The Global Impact of COVID-19 - Southasiadisasters.net Issue No. 191, January 2021
Format
This issue of Southasiadisasters.net is titled ‘The Global Impact of COVID-19’, and highlights the consequences, implications, risks and opportunities of the COVID-19 pandemic on our current world order. The pandemic and its response, in the form of protracted nationwide lockdowns have had several short-term as well as long term impacts on human health, society, economy and environment. For instance, the severe lockdowns imposed in certain countries have actually caused a widespread economic and humanitarian crisis. Therefore, it is important to draw important lessons from this pandemic to amplify our future preparedness and response capacities to similar shocks.
The goal of this project (ASR 687) is to improve the wellbeing of older people, their families and their communities in Asia through resilient and self-sustaining Older People Associations/Community Based Organisations (OPA/CBOs) and improved social protection. This will be achieved through the following two outcomes; Outcome 1: Older people and other members of OPA/CBOs have improved health, increased opportunities for income generation and more effective care in the community. This will be accomplished through activities under Objectives 1, 2, and 3; Objective 1: Production of action research and thematic studies of OPA/CBOs in the region in order to promote better understanding of what makes strong, sustainable, affordable and replicable community based organisations.
Etinosa Yvonne/ActionAid
In response to the joint WHO and UNICEF statement 10 February 2021 “In the COVID-19 vaccine race, we either win together or lose together”, ActionAid International calls on rich countries and pharmaceutical companies to stop blocking cheap generic vaccines for the global south.
Pharmaceutical companies have already sold almost 70% of the expected 2021 vaccine doses to just a few rich countries. Unless bold action is taken now, the majority of the world’s people will have no escape from the Covid-19 nightmare anytime soon. This is no time for pharmaceutical patents to slow down the rollout of a vaccine that could save lives and livelihoods across the globe.
Edmund de Waal s Library of Exile installation was open to the public at the British Museum until very recently. Photo: AFP
One of the victims of the occupation of Iraq s second largest city by the Islamic state for three years, the library of the University of Mosul, renowned throughout the Middle East, lost almost all of its documentary holdings in the chaos of the war.
Which is why British artist and author Edmund de Waal will soon donate 2,000 books from his library of exile to the Iraqi establishment. These works were written by nearly 1,500 authors who have experienced exile over the centuries, such as Voltaire, Samar Yazbek, Ai Qing, Czeslaw Milosz but also Edmund de Waal s grandmother, Elizabeth.
Composite illustrations by Samiah Bilal
The story goes something like this. There was once a blind man who lived in a small town. But even though he could not see, he carried a lamp with him whenever he went out after dark.
One night, as he was returning home after dinner, he came across a group of young travellers. They noticed the blind man carrying a lamp and started making fun of him. One of them asked, “Hey man, you are blind.Why do you carry a lamp?”
“This lamp is not for me, it is for those who can see,” the blind man replied with a smile. “You may not see this blind man coming in the dark and end up pushing him. That is why I carry the lamp.”