Category Archives: Government Oppression

Executive Summary

On July 6th 2021, five months after the Myanmar military unlawfully seized power from the newly elected civilian government, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet made a statement to the Human Rights Council announcing that the situation in Myanmar has evolved from a political crisis to a multi-dimensional human rights catastrophe. [] What began as a coup by the Myanmar military has rapidly morphed into an attack against the civilian population that has become increasingly widespread and systematic.

Since the February 1st 2021 military coup, the human rights situation in Myanmar has seriously deteriorated. The State Administration Council (SAC) headed by Senior General Min Aung Hlaing has engaged in systematic violence against civilians and stripped away the few key civil and political protections that the already problematic 2008 Constitution was supposed to guarantee, further opening the door for widespread human rights violations. Those who have taken to the streets or posted online to express their disapproval of the coup and the militarys actions have faced violence and threats to life at the hands of security forces. In Southeast Myanmar, rural villagers have faced additional insecurity and human rights violations as armed conflict and attacks in civilian areas have increased. With ongoing displacements, a worsening COVID-19 pandemic, and the SAC blocking national and international aid organisations access to critical areas, the humanitarian crisis has become dire, placing many in life-threatening situations.

In this report, KHRG presents the experiences and perspectives of rural villagers in Southeast Myanmar during the first six months of the military coup, as well as that of civilians who fled for safety to areas under Karen National Union (KNU) control. Interviews conducted by KHRG reveal the level of violence that the SAC undertook against protesters, and the ways in which protesters have continued to voice their opposition to the coup in the face of increasing brutality and repression by the state military. Protesters recounted stories of fear and insecurity as they encountered the ruthless response of the SAC to civilian opposition, yet equally expressed a strong sense of hope and an unwavering commitment to upholding the fight for democracy and freedom from oppression through to the very end. These interviews also highlight the efforts of civilians to support and sustain each other as protesters and those engaged in civil disobedience sought refuge and protection.

The situation of rural villagers has also been impacted by an increase in militarization and armed conflict. Although some areas in Southeast Myanmar have experienced little to no fighting, others have endured an ongoing onslaught of attacks and fighting since the coup. It is estimated that, as of June 23rd, close to 177,000 villagers in Southeast Myanmar, including 50,000 in Kayin State, have been displaced since the February 1st coup (with over 140,000 still experiencing displacement as of August 23rd).2 KHRG also received a growing number of reports of direct attacks on civilians, including targeted killings, forced labour, looting and confiscation. That, combined with the SACs use of the COVID-19 pandemic as an additional weapon of war, has left rural villagers at-risk from multiple forms of attack.

In documenting the first six months of the coup, this report seeks to ensure that the experiences and concerns of rural ethnic villagers are not just heard but addressed. Although conflict and attacks had been ongoing in certain parts of Southeast Myanmar even prior to the coup, the shifts currently taking place reflect a complete disregard for human rights and signal a return to a four cuts approach that, as independent researcher Kim Joliffe has highlighted, treats civilians not just as collateral damage but as a central resource in the battlefield.

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Military Atrocities and Civilian Resilience: Testimonies of injustice, insecurity and violence in Southeast Myanmar during the 2021 coup [EN/Karen/MY]...

The opposition parties of Sindh have rejected the new local government bill that was passed recently by the provincial assembly, terming it an attempt on the part of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) to wrest more power.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) leaders termed it an attempt to occupy the urban centres of the province. MQM-P convenor Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui told a workers convention in Bahadurabad on Saturday that his party completely rejects the proposed law, and is ready to launch a campaign against it.

He said that instead of transferring authority and power to the grassroots level, the PPP has been taking all the powers from LG institutions and handing them over to the provincial government.

Plea to governor

Rejecting the recent amendments in the LG law, and dubbing them undemocratic, dictatorial and against public interest, leaders of the Jamaat-e-Islami demanded that the Sindh governor reject the bill.

Addressing a press conference at the Idara Noor-e-Haq, JI Karachi Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman also announced that his party would approach the Sindh High Court and the Supreme Court against the amendments, calling them a violation of the constitution.

He rebuked the PPP government in Sindh for what he called further tightening the provincial governments clutches on the local bodies, instead of the devolution of powers as per the demands of the constitution.

Describing the recent development as a conspiracy against Karachi, the JI leader criticised the manner in which the PPP got the bill passed, calling it shameful.

After the passage of the 18th amendment, the PPP government in Sindh took over the federal subjects in the province but did not relieve the bodies supposed to be run by the local government, said the JI leader, adding that the recent amendments were contrary to the spirit of devolution and the constitution.

He said the PPP had passed the bill on the basis of a fake majority in the province. The so-called majority was acquired on the basis of a flawed census,

he added.

