Department of Politics and International Relations, St Catherine's College, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3UJ, UK.
Global Health. 2021 Nov 22;17(1):133. doi: 10.1186/s12992-021-00786-1.
Revised: Nov 6 2021The shortfalls of multilateral and regional organizations in respect of handling the COVID-19 pandemic have been well rehearsed by scholars and policy makers in multiple publications and statements. While the World Health Organization (WHO) and its regional offices have coordinated global responses, regional organizations, like the European Union, Association of Southeast Asian Nations, or African Union, have played complementary roles. However, the response of different regions has varied, revealing multiple deficits in the structures of regional governance. The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) is a region affected by chronic ongoing conflicts and serious inequalities in health and welfare provision, reflected in the absence of concerted responses to the pandemic. Its young population has meant lower comparative mortality rates, but the socio-economic spill-over effects are grave in terms of interrupted education, high unemployment, particularly in respect to vulnerable communities like refugees and migrant workers. With the current situation remaining critical, this paper reviews the impact of COVID-19 on MENA and considers the variable performance of states and institutions to the pandemic, highlighting the shortfalls, but also opportunities for collective action. Drawing on data from the WHO, United Nations (UN), regional organizations, media and secondary sources, it first discusses the wider global-regional context; second, reviews the actions of regional bodies, like the League of Arab States, Gulf Cooperation Council and the cross-regional Organization of Islamic Cooperation; and third, looks at some country-specific situations where both evidence of good practice and the absence of appropriate regional level provision have exposed deep regional divides. It concludes with a call for more collaboration between states and international organizations: better regional coordination is urgently needed to supplement existing multilateral efforts. A collective local response to the COVID-19 pandemic could help transcend regional divides and spur much-needed security cooperation in other areas.
修订于 2021 年 11 月 6 日
学者和政策制定者在多次出版物和声明中充分阐述了多边和区域组织在应对 COVID-19 大流行方面的不足之处。虽然世界卫生组织（WHO）及其地区办事处协调了全球应对措施，但区域组织，如欧盟、东南亚国家联盟或非洲联盟，发挥了互补作用。然而，不同地区的反应各不相同，暴露出区域治理结构的多重缺陷。中东和北非（MENA）是一个受到长期持续冲突和健康与福利提供方面严重不平等影响的地区，这反映在其对大流行没有协调一致的反应。其年轻的人口意味着相对较低的死亡率，但社会经济的溢出效应在教育中断、高失业率方面是严重的，特别是在难民和移民工人等弱势群体方面。由于目前的情况仍然很危急，本文回顾了 COVID-19 对 MENA 的影响，并考虑了各国和各机构对大流行的不同表现，强调了不足之处，但也为集体行动提供了机会。本文利用来自世界卫生组织、联合国、区域组织、媒体和二手资料的数据，首先讨论了更广泛的全球-区域背景；其次，回顾了阿拉伯国家联盟、海湾合作委员会和跨区域伊斯兰合作组织等区域机构的行动；最后，分析了一些具体国家的情况，这些国家既有良好实践的证据，也有缺乏适当区域一级供应的情况，这暴露出了深刻的区域分歧。本文最后呼吁各国和国际组织之间进行更多的合作：迫切需要更好的区域协调来补充现有的多边努力。对 COVID-19 大流行的集体地方应对可以帮助弥合区域分歧，并激发其他领域急需的安全合作。
