Time to ‘move the dial’ on climate ambition Six days after the originally scheduled closing of COP25, the head of UNFCCC, the UN body tasked with organising the climate conference, has released a statement  acknowledging that developed countries, particularly those responsible for the highest levels of harmful emissions, did not send a clear enough signal that they are ready to… Read More

This points to what the UN agency described as “an encouraging trend” in prevention and control in major cholera hotspots such as Haiti, Somalia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  “The decrease we are seeing in several major cholera-endemic countries demonstrates the increased engagement of countries in global efforts to slow and prevent cholera outbreaks and shows the vital role of… Read More

“For the first time the number of tobacco users is declining worldwide”, Dr Ruediger Krech, Director of the Department of Health Promotion at the World Health Organization (WHO), told journalists on Wednesday in Geneva. For the first time the number of tobacco users is declining worldwide – WHO’s Dr Ruediger Krech In 2018, there were slightly more than a billion… Read More

The UN health agency has prequalified the biosimilar version of the medicine trastuzumab, which has shown high efficacy in curing early stage breast cancer and, in some cases, more advanced forms of the disease.  Nearly a third of the cost  Trastuzumab normally costs around $20,000 per course, putting it out of reach for many women and healthcare systems.   The biosimilar version, derived from biological sources, is around 65 per cent cheaper.   … Read More

At this ‘critical moment’, UN chief urges anti-corruption conference to adopt united front As we enter the Decade of Action to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the world must “unite against corruption” to stop precious resources from being drained by illicit financial flows, an international conference on the issue heard on Monday in Abu Dhabi. “You meet at a… Read More

A new report, published in the British medical science publication The Lancet on Monday, suggests that, globally, almost 2.3 billion children and adults are overweight, and more than 150 million children are stunted, and warns that undernutrition and obesity can lead to effects across generations.  We are facing a new nutrition reality. All relevant policies and investments must be radically… Read More

A year on from Yemen talks breakthrough, top UN Envoy hails ‘shift’ towards peace, despite setbacks When warring parties in Yemen met in a renovated castle outside the Swedish capital last December for UN-brokered talks, they showed that perhaps there could be a way out of brutal conflict and the world’s worst humanitarian crisis, the UN Special Envoy for the… Read More

Describing it as an “important landmark” on our “journey to health for all”, Secretary-General António Guterres on Monday welcomed the UN Political Declaration on universal health coverage, or UHC, which commits countries to advance towards full coverage for their citizens in four major areas around primary care. Read More

 Human Rights Day celebrates ‘tremendous activism’ of world youth Activists, students and UN officials came together on Tuesday to pay tribute to young people’s “tremendous activism” in promoting human rights for everyone.  Speaking at UN Headquarters during an event to mark Human Rights Day, the Secretary-General António Guterres urged governments to “invest in progress and hope” by paying attention to youth and engaging with them.  Read our full… Read More

Measles epidemic continues to grip Samoa, as WHO figures show impact of social media ‘misinformation campaigns’   In Samoa, the UN is leading efforts to counter a massive outbreak of measles which continues to spread, mainly among babies and children. Since a state of emergency was declared on 15 November, there have been more than 4,200 cases on the tiny… Read More