The JI Karachi chief said the PPP ruled in the interior areas of Sindh with the help of feudal lords, and wanted to implement the same formula in the urban areas.

JI MPA Abdul Rasheed said the PPP should have opened the amendments for debate but the party avoided the democratic path. JI leaders Usama Razi, Raja Arif, Munim Zafar, Saifuddin Advocate, Zahid Askari and others were also present at the news conference.

A disgrace

Declaring the Sindh government a democratic terrorist, Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) Chairman Syed Mustafa Kamal said that the ugly manner in which the LG amendment bill had been passed was a disgrace to the democratic history of the world.

Sindh and its capital Karachi are the worst victims of the PPPs democratic terrorism, said Kamal while addressing a protest rally that was held from Hasan Square to the Urdu Science University. A large number of party supporters and residents attended the rally.

He also announced a campaign against the PPP-led corrupt and biased provincial government. He said that all the revenue-generating institutions created by the Karachi Municipal Corporation had been taken over by the provincial government.

The residents of Karachi have been deprived of their democratic rights by this act, but the PSP will stand against the PPPs oppressive, corrupt, biased and prejudiced government, and from now onward it will be a totally different ball game.

Kamal said the rulers did not understand the language of respect. We did not liberate the city from the clutches of RAW to let it be turned into the personal dynasty of Asif Zardari.

He said disillusioned and dejected youths became terrorists because of the characterless and mischievous PPP rule in the province. Drinking water, education and roads nothing was available to the people, he added.

The PPP is making tomorrows terrorists today. The state should stop it today. Now we are going to stop the oppression and prejudice of the PPP.

Kamal said that the PPP because of its power lust was taking over control of civic institutions. The institutions in which the youth of Sindh used to get jobs have been also snatched, depriving them of their rights.

PSP President Anis Kaimkhani, and members of the partys Central Executive Committee and National Council were also present on the occasion.

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PPP slammed for trying to wrest more power through LG bill - The News International

This evening at sundown, Jewish communities across Canada and around the world welcome the beginning of Hanukkah, the Jewish Festival of Lights.

OTTAWA, ON, Nov. 28, 2021 /CNW/ -This evening at sundown, Jewish communities in Canada and around the world welcome the beginning of Hanukkah by lighting the first candle of the menorah.

Hanukkah, the eight-day Festival of Lights, marks Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom and liberation from oppression. It is an opportunity to acknowledge the resilience and determination of Jewish Canadians.

This occasion also reminds us that we must renew our commitment to stand against antisemitism and hatred, and remain steadfast in saying that they have no place in Canada or anywhere in the world. The Government of Canada reaffirms its role in combatting hatred, with the support of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism.

As Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, I encourage everyone to continue to build a stronger, more open and inclusive Canada.

I wish all those celebrating Hanukkah a blessed and joyous Festival of Lights. Chag Hanukkah Sameach!

SOURCE Canadian Heritage

For further information: (media only), please contact: Mikaela Harrison, Press Secretary, Office of the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion, [emailprotected]; Media Relations, Canadian Heritage, 819-994-9101, 1-866-569-6155, [emailprotected]

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Statement by Minister Hussen on the Beginning of Hanukkah - Canada NewsWire

BLURB:

United States President Joe Biden has made it clear that he is considering a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics. The Washington Post reported that an official decision will be made by the end of November.

A diplomatic boycott of the Olympics would mean that the government would not send leaders, ministers, or government delegations to events like the opening ceremony, although athletes will still compete with their utmost effort.

The boycott will be a means to protest against human rights abuses by the Xi Jinping administration in areas such as the Xinjiang region and Hong Kong.

The Beijing Olympics must be prevented from becoming a glorification of the Xi administration, a regime that has no shame in violating human rights. A diplomatic boycott will show that Japan will not tolerate human rights violations and will stand by those who suffer under oppression. This is the path that Japan must take as a nation that respects human rights.

China drew international condemnation for sending more than one million Uyghurs to concentration camps and forcing sterilization on Uyghur women, crushing freedom of speech and democracy in Hong Kong with its national security law, and carrying out a series of repressions in the autonomous regions of Tibet and Inner Mongolia.

US Democrat House Speaker Pelosi proposed a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Olympics in May. She emphasized that the Chinese government should not be honored, asking, What moral authority do you have to speak again about human rights in any place in the world if youre willing to pay your respects to the Chinese government as they commit genocide?

In June, the US House and Senate passed the US Innovation and Competition Act (USICA), which seeks a diplomatic boycott of the Beijing Winter Olympics.

Meanwhile, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishidas approach towards this human rights issue has been inexplicably ambiguous.

