WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus deplored renewed fighting Monday and Tuesday in and around northern Gaza’s Shifa Hospital, the largest medical compound in the besieged enclave, saying that “hospitals should never be battlegrounds.”  He also noted that the hospital, originally the largest and most advanced in Gaza, had only “recently restored minimal health […] Continue reading ->
The number of children who died before their fifth birthday has dropped to 2.9 million in 2022, reaching a historic low, according to the latest estimates of under-5 mortality released today by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME).  And since 2000, the global under-five mortality rate has declined by more […] Continue reading ->
The new draft of the pandemic agreement “is a step backwards rather than forwards”, according to Thomas Cueni, Director General of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA).  “It is critical that any agreement takes steps to ensure equity in access to medicines and vaccines in future pandemics, whilst preserving the innovation ecosystem […] Continue reading ->
A new declaration by health ministers from African countries that have the highest malaria burden has reaffirmed the “unwavering commitment to the accelerated reduction of malaria mortality”. The declaration, issued Wednesday by ministers convening in Yaoundé, Cameroon at an African-wide WHO conference on malaria, aims to revitalise the campaign to drive deaths from malaria further […] Continue reading ->
The European Parliament has been challenged to amend a proposed law to enable  countries outside the European Union (EU) to benefit from medical products produced under compulsory licences during crises. The proposed regulation aims to ensure that, “during specific crises or emergencies”, the EU can issue a compulsory licence to enable the production of certain […] Continue reading ->
The sixth United Nations Environment Assembly (UNAE-6) ended last Friday in Nairobi, Kenya with the adoption of a Ministerial Declaration affirming member states’ commitment to slowing climate change, protecting biodiversity, and creating a pollution-free world. The assembly, which attracted over 5,600 delegates from 190 countries, also adopted 15 resolutions covering a range of issues including […] Continue reading ->