Science & Technology

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.

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?

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.

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.

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Emergencies pose particular challenges to ethical research – yet research is essential for effective emergency response. Complementing human rights approaches, an ‘ethical compass’ of core values provides a basis to allocate responsibilities to a wide range of non-state duty-bearers.