Related Legislation Research Articles

7.Q. Round table: Is public health possible when LGBTQI+ individuals are criminalised? A roundtable and call to action

Abstract LGBTQI+ individuals have existed throughout human history and across cultures. Natural variations of sexual orientation and gender identity exist regardless of enacted laws and policies. So-called sodomy laws have existed in many countries around the world at different moments in distant and recent history, focusing on criminalising consensual sexual acts between same-gender adults. Recently, several countries (e.g., Ghana, Uganda, Kyrgyzstan) have started to propose and introduce new laws that, beside sexual acts, criminalize the very existence of sexual minorities (e.g., [self-]identification as gay, lesbian, or bisexual). This roundtable discussion will explore the public health impact of the criminalisation of LGBTQI+ individuals and related discrimination in the European region, and will discuss the public health, ethical and legal arguments and obligations for the entire public health community to act both inside and outside Europe. Beyond the direct and obvious consequences that criminalisation of sexual minorities has on the health and human rights of those prosecuted, it also has broader detrimental public health impacts. Research has shown that structural anti-LGBTQI+ legal climates further promote hostility, violence, and harassment against LGBTQI+ persons (Hatzenbuehler et al. 2019; Van der Star et al. 2020) as well as directly jeopardise a plethora of health outcomes across the entire community, including psychological distress (Van der Star et al. 2021), life satisfaction and wellbeing (Van der Star & Bränström, 2015; Pachankis & Bränström, 2018), risk for psychiatric disorders (Hatzenbuehler et al. 2010), and suicidal ideation (Pachankis et al. 2021). In addition to these direct ramifications for LGBT health, negative public anti-LGBTQI+ discourse surrounding the introduction of such legislation may also instigate harassment and discrimination (Hatzenbuehler et al. 2019) as well as reduce psychological wellbeing (Frost & Fingerhut, 2016) among LGBT persons and their families, friends and close communities. Most recently (at the time of submission), the Parliament of Uganda passed the Anti-Homosexuality Act in March 2023, which includes the death penalty for ‘serial offenders.’ The Act and related legislation in other countries was condemned by the European Parliament in April 2023. The public health community has an obligation to speak out strongly against the introduction of laws criminalising LGBTQI+ individuals. Our aim for this roundtable is to bring together several public health disciplines to discuss the ethical and public health obligations the public health community has to act and speak out. We will discuss cases from several countries from across the globe, the evidence around the public health impact of anti-LGBTQI+ legislation, and ethical, legal, and human rights argumentation. We will also dedicate time for questions from the audience to enable sharing of concerns and diverse personal and regional experiences. Key messages • After decades of net human rights progress for LGBTQI+ individuals, new laws criminalising this community are being introduced across the globe with detrimental public health consequences. • The entire public health community has the obligation to actively speak out against the criminalisation of the LGBTQI+ community. Speakers/Panelists David Patterson University of Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Arjan van der Star EUPHA-SGMH Els Maeckelberghe University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, Netherlands Elena Petelos EUPHA-HTA, EUPHA-GH

4.C. Round table: The role of EU bodies and European Health Union policies, and implications for the Pandemic Treaty

