Category: Development

In remarks made at a joint press conference with the head of the World Bank Group, the IMF Managing Director, Kristalina Georgieva, said that the UN-backed global funds would make up the shortfall, in effect, by offering to inject around $50 billion into low-income and emerging market nations, pending requests for support. “Thanks to the generosity of our shareholders, we have about $1… Read More

The new fighting exacerbates displacement caused by renewed clashes involving pro-Government forces and Houthi rebels around Marib, Sana’a and Al Jawf Governorates, which forced 5,000 families to flee their homes, according to a situation update from UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, which focuses on sexual and reproductive health.   Yemen is the world’s largest humanitarian crisis and displaced persons remain in need of protection, shelter and lifesaving health services.   Intense fighting… Read More

Speaking to the media in Geneva, WHO chief Tedros Adhanon Ghebreyesus said that “we can’t stop COVID-19 without protecting our health workers”. He warned that shortages of supplies such as gloves, medical masks, respirators, and aprons, are leaving doctors, nurses and other frontline healthcare workers “dangerously ill-equipped” to give proper care to patients. Major increase in equipment production needed In… Read More

In total, 61 countries outside China have reported 8,739 cases of infection with 127 deaths, the World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General said. Our message to all countries is: this is not one-way street. We can push this #coronavirus back. Your actions now will determine the course of the #COVID19 outbreak in your country. There’s no choice but to act now.… Read More

We do not yet see evidence that the virus is spreading freely. We still have a chance of containing it. Mark Lowcock, UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs The UN announced on Sunday that the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), will use the funds to undertake essential activities such as monitoring the spread of the virus, investigating… Read More

Criminal elements, says the UN health agency, are posing as WHO representatives, and recommends that, if anyone is contacting by a person or organization claiming to be from the Organization, they should take steps to verify their authenticity. Examples of suspicious behaviour include asking for login information, sending unasked-for email attachments, directing people to a Website other than www.who.int, and… Read More

The development comes as WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus welcomed data showing that in the past 24 hours, China had recorded its lowest number of cases in more than a month (329), with 78,959 cases in total. More than 36,000 people have also recovered from COVID-19 in China alone, WHO said. Fear, rumour and stigma the greatest enemy Speaking to… Read More

Issuing an appeal after a new crop of countries confirmed that they had identified cases of infection for the first time, Tedros said that it was the responsibility of all governments to ensure that they acted swiftly. Virus ‘does not respect borders’ “Whether we get it wrong or right is in our hands… every country must be ready for its… Read More

The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) annual report cites studies which reveal that, in young people aged between 16 and 19, early use of alcohol, tobacco and cannabis leads to an increased likelihood of the use of opiates and cocaine in adulthood. The report also shows that substance abuse and associated health consequences are highest among young people, with cannabis… Read More

“The sudden increases of cases in Italy, the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Republic of Korea are deeply concerning”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a briefing in Geneva on Wednesday. He stated that there are now cases linked to Iran in Bahrain, Iraq, Kuwait and Oman and to Italy in Algeria, Austria, Croatia, Germany, Spain and Switzerland.… Read More