Tag: health

New global action pledge to end TB by 2030 — Global Issues

The document lays out ambitious new targets for the next five years that include reaching 90 per cent of people with TB prevention and care services, providing social benefit packages to those who have the disease, and licensing at least one new vaccine.

TB is the second leading infectious killer worldwide after COVID-19, with some 1.6 million deaths in 2021 alone, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The only available vaccine is more than a century old.

Defeating a killer

“Why, after all the progress we have made – from sending man to the moon, to bringing the world to our fingertips – have we been unable to defeat a preventable and curable disease that kills over 4,400 people a day?” said the President of the UN General Assembly, Dennis Francis.

TB has afflicted humanity for millennia, going by several names including the white plague and consumption.

It is caused by bacteria and mainly affects the lungs, and treatment is with antibiotics. A WHO council established to facilitate the development and equitable use of new vaccines met for the first time this week.

A personal commitment

Stamping out the TB epidemic is among the health targets of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the roadmap for a more just and green global future by the end of the decade.

Five years ago, countries set the target of delivering TB treatment to 40 million people, reaching 34 million. They also aimed to provide 30 million with preventive treatment but fell short by half.

UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed called for action to tackle the main drivers of TB – poverty, undernutrition, lack of access to healthcare, the prevalence of HIV infections, diabetes, mental health, and smoking.

Stigma surrounding the disease also needs to be reduced so that people can get help without fear of discrimination, she added, while governments must ensure universal health coverage that includes TB screening, prevention and treatment.

Ms. Mohammed also shared her own reason for supporting the global fight.

“My commitment is my personal story: losing my father to TB at 50, 37 years ago this week,” she said. “Today we have the tools to diagnose, treat, and what we need right now is a vaccine. Let’s end TB now. It is possible.”

Stigma fuels death

Mongolian author Handaa Rea, who has survived the disease, urged world leaders to “treat TB not only medically but also socially.”

She has written about her own experience of TB-related stigma, discrimination that she said is prevalent in many developing countries, resulting in “hundreds of thousands of people” delaying seeking treatment.

The consequences of stigma are “more enhanced” for women and girls who are held to higher standards of health, well-being and beauty, she added.

“When society says things like ‘she’s too skinny, because she has TB, she’s unworthy of marriage because she has or had TB, or she continues to have TB because she’s irresponsible,’ we as a society are bullying TB patients one step closer to death – a death that is fully preventable. And this has to stop,” she said.

The ‘final chapter’

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus commended the “amazing” energy in the room, where participants frequently chanted “End TB, yes we can!”

He welcomed the political declaration, which was agreed by consensus ahead of the meeting. It will be presented to the General Assembly, the UN’s most representative organ, comprising all 193 Member States.

“For millennia, our ancestors have suffered and died with tuberculosis, without knowing what it was, what caused it, or how to stop it,” he said.

“Today, we have knowledge and tools they could only have dreamed of. We have political commitment. And we have an opportunity that no generation in the history of humanity has had: the opportunity to write the final chapter in the story of TB.”

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Peace day, high seas treaty, Palestinian displacement rises, polio in Ukraine — Global Issues

“People and our planet are in crisis”, the UN chief said, highlighting how conflicts continue to drive the vulnerable from their homes, while heatwaves and floods claim lives and division prevails.

‘Leave no one behind’

This year’s Peace Day coincides with the halfway point on the road to the Sustainable Development Goals, and the UN’s message is that the promise of the 2030 Agenda to “leave no one behind” is a key enabler of peace.

Amid the high-stakes political encounters underway at the General Assembly and Security Council in New York, the UN chief also called for the use of the “timeless tools of diplomacy, dialogue and collaboration” to defuse tensions and end conflict.

“Peace is not only a noble vision for humanity. Peace is a call to action,” Mr. Guterres insisted.

Historic treaty opens for signatures at General Assembly

After almost two decades of negotiations, the first-ever international agreement to conserve marine biodiversity and preserve the world’s oceans is now open for signatures at the UN General Assembly.

