurate with the scale of the pandemic and global need, especially of the most vulnerable people and people in the most vulnerable countries. We fear a looming catastrophe, especially in countries where even before COVID-19, health systems were overstretched, and for populations who were already highly vulnerable to health risks, including people living in poverty, people with disabilities, the elderly, and refugees, internally displaced persons, and migrants.“

Those who signed on to the letter call for governments to undertake coordinated global action, working closely with civil society organizations, the public health community, and international organizations, to:

1. Provide countries with the financial and expert resources required for a response that is maximally effective and protective of vulnerable populations

2. Suspend debts of lower-income countries and increase debt relief

3. Maximize supply and share health resources globally, equitably and based on need

4. Distribute therapies and vaccines equitably, based on neeed

5. Remove export controls, reform sanctions, and revise travel restrictions that hinder the global COVID-19 response

6. Protect people who lack protection from own governments

Read the full letter and see the list of organizations and individuals who signed on to the call in English and in Spanish.