Category: Development

The United Nations has called for collaboration at all levels, and across all sectors of society across the world, to protect millions at risk from FGM every year. As the International Day of Zero Tolerance for Female Genital Mutilation is marked on 6 February, the UN sexual and reproductive health agency, UNFPA, continues to lead the UN effort to end… Read More

To mark World Cancer Day, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research of Cancer (IARC) launched on Friday the World Code Against Cancer Framework, an online platform that will promote prevention globally and the development of Regional Codes to help fight the disease. Based on current scientific evidence, at least 40 per cent of all cancer cases could be prevented with effective primary prevention measures, and… Read More

Although vaccine supplies have risen significantly, the continent is struggling to expand rollout, with only 11 per cent of the population fully vaccinated. To date, Africa has received more than 587 million vaccine doses: 58 per cent through the UN-backed and equity-based COVAX Facility, 36 per cent through bilateral deals, and six per cent through Africa Vaccines Acquisition Trust (AVAT) of… Read More

And in the crucial area of vaccination, although the Americas now have some of the highest COVID-19 vaccination coverage rates on the planet, it’s also “the most unequal region in the world” when it comes to shots, said Carissa Etienne, Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). Last week, there were seven million new COVID cases and more than 34,000… Read More

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Secretariat of the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (WHO FCTC) will launch a social media campaign to highlight the issue.  The partnership is facilitated through UNEP’s Clean Seas campaign, a global coalition comprised of 63 countries devoted to ending marine plastic pollution.  It combines the two agencies’ respective experience on… Read More

In a new technical brief on healthy and safe teleworking launched on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labour Organization (ILO) outline the health benefits and risks of remote work arrangements along with the measures needed to accommodate both the shift, and the ongoing digital transformation. As telework is likely to become more common than in the period… Read More

In his message for the day, WHO Director-General, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, said the COVID-19 pandemic has thrust millions of people deeper into poverty and affected those who already have limited access to health services. It’s World Neglected Tropical Diseases Day!Chagas diseaseChikungunyaDengueDracunculiasisLeishmaniasisLeprosyElephantiasisMycetomaRiver blindnessRabiesSleeping sicknessTrachoma…& other neglected tropical diseases affect 1 BILLION people 🌍!https://t.co/3m4c8TUR4U pic.twitter.com/IsuFXMOQvI — World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) January… Read More

“It is time for all States concerned to make a choice: whether to keep such discriminatory laws against persons affected by leprosy in violation of international human rights standards, or to eliminate such discrimination in law without delay”, said the Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, Alice Cruz.  According to… Read More

Although too many girls and women continue to die and face both the short and long-term repercussions of unsafe abortions, potentially life-saving information on receiving quality care for abortion-related complications, remains in short supply. To address this gap, the UN system for human reproduction research, HRP, the World Health Organization (WHO) and partners, published new data on the issue, in… Read More

Cases increased by 32 per cent over the previous week, while 18,000 new deaths occurred across the region, representing a 37 per cent relative increase during this period.  In the last week, more than 8️⃣ million new COVID-19 cases were reported in our region 🌎 This is the highest number of weekly cases 🦠 since the pandemic started and is… Read More