The so-called high seas treaty was adopted in June, when UN chief António Guterres hailed it as a “victory for multilateralism”. It was signed by 67 countries on Wednesday but must still be ratified by each State according to its own procedures.

The treaty is a legally binding instrument under the UN Convention of Law of the Sea to address the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.

These areas cover over two-thirds of the ocean.

The high seas treaty will come into force 120 days after it’s been ratified by a minimum of 60 countries, which could take years. The UN said it hopes that all Member States will join the agreement.

More and more Palestinians displaced by settler violence

Violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians has been steadily increasing across the occupied West Bank, displacing over 1,000 people since last year, according to the UN humanitarian affairs coordination office (OCHA).

OCHA said on Thursday that in the first eight months of 2023, an average of three settler-related incidents affecting Palestinians occurred on average every day – the highest rate since the UN started recording this data in 2006.

In an assessment of the humanitarian needs of 63 Palestinian herding communities in the occupied West Bank conducted last month, the UN found that around 12 per cent of the population have been displaced since 2022, citing settler violence and being prevented access to grazing land by settlers as the primary reasons.

Most of those displaced were in the governorates of Ramallah, Nablus and Hebron, which also have the highest number of Israeli settlement outposts.

Four of the communities have been completely displaced and are now empty, OCHA said.

Support self-reliance

The expansion of settlements into grazing land for livestock, takeovers of land by settlers, destruction of crops, confiscation of land and herds following the declaration of a closed military area, and deliberate pollution of water sources, were all cited as issues affecting the lives and livelihoods of Palestinian herder communities.

OCHA said that Palestinian herders “should be self-reliant” based on traditional patterns, but instead, they need humanitarian assistance because of settler violence and the “failure of Israeli authorities to hold perpetrators accountable”.

The ensuing displacement of Palestinians “may amount to forcible transfer”, a grave breach of international humanitarian law, humanitarians warned.

Polio outbreak in Ukraine closed: WHO

The UN World Health Organization (WHO) has declared a poliovirus outbreak in Ukraine officially over.

WHO said it was a “public health success story” that Ukraine had managed to stop transmission of the virus that “threatened the lives and futures of its children” and prevent its spread to other countries, all in the face of the ongoing war.

The outbreak was first detected in a young child in Ukraine in October 2021, subsequently linked to a poliovirus episode in Pakistan.

WHO said that the comprehensive outbreak response initiated by Ukraine’s health ministry faced multiple challenges since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, including massive population displacement, destruction of healthcare infrastructure and disruption of logistics routes.

The Government response, supported by WHO and partners, included contact tracing, disease surveillance and an accelerated immunization catch-up campaign for children aged six months to six years who had not received the required doses through routine immunization.

The UN health agency said that “tremendous credit” should go to the health professionals and parents who continue to make every effort to vaccinate children on schedule, “even while navigating the daily realities and dangers of war”.

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Top 5 fast facts — Global Issues

Without health, the world is badly hobbled in its race to realize the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its 17 Goals; the recently opened 78th session of the UN General Assembly aims to change that.

On the docket is a fresh global strategy to prevent, prepare, and respond to future pandemics on the heels of hard lessons learned from the COVID-19 outbreak in 2020. International agreements are also in the pipeline to tackle the global tuberculosis epidemic and to promote universal health coverage for all.

“We live in a world of many competing priorities, but we need to keep the attention of world leaders on health as the foundation of sustainable development,” said World Health Organization (WHO) Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

Here are the top five things to know about the UNGA 78’s ministerial-level health meetings:

© UNICEF/Vinay Panjwani

A man receives his second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine during a door-to-door vaccine campaign in Rajasthan, India. (file)

1. New pandemic accord goes beyond COVID-19

Long before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the world, the UN health agency was forging innovative ways to handle global outbreaks of deadly diseases and viruses. Only months before the global coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, WHO was discussing an international strategy. Now a new pandemic accord is before the world at UNGA 78.

