Despite significant compromises to a draft strategy on HIV, hepatitis B and STIs, conservative World Health Organization (WHO) member states used a debate at the World Health Assembly on Friday to object to the inclusion of such as “sexual orientation”, “sexuality” and “men who have sex with men”. The objections were led by Nigeria, Egypt, […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – Opening the World Health Assembly under a “health for peace” banner that is this year’s theme, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus warned WHA member states that achieving ambitious global health goals – from snuffing out COVID-19 to expanding universal health coverage – will be virtually impossible if regional conflicts like ones ongoing in Ukraine, […] Continue reading ->
More stable funding for WHO, but only incremental progress on reforms in global pandemic response are expected out of the upcoming World Health Assembly, where member states also will debate and discuss over two dozen other critical health issues that don’t always make the headlines.   The 75th World Health Assembly, WHO’s annual meeting of member […] Continue reading ->
In a first face-to-face meeting in Geneva since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the World Health Organization’s 194 member states appeared set to adopt a landmark decision to negotiate a new treaty or framework convention governing pandemic response, dubbed “Our World Together”, and with over 100 countries now declaring co-sponsorship.   But from the start […] Continue reading ->
Six months after publication of their landmark report, Make it the Last Pandemic, the co-chairs of Independent Panel have re-entered the political fray over the slow pace of urgently needed reforms to vaccine equity, pandemic finance and countries’ legal obligations – that they say are required to end the COVID-19 pandemic and head off the […] Continue reading ->
The 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) closed on Monday with appeals for vaccine equity, more resources for the World Health Organization (WHO) and support for a “pandemic treaty” to combat future pathogens. WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus devoted much of his concluding speech to the global body’s dearth of finances and the importance […] Continue reading ->