Two different court challenges of Uganda’s draconian Anti-Homosexuality Bill have been launched over the past week. The first involves 10 Ugandans and a human rights organisation, which have petitioned the country’s Constitutional Court to prevent the Anti-Homosexuality Act signed into law on Monday from being implemented. According to the petition, the law is unconstitutional as […] Continue reading ->
A US court’s decision to provide legal immunity to a family that made billions by marketing opioids as “non addictive painkillers” in exchange for a $6 billion settlement has evoked sharp criticism from politicians and health advocates. The US Court of Appeals ruled on Tuesday that the Sackler family will enjoy protection from current and […] Continue reading ->
On World No Tobacco Day on Wednesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) appealed to governments to end tobacco growing subsidies and use the savings to support farmers to switch to “more sustainable crops that improve food security and nutrition”. Over three million hectares of land in over 120 countries are being used to grow tobacco […] Continue reading ->
Lisa McClennon has been appointed Director of Internal Oversight Services (IOS), the office in charge of investigating all misconduct including sexual abuse and fraud, at the World Health Organization (WHO), the global body’s Executive Board heard on Wednesday. McClennon has been IOS Head of Investigations since November 2021, and led investigations into the sex abuse […] Continue reading ->
In a milestone decision at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA76), a resolution aimed at addressing health challenges faced by indigenous peoples worldwide has been approved. With it, the Director-General of the WHO has been directed to develop a comprehensive global action plan dedicated to improving their health outcomes by 2026. Indigenous peoples, encompassing a […] Continue reading ->
Pandemic treaty negotiations need to be completed by member states and there’s just one year left to meet that deadline, warns the World Health Organization’s Director General. As the World Health Assembly closed its doors on it’s 75th Anniversary edition (WHA 76), which had to be extended by an extra day due to the prolonged […] Continue reading ->
In one of its last decisions before concluding, the World Health Assembly Tuesday asked WHO’s Director General to continue developing a draft roadmap for WHO’s new Global Health and Peace initiative – but stopped short of adopting the proposed plan after some member states balked over elements of the strategy. Instead the Assembly agreed to […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly has re-elected India to serve as WHO’s external auditor for the next four years – but there was a steep price tag attached to this year’s appointment. WHO will pay nearly $1 million for India’s services over the coming three-year term of 2024-2027 – amounting to US$ 2.268 million, according to […] Continue reading ->
There has been swift and widespread reaction to Uganda’s Anti-Homosexuality Act, which introduces severe punishment for homosexuality including the death penalty, being signed into law by that country’s president on Monday. US President Joe Biden called for its “immediate repeal”, describing it as “a tragic violation of universal human rights—one that is not worthy of […] Continue reading ->
On Saturday at the World Health Assembly, the World Health Organization (WHO) laid out the current realities of its digital health agenda as contained in the 2020-2025 global strategy on digital health. WHO member states see digital health as an important vehicle for accelerating progress towards WHO’s ‘triple billion’ targets of universal health coverage, health […] Continue reading ->