Karabo Rafube was born to a single mother in 1982 in Soweto, a sprawling township south of Johannesburg, South Africa. His mother abandoned him three months later, and Rafube was taken to live with his father. In the final years of apartheid, Soweto was a harsh place to grow up. His father already had an […] Continue reading ->
The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced sublicensing agreements with seven manufacturers to produce and distribute generic versions of Japanese pharmaceutical company Shinogi’s COVID-19 antiviral treatment in 117 low- and middle-income countries. Ensitrelvir is an oral antiviral currently only approved in Japan under the country’s emergency regulatory approval system. The drug is being evaluated under a […] Continue reading ->
An international summit in Paris to debate reforms of the global financial system to meet the threat of climate change was billed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres as a chance for “a new Bretton Woods moment”. It was, he said, an opportunity for “governments to come together, re-examine and re-configure the global financial architecture for […] Continue reading ->
Thirty countries signed a political declaration at an international meeting in Morocco last week calling for the health of refugees and migrants to be included in national health systems and universal health coverage. A total of 50 UN member and observer states attended the talks. The Rabat Declaration, signed on Friday, is the first official […] Continue reading ->
A staff member of the World Health Organization (WHO) in Somalia was among the 16 civilians killed in a terrorist attack on a hotel in the capital Mogadishu on Friday night, the WHO confirmed. The attack by al-Qaeda affiliate al-Shabaab targeted the Pearl Beach Hotel and Restaurant, an upscale location on Lido beach often frequented […] Continue reading ->
New York City is choking on smoke from hundreds of wildfires ravaging Canadian forests. The sun rose ominously over the city on Tuesday morning, a fiery red orb obscured by the poisonous fog — as if the sky was sending a message: the climate crisis is in code red. This eerie reminder of the need […] Continue reading ->
In a milestone decision at the 76th World Health Assembly (WHA76), a resolution aimed at addressing health challenges faced by indigenous peoples worldwide has been approved. With it, the Director-General of the WHO has been directed to develop a comprehensive global action plan dedicated to improving their health outcomes by 2026. Indigenous peoples, encompassing a […] Continue reading ->
Pandemic treaty negotiations need to be completed by member states and there’s just one year left to meet that deadline, warns the World Health Organization’s Director General. As the World Health Assembly closed its doors on it’s 75th Anniversary edition (WHA 76), which had to be extended by an extra day due to the prolonged […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly has re-elected India to serve as WHO’s external auditor for the next four years – but there was a steep price tag attached to this year’s appointment. WHO will pay nearly $1 million for India’s services over the coming three-year term of 2024-2027 – amounting to US$ 2.268 million, according to […] Continue reading ->
The World Health Assembly (WHA) approved a landmark resolution on Monday calling on the World Health Organization (WHO) to scale up its efforts to fight the impact of chemicals, waste and plastic pollution on human health and produce the data to back it up. The non-binding commitment spearheaded by Peru is the first time ever […] Continue reading ->