As nations across the planet painfully learned, no country was immune to the deadly, fast-spreading virus that pushed healthcare systems to their limits, killed more than 6 million people, and set back development gains by decades.

Looking to the future, the plan is to make the world safer by guarding global disease outbreaks and cementing efficient response plans for current and future generations.

Nations have been negotiating a draft declaration that world leaders are expected to adopt at a high-level meeting on 22 September.

© UNICEF/Brown

Mothers and their babies wait to see UN-supported health care workers in Bhutan.

2. Health care for all

© WHO

Invest in health.

Many countries with the most advanced medical care systems were caught by surprise by COVID-19 because of their historic lack of investment in primary health care, according to the WHO chief.

On 21 September, ministers will gather at UN Headquarters for a high-level meeting on universal health coverage.

Weaving through a range of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the WHO chief said providing universal health coverage makes sense.

He said strong primary health care (Goal 3) requires long-term investments in health and care workers, and specifically in decent working conditions (Goal 8). Moreover, investing in education (Goal 4) must be matched to jobs and careers, with the right salaries and incentives, he added.

Given that two-thirds of the global health and care workforce are women, he emphasized that investments in the health and care workforce can also advance gender equality (Goal 5).

The draft political declaration expected to be adopted on Thursday aims towards one main result: a healthier population.

3. SDG 3 Health Clinic

While diplomats debate global challenges at UN Headquarters, the UN health agency, WHO, has set up the SDG 3 Health Clinic, no appointments needed.

The Global Scrubs Choir, made up of frontline staff from the Royal Melbourne Hospital, is performing live at the WHO-run SDG 3 Health Clinic during the high-level week at the UN General Assembly’s 78th session.

Visitors can have a seat on a friendship bench and tell clinic staff why mental health is important to them. Health is, after all, not just the absence of disease or infirmity but a state of complete physical, mental, and social wellbeing.

Fancy some music therapy? The Global Scrubs Choir, comprising frontline staff from the Royal Melbourne Hospital in Australia, will be performing daily from 8 am until 8:45 am.

4. Pushing 30-year-old tuberculosis epidemic into history

A high-level dialogue on 22 September aims to intensify global efforts to finally end a decades-long tuberculosis (TB) epidemic, which remains a significant cause of death worldwide.

The preventable and curable disease disproportionately affects developing countries, and one quarter of the world’s population is infected with the bacterium that causes the illness. In 2021, an estimated 10.6 million people fell ill with TB, and approximately 1.6 million people died from it in 2021.

Thirty years after WHO declared it a global emergency, the epidemic still is a critical challenge in all regions and affects every country of the world. Millions of people ill with TB are missing out on quality care each year, including on access to affordable diagnostic tests and treatment, especially in developing countries, according to the UN health agency.

Adopting the draft political declaration means nations would commit to a set of actions to swiftly change that.

Find the programme and list of speakers expected at the high-level meeting here.

© PAHO-WHO

Patients at a health centre in Peru are given advice about how to avoid catching TB.

5. Global Action Plan

WHO established the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Wellbeing for All, also known as “SDG 3 GAP”, in 2019, bringing together 13 multilateral health, development, and humanitarian agencies around the world. Despite rising challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic, they made hard-won inroads, taking their success stories to the SDG Summit in a bid to help.

The goal is simple: to help countries speed progress on health-related SDGs. Together, they take joint action and provide more coordinated and aligned support to country-owned and led national plans and strategies.

“In the last few years, we have been experiencing something of a perfect storm: COVID-19, climate change, conflicts and other crises are threatening the progress achieved over the past 20 years,” said Peter Sands, Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, which is part of the global network.

© PAHO-WHO

The UN has been supporting a cholera vaccine programme in some of the most vulnerable communities in Haiti.

“We can sustain and even accelerate progress if we work together to tackle the most acute health challenges and build stronger and more resilient health systems, but it is vital that as we do so we confront the deep and pervasive health inequities between and within countries.”

Check out the Global Action Plan’s 2023 progress report here.

