GENEVA – A resolution aimed at strengthening countries’ capacity to deal with “natural hazards” faced unexpected opposition over gender-related terminology at the World Health Assembly (WHA) on Thursday. This is despite the urgency of countries adapting their health services to address extreme weather events, which are becoming more common globally thanks to climate change. The […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged stakeholders in the health sector to collaborate in reorienting health systems towards a primary healthcare approach, a key priority in helping more people access universal health coverage (UHC). The organization has also called on countries to increase domestic spending on health and for banks to fund climate and […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA – The World Health Organization has made climate change its top priority in its four-year work plan adopted at the World Health Assembly this week, but significant gaps in climate health research could hinder the UN health body’s efforts, experts warned at the Geneva Health Forum on Tuesday. Current research on the effects of […] Continue reading ->
Israel scored a tactical victory Wednesday evening when World Health Organization (WHO) member states agreed in a vote of 50-44 to amend a draft decision denouncing the health situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, with a reference calling for the release of some 125 Israeli hostages still held by Hamas. Another 83 member states were […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization plans to make climate change and its impact on health a major focus in the coming years, along with strengthening health systems, improving health equity and access, and preventing disease, according to the organization’s plan for its general program of work from 2025 to 2028. The four-year plan, known as GPW-14, […] Continue reading ->
As the world grapples with a migrant and refugee crisis of unprecedented scale, with 281m international migrants and 3.5m refugees globally, according to UN agencies, experts are turning to technology, particularly artificial intelligence, in search of solutions. The potential for AI and technology to foster a more equitable and sustainable world has been recognised by […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA — As the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA) opened on Monday, global leaders pressed World Health Organization (WHO) member states to conclude a pandemic agreement, despite failing to meet the original deadline for reaching a consensus. The WHA, a week-long gathering that sets the agenda for the WHO, was initially expected to mark the […] Continue reading ->
GENEVA — Six of the ten leading risk factors for premature deaths and years of healthy life lost due to disability are within an individual’s control, according to new data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2021. The study, the most comprehensive effort to quantify health loss worldwide to date, aims to identify and […] Continue reading ->
The rising cost of healthcare is one of the most significant burdens on countries, especially low- and middle-income countries. Research has shown that self-care can be critical in reducing unnecessary expenses for healthcare systems. Global self-care activities generate substantial monetary and healthcare workforce savings, totalling at least approximately $119 billion per year, according to a […] Continue reading ->
Senior WHO officials sounded a cautiously optimistic note Tuesday about the prospects for WHO member states to somehow wrap up down-to-the-wire negotiations on a landmark Pandemic Accord in time to submit a final agreement to the World Health Assembly, which begins next Monday, 27 May. Meanwhile, they heralded the milestone agreement “in principle” to amend […] Continue reading ->