More Evidence of Link Between Smoking and Infertility 08/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan The risk of infertility is 1.4 times higher in women who smoke, according to a systematic review of studies conducted between 2000 and 2026, according to a World Health Organization (WHO) report released on Tuesday. “This means that if the risk of infertility is 15% for women who do not smoke, then 21% will experience […] Continue reading -> Sexual and Reproductive Health is ‘On the Frontline’ of Anti-Science Attacks 07/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan The defenders of sexual and reproductive health and rights are on the frontline of the “heightened hostility to science, fact, and truth, directly facing the anti-science toxic tangles of racism, sexism, and homophobia,” asserted Professor Kate Gilmore, co-chair of the Human Reproduction Programme’s (HRP) Gender and Rights Advisory Panel. HRP is the United Nations instrument […] Continue reading -> Controversy Over Merger Between UN Women and UNFPA Continues 04/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading -> Anti-rights Charter Faces ‘Very Long Process’ to Reach African Union 02/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan A draft charter on “family, sovereignty and values”, which would significantly undermine the rights of African women and girls, is not likely to be presented to the African Union (AU) General Assembly next February – despite a push from its conservative sponsors. “That draft instrument has not got to the AU yet, and it is […] Continue reading -> Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Sexual and Reproductive Health is ‘On the Frontline’ of Anti-Science Attacks 07/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan The defenders of sexual and reproductive health and rights are on the frontline of the “heightened hostility to science, fact, and truth, directly facing the anti-science toxic tangles of racism, sexism, and homophobia,” asserted Professor Kate Gilmore, co-chair of the Human Reproduction Programme’s (HRP) Gender and Rights Advisory Panel. HRP is the United Nations instrument […] Continue reading -> Controversy Over Merger Between UN Women and UNFPA Continues 04/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading -> Anti-rights Charter Faces ‘Very Long Process’ to Reach African Union 02/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan A draft charter on “family, sovereignty and values”, which would significantly undermine the rights of African women and girls, is not likely to be presented to the African Union (AU) General Assembly next February – despite a push from its conservative sponsors. “That draft instrument has not got to the AU yet, and it is […] Continue reading -> Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Controversy Over Merger Between UN Women and UNFPA Continues 04/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan Women’s organisations are anxious that Secretary-General António Guterres will push the controversial proposed merger of the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) and UN Women at the UN General Assembly later this month. Guterres proposed the merger as part of his UN80 initiative, aimed at streamlining and cutting costs as the global body tries to recover from […] Continue reading -> Anti-rights Charter Faces ‘Very Long Process’ to Reach African Union 02/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan A draft charter on “family, sovereignty and values”, which would significantly undermine the rights of African women and girls, is not likely to be presented to the African Union (AU) General Assembly next February – despite a push from its conservative sponsors. “That draft instrument has not got to the AU yet, and it is […] Continue reading -> Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Anti-rights Charter Faces ‘Very Long Process’ to Reach African Union 02/09/2026 Kerry Cullinan A draft charter on “family, sovereignty and values”, which would significantly undermine the rights of African women and girls, is not likely to be presented to the African Union (AU) General Assembly next February – despite a push from its conservative sponsors. “That draft instrument has not got to the AU yet, and it is […] Continue reading -> Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Clashing Convictions of Taliban and the West is Costing Afghan Lives 31/08/2026 Mukesh Kapila Two sets of dogmas contend in Afghanistan: those of the Taliban and the West. Neither side pays the real price for their beliefs. Ordinary Afghans do with their lives. Some aid agencies labour quietly to bring help and hope through a dozen practical ways that bypass competing doctrines. They deserve support. In March last year, […] Continue reading -> Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Most Gaza Palestinians Living in Dangerous, Unsanitary and Unhealthy Shelters 25/08/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher Nearly a year after Israel and Hamas agreed to a US-brokered cease-fire, some 94% of Gaza’s 2.1 million Palestinian residents lack adequate shelters with 84% facing severe constraints in heating, cooling, cooking, lighting and hygiene and nearly 60% facing “critical” or “catastrophic” shelter needs. This according to a new analysis by the Global Shelter Cluster, […] Continue reading -> Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Stuck Between Faith and Politics: Why Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood Bill is Still in Limbo 19/08/2026 Abdulai Gbla FREETOWN, Sierra Leone – For nearly two years, Sierra Leone’s Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Care Bill has been stuck in a political and social tug-of-war that has little to do with the technical business of passing a health law. Instead, the country is wrestling with who gets to define reproductive health in the country: […] Continue reading -> A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
A Regional Approach to HPV Vaccine Design Can Advance Equity and Cervical Cancer Elimination 13/07/2026 Marco Cavaleri HPV vaccines have transformed cervical cancer prevention, but the next generation of vaccines must better reflect regional disease patterns, including the HPV35 genotype prevalent in Africa. The recent WHO Global Status Report on Cancer paints a sobering picture. Among the many challenges, human papillomavirus, or HPV, is one of the world’s most serious infectious causes of […] Continue reading -> From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
From Waiting Room to Labour: How Task-Shifting in Nigeria is Saving Lives 08/07/2026 Bashar Abubakar A Task Shifting/Task Sharing investment in Kano State in Nigeria is empowering community health workers and improving maternal and newborn outcomes KANO, Nigeria – It is antenatal day at Gwale Primary Health Care Centre (PHC) in the suburbs of Kano, the capital of the state by the same name and the second biggest city in […] Continue reading -> Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts
Facing Threats to Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights – Some Countries Show A Way Forward 03/07/2026 Elaine Ruth Fletcher The dramatic global health budget cutbacks in services for maternal and reproductive health and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) have produced 17 million unintended pregnancies, and more than 34,000 preventable maternal deaths in just the first year since cuts were made. That recent assessment by French and Washington DC-based analyses, was cited by Guyana’s UN Ambassador […] Continue reading -> Posts navigation Older posts