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Managing deceased bodies during crises — Global Issues

The UN health agency together with the IFRC, and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), emphasized that proper care of the deceased also provides emotional closure for surviving families, and promotes public health.

The statement emphasized that the fear and misunderstanding caused by large scale fatalities “is often unfounded”, highlighting that communities need the right tools and information to manage the dead safely.

Dignity amid tragedy

In response to large scale natural disasters or the aftermath of armed conflict, some survivors may choose to expedite burials, often in mass graves, which can have adverse consequences, including long lasting mental distress for family members as well as social and legal problems.

“An unnecessary rush to dispose of bodies of those killed in disasters or conflict deprives families of the opportunity to identify and mourn their loved ones, while providing no public health benefit” said Gwen Eamer, IFRC’s Senior Officer for Public Health in Emergencies and Head of Emergency Operations, Morocco Earthquake Response.

Misconception of epidemic risks

Studies have shown that individuals who have succumbed to injuries resulting from disasters or war, generally do not present a health risk.

However, an exception arises when these bodies are near water sources, potentially contaminating water and increasing the risk of diarrheal and other illnesses.

“The belief that dead bodies will cause epidemics is not supported by evidence. We see too many cases where media reports and even some medical professionals get this issue wrong,” said Pierre Guyomarch, the head of ICRC’s forensics unit.

Burial guidelines

In order to better manage burials, some organisations outline guidance which includes easily traceable and properly documented individual graves in demarcated burial sites.

This guarantees precise information regarding the location of loved ones, along with their associated details and personal belongings.

Caution over mass graves

“We urge authorities in communities touched by tragedy to not rush forward with mass burials or mass cremations. Dignified management of bodies is important for families and communities, and in the cases of conflict, is often an important component of bringing about a swifter end to the fighting,” said Dr Kazunobu Kojima, Medical Officer for biosafety and biosecurity in WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme.

The ICRC, IFRC and WHO strongly encourage all parties involved in conflicts and disaster response, to stick to established principles for the management of deceased individuals.

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From a Nuclear Test Site to Leader in Disarmament — Global Issues

Karipbek Kuyukov is an armless painter from Kazakhstan, and global anti–nuclear weapon testing & nonproliferation activist. Credit: Jibek Joly TV Channel
  • Opinion by Katsuhiro Asagiri, Kunsaya Kurmet-Rakhimova (astana, kazakhstan)
  • Inter Press Service

ASTANA, Kazakhstan, Sep 07 (IPS) – Exactly 32 years ago, on September 29, 1991, Kazakhstan, then part of the Soviet Union, made a historic decision that would alter its fate. On that day, Kazakhstan permanently closed the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site, defying the central government in Moscow. This marked the start of Kazakhstan’s transformation from a nuclear-armed state, possessing the fourth-largest nuclear arsenal at the time, to a non-nuclear-weapon state. Kazakhstan’s audacious move to eliminate its nuclear weapons was rooted in a profound commitment to global disarmament, setting an inspiring precedent.

Eighteen years later, in 2009, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution, led by Kazakhstan, designating August 29 as the International Day Against Nuclear Tests. This day serves as a solemn reminder of the catastrophic consequences of nuclear weapons and underscores the urgent imperative for disarmament.

In a world where the threat of nuclear weapons being used again remains a grim reality, a pivotal question looms: Can we genuinely aspire to a world free of nuclear arms? To delve deeper into this pressing concern and comprehend the menace posed by nuclear weapons testing and deployment, we interviewed Karipbek Kuyukov and participants of the “Humanitarian Impact of Nuclear Weapons and the Central Asian Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone” regional conference. This conference, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Kazakhstan in partnership with the Center for International Security and Policy (CISP), Soka Gakkai International (SGI), the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons (ICAN), took place in Astana, Kazakhstan to commemorate this year’s International Day Against Nuclear Tests.

