Vladimir Voronkov, Head of the UN Office of Counter-Terrorism, said the global coronavirus crisis underscored the challenges involved in eliminating terrorism, as he presented the UN Security Council with the latest report on ISIL’s impact on international peace and security.  “This pandemic environment raises several strategic and practical challenges for counter-terrorism, which we discussed during the Virtual Counter-Terrorism Week organized by my Office last month,” he told Council members during video-teleconference briefing.  Since the start of this year, the threat… Read More

“As a female traditional leader, my aim is to be a role model within my chiefdom. I want to ensure that we collectively challenge social and traditional norms and practices that negatively affect our women and girls”, said Kawaza, chieftainess of the Chewa people. Leading more than 650 villages with some 100,000 inhabitants, she is one of many traditional and… Read More

So far, 172 countries are  engaging with the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility, which aims to deliver two billion doses by the end of next year, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told journalists.  Urgent, broadscale commitment & investment from countries is?to achieve the goal of COVAX to bring the pandemic under control by accelerating the development & manufacture of #COVID19 vaccines, & to… Read More

Polio vaccination campaigns have resumed in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the last two countries in the world where polio is endemic, following a hiatus imposed by the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. The restart has been accompanied by new guidelines, to help ensure the safety of patients, and health workers. In an interview with UN News, Ms. Gul described how she… Read More

These nations provide a cautionary tale because they show how “progress does not mean victory”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus in his latest update on the crisis.  “WHO is committed to working with all countries to move into a new stage of opening their economies, societies, schools & businesses safely”-@DrTedros #COVID19 — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) August 21,… Read More

A ‘momentous task’  “This is a momentous task — to establish a foundational act, a social contract for Syrians — after a decade of conflict and amid deep divisions and mistrust”, said Geir Pedersen, describing preparations for the third session of the Constitutional Committee on 24 August.  To be sure, the session comes at a time of regional tragedy, he said, with many Syrians among those killed or injured in the deadly 7 August explosion in Beirut.  Deputy Special… Read More

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Tuesday said he has written to WHO Member States, urging them to join the COVAX Global Vaccines Facility, a mechanism aimed at guaranteeing fair access for all countries, rich or poor, to effective immunization. “Solidarity is needed to provide a joint solution to the #COVID19 pandemic.The COVAX ? Vaccines Facility is the critical mechanism for joint… Read More

“The weather station at Furnace Creek in Death Valley, California, reported a temperature of 54.4C, which is 130F, on Sunday 16 August,” said Clare Nullis, WMO spokesperson. “If validated, it would be the highest temperature on Earth since 1931, and the third-hottest temperature ever recorded on the planet.” Experts on the case Speaking in Geneva, Ms. Nullis told journalists that… Read More

Originally from Haiti, Dr. Bélizaire has been working in the humanitarian field since graduating in medicine and, in 2015, began supporting the effort to slow the spread of Ebola in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This year, WHO sent her to CAR, to set up the Organization’s COVID-19 response in the country.  Dr. Bélizaire shares her story as part… Read More

With the ripple effects of the pandemic upending people’s lives, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that to move forward, “the best bet is to do it together”, as he briefed reporters from Geneva on the latest developments. Phases two and three Among them, the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, launched in April, has shown results, Tedros said, with… Read More