Thread by @heavencrawley

Yesterday's speech by @antonioguterres hit so many nails on head. #COVID-19 is shining spotlight on global injustices and issues ignored for decades: inadequate health systems; structural inequalities; environmental degradation; the climate crisis un.org/sg/en/content/…

#COVID19 is not 'the great equaliser', we are not 'all in the same boat'

Importantly @antonioguterres points to long term inequalities associated with colonisation and the unequal incorporation of countries into the global economic system as a key causal factor. It's rare to have such explicit acknowledgement of how we came to be in this mess

And he calls out the racism, discrimination, abuse and lack of access to justice which define inequality for many, particularly indigenous people, migrants, refugees and minorities of all kinds. Such inequalities are a direct assault on human rights

Colonialism and patriarchy are says @antonioguterres historic sources of inequality in our world. Both need to be tackled from the top started with the institutions that reflect and reinforce these inequalities in their own work

I'm not naive enough to think one speech from Gen Sec of the United Nations is suddenly going to change things but it feels like an important moment in terms of putting global inequalities rooted in colonialism and patriarchy at heart of our analysis. And for that I'm grateful