WHO Deplores Iranian Attack on Major Israeli Hospital – ‘Peace is Best Medicine’ 19/06/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The World Health Organization decried Thursday’s direct hit by Iran on one of Israel’s largest hospitals, Soroka Medical Center, which put the 1200-bed facility serving most of the country’s southern region largely out of operation. In an X post, WHO Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus also deplored the deaths of three Iranian Red Crescent […] Continue reading -> No WHO Aid Has Yet Reached Gaza’s Hospitals – as WHA Votes to ‘Raise the Flag’ of Palestine in Geneva 26/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Vital medical aid from World Health Organization supply trucks has yet to reach the beseiged Gaza enclave since the doors of an 80-day blockade inched open a week ago, said Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, at a UN-Geneva press briefing on Monday. The chaos on the ground in Gaza, against a […] Continue reading -> WHO Mandated to Update of 30-Year-Old Review on Health Impacts of Nuclear War – After Heated WHA Debate 26/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher For the first time since the 1990s, the World Health Organization has been asked by member states to update its assessment on the health impacts of nuclear war, although not without significant resistance, led by Russia and North Korea, but also including many other major nuclear states. The resolution calling for an updated assessment of […] Continue reading -> WHO Director General Appeals to Israel to End Deepening Food Crisis and Conflict in Gaza 22/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made an emotional appeal to Israel on Thursday to end its 80-day blockade of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, asking “if you can have mercy?” and adding: “the war is hurting Israel, and it will not bring a lasting solution.” Fighting back tears, the Director […] Continue reading -> WHO’s Samira Asma Reportedly Leaving Tedros’ Leadership Team – UNAIDS Scraps Merger Plan 08/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading -> Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
No WHO Aid Has Yet Reached Gaza’s Hospitals – as WHA Votes to ‘Raise the Flag’ of Palestine in Geneva 26/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Vital medical aid from World Health Organization supply trucks has yet to reach the beseiged Gaza enclave since the doors of an 80-day blockade inched open a week ago, said Hanan Balkhy, WHO’s director for the Eastern Mediterranean Region, at a UN-Geneva press briefing on Monday. The chaos on the ground in Gaza, against a […] Continue reading -> WHO Mandated to Update of 30-Year-Old Review on Health Impacts of Nuclear War – After Heated WHA Debate 26/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher For the first time since the 1990s, the World Health Organization has been asked by member states to update its assessment on the health impacts of nuclear war, although not without significant resistance, led by Russia and North Korea, but also including many other major nuclear states. The resolution calling for an updated assessment of […] Continue reading -> WHO Director General Appeals to Israel to End Deepening Food Crisis and Conflict in Gaza 22/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made an emotional appeal to Israel on Thursday to end its 80-day blockade of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, asking “if you can have mercy?” and adding: “the war is hurting Israel, and it will not bring a lasting solution.” Fighting back tears, the Director […] Continue reading -> WHO’s Samira Asma Reportedly Leaving Tedros’ Leadership Team – UNAIDS Scraps Merger Plan 08/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading -> Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO Mandated to Update of 30-Year-Old Review on Health Impacts of Nuclear War – After Heated WHA Debate 26/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher For the first time since the 1990s, the World Health Organization has been asked by member states to update its assessment on the health impacts of nuclear war, although not without significant resistance, led by Russia and North Korea, but also including many other major nuclear states. The resolution calling for an updated assessment of […] Continue reading -> WHO Director General Appeals to Israel to End Deepening Food Crisis and Conflict in Gaza 22/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made an emotional appeal to Israel on Thursday to end its 80-day blockade of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, asking “if you can have mercy?” and adding: “the war is hurting Israel, and it will not bring a lasting solution.” Fighting back tears, the Director […] Continue reading -> WHO’s Samira Asma Reportedly Leaving Tedros’ Leadership Team – UNAIDS Scraps Merger Plan 08/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading -> Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO Director General Appeals to Israel to End Deepening Food Crisis and Conflict in Gaza 22/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher WHO’s Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made an emotional appeal to Israel on Thursday to end its 80-day blockade of food, medicine and other humanitarian aid into Gaza, asking “if you can have mercy?” and adding: “the war is hurting Israel, and it will not bring a lasting solution.” Fighting back tears, the Director […] Continue reading -> WHO’s Samira Asma Reportedly Leaving Tedros’ Leadership Team – UNAIDS Scraps Merger Plan 08/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading -> Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
WHO’s Samira Asma Reportedly Leaving Tedros’ Leadership Team – UNAIDS Scraps Merger Plan 08/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Samira Asma, assistant director of Data, Analytics and Delivery since 2020, is reportedly leaving WHO in the first of an expected departure of five senior leadership team members as the Organisation sets out to dramatically shrinks its Geneva footprint and staffing. Of the existing 11-member team, only six would remain, if a plan shared by […] Continue reading -> Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Exclusive: Full Text of UN80 Task Force Pitch for Streamlined UN; UNAIDs Merger with WHO 02/05/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Merging WHO and UNAIDs, and combining the “operational” component of WHO’s Emergencies response with that of other agencies are just two among the several dozen ideas pitched by the UN80 Initiative Task Force – in the full text of options for interagency budget cuts and efficiencies, obtained by Health Policy Watch. The list of over […] Continue reading -> Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Immunisation Is the Future of Pandemic Survival 01/05/2025 Tian Johnson African countries like Uganda and South Africa are rewriting the rules of emergency response. The rest of the world must follow – or fall behind. Every April, World Immunisation Week is observed with predictable rhetoric: health leaders celebrate progress, governments make declarations, and global agencies issue reports highlighting gains and gaps in vaccination. But as […] Continue reading -> In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
In Final Days of Pandemic Talks, Countries Urged to Budget for ‘Both Bombs and Bugs’ 07/04/2025 Kerry Cullinan Countries keep increasing their military budgets yet seem unwilling to prepare for an “invisible enemy” – a pandemic-causing pathogen that can be more damaging than a war, World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyessus warned at the start of the final negotiations for a pandemic agreement on Monday. The COVID-19 pandemic killed up […] Continue reading -> Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
Third Polio Vaccination Campaign Planned for Gaza Next Week 19/02/2025 Elaine Ruth Fletcher A third mass polio vaccination campaign will be carried out next week in the embattled Gaza Strip, following the further detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples, WHO and UNICEF said in a surprise, joint announcement on Wednesday. “This campaign follows the recent detection of poliovirus in wastewater samples in Gaza, signaling ongoing circulation in the […] Continue reading -> International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts
International Rescue Committee Cutting Thousands of Staff after US Aid Freeze 19/02/2025 Irwin Loy (The New Humanitarian) The International Rescue Committee, one of the oldest humanitarian aid organizations in the United States, is cutting thousands of staff, in another sign of the turmoil rippling across the humanitarian sector as the US aid funding freeze continues. “We have had to take immediate and significant cost-cutting measures, including laying off and furloughing […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older postsNewer posts