Abstract As the CoViD-19 pandemic unfolded, policy- and decision-makers within and beyond European borders became acutely aware of the urgent need to revisit policies and cross-border collaboration to increase preparedness. CoViD-19 lessons, regional autonomy, the way EU bodies functioned at times of crisis but also at times of peace, and EU's role in global health were all considered. In 2022, a new EU body, the Health Emergency Preparedness and Response (HERA) Authority became operational “to prevent, detect, and rapidly respond to health emergencies, through intelligence gathering and building the necessary response capacities.” In March 2022, the Council of the EU adopted the decision to authorise the opening of negotiations for an international agreement on these topics, i.e., ‘The Pandemic Treaty’. Upon ratification, the treaty will become a legally binding instrument to determine coordination of public-private partnerships, towards discovery, and research and development (R&D) for vaccines, diagnostic and medicinal products. Negotiations started in the summer of 2022, with the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB4) drafting the treaty in the WHO framework, the ‘Zero Draft’ presented in Nov 2022, progress to be reported to the World Health Assembly (WHA76) (May 2023), and a final draft agreement to be delivered in May 2024. In March 2023, HERA and the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC), and HERA and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) formalised agreements to clearly delineate working arrangements “to strengthen cooperation and to coordinate their work in support of health emergency preparedness and response in the area of medical countermeasures”. The increasing level of complexity, with rapid policy developments necessitates better understanding of the role of EU bodies and policies play, equipping public health professionals and of the tools to participate in these exchanges at national and cross-border levels, ultimately ensuring public health priorities and interests are served. This RT aims to provide an overview of recent developments for these bodies (HERA, EMA, ECDC), how they interact with WHO, and implications of the recently presented EU Global Health Strategy (EUGHS) (Nov 2022) and EU General Pharmaceutical Legislation (EUGPL) (Apr 2023). Panellists and Chairs include representatives to these bodies and legal experts to help elucidate key aspects. Brief interventions followed by discussion will explore: • The role of EU bodies in relation to the treaty • EU priorities, incl. regional autonomy, and related legislation, i.e., EUGPL and EUGHS • Key treaty articles and implications for European public health and global public health • The relevance of existing instruments, e.g., International Health Regulations, the Nagoya Protocol, the UN Biodiversity Convention • The guiding principles and rights in the Zero Draft Active audience interaction is envisioned via polls to prioritise topics and submit questions. Key messages • The global and European public health landscapes are rapidly being transformed. Comprehensive understanding of bodies and policies at interplay by public health professionals is key. • Current developments involve key deliberation and consultation steps at national, EU-wide and global levels. The public health community must be informed and engaged to safeguard public health. Speakers/Panelists Ricardo Mexia INSA - National Health Institute Doutor Ricardo Jorge, Lisbon, Portugal Debjani Muller HTAi, Edmonton, Canada Sujitha Subramanian UK Dimitra Lingri National Organization for Health Care Services Provision, Athens, Greece

Will Europe’s next crisis be a water crisis?

Water is an important factor in the effects of climate change and, at the same time, it is a victim of global warming. Extreme weather events such as prolonged heat, which causes droughts and flash flooding, have been reported by various European countries. Given these challenges, many EU member states have set up action plans for water management. The recent National Water Strategy from the German federal government is one of them. While these policies help to tackle country-specific challenges, given the fact that Europe shares water resources, coordinated action is also needed at the EU level. The EU Water Framework Directive and related legislation are key instruments in this regard. However, the implementation of water-related policies and regulations at EU level needs to shift from crisis management to risk management, taking an integrated, cross-sector approach, in order to prevent water challenges from becoming Europe’s next crisis.

Some Remarks on Book Critical Constitutionalism: Ideas for Constitutional Transition in the Post-COVID-19 Era by Diego Valadés

The present paper is a review essay focused on the book – scientific monograph Critical Constitutionalism: Ideas for Constitutional Transition in the Post-COVID-19 Era written by Mexican legal scholar Diego Valadés in year 2021. The book is a brief but incisive analysis of how Mexico (mis)managed the global COVID-19 pandemics. The author showed that many actions and measures taken by the Mexican State during the state of emergency declared due to the COVID-19 pandemics were problematic for various reasons, both constitutional/legal and extraconstitutional/extralegal ones, and resulted from long-term, serious and complex shortcomings of the Mexican political system, primarily based on the Mexican Federal Constitution of 1917 and related federal legislation. However, the author’s criticism of the Mexican constitutional/political system is constructive, as he makes useful suggestions to overcome (or, at least, to reduce) its shortcomings throughout the book.

PROTECTION OF PERSONAL DATA IN THE ERA OF DIGITALIZATION: CONSTITUTIONAL AND LEGAL ASPECT

The article is devoted to the study of the constitutional and legal foundations for the protection of personal data in the era of global digitalization. The authors conducted a comparative legal analysis of international acts and modern Kazakhstani legislation regulating, first of all, constitutional rights to the protection of private life, including the right to family and personal secrets; as well as the right to secrecy of personal savings and deposits; the right to privacy of correspondence, including telephone conversations, telegraph and postal messages, and the like. This article presents international legal and national instruments that guarantee the provision and protection of the right to privacy in the era of global digitalization, and also analyzes the legislative guarantees of non-interference in private life (including guarantees of protection from surveillance of private life, and guarantees non-dissemination of information about it). The article substantiates the need to introduce appropriate measures and tools to effectively protect personal data in the process of their collection, accumulation, use on automated database servers from accidental or unauthorized access, modification/destruction, or leakage or distribution. In addition, the article analyzes questions about the need to expand the conceptual apparatus of constitutional law; the formation of new terminological systems that would cover the entire process of informatization and digitalization in relation to constitutional and legal institutions in the field of personal data protection. Based on the results of the analysis, the authors formulated problematic areas of constitutional and legal recognition and legal protection of personal data. Some proposals were also formulated to improve the national legislation in relation to privacy and an attempt was made to comprehend a new set of concepts in the constitutional and legal sphere associated with the digitalization of legal relations and, in general, with the emergence of a digital legal space and the expansion of digital rights.