Karipbek Kuyukov is an armless painter from Kazakhstan, and global anti–nuclear weapon testing & nonproliferation activist. Credit: Jibek Joly TV Channel

One of the most poignant moments during the conference came from Dmitriy Vesselov, a third-generation survivor of nuclear testing. He provided a heartfelt testimony about the profound human toll exacted by nuclear testings on his family and the broader community. The nuclear tests conducted at the Semipalatinsk Nuclear Test Site over four decades unleashed explosions 2,500 times more potent than the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The repercussions of these tests have echoed through generations, inflicting severe health problems and untold suffering.

Kuyukov, a renowned Kazakh artist born without hands due to radiation exposure in his mother’s womb, has devoted his life to raising awareness about the horrors of nuclear testing. His powerful artwork, created using his lips or toes, depicts the survivors of nuclear tests and serves as a poignant tribute to those who perished. Kuyukov’s unwavering commitment reflects the indomitable human spirit in the face of unimaginable adversity.

Dmitriy Vesselov’s testimony shed light on the ongoing challenges faced by survivors. He candidly shared his struggles with health issues, including acromioclavicular dysostosis, a condition severely limiting his physical capabilities. Vesselov expressed his deep concern about the potential transmission of these health problems to future generations. Consequently, he has chosen not to have children. The conference underscored the imperative of averting the repetition of history by delving into the past tragedies inflicted by nuclear weapons testings.

Hirotsugu Terasaki, Director General of Peace and Global Issues of SGI, commenting on the event said “I believe that this regional conference is a new milestone, a starting point for representatives from five countries of Central Asia to discuss how we can advance the process toward a nuclear-weapon-free world, given the ever-increasing threat of nuclear weapons.”

Terasaki observed that the international community is actively deliberating Articles 6 and 7 of the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW), mandating state parties to provide support to victims and address environmental remediation. He accentuated Kazakhstan’s pivotal role as a co-chair of the working group central to these discussions.

Kazakhstan does provide special medical insurance and benefits to victims of nuclear tests. However, these benefits are predominantly extended to individuals officially certified as disabled or a family member of those who succumbed to radiation-related illnesses. Numerous victims, like Vesselov, who do not fall within these categories, remain ineligible for assistance.

Despite his daunting challenges, Mr. Vesselov maintains an unwavering sense of hope. He hopes that his testimony will serve as a stark reminder of the perils of nuclear weapons and awaken global consciousness regarding the dangers posed by even small tactical nuclear weapons and the specter of limited nuclear conflicts. Ultimately, his deepest aspiration, shared by all victims of nuclear weapons, is that the world will never bear witness to such a devastating tragedy again.

As Kazakhstan assumes its role as President-designate of the third Meeting of States Parties to the TPNW, it reaffirms its steadfast commitment to global peace and disarmament. President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev’s resolute words resonate with the sentiment of a nation that has borne the scars of nuclear testing: “Such a tragedy should not happen again. Our country will unwaveringly uphold the principles of nuclear security.”

At the conference, member states of the Treaty of Semipalatinsk were encouraged to support Kazakhstan in this endeavor, and in its efforts to represent the Central Asian region’s contribution to nuclear disarmament, through attending the second Meeting of States Parties of the TPNW, at least as observers, which will take place at the United Nations Headquarters in New York between 27 November and 1 December this year, and by signing and ratifying the TPNW at the earliest opportunity.

In a world still grappling with the looming specter of nuclear devastation, Kazakhstan’s journey from a nuclear test site to a leading advocate for disarmament serves as a beacon of hope. Kazakhstan’s unwavering commitment to peace stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of a nation that once bore the weight of nuclear tests and now champions a safer, more secure world for all.

Katsuhiro Asagiri is President of INPS Japan and Kunsaya Kurmet-Rakhimova is a reporter of Jibek Joly(Silk Way) TV Channel.

IPS UN Bureau


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The UNs Own Relevance Is at Stake at This Years General Assembly — Global Issues

  • Opinion by Mandeep S.Tiwana (new york)
  • Inter Press Service

NEW YORK, Sep 07 (IPS) – This September, world leaders and public policy advocates from around the world will descend on New York for the UN General Assembly. Alongside conversations on peace and security, global development and climate change, progress – or the lack of it – on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is expected to take centre-stage. A major SDG Summit will be held on 18 and 19 September. The UN hopes that it will serve as a ‘rallying cry to recharge momentum for world leaders to come together to reflect on where we stand and resolve to do more’. But are the world’s leaders in a mood to uphold the UN’s purpose, and can the UN’s leadership rise to the occasion by resolutely addressing destructive behaviours?

