Newly elected Kenyan President William Ruto has made his position on critical human rights issues such as safe abortion and LGBTQ rights clear over many years – and now, by including a controversial “family protection policy” in his first executive order, he is likely to promote a narrow definition of family that stigmatises anyone who […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Organization (WHO) has urged governments worldwide to step up the supervision of vaccine manufacture and distribution, especially when public funding is used in vaccine R&D or manufacture, so as to prioritise essential vaccines and ensure they are distributed equitably. The global health agency’s call to governments came as it released its annual […] Continue reading ->
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – The International Renewable Agency (IRENA), on Tuesday, said it would pump $1billion into a new effort that would electrify health facilities, along with food storage and agriculture, with solar power, while the World Bank said it also plans to triple its investments in solar electrification efforts to reach 100,000 health facilities […] Continue reading ->
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – Small island states and other African and Asian developing nations stepped up their appeals Tuesday for a reboot of the global financial system to make climate finance more affordable to their debt-ridden nations, now battling a rising wave of climate emergencies along with demands to “go green”. Reducing interest rates on […] Continue reading ->
Europe’s attempts to get alternative gas supplies from African countries in the wake of Russia’s war in Ukraine are a “bridge to nowhere”, former US vice-president Al Gore told the UN climate change talks in Egypt, COP27. “We must see the so-called dash for gas for what it really is: a dash down a bridge […] Continue reading ->
As ceremonies opened in Sharm El-Sheik’s grand plenary hall on Monday, only one word came to mind in trying to sum up the scene: surreal. World leaders paraded into the hall to music seemingly taken from a Star Wars film. The cast of speakers taking the stage consisted of a petro-state monarch, a friendly host […] Continue reading ->
In 1918, when the notorious Spanish flu started to sweep through the world, there was very little physicians could do to help those infected. A century later, things have radically changed. This is partially due to a network of laboratories in dozens of countries that for the past 70 years have been collaborating to fight […] Continue reading ->
¨Loss and damage´ from climate change gains a formal place on the COP27 agenda, as conference gets underway, while the World Health Organization issues urgent appeal to world leaders to negotiate a treaty to phase out fossil fuels altogether. Sharm el Sheikh – In a historic first, the issue of ¨loss and damage¨ finance for […] Continue reading ->
Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt – Over 120 heads of state are expected to attend this year´s UN Climate Conference (COP 27), which begins Sunday, raising hopes that global leaders will at least give a nod to the most existential crisis facing humanity by bothering to attend in person. But in a world paralyzed by the […] Continue reading ->
Gavi, the global vaccine alliance, has undertaken to adapt its approach to procuring vaccines in order to support African vaccine manufacturing. In a plan released on Thursday, Gavi has committed to placing “a higher value on the benefits of diversification to supply security, with a focus on Africa”. The 10-point plan, developed in consultation with […] Continue reading ->