The COVID-19 taskforce initiative follows a direct request to WHO from UN Secretary-General António Guterres to coordinate the Organization’s response to the new coronavirus. Demand 200 times greater than normal It comes amid unprecedented global shortages of critical supplies, skyrocketing prices and export bans, said Paul Molinaro, Chief, Operations Support and Logistics, WHO Health Emergencies Programme. “The demand has obviously… Read More

One year after long-time ruler Omar al-Bashir was removed from power, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said that the promise of development, democracy, justice and peace, is now being threatened by acute resource constraints.  Moreover, the already-grim picture is further exacerbated by a combination of ongoing unilateral sanctions, international institutions’ failure to provide debt-relief and a deficit… Read More

“The safety and health of our entire workforce is paramount today”, underscored ILO Director-General Guy Ryder. Without adequate safeguards that meet the strict occupational safety and health criteria needed for bringing workers back, countries risk a resurgence of the virus, according to the UN’s labour agency.  However, it noted, that by putting the necessary measures in place, the risk of a… Read More

In his latest update on the crisis, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus reported that the pandemic has put polio vaccination campaigns on hold, while some countries have scaled back or even shut down routine immunization services. Solidarity. Solidarity. Solidarity. — Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (@DrTedros) April 27, 2020 “Every year, more than 116 million infants are vaccinated, or 86% of all… Read More

Making its call at the start of the 2020 edition of World Immunization Week, UNICEF said on Saturday that millions of children are in danger of missing life-saving vaccines against measles, diphtheria and polio due to disruptions in immunization service as the world rushes to slow the spread of COVID-19. Last year, over 13 million children didn’t receive any vaccines.… Read More

In a scientific brief issued on Friday, the UN health agency said there was no proof that one-time infection could lead to immunity, and “laboratory tests that detect antibodies to SARS-CoV-2 in people…need further validation to determine their accuracy and reliability.” Earlier today we tweeted about a new WHO scientific brief on “immunity passports”. The… Read More

The virtual launch of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, saw participation from all corners of the planet to boost commitment and support for the production of  diagnostics, therapeutics and vaccines to save lives from an unprecedented enemy. Heads of State who took part included the Presidents of France,  South Africa, Costa Rica, Spain and Rwanda. “A world free of COVID-19… Read More

In a statement released on Friday, the UN said that aid efforts are being stepped up, with humanitarian workers installing handwashing stations, delivering clean drinking water and food, and launching public information campaigns. However, the UN’s humanitarian chief, Mark Lowcock, has warned that funding is urgently needed to battle COVID-19, and respond to the many other, pre-existing crises. In this… Read More

Nickolay Mlandenov, Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, told the Security Council that the past month has seen yet again more fighting and confrontation in the West Bank and Gaza, with ever-rising casualties. But he added that it has also witnessed “inspiring examples” of cooperation across conflict lines in a common battle to contain the novel coronavirus outbreak… Read More

The development follows a renewed military push by the UN-recognised Government of National Accord last week to take six key coastal towns and push back the forces of the opposition Libyan National Army (LNA) that have been shelling the capital, Tripoli, home to the country’s main institutions, including the State oil company and central bank. “You can’t really call it… Read More