In an interview on November 19, Prime Minister Kishida went no further than to say that nothing had been decided at this stage and that a decision would be made by carefully considering Japans national interests.

But there is no room for indecision. The correct course of action is obvious: demand the Xi administration to immediately cease its human rights violations, and declare that Japan will launch a diplomatic boycott if it refuses to concede. Of course, Japan must ensure that the athletes will not be affected.

The preamble of the Constitution of Japan expressly states that the Japanese people desire to occupy an honored place in an international society striving for the preservation of peace, and the banishment of tyranny and slavery, oppression and intolerance for all time from the earth.

But nothing would be more damaging to Japans honor and national interests than for its prime minister, ministers, and delegation to shake hands with those in charge of the oppressive Chinese government at the Opening Ceremony of the Beijing Olympics.

RELATED: The Peng Shuai Scandal: Will Its Spillover Affect the Beijing Winter Olympics?

(Read the Sankei Shimbun editorial in Japanese at this link.)

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun

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EDITORIAL | Diplomatic Boycott of Beijing Winter Olympics is the Honorable Thing to Do - JAPAN Forward

Some people have a retrospection its Russian against Ukrainian is what happened in the past and its why people died but I think its most important people need to understand it was the Soviet Union government against all the people. Just because theres no explanation because [Joseph] Stalin wasnt a reasonable person, Wells said.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also released a statement on Holodomor Memorial Day encouraging Canadians to honour the victims and to reflect on contributions Ukrainian Canadians have made in the past and continue to make.

Today, we join Ukrainian communities in Canada and around the world to remember the millions of innocent victims who suffered or lost their lives during the Holodomor, he said.

Despite the brutality of the Holodomor, Ukrainians persevered. The resilience of the Ukrainian people and the survival of their culture, language, and identity is a testament to their courage and strength. After decades of Soviet control and oppression, Ukraine regained its independence in 1991.

He added for too long the reality of the mass killing was hidden and denied and that its up to Canadians to not let it be forgotten and to defend democracy when its under attack.

-With files from Derek Craddock

Ian.Gustafson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @IanGustafson12

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Holodomor Memorial Day: A time to reflect on victims of genocide and famine - larongeNOW

Today, the country celebrates the 400th anniversary of the first Thanksgiving holiday. Families will unite, perhaps for the first time in over a year, gather around the dinner table, and eat turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and pie. As this has long been a yearly custom in the country, it is also important to pay mind to the origins of the holiday.

Initially celebrated in November 1621, the Wampanoag tribe and the Pilgrims celebrated the first successful autumn harvest. Unbeknownst to the attendees at the time, they set the foundation for creating a new society.

The Pilgrims landing on Plymouth Rock in 1620 is one of the most pivotal moments in Western civilization. Their joint celebration with the Wampanoag in 1621 embarked them on a new project. This 1621 Project would lay the foundations for the future generations of America. Similar to the way the autumn harvest yielded an abundance of food for a celebration, the seeds planted by our Thanksgiving forefathers would bloom into a new way of thinking, acting, and governing. From the rigors of the harsh conditions of New England winters, the fruits of the labor of the 1621 Project would bear what would become perhaps the greatest harvest in the world: the United States of America.

From the humble beginnings through a clash of civilizations to the birth of a constitutional republic, the 1621 Project would change the course of humanity. It yielded a new world, a new country, and a freer kind of government. It has been a long, tough journey. It hasn't been a perfect evolution from the time of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag and there are plenty of blemishes throughout. However, what humanity often got wrong throughout its existence, the U.S. has fought to get right.

Today, many try to tear this country down by vilifying its past. They target its history and denounce it under the misnomer as a society of oppression. These enemies of freedom lambaste this country for failing to live up to the impossible standards of a nirvana that only exists in their ideologically corrupted minds. All too often, they emphasize our sins while ignoring our successes. Today, many of them even denounce the celebration of Thanksgiving as an act of racial oppression. Their objective is for the complete dissolution of all the progress made since the Pilgrims and Wampanoag tribe joined together. They want to create a form of government that we have spent centuries trying to escape from.

Today, there are many who wish to tear this government down. These people wish to eradicate our culture and customs. They attack Thanksgiving in a coordinated effort to delegitimize and discredit our history. A house divided cannot stand, and instigating internal strife is the ultimate objective for such people. Instead, we must remember the spirit of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag and come together, united, to preserve our liberties and freedoms. The U.S. may have its fair share of sins that led to many people inexplicably suffering. Yet, it is the 1621 Project that bore the fruit that resulted in a society that looked to correct all of humanitys wrongs.