Growing up with Additional Disabled Child: The Life Story of a Mom

The aim of this study, which was carried out according to the life story/narrative research design, which is one of the qualitative research methods, is to examine the life story of a mother living with a child with an additional disability. In this context, a 5-year-old child with deficiencies such as hearing loss, autism and ADHD and his mother were included in the study. The research data consists of semi-structured interviews, observations, and document analysis. The collected data were analyzed with the inductive analysis method. As a result of the analysis, four main themes and ten sub-themes were reached. It was found that the mother had problems in the diagnosis process of the child, in the use of hearing aids, placement in appropriate educational environments, familial support and social support services. Based on these problems, it is necessary to make updates in planning legal regulations and related legislation.

Decriminalization of Narcotics in Jordanian Legislation: Theory and Practice

This study delves into recent legislation in Jordan regarding the decriminalization of narcotics and traces the evolution of related legislation in the country. It explores the definition and underlying philosophy of decriminalization while examining arguments from both proponents and opponents of drug decriminalization from a jurisprudential perspective. Additionally, the research sheds light on practices that have emerged in response to the decriminalization of narcotics in other jurisdictions. The study thoroughly examines the advantages and disadvantages of decriminalizing narcotics, analyzing its potential impact on drug consumption. Finally, the researcher proposes the implementation of a gradual and partial systematic plan within Jordanian legislation to address the growing trend of drug decriminalization. The paper also provides insights into the stances of the United States and other countries on this issue and how their legislations have addressed it.

Правовое положение иностранных граждан при исполнении уголовных наказаний: история, современное состояние, перспективы развития

The article discusses the peculiarities of the application of Russian penal enforcement legislation in relation to a special specific category of convicts - foreign citizens. In the course of the research, general and special methods of scientific cognition were used: dialectical, formal-logical, functional, system-structural, comparative-legal, as well as the method of legal modeling. Attention is drawn to the development of the penal status of foreign citizens since the XVII century. The paper notes that the process of execution of criminal penalties with the participation of foreign persons has peculiar features. The authors come to the conclusion that the need to improve the legal regulation of the penal enforcement status of convicted foreign citizens makes it possible to propose the introduction of an additional measure of punishment in relation to the category of convicts under study - the criminal expulsion of foreign citizens from the Russian Federation.

Negotiating authenticity and biodiversity in heritage gardens

With this paper we explore and discuss the priorities of and possible goal conflicts between authenticity and climate change in heritage gardens. How can climate change mitigation, adaptation, resilience, and cultural heritage conservation be combined in heritage gardens? Our study was guided by the following research question: How do gardeners negotiate climate change and authenticity in heritage gardens? From Rachel Carson's Silent Spring in the 1960s through to the 2002 report Gardening in the Global Greenhouse and the recent Gardening in a Changing World in 2022 mankind's impact on the environ­ment and the emerging climate change has been the focus of increasing attention. By invest­i­gat­ing and interviewing multiple gardeners our objective was to pinpoint common challenges, as well as what can be learned from one another within the field of gardening and heritage conservation. The case study method was adopted for this study, involving three head gardeners in the United Kingdom. Interviews were conducted with Joseph Atkin at Aberglasney Gardens, Claire Greenslade at Hestercombe Gardens, and Steve Lannin at Iford Manor about their expertise and knowledge. The gardeners expressed concern re­garding climate change and the challenges it poses. The interviewees shared their experience with drought, reduced use of pesticides and herbicides, and the peat legislation in relation to their role as head gardeners. We argue that authenticity and the traditional gardening practised before the advent of power tools, plastic, peat issues, and uninformed transportation can be part of the solution to loss of bio­diversity and climate change. This paper identifies some of the obstacles encountered in relation to negotiating questions of authenticity and climate change in heritage gardens.

