This World Food Day (16 October), Chile provides solid evidence that mandatory warning labels that target products with high salt, sugar, saturated fat and calories have reduced consumers’ appetite for unhealthy products. Worldwide, countries are grappling with diets increasingly composed of ultra-processed products, which are associated with obesity and other non-communicable diseases (NCDs).  The proliferation […] Continue reading ->
Ten years ago, global health leaders came together to agree on the first-of-its-kind international Consensus Framework for ethical collaboration between patients’ organizations, healthcare professionals, and the pharmaceutical industry in support of quality patient care. Since then, the Framework has been adopted across countries worldwide and embedded in international initiatives. This Global Ethics Day, under the […] Continue reading ->
The recent CARICOM summit of Caribbean leaders has endorsed a new Afro-Caribbean Health and Development  (HeDPAC) initiative aimed at stimulating South-South collaboration on resilient health systems, health worker capacity building, and local medicines and vaccines manufacture.  The formal CARICOM Communiqué at the close of the Summit in Grenada invited its 15 member states and five […] Continue reading ->
The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the risks of over-reliance on global supply chains for essential health products. Disruptions led to severe delays and shortages of vaccines, therapeutics, and diagnostics, with low- and middle-income countries bearing the brunt. Vaccine inequality starkly highlighted Africa’s vulnerability. Yet this crisis unveiled a unique opportunity for the continent: a chance to […] Continue reading ->
WHO’s Regional Director for Europe reflects on why we haven’t been able to end AIDS despite having the tools to do so – as Germany hosts the 25th International AIDS conference. Twenty-four years ago, Maria Godlevkskaya was in a coma in a hospital in Russia, her immune system having failed without treatment for her HIV. […] Continue reading ->
Following the 77th World Health Assembly (WHA)’s endorsement of a delay of up to one year for finalizing a pandemic agreement, the Intergovernmental Negotiating Body (INB) is set to resume talks on 16-17 July 2024.  INB member states will face contentious procedural issues and thorny debates over the resolution of substantive matters including a system […] Continue reading ->