The first Thanksgiving occurred 400 years ago. We are still bearing the fruits of the labor of the Pilgrims and Wampanoag. They did not realize what they were cooking that November day, but it resulted in an entre that would revolutionize the world. It is why we should honor those from the first Thanksgiving. It is the quintessential American holiday.

Excerpt from:

The 1621 Project: Why Thanksgiving is the quintessential American holiday - Washington Examiner

On November 23rd, the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) released a report detailing the scope of the humanitarian crisis in Lebanon and its impact on children. The findings presented in the document describe a deteriorating situationtheir education, health, and protection have all been increasingly endangered over the past few years. A majority of families in the country had at least one child who needed to skip a meal, while nearly 34% of children were not able to receive necessary primary health care. Additionally, over 45% of Lebanese households had insufficient drinking water, the UNICEF report stated. Furthermore, economic inequality has put Lebanese children in significant danger; child marriage, trafficking and sexual exploitation are all increased threats as families struggle to provide food and housing. The degradation of conditions for children in the nation has drawn greater attention with an entire generation at risk.

[I] have never seen the situation of children worsen so quickly, and so visibly, as I have during my visits last month. The needs are massive, said Yukie Mokuo, the UNICEF Representative in Lebanon. [M]ore and more children are going hungry. Parents are resorting to desperate measures to put food on the table and are often not able to . . . it breaks my heart to witness the shadow of poverty affect so many children across the country, so fast. This dangerous situation creates an environment where many children are facing an uncertain future as the economy and country collapsea lack of access to schools, healthcare, and clean water threatens their ability to develop and thrive.

What must occur in Lebanon is consistent and sufficient structural change. Many of the issues lie in governmental policies and the inflexibility of state leaders; for the country to survive the turmoil it faces, there must be a shift in the attitudes and directions of officials. Federal repression and abuses towards the population will not solve the crisis that is swallowing the nation. Instead, there needs to be a focus on resolving the currency collapse and establishing effective social programs. Both of these actions combined, which can be accomplished through proper management and new policies, will help to relieve extreme poverty and raise the nation from devastation. Only foundational alterations can create a lasting transformationfailure to implement reforms will put the youth of Lebanon in greater peril, causing millions of children to suffer.

The account of this intense crisis can be found in multiple facets of the countrys history. A collapse of the Lebanese pound in 2019 led to the failure of the entire economy, pushing the UN poverty rate estimate from 42% to 82% in 2021. Compounded with the dire economic situation are concerns over governmental corruption, the brutal oppression of social movements, COVID-19, and political instability. Further exasperating the crisis is the Beirut explosion of 2020 that scarred Lebanon and left over 25% of children struggling to get access to education after 163 schools were damaged in the event, the International Rescue Committee affirms. Basic necessities are too expensive to afford, and utilities like electricity are subject to extreme shortages, making the circumstances in the nation dire.

International actors must work to help the troubled state by helping to maintain necessary domestic infrastructures and keep emergency aid available. While it might take years of assistance until Lebanon is able to function independently, the International Crisis Group asserts, the populace cannot be allowed to suffer due to the actions of the government. It is necessary to note, however, that the current manner in which the Lebanese state functions risks perpetuating anger and dissent towards those in power. Such instability exacerbates the risks to health and security that citizens, and especially children, face. The future of the country remains imperiled as the multileveled humanitarian crisis continues its descent. Providing support for both the youth and impoverished in Lebanon must be a central focus, in order to secure the country from instability and societal collapse.

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The Crisis For Children In Lebanon The Organization for World Peace - The Organization for World Peace

by: WILLIAM J. KOLE, Associated Press

FILE- Supporters of Native Americans pause following a prayer during the 38th National Day of Mourning at Coles Hill in Plymouth, Mass., on Nov. 22, 2007. Denouncing centuries of racism and mistreatment of Indigenous people, members of Native American tribes from around New England will gather on Thanksgiving 2021 for a solemn National Day of Mourning observance. (AP Photo/Lisa Poole, File)

Members of Native American tribes from around New England are gathering in the seaside town where the Pilgrims settled not to give thanks, but to mourn Indigenous people worldwide whove suffered centuries of racism and mistreatment.

Thursdays solemn National Day of Mourning observance in downtown Plymouth, Massachusetts, will recall the disease and oppression that European settlers brought to North America.

We Native people have no reason to celebrate the arrival of the Pilgrims, said Kisha James, a member of the Aquinnah Wampanoag and Oglala Lakota tribes and the granddaughter of Wamsutta Frank James, the events founder.

We want to educate people so that they understand the stories we all learned in school about the first Thanksgiving are nothing but lies. Wampanoag and other Indigenous people have certainly not lived happily ever after since the arrival of the Pilgrims, James said.