Sadly, the world is facing an acute crisis of leadership. In far too many countries authoritarian leaders have seized power through a combination of populist political discourse, outright repression and military coups. Our findings on the CIVICUS Monitor – a participatory research platform that measures civic freedoms in every country – show that 85% of the world’s population live in places where serious attacks on basic fundamental freedoms to organise, speak out and protest are taking place. Respect for these freedoms is essential so that people and civil society organisations can have a say in inclusive decision making.

UN undermined

The UN Charter begins with the words, ‘We the Peoples’ and a resolve to save future generations from the scourge of war. Its ideals, such as respect for human rights and the dignity of every person, are being eroded by powerful states that have introduced slippery concepts such as ‘cultural relativism’ and ‘development with national characteristics’. The consensus to seek solutions to global challenges through the UN appears to be at breaking point. As we speak hostilities are raging in Ukraine, Sudan, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the Sahel region even as millions of people reel from the negative consequences of protracted conflicts and oppression in Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria and Yemen, to name a few.

Article 1 of the UN Charter underscores the UN’s role in harmonising the actions of nations towards the attainment of common ends, including in relation to solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural or humanitarian character, and to promote respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all. But in a time of eye-watering inequality within and between countries, big economic decisions affecting people and the planet are not being made collectively at the UN but by the G20 group of the world’s biggest economies, whose leaders are meeting prior to the UN General Assembly to make economic decisions with ramifications for all countries.

Economic and development cooperation policies for a large chunk of the globe are also determined through the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Established in 1961, the OECD comprises 38 countries with a stated commitment to democratic values and market-based economics. Civil society has worked hard to get the OECD to take action on issues such as fair taxation, social protection and civic space.

More recently, the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – grouping of countries that together account for 40 per cent of the world’s population and a quarter of the globe’s GDP are seeking to emerge as a counterweight to the OECD. However, concerns remain about the values that bind this alliance. At its recent summit in South Africa six new members were admitted, four of which – Egypt, Iran, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – are ruled by totalitarian governments with a history of repressing civil society voices. This comes on top of concerns that China and Russia are driving the BRICS agenda despite credible allegations that their governments have committed crimes against humanity.

The challenge before the UN’s leadership this September is to find ways to bring coherence and harmony to decisions being taken at the G20, OECD, BRICS and elsewhere to serve the best interests of excluded people around the globe. A focus on the SDGs by emphasising their universality and indivisibility can provide some hope.

SDGs off-track

The adoption of the SDGs in 2015 was a groundbreaking moment. The 17 ambitious SDGs and their 169 targets have been called the greatest ever human endeavour to create peaceful, just, equal and sustainable societies. The SDGs include promises to tackle inequality and corruption, promote women’s equality and empowerment, support inclusive and participatory governance, ensure sustainable consumption and production, usher in rule of law and catalyse effective partnerships for development.

But seven years on the SDGs are seriously off-track. The UN Secretary-General’s SDG progress report released this July laments that the promise to ‘leave no one behind’ is in peril. As many as 30 per cent of the targets are reported to have seen no progress or worse to have regressed below their 2015 baseline. The climate crisis, war in Ukraine, a weak global economy and the COVID-19 pandemic are cited as some of the reasons why progress is lacking.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres is pushing for an SDG stimulus plan to scale up financing to the tune of US$500 billion. It remains to be seen how successful this would be given the self-interest being pursued by major powers that have the financial resources to contribute. Moreover, without civic participation and guarantees for enabled civil societies, there is a high probability that SDG stimulus funds could be misused by authoritarian governments to reinforce networks of patronage and to shore up repressive state apparatuses.

