Science & Technology

Local Government, Technology and COVID-19: The case of Indonesia

An effective social assistance programme is a must for countries around the world, including Indonesia, to make sure the most vulnerable groups in society are fully taken care of. Indonesia’s experience of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 illustrates the key role that local government can play in this regard, in particular how it can harness technology in the service of human rights.

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Rethinking the Significance of Data Protection Rights in Times of Crisis

COVID-19 has highlighted an increasingly powerful and intrusive digital culture. While data protection is often sacrificed for the public good in emergencies, it is important to recognise and safeguard its vital role in defending other rights, particularly in difficult times.

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The Covidisation of Ethics and Law

Many of us use phrases like ‘law and ethics’ and ‘law, ethics and rights’. They trip off the tongue; they seem both useful and ordinary or unexceptional. But is there cause for concern as regards their impact on ethics, law in general and human rights law in particular?

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COVID-19: African Countries Need Internet Access Now

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted barriers to Internet access in Africa. Overcoming these barriers requires more attention to human rights-based approaches and creative collaborations.

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Human Rights Preparedness, Genetics and Pandemics

Research in genetics and medicine must seek to offer relief from suffering and improve the health of individuals and humankind as a whole. The COVID-19 pandemic is a severe test at the local, national and international level in terms of the interaction between genetics science, social preparedness and human rights, in particular the rights to health and non-discrimination.

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Human Rights and the Gender Digital Divide in Africa’s COVID-19 Era

The emergence of coronavirus has meant an increased dependence on technology. What does this mean for gender equality and the human rights of African women with limited use and access to the internet?

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COVID-19 recovery: A possible turning point for operationally linking science and human rights

Science and human rights are intrinsically connected yet this link has not been fully integrated into COVID-19 responses. Translating normative consensus into practice will require targeted advocacy, appropriate operational guidance and strengthened UN coordination, notably in implementing science-related SDGs.

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Market dynamism and challenges to universality: negotiating unequal access to benefit from scientific progress

There has been normative clarification of the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. However certain aspects of the right remain poorly defined and present challenges, notably in relation to the corporate, profit-driven orientation of contemporary scientific innovation.

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COVID-19 and the Right to Science: ‘Opportunity born of tragedy’

The authoritative interpretation of the right to science coincided with the global descent into a pandemic. From the social fissures and injustices laid bare by the pandemic arises an opportunity to use the right to science to respond and rebuild.

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A Very Short Introduction to General Comment No. 25 on science and economic, social and cultural rights

Mikel Mancisidor, a member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, introduces the Committee’s guidance on science and economic, social and cultural rights.

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