Page - 16 - in Friedensgutachten 2020 - Im Schatten der Pandemie: letzte Chance für Europa

In the major conflicts of the present time, those who are seeking to gain an advantage are not concerned with the virus. The victims in the crisis regions are focused on the immediate task of surviving – and are completely at the virus’s mercy. In Idlib, in Yemen and in South Sudan, there are no tests and no treatment, just infection and death. That is why the UN Secretary-General’s call for a global ceasefire is the right response. The protection of civilians in armed conflict, which is in any case more theory than prac- tice, has become even more precarious in the time of coronavirus → 1. The humanitarian situation of refugees is also deteriorating rapidly. In March and April 2020, the camps on Lesbos were sealed off, cutting off access to aid supplies and projects in a situation where overcrowding was already capable of causing unrest. At the same time, the EU suspended its humanitarian resettlement program. In general, states that could, closed themselves off more than before. The enormous resources – human, financial, but also cognitive – that societies are mo- bilizing to manage the coronavirus crisis cast a long shadow in which other problematic situations and threats to peace are increasingly neglected or vanish completely from public perception. This includes climate change → F, the state of civil liberties both inside and outside Europe → 2 and the ongoing danger of far-right violence → 5. But it is not only awareness of such issues that is changing in the shadow of COVID-19. The level at which political decisions are made and enacted is also shifting towards the nation state – even as far as isolationism. It is deeply ironic that the fight against a virus capable of such rapid global spread is being carried out above all using national political means. Closed borders, unilateralism, competition over PPE, medical equipment, pharmaceuticals and vaccines – the coronavirus crisis has strengthened a tendency that has been evident for some time: instead of seeking multilateral cooperation, states are going it alone. Over and above that, governments around the world are placing restrictions on fundamental rights and freedoms. This significant growth in executive power cannot continue without limits. Sunset provisions are needed if democracy and civil rights are to avoid taking perma- nent damage. While a number of countries, including Germany, did discuss the dangers of a state of emergency of this scope at an early stage, several heads of government, such as the Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orbán, have used the crisis as an opportunity to continue their attacks on democracy. The Peace Report 2020 continues to be concerned with peace-related matters that were central before the start of the coronavirus pandemic and which remain so – even if they are now overshadowed by the crisis. National unilatera- lism instead of mul- tilateral cooperation in the fight against COVID-19 The coronavirus pan- demic cannot be an excuse to neglect the pursuit of peace 16 2020 / In the Shadow of the Pandemic: Europe’s Last Chance / STATEMENT