To us, Thanksgiving is a day of mourning, because we remember the millions of our ancestors who were murdered by uninvited European colonists such as the Pilgrims. Today, we and many Indigenous people around the country say, No Thanks, No Giving.

Its the 52nd year that the United American Indians of New England have organized the event on Thanksgiving Day. The tradition began in 1970.

Indigenous people and their supporters will gather at noon in person on Coles Hill, a windswept mound overlooking Plymouth Rock, a memorial to the colonists arrival. They will also livestream the event.

Participants will beat drums, offer prayers and condemn what organizers describe as the unjust system based on racism, settler colonialism, sexism, homophobia and the profit-driven destruction of the Earth before marching through downtown Plymouths historical district.

This year, theyll also highlight the troubled legacy of federal boarding schools that sought to assimilate Indigenous youth into white society in the U.S. as well as in Canada, where hundreds of bodies have been discovered on the grounds of former residential schools for Indigenous children.

Brian Moskwetah Weeden, chairman of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribal Council, said on Boston Public Radio earlier this week that Americans owe his tribe a debt of gratitude for helping the Pilgrims survive their first brutal winter.

People need to understand that you need to be thankful each and every day that was how our ancestors thought and navigated this world, Weeden said. Because we were thankful, we were willing to share and we had good intentions and a good heart.

That wasnt reciprocated over the long term, Weeden added.

Thats why, 400 years later, were still sitting here fighting for what little bit of land that we still have, and trying to hold the commonwealth and the federal government accountable, he said.

Because 400 years later, we dont really have much to show for, or to be thankful for. So I think its important for everyone to be thankful for our ancestors who helped the Pilgrims survive, and kind of played an intricate role in the birth of this nation.

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Tribes to mourn on Thanksgiving: No reason to celebrate - CBS17.com

Anne-Sophie Jung and colleagues argue that research and policy making must embrace complexity to build sustainable and long term approaches to pandemic preparedness

The scale and duration of the pandemic has challenged national and global abilities to develop, implement, and sustain responses that save lives and livelihoods. Responses to the pandemic have been challenged by complexity. From the evolution of the virus to the health, social, and economic effects of public health and social measures, to the forces of longstanding inequities, there is much to learn about which responses work, for whom, and why.1

While it is well established that research and decision making must evaluate health systems and public health measures, often relying on indicators of health or health system capacity, this paper argues that evaluators and decision makers should consider the broader multidimensionality of health and work to establish a complete evaluation framework. Drawing on implementation research, we highlight five categories of pandemic preparedness and response that are often analysed separately or in relation to one or two other components. An analysis of responses by 28 countries to covid-19 between March 2020 and February 2021 highlighted the importance of extensive discussion.2 From this analysis, we present here a roadmap by which to form a concept of pandemic responses and better prepare a response to future public health emergencies.34567

As a first step towards thinking about complex responses, we present a framework to visualise categories that represent the drivers, complexities, and uncertainties inherent in responses to a pandemic (fig 1). We identify governance, control strategies, and interventions as the three pillars of a response. An inner context analysis discloses the importance of forming an idea of the pandemic driven and rapidly evolving conditions by which responses are shaped. In successful national responses, guided by scientific evidence, the epidemiological profile of the disease informs strategies, approaches, and interventions. As variants of concern appear, we see how the dynamic nature of the virus requires adaptable complex responses. Globally such responses have been hindered by existing structural inequities that affect health and wellbeing. These inequities are the result of longstanding ecological breakdown, systemic oppression, racism, ageism, social and economic exclusion, and other forms of discrimination. Dealing with health emergencies is intrinsically political as it depends on how government and decision makers deal with and mitigate systematic and structural elements and the uncertainties these produce, and also how they take into account more static components (eg, geography, demographics, urbanisation). Taken together, these components can strengthen our blueprint towards a more holistic understanding of what worked, for whom, and why.

Evaluation framework for responses to a national pandemic

Domestic governance approaches comprise many components, including leadership, coordination, financing, and community engagement, which ideally are built on scientific advice and previous experience. Leadership and coordination ensure that scientific advice is taken into consideration and that decisions informed by science are implemented at scale. Authorities must adopt whole-of-government approaches, working closely with subnational authorities to bring together different domains and sectors. Several governments had pre-existing structures to enable this cooperation, whereas others had to create these links. Governance structures and decisions affect the financing of responses and health systems, the extent of community engagement, and socioeconomic interventions. Analysis of country responses centres on domestic governance, but international or global governance is equally critical. Similarly, using regional structures has improved collaboration for health. The procurement strategies of the African Union through the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ensured affordable prices for medical supplies.89

Financing approaches are foundational to planning a national response to covid-19 and putting it into operation. Many countries allocated additional funds to subnational governments, health ministries, or hospitals to support the overall response (see supplementary table 1; bmj.com). Other countries focused on direct procurement of high cost medical equipment, personal protective equipment, and medication. Countries also reallocated funds from other sectors or borrowed from international financing organisations, such as the Asian Development Bank, to rapidly procure medical equipment and medication. Funds were also channelled to the private healthcare sector through contracting essential pandemic related services, such as testing and hospital level treatment.

