Category: Development

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

The outbreak began in August 2018 and is the largest and longest running that the DRC has experienced, with more than 3,000 cases and  2,137 deaths.  The latest figures released by WHO on Friday for the week ending 1 October, showed  20 new confirmed cases reported in North Kivu and Ituri provinces, versus 29 in the previous week. The agency said this… Read More

Under FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme, the project will work to fight the spread of Fusarium wilt, a fungal plant disease that can wipe out plantations of banana crops, upon which millions of people depend for their livelihoods.   FAO assistant chief and Regional Representative for Latin America and the Caribbean, Julio Berdegué, stressed that “the role of bananas in providing food and household income in this region cannot be understated.”  … Read More

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the World Health Organization (WHO), made the appeal on Tuesday upon completion of a visit to the island nation. “It breaks my heart to see the devastation to communities and families who have lost friends and loved ones as well as their homes, possessions and access to crucial services,” he said. “Hurricane Dorian is another… Read More