Category: Development

That’s the assessment following a WHO-led multi-agency mission to  Al-Shifa Hospital in northern Gaza on 5 April which examined the extent of destruction following a weeks-long Israeli offensive aimed at rooting out militant forces who were allegedly operating inside. The highly complex mission was conducted in collaboration with the acting Hospital Director. Prior to the mission, WHO’s efforts to reach… Read More

In a statement following a briefing last week by Bintou Keita, the head of the UN mission, MONUSCO, ambassadors condemned all armed groups operating in the country and demanded the immediate cessation of hostilities and of any further advances by the M23. They expressed concern over ongoing displacement in Ituri, North Kivu and South Kivu and called on all donors… Read More

Relatively modest new investment could result in significant health and economic benefits, with up to $39 worth of benefits for each dollar invested, the UN agency said, announcing the findings of a study conducted in Brazil, Georgia, Kenya and South Africa. The returns extend beyond monetary, encompassing substantial improvements in public health outcomes and the mitigation of TB’s devastating impact… Read More

With the release of the latest food security report from the Integrated Phase Classification (IPC) on war-ravaged Gaza since December, World Food Programme (WFP) chief economist Arif Husain walked UN News through the process. What is the threshold for famine? Famine is essentially a technical term, referring to a population that faces widespread malnutrition and hunger-related deaths due… Read More

Figures released by the UN Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) reveal the global under-five mortality rate has declined by 51 per cent since 2000. Some countries such as Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia and Rwanda reduced under-five mortality rate by over 75 per cent over the time period. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell praised the dedicated efforts of midwives,… Read More

“Only one out of five people are actually accessing hearing rehabilitation of those who need it,” said Dr. Shelly Chadha, in charge of WHO’s work on prevention of deafness and hearing loss, speaking to journalists in Geneva on Friday. Ahead of World Hearing Day, marked on 3 March, she recalled that the global health agency has repeatedly drawn attention to… Read More

That’s one billion people who lived with the disease in 2022, a number that has doubled among adults and quadrupled among five to 19-year-olds since 1990, according to data from the study, published in The Lancet, a renowned United Kingdom-based medical journal. “This new study highlights the importance of preventing and managing obesity from early life to adulthood through diet,… Read More

“Your efforts are urgent,” he said in a video message to the sixth edition of the UN Environmental Assembly (UNEA-6).  “Our planet is on the brink, ecosystems are collapsing, our climate is imploding and humanity is to blame.”  Action now  The UNEA is the world’s highest decision-making body on the environment and aims to help restore harmony between people and nature. … Read More

“Life is very difficult here,” hospital manager Dr. Haidar Al-Qudra told UN News. Currently, only 12 of Gaza’s 36 hospitals are “partially functioning”, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), with the rest destroyed by Israel’s near constant bombardment of the enclave. As the war in Gaza enters its fifth month, Israeli forces continue to raid healthcare facilities, with Al… Read More

NCDs are responsible for 75 per cent of deaths worldwide, and it is estimated that strokes and heart attacks are up to three times more likely following a disaster, they said.  To save more lives, they are meeting in Denmark this week to ensure that care and treatment for NCDs are included as a standard part of humanitarian emergency preparedness… Read More