Category: Development

‘Alarmingly high’ number of children malnourished worldwide: UNICEF report Across the globe, at least one-in-three children under-five are malnourished and not developing properly, UNICEF revealed on Tuesday, in its most comprehensive report on children, food and nutrition in 20 years. “An alarmingly high number of children are suffering the consequences of poor diets and a food system that is failing… Read More

“An alarmingly high number of children are suffering the consequences of poor diets and a food system that is failing them,” the UN children’s agency (UNICEF) warned.   Around 200 million children under-five are either undernourished or overweight, while one-in-three globally – and almost two-thirds of children between the fragile ages of six months to two years – are not fed food that nurtures proper development, The State of the World’s… Read More

Pinpointing the problem “How can we allow food to be thrown away when more than 820 million people in the world continue to go hungry every day?”, asked FAO Director-General Qu Dongyu in the foreword to his agency’s report.  The study contains fresh estimates of the scale of the problem, enabling a better understanding of the challenge, and suggesting possible solutions,… Read More

The commitments were made on Thursday at the Global Fund’s Sixth Replenishment Conference held in Lyon, France. “I welcome the commitment made by so many donors under the auspices of France to fully finance the Global Fund for the next three-year period”, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General, of UN health agency, WHO. “This is critical to provide individuals and communities… Read More

“Mental health has been neglected for too long,” Secretary-General António Guterres said in a video message for the Day, saying it needs to be addressed urgently, as a matter “that concerns us all.” “We need stronger investments in services. And we must now allow stigma to push people away from the assistance they need. I am speaking my mind because I care deeply” he… Read More

The study, published on Wednesday in The Lancet – an influential peer-reviewed science journal –  was carried out in Ghana, Guinea, Myanmar and Nigeria, and found that 42 percent of the 2,016 women observed had experienced physical or verbal abuse, stigma or discrimination during labour and childbirth.  According to WHO, quality support, particularly from midwives for women in labour, can make the difference between life and death. Midwifery has been shown to reduce maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirth rates, by over 80… Read More

One billion people have preventable eye conditions, increasingly linked to lifestyle choices: UN health agency A staggering 2.2 billion people already suffer from eye conditions and visual impairment today, but the global need for eye care is set to increase “dramatically”, with lack of exercise a key factor, the UN health agency said on Tuesday, unveiling its first ever report… Read More

While welcoming recent successes in eliminating common conditions such as trachoma in eight countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted evidence indicating that eye problems are increasingly linked to lifestyle choices, including screen time. Youngsters are among those at risk, WHO’s Dr Alarcos Cieza told journalists in Geneva: “In children, one of the factors that may influence the increased number… Read More

With 18 countries and the European Union now having ratified the amended treaty, from a total of 51 who have signed, including many of the countries which are part of the UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), the official entry into force marks an important step to curb pollutants closely-linked to climate change, ecosystem degeneration, and potentially life-threatening human health.   The Gothenburg Protocol, established back in 1999, sets forth legally-binding emissions reduction commitments for 2020 and beyond, for major… Read More

Major organizations from the world of sport are joining an increasing number of private sector businesses in the race to beat global warming. At the United Nations’ COP24 conference in Poland on Wednesday, 17 major players representing sporting bodies, athletes and fans, added their names to the collective scoreboard, with the launch of the Sports Climate Action Framework. Read More