Community engagement is important for ensuring that interventions are feasible and acceptable to all, including equity seeking groups.1011 Community and civil society involvement also increases accountability, which is fundamental to governance at all levels. Some countries formed partnerships with local leaders to plan and deliver response measures. Community engagement in many countries relied on existing relationships with community health workers.12

Examining the experiences of countries with past epidemics, highlights the mental model that countries used to guide their responses to covid-19 in 2020. In particular, influenza outbreaks were a dominant schema for many governments.13 Others looked to previous epidemics, including Ebola, SARS, MERS, and cholera. Mental models allowed countries to draw on previously developed structures and scientific advisory bodies, rather than developing them anew for covid-19. Most relied on existing institutions to convert emerging evidence into policy recommendations. Few countries included socioeconomic perspectives on expert advisory groups. Additionally, our data suggest that the role of scientific advisory committees has decreased over time in many countries.

Country strategies for control of covid-19 can be categorised as aggressive containment, suppression, mitigation, and lack of substantive strategy.14151617 These strategies are used through different combinations of public health measures.18 The aggressive containment strategy, which is usually defined as maintaining zero community transmission for more than 28 days,14 was dominant in Asia-Pacific countries. Leaders in these countries took actions based on scientific advice quickly with a strong political commitment. Most have developed a national covid-19 response strategy put into operation through a clearly centralised top down governance structure. In countries where governments adopted a suppression strategy (eg, Argentina, India, or Spain), governments responded only after the first reported domestic case by employing a series of public health interventions. Although stringent, sometimes aggressive, public health interventions (eg, lockdown) were widely used in these countries, they were usually relaxed or lifted before community transmission was eliminated. A number of European countries, including Sweden and the UK, adopted a mitigation strategy at the beginning of the pandemic.171920 These countries aimed to minimise the effects of the pandemic on vulnerable populations and to avoid overwhelming health systems by permitting controlled transmission in low risk groups.20 A few countries, including Brazil and Mexico, had no clear goal or coordinated national strategic plan for response to covid-19 in 2020, resulting in uncontrolled waves of community transmission.

Programmatic interventions are a core component of responses to a national pandemic. Throughout 2020, countries relied on public health and social measures to minimise community spread, while rapidly developing pharmaceutical interventions, and offering supportive economic and social programmes.21 Travel restrictions and border closures featured in all national responses to varying degrees, with most evolving from partial to complete bans.22 Public health interventions were often coupled with social and economic support. Most countries provided some form of direct financial assistance to individuals or households, through direct cash assistance, additional payments through unemployment or welfare systems, and by pausing repayments of loans. Countries that carried out comprehensive programmatic public health interventions, while responding to the social and financial needs of communities, were more successful in reducing community transmission than those that enacted piecemeal policies.23Table 1 gives country specific examples of interventions.

Examples of national response interventions in countries with low, high, and middle level covid-19 death rates

The inner context is driven primarily by the way in which the SARS-CoV-2 virus spreads in populations.2425 Evolving evidence of transmission routes and infectivity influenced governments decisions on how to break chains of transmission and protect health and wellbeing in communities.252627 In turn, the virus is sensitive to anthropogenic pressures and public health interventions (or lack thereof).2829 With widespread community transmission, questions have been raised about variants of SARS-CoV-2 and their increased transmissibility, severity of infection, and the immune response.303132 These uncertainties have played out in the media, shaping public perceptions and disseminating information (and misinformation). Public discourse is further influenced by social media, which has spurred an infodemic, while undermining public trust and adherence to public health measures. Some countries, including Germany and Sri Lanka, developed campaigns to deal directly with the infodemic (see supplementary table 2; bmj.com).33 Experiences in many countries during 2020 emphasised that covid-19 disproportionally affects those in marginalised or oppressed groups. Strict public health measures are necessary to minimise transmission in communities, but they also exert negative social and economic pressures and amplify longstanding inequities. These pressures are disproportionately experienced by equity seeking groups, such as women, children, and LGBTQ+groups, people with disabilities, older adults, and minority and indigenous communities.343536373839

Factors in the outer context represent structural and institutional components shaping the preparedness and responses of countries. Healthcare is a complex ecosystem that intersects with human rights, equality, security, the environment, migration, economies and markets, among other factors. National responses are shaped by socioeconomic contexts, pre-existing circumstances, infrastructures, politics, legal frameworks, and historical dependencieslocally and globally (see supplementary table 3; bmj.com).

