World Health Organization Director General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced his new team of 36 directors at headquarters on Tuesday, according to an internal message to WHO staff, seen by Health Policy Watch. Nine of the appointments, including key positions heading the Departments of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health, and the newly-combined Department of Environment, […] Continue reading ->
Economic insecurity is a major factor driving declining fertility globally, according to the 2025 State of World Population report produced by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Financial worries – including job insecurity, housing and childcare costs – were key factors influencing over half of those interviewed to opt for fewer or no children, according […] Continue reading ->
Women’s groups and human rights organisations have raised the alarm about an African anti-rights conference taking place this weekend in Uganda, followed by another next week in Nairobi, featuring prominent US conservatives, aimed at developing “an African charter on family sovereignty and values”.  Previous conferences have been used to mobilise for anti-LGBTQ laws and promote […] Continue reading ->
Urgent measures are needed to curtail the rising “medicalization” of female genital mutilation (FGM) and to engage health workers to prevent the practice, according to a new guideline published by the World Health Organization (WHO). The guideline recommends professional codes of conduct that expressly prohibit health workers from performing FGM and stresses the need to […] Continue reading ->
Access to contraception must be lowered to allow teenage girls to make informed decisions about their bodies, relationships, and futures, say key African health stakeholders – including sexual and reproductive health workers and advocates. But are policymakers ready to adopt this change – particularly as the debate over sexual and reproductive health rights becomes ever […] Continue reading ->
CAPE TOWN – A coalition of South African civil society groups have urged South Africa’s President Cyril Ramaphosa to “step up” and lead a coordinated national and regional response to prevent “mass healthcare disruptions, preventable deaths, and surges in new HIV infections and drug resistance,” in the wake of the US President Donald Trump’s cut off […] Continue reading ->
In 2024, the world reached an alarming milestone: the hottest global temperatures ever recorded. Floods, heat waves, tropical storms, hurricanes, droughts, and wildfires are affecting everyone, everywhere, with devastating consequences.  But behind the headlines of environmental catastrophe lies a quieter crisis: the health impacts of climate change on women, families and newborns, and the health […] Continue reading ->
Rape is common across Africa yet inadequate laws, weak implementation and cultural barriers mean that many perpetrators go unpunished, according to new research by Equality Now. “After examining rape laws across Africa, it is clear that to end impunity for perpetrators, governments urgently need to carry out comprehensive legal reform of rape laws, strengthen enforcement […] Continue reading ->
Dr Anu Kumar, CEO of the global reproductive justice organisation Ipas, outlines the impact of a global clampdown on abortion “Unsafe abortion remains a leading cause of maternal mortality, and it is entirely preventable,” says Dr Anu Kumar, CEO of Ipas, an international reproductive justice organisation. “So there is something we can do about it. […] Continue reading ->