New thematic relationships in the green recovery literature

AbstractThis short communication contributes to the current debate by exploring bibliometric data related to green recovery policies to discover the thematic linkages driving sustainable transitions and how these linkages can be navigated to encourage a successful and rapid green transformation. Our discussion illuminated three main trajectories of recent research that deviate from pre-COVID-19 themes and trends: managing natural resources at multiple levels, technology science for raw material scarcity resolution, and advancing low-carbon policies with data-driven models. This study provides a robust evidence-based framework for policymakers as they design green stimulus packages that can effectively facilitate and give long-term support to a green recovery. Specifically, the results affirm the necessity of devising novel stimulative regulations, investing in the modification or supplement of existing infrastructure (e.g. energy storage and grid infrastructure for reliable use of renewable energy sources) and building cities that are more resource-efficient and climate-resilient. Finally, the study also underscores the advances made in related European Union legislation and identifies potential challenges associated with the green transition.

Juridical Analysis of The Spread of Hate Speech Conducted by Responsible Parties Through Social Media

Convenience freedom argues with dependence on technology brings the development of new types of crime that as appearance speech hatred or hate speech that is done on social media either from typing as well as videos. such things, if not arranged more continue so, would be very worrying, society will not be off bounds and will raise inconvenience or feeling offended at someone or a group certain. The article will discuss How law criminals looked at criminal speech hatred or this hate speech and will also discuss what is the proof system in following criminal speech hatred. The method used to study which normative law is enforced with the method of researching material libraries and approaches used is approach related legislation with follow criminal speech hate. Results and discussion obtained If We see in the Criminal Code and regulations other legislation already explained several articles that can be imposed on someone who does speech hatred or hate speech. Articles that regulate action about Speech Hatred to a person, a group, or institution based on a Circular Letter National Police Chief No: SE/06/X/2015 contained inside Article 156, Article 157, Article 310, Article 311, then Article 28jis. Article 45 paragraph (2) of Law Number 19 of 2016 concerning information and transactions electronics and Article 16 of Law No. 40 of 2016 concerning deletion of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination. and proof that was made For inspect follow criminal speech hatred This is still based on with tools arranged evidence in the Criminal Code.

Consumer complaints about food packaging

Today, the public’s perception of food packaging is primarily negative, which is mostly triggered by factors such as the use of (fossil) resources, waste generation, and (marine) littering. Accordingly, the (re)design of packaging is focusing in particular on environmental sustainability (e.g., recyclability). However, it seems that in parallel, consumer experience and satisfaction continue to decline, which is reflected in numerous online complaints about packaging. Building on related European food and packaging legislation, dissatisfaction, and consumer complaint behavior (CCB) literature, this study aims to analyze online consumer complaints and identify underlying causes using the Netnography method. Over 250 complaints were collected, categorized, and evaluated based on images shared online, and as a result 12 design categories were identified that triggered significant dissatisfaction among consumers. These include food packaging that implies a higher quality or quantity of products through text-based information, design elements such as graphics, certain packaging sizes, windows, and sleeves as well as the seemingly excessive use of packaging material. The subsequent discussion shows that the consumer perspective and the legal framework have many points in common and that a different realization of the already existing requirements can avoid dissatisfaction in many cases. As a result, this study provides stakeholders from research, development, and politics with an important basis for significantly increasing consumer satisfaction along with the ecological (re)design of packaging.

Ireland’s Response to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence: An Interview with Orla O’Connor

Orla O’Connor is the Director of the “National Women’s Council of Ireland” (NWCI), the leading national women’s membership organisation with over 190-member groups. She has held senior management roles in several non-governmental organisations for over 25 years. Time magazine recognised her as one of the 100 Most Influential People in 2019 for her role as Co-director of “Together for Yes”, the successful national civil society campaign that was influential in Ireland voting overwhelmingly in favour of removing the Eighth Amendment from the Constitution, a landmark referendum, which led to the legalisation of abortion in 2018. In addition to campaigning for women’s reproductive rights, Orla has spearheaded several other prominent campaigns related to women’s rights, including pension reform, social welfare reform, and the introduction of quality and affordable childcare. To mark the annual international campaign of the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence” – which started on 25 November with the “International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women”, and ended on 10 December, “Human Rights Day” – Orla was interviewed on 8 November 2022. O’Connor discusses recent Irish legislation and policy developments in relation to Domestic, Sexual and Gender-based Violence (DSGBV), in particular, the government’s ambitious “Third National Strategy” on the issue – the “Zero Tolerance Plan” – published in 2022. The following transcript has been edited for length and clarity.

