Ensure rights, democracy in Covid-19 war

The Covid-19 pandemic threatens to accelerate the global trends of democratic backsliding and weakening respect for human rights. It is intensifying existing inequalities, hitting the marginalised, discriminated and poor the hardest.

The Nordic governments advocate international cooperation, solidarity, human rights and democracy in fighting Covid-19.

We are concerned that some governments are taking advantage of and using the pandemic to violate human rights, shrinking the democratic space and redrawing the global playing field.

Thankfully, we have seen the international community act. UN Secretary-General António Guterres has led the way by calling for a global ceasefire so the world focuses on the pandemic and puts human rights first.

The UN human rights system, its humanitarian and development system and the World Health Organization have played leading roles in addressing the challenges.

Human rights

Our five governments are striving to see human rights, democracy, the rule of law and gender equality put at the centre of the immediate and long-term global response. We must build back better and greener, and we are ready to show leadership in that.

But we need to do four things:

We must mobilise internationally. The pandemic is a human crisis that is fast becoming a human rights crisis. Through the Sustainable Development Goals, the international community has committed to leaving no one behind.

We must uphold this commitment and ensure respect for human rights, transparency and access to reliable information.

The voices of independent media and civil society, including human rights defenders, must be protected and promoted to hold governments accountable.

We must counter disinformation and propaganda and ensure a gender-transformative perspective in the global response that guarantees the full enjoyment of sexual and reproductive health and rights. The pandemic is linked to increased levels of sexual and gender-based violence and harmful practices.

We stand together to remove structural discrimination and will continue to promote women’s economic and political empowerment and their full and equal enjoyment of all human rights, including sexual and reproductive health and rights.

Finally, let us remain vigilant to protect international standards and principles. Anti-pandemic actions must not undermine international law, democracy or democratic institutions.

Responding to the pandemic must not come at the cost of weaker democracies or more human rights violations.

Foreign affairs and international development, cooperation and trade ministers, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden