Despite the massive challenges of climate change, disease outbreaks and conflict, there is a glaring lack of leadership committed to long-term, science-based solutions, former world leaders told a meeting on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York. “We need leaders who have a long-term view and take decisions that, many times, […] Continue reading ->
Text-based negotiations on the final piece missing from the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Pandemic Agreement will begin in November – and “relevant stakeholders’ will be allowed to observe them for the first time as a “pilot”. This was resolved at the second meeting of the WHO Intergovernmental Working Group (IGWG), which concluded last Friday evening. […] Continue reading ->
On 25 September, world leaders will gather at the United Nations for the Fourth High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs). It comes at a pivotal moment: funding for global health has plummeted, while NCDs like heart disease, cancer and diabetes continue to claim 75% of all lives lost worldwide. This amid recent efforts to water […] Continue reading ->
In a 4 September message, the WHO/HQ Staff Association called for an Extraordinary General Assembly (EGA), now due to take place on Monday, 22 September. The message acknowledged what many staff were feeling: profound change, deep uncertainty, and a heavy personal and professional toll. Their statement flagged key concerns raised by many WHO staff about […] Continue reading ->
The United States will resume funding HIV, tuberculosis, malaria and polio medicine and the salaries of health workers directly delivering most of these services to patients through bilateral deals with governments and faith-based organizations– at least for the 2026 financial year, according to the America First Global Health Strategy unveiled by the US State Department […] Continue reading ->
For every $1 invested in cost-effective “best buys” to prevent non-communicable diseases (NCDs) over the next five years, there would be a four-fold return in social and economic benefits, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO’s 29 “best buys” focus on reducing tobacco and alcohol consumption, addressing unhealthy diets and lack of exercise, […] Continue reading ->
US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr is driving an agenda based on ideology not science, and tried to reduce the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to a rubber stamp, according to the two former top officials. Former CDC director Dr Susan Monarez and Dr Debra Houry, former Chief Medical Officer and deputy […] Continue reading ->
The ozone layer that protects human and animal health from the sun’s harmful ultraviolet (UV) radiation continues to be on track for recovery in the coming decades, according to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) in its latest report released this week. In 2024, the ozone hole was smaller when compared to the previous years. This […] Continue reading ->
Grand corruption schemes siphoning billions in state resources to government-linked elites have crushed South Sudan’s health system as the country teeters between famine and a new civil war, UN investigators found. The findings of a two-year investigation by the independent UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan published on Tuesday document how systematic corruption […] Continue reading ->
In Flint, Michigan, mothers face some of the highest risks of adverse health outcomes in the United States. But a new intervention is changing the outlook of Flint babies for the better. More than 10 years after the city uncovered devastating lead water contamination, Flint still struggles with the highest child poverty rate in the country […] Continue reading ->