Tag: Healthy News

In an email to all UN staff as the weekend began, the Secretary-General António Guterres, emphasized that the Organization “remains open for business”, but “our work will be done from different locations, using different technologies”. The #COVID19 pandemic is a crisis that affects everyone. We must all play our part by showing solidarity with the most vulnerable – the elderly, the sick,… Read More

In the face of a health crisis unlike any other in our lifetimes, said the Secretary-General, it is natural to feel anxious, worried and confused. The most vulnerable in society are also the most affected, and the social and economic fallout will affect most of us for months to come. However, “this is a time for prudence, not panic. Science,… Read More

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus was speaking during his regular update on the new coronavirus disease, one day after the new designation was announced.  “Let me be clear: describing this as a pandemic does not mean that countries should give up.  On the contrary, we have to double-down”, he said.  “This is a controllable pandemic. Countries that decide to give up on fundamental public health measures may end up with a larger… Read More

1) What’s the difference between an epidemic and a pandemic? Before Wednesday’s WHO announcement, the COVID-19 outbreak was described by the UN health agency as an epidemic, meaning that it has been spreading to many people, and many communities, at the same time. Labelling the spread a pandemic, indicates that it has officially spread around the world, and is also a reflection of… Read More

Speaking in Geneva, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus insisted that the fact that the term was being used did not mean that the virus had the upper hand. “It doesn’t change what WHO is doing, and it doesn’t change what countries should do”, he said, urging Governments to pursue containment and isolation measures to prevent the virus… Read More

© UNICEF/Lana Slezic | Najeeba Ahmadjan travels uphill on a donkey to reach vaccination sites at remote villages in Faizabad, north-east Afghanistan, during the first round of Maternal and Neo-natal Tetanus (MNT) vaccination. (April 2004). ​​​​​​​ The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) backs vaccination programmes in over 95 countries with the support of partners and through the “sheer determination” of volunteers.  They… Read More

Close to 363 million learners worldwide have been impacted said UNESCO, as it convened a videoconference of higher education officials to step up an emergency response to minimize learning disruptions worldwide. According to data from the agency, the COVID-19 crisis is keeping one-in-five students worldwide away from school, so far, and an additional one-in-four from higher education classes. Fifteen countries… Read More

“We envisage a slowdown in the global economy to under two per cent for this year, and that will probably cost in the order of $1 trillion, compared with what people were forecasting back in September,” said Richard Kozul-Wright, Director, Division on Globalization and Development Strategies at UNCTAD. Launching the UNCTAD report as world financial markets tumbled over concerns about… Read More

 “As we mark this sombre moment, the World Health Organization reminds all countries and communities that the spread of this virus can be significantly slowed or even reversed through the implementation of robust containment and control activities”, the UN agency said in a statement. WHO urged countries to continue efforts that have been effective in limiting the number of cases… Read More

So far, no imminent specific shortages have been identified, and manufacturing has resumed in most parts of China, but the private sector needs to be involved, to ensure that countries can access life-saving products, said Tedros. “You’ve heard me talk about the market failure for personal protective equipment. We look forward to businesses stepping up to play their part. We… Read More