Islamic Higher Education as a Part of Kazakhs’ Cultural Revival

Kazakhstan is currently going through a phase of national and cultural renaissance. This began in the 90s when political and spiritual independence had been obtained. The process of national or cultural revival entails a shift in the paradigm, a reevaluation of prior ideas, and a return to long-forgotten customs, beliefs, or traditions that are distinctive to contemporary Kazakhstani culture. Undoubtedly, a return to religious origins via freedom from the burden of the Soviet ideology of atheism and the expansion of Islamic education is the fundamental trend in the development of national-cultural awareness. Kazakhstan has experienced a spiritual vacuum because of the rapid shift from the ban on religion to religious freedom. This has resulted in a surge in the number of religious denominations and religious organizations in the nation and the emergence of radical movements. The issue is particularly significant for the post-USSR nations that are now experiencing hardships. Evidence of this is shown in two ways: (1). many people in the CIS countries have begun to show a keen interest in religious values and traditions, and (2). new sociopolitical and socio-cultural realities brought about by the fall of communism and the dissolution of the USSR have sparked the growth of national consciousness and altered spiritual guiding principles in the post-Soviet society, particularly in Kazakhstani society. The establishment of relations with the Muslim and non-Muslim world has incorporated the opening of borders, allowed missionaries to enter freely, and allowed current citizens to go abroad for religious education and general education in both religious and non-religious-oriented countries. In addition, the liberal legislation in relation to religion in general in the early 2000s opened up new horizons for representatives of religious and pseudo-religious communities. Therefore, religious education, namely Islamic, given that population of the state is predominantly Muslim, is an absolute necessity.

Mobile ultrasound vascular assessment (MUVA) for remote and conflict areas

PurposeThis study aims to facilitate access to vascular disease screening for low-income individuals living in remote and conflict areas based on the results of a pilot trial in Colombia. Also, to increase the amount of diagnosis training of vascular surgery (VS) in civilians.Design/methodology/approachThe operation method includes five stages: strategy development and adjustment; translation of the strategy into a real-world setting; operation logistics planning; strategy analysis and adoption. The operation plan worked efficiently in this study’s sample. It demonstrated high sensibility, efficiency and safety in a real-world setting.FindingsThe authors developed and implemented a flow model operating plan for screening vascular pathologies in low-income patients pro bono without proper access to vascular health care. A total of 140 patients from rural areas in Colombia were recruited to a controlled screening session where they underwent serial noninvasive ultrasound assessments conducted by health professionals of different training stages in VS.Research limitations/implicationsThe plan was designed to be implemented in remote, conflict areas with limited access to VS care. Vascular injuries are critically important and common among civilians and military forces in regions with active armed conflicts. As this strategy can be modified and adapted to different medical specialties and geographic areas, the authors recommend checking the related legislation and legal aspects of the intended areas where we will implement this tool.Practical implicationsDifferent sub-specialties can implement the described method to be translated into significant areas of medicine, as the authors can adjust the deployment and execution for the assessment in peripheral areas, conflict zones and other public health crises that require a faster response. This is necessary, as the amount of training to which VS trainees are exposed is low. A simulated exercise offers a novel opportunity to enhance their current diagnostic skills using ultrasound in a controlled environment.Social implicationsEvaluating and assessing patients with limited access to vascular medicine and other specialties can decrease the burden of vascular disease and related complications and increase the number of treatments available for remote communities.Originality/valueIt is essential to assess the most significant number of patients and treat them according to their triage designation. This management is similar to assessment in remote areas without access to a proper VS consult. The authors were able to determine, classify and redirect to therapeutic interventions the patients with positive findings in remote areas with a fast deployment methodology in VS.Plain language summaryAccess to health care is limited due to multiple barriers and the assessment and response, especially in peripheral areas that require a highly skilled team of medical professionals and related equipment. The authors tested a novel mobile assessment tool for remote and conflict areas in a rural zone of Colombia.

Protecting the data of African agricultural producers: a review of national laws, compliance and perceptions

ABSTRACT With the rapid spread of digital tools that collect large amounts of data from agricultural producers across Africa, there is a growing need to strike a balance between data protection and use. To inform this debate, this article examines the level of and demand for the protection of data collected from African producers. To this end, the article presents a review of national personal data protection laws in Africa and assesses compliance of digital agricultural service providers with these laws. It also offers a first insight into perceptions on personal data protection among African agricultural producers. The analysis shows that data privacy regulations in Africa have been evolving, but several countries have yet to adopt related legislation. Existing laws generally reflect the basic elements of the 2014 African Union Convention on personal data protection, but often fall short on provisions of particular importance to digital service provision. Compliance with national data privacy laws among digital agricultural service providers is limited, highlighting enforcement challenges. Awareness of data protection issues is low among agricultural producers, as is the ability to control access to their data.