Demographics, for example, have a role in the way in which the pandemic and the responses to it unfold. The younger demographic of African countries is thought to be an advantage in mitigating covid-19.40 Cluster identification in these countries might be challenged, however, by younger people showing fewer symptoms and thus hindering successful mitigation strategies. Other countries have used physical features to their advantage. Indeed, geography and health are intrinsically linked and intersect more broadly with direct influences on access to health promoting resources, such as shelter, food, water, and unpolluted ecosystems.41 Pre-pandemic health sector investments, reforms, and capacities determined the resilience of the health system to manage the pandemic.2 Understanding covid-19 as one of many insecurities42 highlights the importance of governance decisions globally, nationally, and locally, and the effects of these on the lives of individuals. This understanding suggests that inner elements are the determining factor for outcomes, but analysis should still consider how authorities mitigated or used structural elements to deal with covid-19.

Bringing together the elements identified here, our analysis highlights three areasthe drivers, the complexities, and the uncertaintiesthat are critical to strengthening national pandemic preparedness response now and in future.

First, countries must consider pre-existing and pandemic sensitive drivers that shape responses. Our analysis emphasises that covid-19 has not been the cause of many of the crises of 2020. Rather, it has amplified underlying and systemic inequalities, vulnerabilities, and fragilities on which health and wellbeing are built on and around. The holistic view we offer is an important picture by which to look back on 2020, as we have done in this analysis, and by which to look ahead in light of vaccines, variants, and the changing political landscape of 2021 and beyond.

Second, countries must view and evaluate responses through a lens that acknowledges pre-existing and pandemic driven complexities. This lens must see that health and wellbeing are equally intertwined with social, economic, political, and ecological circumstances. Our findings also highlight the complexity inherent in responding to pandemics while upholding human rights and protecting lives and livelihoods.

Third, countries must navigate uncertainties in responding to an emerging outbreak of infectious disease, including evolving scientific evidence, emerging variants, and unclear outcomes of new public health or biomedical interventions. These uncertainties have challenged messages on risk, approaches to evaluation, and emphasised the importance of multidisciplinary scientific involvement at the highest levels of national response. Such a response has become increasingly important during the second year of the pandemic as national capacities to sustain responses have been threatened by, and contributed to, uncertainties.

Combining these elements in analysis and approach provides an important blueprint for reviewing and evaluating responses to a national pandemic for both covid-19 and future emerging outbreaks of infectious disease. Our roadmap illustrates that health and wellbeing are products of politics, policies, strong and empathetic leadership, coordination, and mechanisms of accountability at all levels and across sectors. Our findings emphasise that there is no perfect single path, and at this point we cannot claim correlation. All interventions are co-dependent, interlinked, and must be viewed in light of the complex systems from which they emerge and with which they interact. Thus to ensure pandemic preparedness and response, countries must now take immediate action to move beyond piecemeal and inequitable approaches. Nations must recognise that the effects of the pandemic reflect our collective neglect of the social, political, economic, ecological, and cultural determinants of health and wellbeing. We must learn lessons today, and this work provides a map to chart a course that incorporates complexity, founded on policies, systems, and actions that create healthy, equitable, and resilient societies to ensure that this is the last pandemic.

Analysis of responses to covid-19 ought to consider the complexities in which health systems, pandemic preparedness and responses are embedded, locally, nationally, and globally

Covid-19 has not been the cause of all the crises of 2020 but has amplified underlying and systemic inequalities, vulnerabilities, and fragilities

A toolset is described with which to analyse the complexity of health systems and pandemic preparedness, evaluate responses, and chart a map moving forward as the world learns to live with covid-19 endemically

The framework highlights the interplay between governance, strategies, and interventions that are the pillars of responses to a pandemic

Acknowledgment of complexity is essential to build sustainable and long term approaches to pandemic preparedness and responses

Contributor and sources:This analysis is part of the work commissioned by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, which reviewed the national responses of 28 countries. The analysis is separate from the independent panels final report and has been facilitated by the independent panel secretariat, which is impartial. Data used for the analysis were collected through literature review of peer reviewed papers, policy documents, public reports, and articles that examined national and subnational policy responses; semistructured interviews with country experts and national government written submission of selected countries about their own account of the measures implemented to contain covid-19; and validation of country specific data by experts through written consultation. The views expressed here are solely the authors and do not represent the views of the independent panel. AS-J, VH, and HL-Q conceived and designed the article. A-SJ, VH, RN, SW, MJ, MV, MT, CDF, SMA, PS, QC, and HL-Q collected the data. A-SJ, VH, RN, SW, and HL-Q analysed the data and drafted the manuscript with input from all authors. All authors contributed to revision of the manuscript and round table discussion. ASJ and VH contributed equally and are joint first authors. HL-Q is the corresponding author.

