The need for good governance and peacebuilding in the time of COVID-19: Lessons from Northeast Nigeria

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As the COVID-19 pandemic has spread to fragile and conflict-affected contexts, some donors have focused on public health and humanitarian assistance while cutting back on peacebuilding and governance programs, which are not viewed as producing immediate, tangible impacts on the spread of COVID-19. However, when strained state-society relations are part of pre-existing conflict dynamics, responses to COVID-19 that fail to incorporate governance and peacebuilding approaches run the risk of undermining their intended public health goals…

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Stigma and misinformation from COVID-19 is taking a human toll

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Stigma and misinformation from COVID-19 are such clear and present threats to global health that they are causing as much concern to policymakers as the pandemic itself. These attitudes and behaviours are killing people and causing harm through hate speech, disinformation, discrimination and xenophobia.   Read more

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The impact of COVID-19 on human and peoples’ rights in Africa

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With no vaccine yet to treat it, COVID-19 continues to pose a serious threat to the rights to health and life of people. Indeed, the governance and socio-economic fallout from COVID19 poses even more serious threat to large number of human and peoples’ rights. How we respond to COVID-19 and its impacts on the basis of the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights could prove to be the litmus test for mitigating the grave…

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Protect a Generation: The impact of COVID-19 on children’s lives

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An estimated 99% of children worldwide – or more than 2.3 billion children – live in one of the 186 countries that have implemented some form of restrictions due to COVID-191. Although children are not at a high risk of direct harm from the virus, they are disproportionately affected by its hidden impacts.   Download

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Covid-19: Key Considerations for a Public Health Response

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The Covid-19 pandemic is more than a health crisis. Its long-term economic and societal effects may well outweigh its initial public health impact. It is therefore essential that responses are socially sensitive and attuned to mitigating these secondary effects. This briefing draws upon lessons learned by development actors during previous epidemics. It considers the similarities and differences of the Covid-19 pandemic compared to other recent epidemics, casting a critical eye on the social and public…

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Missing Datasets

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This article argues that African societies are failing to systematically capture the true impact of COVID-19.   Read more

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Coming together for refugee education

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Anyone looking for inspirational examples of dedication, perseverance, resilience and strength of character should look no further than the students and teachers featured in this year’s report on refugees and education. From Ecuador to Jordan, from Iran to Ethiopia, these young refugees and the adults who support them realize how much living a life in dignity and preparing for solutions depend on access to full and formal quality education. The gap between refugees and their…

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Building resilience in Africa’s food supply chain after Covid-19

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The Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in unprecedented disruption to the global economy and world trade. Many countries have locked down their borders, or severely restricted freedoms in a bid to contain community transmission of the virus. Globally, 3 billion people depend on international trade for their food security; a huge number of them are in Africa. It is for this reason that markets must be kept open. Countries should refrain from export restrictions. Trade restrictions…

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COVID-19 and Child Marriage in West and Central Africa

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The COVID-19 pandemic may cause 13 million additional child marriages by 2030, and West and Central Africa will be severely affected unless multi-sectoral, comprehensive efforts to end child marriage are accelerated in the region. This joint brief from Girls Not Brides and Plan International outlines the impacts of the pandemic on child marriage. It provides recommendations and an urgent call for action for governments, regional bodies and humanitarian actors to ensure that girls and young women’s…

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Transparency, Accountability and Anti-Corruption Service Offer for COVID-19 Response and Recovery

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COVID-19 is not just a health, humanitarian or socio-economic crisis; it is a governance crisis, testing the resilience of governance systems and institutions during the pandemic. The lack of sufficient accountability and oversight mechanisms in crisis response and recovery significantly increases the risks of corruption and fraud. The most vulnerable and marginalised populations disproportionately suffer the most; and people lose trust in their governments, undermining the effectiveness of response and recovery measures to the crisis….

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