July 6, 2020
The Namibia Law Journal (NLJ) is a joint project of the Supreme Court of Namibia and the University of Namibia which is funded and published by Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (Namibia & Angola Office). To that end, the Namibia Law Journal invites contributions from authors with regard to the impact of Covid-19 on the Namibian society and developed countries, from legal and socio-economic perspectives, regarding the effects that the global pandemic will have on such countries’ developmental aspirations and the realisation of their Sustainable Developmental Goals (SDGs).
Covid-19 and its Impact on Developmental Aspirations of Namibia and Least Developed Countries
Contextual Background
The global Covid-19 pandemic has had devastating consequences on Namibia and other developing countries. Typically, these countries do not have adequate resources to contain the socio-economic fallout from lockdowns and lack health systems able to cope with a precipitous increase in infections. Unless bold policy and legislative positions are adopted by these countries, achieving the SDGs by the proposed 2030 deadline will likely slip out of reach.
Covid-19 threatens to undo progress achieved towards the realization of sustainable development by developing countries in recent decades. It must be acknowledged that even before the emergence of the Covid-19 global pandemic, many developing countries were unlikely to realise the SDGs, which emphasise as a core principle, “leaving no one behind” especially the most marginalised communities in marginalised countries. The unprecedented economic crises in developing countries caused by the coronavirus require decisive and swift action, both by affected countries and by international development partners, who could create a targeted package of international support measures.
These crises have revealed again the vulnerability and inequalities inherent in current development models and the global economy. Hence, rebuilding economies will require placing the SDGs and the principles of human rights, economy, society and the law. A post-Covid-19 world must protect the gains made in closing the gap between the rich and the poor, and ensure that recovery is based on approaches that are transformative, ecologically sustainable, and that leave no one behind. Building back smarter must mean that societies are economically sustainable, healthy, clean, safe and more resilient, in particular for the most vulnerable.
The current crisis lays bare the reality that developing countries will not be able to quickly bounce back without developing enhanced capacities in the economic and health sectors and beyond. Global cooperation is imperative in health, economics and elsewhere. Effective multilateral cooperation that benefits the most disadvantaged countries is a fundamental prerequisite for getting back on track toward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
Themes
Based on the above, contributions shall focus on any issue relating to the following:
Transformative constitutionalism, Covid-19 and underdeveloped health systems;
- The sustainable development goals, Covid-19 and the collapse of economies in the developing countries (e.g. tourism, light manufacturing, job losses, etc.);
- Covid-19’s economic impact on the Namibian and developing countries’ economies;
- Legal and policy responses to the Covid-19 pandemic;
- SDGs, Covid-19 and the socio-economic aspirations of Namibia and developing countries;
- Covid -19, social security and labour-related rights in developing countries;
- Covid-19, poverty alleviation and humanitarian aid in developing countries;
- Covid-19, regional integration and the realisation of SDGs in Namibia and developing countries;
- Covid-19 and its negative impact on foreign direct investments in Namibia and developing countries;
- The African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) Agreement investment protocol and its potential impact on foreign investments in a sustainable manner; and
- Covid-19 and global economic re-ordering.
NB: Contributors are free to develop articles on any of the themes listed above. Further, any other contributions which cover any aspects of public law, private law, and commercial law, in connection with the Covid-19 discourse, are more than welcome.
Guide to Contributors
The Namibia Law Journal (NLJ) is a joint project of the Supreme Court of Namibia and the University of Namibia. The Editorial Board will accept articles and notes dealing with or relevant to Namibian law. The discussion of Namibian legislation and case law are dealt with as priorities.
All submissions need to comply with the following requirements:
Submissions are to be in English. Only original, unpublished submissions will be accepted by the Editors. If a contributor wishes to submit an article published elsewhere, s/he should acknowledge such prior publication in the submission. The article should be accompanied by a letter stating that the author has copyright of the article. By submitting an article for publication, the author transfers copyright of the submission to the Supreme Court of Namibia and the University of Namibia’s Faculty of Law. Submissions (articles) should be between 8,000 and 10,000 words, including footnotes. “Judgement notes” should contain discussions of recent Court cases, not merely summaries of them. Submissions in this category should not exceed 5,000 words.
Interested legal scholars, economists, and judiciary officials can submit their articles to: The Editor, Dr Tapiwa V Warikandwa at twarikandwa@unam.na, and carbon copy (cc) guest editors Professor Howard Chitimira (from North West University, South Africa) at Howard.Chitimira@nwu.ac.za and Professor Dunia Prince Zongwe at dzongwe@wsu.ac.za (from Walter Sisulu University, South Africa); the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Namibia, Professor John Baloro at jbaloro@unam.na as well as Mr Phillipus Balhao at pbalhao@unam.na. The deadline for article submission is 30 September 2020. All submissions must be made by e-mail to the aforementioned email addresses in the form of a file attachment in MS Word. All submitted manuscripts will be subjected to a rigorous double-blind peer review process before they are published. Such peer review process will be completed in a period not exceeding 21 days from the date of submission of a manuscript. Authors are advised to closely follow the referencing guide available at: http://www.tandfonline.com/action/authorSubmission?show=instructions&journalCode=rjhr20#Preparing_your_paper A PDF of the Call is available here.