Israel has called for a “brave conceptual overhaul” of the World Health Organization (WHO) following the recent withdrawal of the United States, warning that it too is under pressure to leave the global body. Claiming that the WHO has become “too politicised”, Israel told the body’s Executive Board (EB) meeting on Monday that, “in Israel, […] Continue reading ->
“You start with, as in my case, with the loss of three generations of my family to various forms of Alzheimer’s or dementia.” Those were the words of George Vradenburg. For him, brain health is not an abstract policy issue. It is a lived reality that mirrors a fast-growing global crisis. This issue was the […] Continue reading ->
In the latest episode of Trailblazers with Garry, Garry Aslanyan visits Accra, Ghana, to speak with Professor John Owusu Gyapong, Secretary General of the African Research Universities Alliance. Gyapong took on the role in 2024, leading efforts to strengthen research collaboration across African universities. His work focusses on building capacity within the continent and supporting […] Continue reading ->
A new initiative that aims to measure and promote the inclusion of “brain capital” as an economic indicator was launched at the World Economic Forum in Davos last week. Advocates for the Global Brain Economy initiative, and a companion Global Brain Capital Index argue that using brain health as a development indicator can help spur […] Continue reading ->
The US government has frozen funds to Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, until it commits to a plan to phase out the preservative thimerosal from all the vaccines it distributes. The US demand, first reported by Reuters, is linked to the unproven belief held by US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F Kennedy […] Continue reading ->
Global health organisations have reacted with anger to the new US foreign aid policy, which prohibits all aid recipients, bar military, from performing or promoting abortion, “gender ideology”, or “diversity, equity and inclusion” (DEI). “Catastrophic”, “bullying”, “draconian” and “ideologically driven” – are some of their reactions to the Promoting Human Flourishing in Foreign Assistance (PHFFA) […] Continue reading ->
The world has entered the era of “global water bankruptcy” as water systems relied on by six billion people, and half of the world’s food production, are pushed beyond the point of recovery, a United Nations (UN) report has found. The report marks the first time UN scientists have declared water systems “bankrupt” rather than […] Continue reading ->
A dispute over an American flag has become symbolic of the bitter public dispute between the US and the World Health Organization (WHO) after the US withdrew from the organization on 22 January. In a joint statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F Kennedy Jr on […] Continue reading ->
Global pandemic preparedness is becoming “increasingly fragile at a time of growing biosecurity and geopolitical risk”, according to the International Pandemic Preparedness Secretariat (IPPS), which launched its Fifth Implementation Report of the 100 Days Mission on Tuesday. IPPS is an independent entity that promotes the “100 Days Mission”, the global ambition to develop safe, effective […] Continue reading ->
Only 12 more negotiating days remain until WHO member states hit the May 2026 deadline for an agreement on a Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing (PABS) system, as part of the new Pandemic Agreement adopted at last year’s World Health Assembly (WHA). The gap between developed and developing blocs of countries remains large, and progress […] Continue reading ->