Pressure is mounting on US President Joe Biden to provide global leadership to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in the face of the European Commission’s refusal to support a waiver on intellectual property rights. Biden is expected to host a global leaders’ summit on COVID-19 alongside the United Nations General Assembly next week, and […] Continue reading ->
After months of frustrated efforts to unlock global vaccine supplies for the African continent, WHO and African Union leaders are now pinning their hopes on US President Joe Biden’s reported plan to call heads of state to a “Global Pandemic Summit” on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, which opened today, as a […] Continue reading ->
The 76th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) opens today (Tuesday 14 September). The UN’s roots lie in determination that the horrors of World War II – millions of lives lost, economic devastation and genocide – should never happen again.  This year’s General Assembly session is considering multiple global catastrophes, from climate change […] Continue reading ->
The current COVID-19 vaccines are effective enough against severe disease in the general population that boosters are “not appropriate” even for the Delta variant, according to an expert review by an international group of scientists from the World Health Organization (WHO), the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and international universities. The review, which looked […] Continue reading ->
Health services in low and middle-income countries have yet to adapt to their growing burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and still prioritise infectious diseases, according to a new report launched on Thursday by the NCD Alliance. Treatment “silos” for HIV and tuberculosis need to be transformed into integrated universal healthcare services to better serve people […] Continue reading ->
As Africa prepares to get even fewer COVID-19 vaccines than expected in the coming months thanks to the supply shortage at COVAX, the continent is also battling with vaccine hesitancy – exacerbated by the lack of vaccinated role models. Africa could receive 155 million fewer vaccines than expected this year from the global vaccine platform, […] Continue reading ->
Over a third of the world’s countries – 37% – have either not created or are not enforcing legally mandated ambient air quality standards (AAQS), according to a new report released by the United Nation Environment Programme (UNEP). The report, “First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation” assesses national air quality legislation in 194 states […] Continue reading ->