Harmonization of Carbon Exchange Regulations Towards a New Era of Capital Markets in Indonesia

<em>This article aims to analyze the legislation in relation to carbon exchanges in Indonesia. furthermore, this article seeks to explain the regulation of carbon exchanges in welcoming the new era of capital markets. The type of research used in this legal writing is normative legal research. This research is prescriptive research. Analysis of legal materials using the deductive method where general formulations are drawn to things that are specific. The result of this research is that the regulation on carbon exchange in Indonesia is regulated through the Financial Services Authority Regulation Number 14 of 2023 concerning Carbon Trading through Carbon Exchange (POJK 14/2023). This POJK is certainly very loaded with welcoming a new era of capital market law in Indonesia, although it is unfortunate that carbon exchange organizers need to obtain OJK permission and not automatically obtain permission from the stock exchange. The conclusion of this research is the need to separate the organizers between the stock exchange and the carbon exchange.</em>

Terrorism Definiens in Terrorism Insurance

The terrorism insurance market is a constantly growing industry as a result of the rise in terrorism and associated violence around the world. This trend has captured the attention of the Indian insurance sector as well. More and more people, companies, and organizations are getting insurance to protect themselves in case a terrorist attack occurs in the future. However, what exactly is terrorism insurance? Is it given under the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Amendment Act, 2008 or any other related and applicable national or state legislation formulated? Terrorism insurance offers coverage for damages resulting from the aforementioned terrorist acts or guarantees to hold the insurer harmless in the event of such losses. The Indian Market Terrorism Risk Insurance Pool, which is managed by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority, is now used by general insurers to offer property insurance. As foreign re-insurers withdrew their terrorist coverage following the 9/11 attacks in the United States of America, general insurers took the initiative to create the pool in April 2002. The cost of terrorism insurance, according to insurers, has decreased recently because there haven’t been any significant losses in the pool. The pool’s capacity has increased to 4,500 crore. But, the recent terrorist attacks in Paris and London as well as the ongoing enemy infiltration over our borders have stoked panic, leading to a rise in terrorism insurance in India. Despite the pool taking advantage of this fear, there is no legal framework in place to control it. While the United States and other nations have laws covering similar matters, this research study examines whether India also needs such legislation

공공안전 측면에서 인공지능(AI)의 활성화와 규제의 실질적 조화를 위한 법적 고찰

We discussed legal measures that can harmoniously implement regulations and development for the establishment of artificial intelligence (AI). In order to proceed systematically, the reality of AI was identified, and the limits of regulation and the rational direction of regulation were summarized for the development or promotion of the field. As mentioned many times before, AI has already appeared for a long time and is a center of attention in various fields. However, the industry is still in its infancy, and there is a long way to go.
 In addition, the level of related legislation has aspects that do not conform to technology, and is lagging behind. As such, the European Union's AI regulation proposal, draft artificial intelligence law, and US algorithm regulations and artificial intelligence ethical principles have been proposed and have great implications. In Korea, there are about 10 AI-related bills pending in the National Assembly. Among them, legal considerations and opinions were presented on the Basic Act on Artificial Intelligence Technology, the Act on Artificial Intelligence, and the Act on Algorithm and Artificial Intelligence.

Analysing the natural disaster and related legislations of South Africa in relation to the COVID-19 Pandemic

South Africa and the world at large continue to experience storms of natural disasters such as the COVID-19 pandemic which pose a great negative impact on people’s livelihood such as loss of lives. To mitigate such negative effects and respond effectively to natural disasters, there is a need for legislative frameworks and policies that must guide the process. In South Africa for instance, disaster legislations were used by the government to inform and guide their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is from this background that the researcher developed a hunch to analyse the South African natural disaster and related legislations that were applicable to the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in South Africa. This study adopted the non-empirical research method wherein existing literature was reviewed. The researcher reviewed and analysed documents on the South African disaster legislation from search engines such as EBSCOhost, google scholar and ProQuest. The inductive Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to analyse the collected data. The primary finding of this study revealed that legislation played an important role in guiding the COVID-19 response of the South African government. The underlined conclusion suggests that disaster legislation, programs and policies should focus on effective prevention, effective reduction, promotion of well-being, and harmless responses to individuals.