Competing interests: We have read and understood BMJ policy on declaration of interests and have no interests to declare.

Provenance and peer review: Commissioned; externally peer reviewed.

This collection of articles was proposed by the Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response. Open access fees were funded by the World Health Organisation and Singapore's National Medical Research Council (NMRC/CG/C026/2017_NUHS). The BMJ commissioned, peer reviewed, edited, and made the decision to publish these articles. Kamran Abbasi was the lead editor for The BMJ.

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution IGO License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/igo/), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction for non-commercial purposes in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

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National responses to covid-19: drivers, complexities, and uncertainties in the first year of the pandemic - The BMJ

London (AFP) On a rainy night in Hong Kong in 1997, Prince Charles read a message from his mother Queen Elizabeth II, as Britain handed back sovereignty of the territory to China after more than 150 years of UK rule.

On Monday, nearly a quarter of a century on, Charles will be present at another handover, when Barbados becomes the world's newest republic, with an elected president -- not the queen -- as head of state.

The ceremony will not be on the same scale as in Hong Kong, when military marching bands and bagpipes provided the backdrop to a momentous occasion that was described as "the epilogue of empire".

But the Caribbean island's abandonment of constitutional monarchy is significant, not just for the monarch and her heir, but for the new republic -- and others that may follow.

Joe Little, the managing editor of Majesty Magazine, said the declaration was a "natural progression" of a trend that began soon after the queen took the throne in 1952.

"I think inevitably it's one that will continue, not necessarily in this current reign but in the next -- and probably accelerate," he told AFP.

Royal officials have said little about the end of nearly four painful centuries of British rule and influence on Barbados, which was a key centre in the slave trade.

"This is a matter for the government and people of Barbados," Buckingham Palace said when the authorities in Bridgetown set out its intentions last year.

However, it sends a clear message that in the twilight of the 95-year-old queen's reign, and when Charles, 73, succeeds, the British monarchy's global reach is diminished.

In 1947, five years before she became queen, Britain saw the "Jewel in the Crown" -- India -- emerge as an independent republic.

After Elizabeth took the throne in 1952, independence movements swept Britain's former colonies, severing ties to the crown that were bound by commerce and bloody conquest.

But between 1983 and 1987, Elizabeth was still queen of an astonishing 18 countries.

Fiji (1987) and Mauritius (1992) have since become republics, following in the footsteps of Caribbean nations Dominica, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago in the 1970s.

In doing so now, tiny Barbados, with a population of just under 300,000, could start a domino effect in the queen's 14 remaining Commonwealth realms outside Britain.

Professor Hilary Beckles, a Barbadian historian, called Monday's event -- on the eve of Barbados' 55th anniversary of independence -- "an historic moment" with far-reaching significance.

For Barbados, the Caribbean and all post-colonial societies, it represents freedom from the "tyranny of imperial and colonial authority", and the "brutal legacy" of slavery and genocidal oppression, he said this week.

"History has given Barbados this responsibility to move forward into the 21st century" with pride, dignity and honour, he added, calling Tuesday "a democracy day".

The queen has consistently been the most popular royal in Britain and beyond, and is seen as the symbol of the country post-war as well as the last living link to its imperial past.

When the succession comes, with the more controversial Charles lacking that history, experts predict the republican question will be asked with more urgency in Commonwealth countries -- and even possibly in the UK.

Little said the push for an elected head of state was more than likely in places such as Australia and to a lesser extent Canada.

Australians last voted on the the issue in November 1999, but the proposal did not pass.

Graham Smith, from the anti-monarchy pressure group Republic, said Barbados' move is "useful" to demonstrate that ditching constitutional monarchy can be done easily.

"It's going to have a big impact," he said.

Jamaica in particular, where both main political parties back the idea of becoming a republic, could see it as a "prompt", he added.

In Britain, a YouGov poll in May indicated support for scrapping the monarchy was low among older age groups, dropping to just 13 percent among those aged 65 and over.

In contrast, 41 percent of those aged 18 to 24 said they wanted an elected head of state.

Smith attributed that to changing attitudes to monarchy, a greater awareness about the legacies of colonialism and support for anti-racism movements and a fairer society.

"As the older generation starts to die, we're going to see a big spike in support for republicanism," he said.

"I think the only people that think monarchy has a big role to play are the British and the royal family."

2021 AFP

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Barbados will spur others to ditch the Queen: experts - FRANCE 24