Also up for discussion at the UN General Assembly will be plans for a major Summit for the Future in 2024 to deliver the UN Secretary-General’s Our Common Agenda report, released in 2021. This proposes among other things the appointment of a UN Envoy for Future Generations, an upgrade of key UN institutions, digital cooperation across the board and boosting partnerships to drive access and inclusion at the UN. But with multilateralism stymied by hostility and divisions among big powers on the implementation of internationally agreed norms, achieving progress on this agenda implies a huge responsibility on the UN’s leadership to forge consensus while speaking truth to power and challenging damaging behaviours by states and their leaders.

The UN’s leadership have found its voice on the issue of climate change. Secretary-General Guterres has been remarkably candid about the negative impacts of the fossil fuel industry and its supporters. This July, he warned that ‘The era of global warming has ended; the era of global boiling has arrived’. Similar candour is required to call out the twin plagues of authoritarianism and populism which are causing immense suffering to people around the world while exacerbating conflict, inequality and climate change.

The formation of the UN as the conscience of the world in 1945 was an exercise in optimism and altruism. This September that spirit will be needed more than ever to start creating a better world for all, and to prove the UN’s value.

Mandeep S. Tiwana is chief officer for evidence and engagement + representative to the UN headquarters at CIVICUS, the global civil society alliance.


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UN chief — Global Issues

The news came as the UN chief released a strongly worded statement on a record summer of global warming in the northern hemisphere, according to the European Union’s climate service Copernicus and WMO.

Earth has just experienced its hottest August on record – by a large margin – and the second hottest month ever after this July. Factoring in June, they represent the hottest three month period ever, the data indicates.

The year overall is the second warmest on record behind 2016.

Dog days bite back

“Our planet has just endured a season of simmering – the hottest summer on record,” said UN Secretary-General António Guterres, warning “climate breakdown has begun”.

“The dog days of summer are not just barking, they are biting”, continued the UN chief, describing the consequences of humanity’s unleashed fossil fuel addiction.

As the climate crisis provokes more and more extreme weather worldwide, the UN Secretary General called on leaders to “turn up the heat now for climate solutions.”

Heatwaves factor

The 2023 WMO Air Quality and Climate Bulletin – coming on the heels of the Secretary General’s statement – puts the spotlight firmly on the damage caused by heatwaves.

It notes that high temperatures are not only a hazard by themselves, but they also trigger damaging pollution.

Based on the 2022 data, the report shows how heatwaves fanned a dangerous drop in air quality last year.

“Heatwaves worsen air quality, with knock-on effects on human health, ecosystems, agriculture and indeed our daily lives,” said WMO Secretary-General Prof. Petteri Taalas, commenting on the report’s findings, adding that climate change and air quality must be tackled together to break a vicious circle.

Climate change brew

Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of heatwaves.

“Smoke from wildfires contains a witch’s brew of chemicals that affects not only air quality and health, but also damages plants, ecosystems and crops – and leads to more carbon emissions and so more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere,” explained Lorenzo Labrador, a WMO scientific officer in the Global Atmosphere Watch network which compiled the Bulletin.

Last summer’s northern heatwave led to increased concentrations of pollutants such as harmful particulates and reactive gases such as nitrogen oxides.

In Europe, hundreds of air quality monitoring sites registered levels exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) ozone air quality guideline levels of 100 μg m–3 over an eight-hour exposure.

Urban heat islands need trees

When it comes to heat, city dwellers usually experience the most intense conditions.

With dense infrastructure and numerous tall buildings, urban areas end up with temperatures that are much higher compared to the rural surroundings.

This effect is usually referred to as creating an “urban heat island”. The magnitude of temperature difference varies but may reach up to 9°C at night.

As a result, people who live and work in cities, experience dangerous heat stress even at night.

There is a solution, though. A study in São Paulo, Brazil showed that both temperature and CO2 measurements are partly mitigated by incorporating more green spaces within cities, pointing to the benefits of nature-based solutions for climate change.

WMO released its report on the eve of the International Day of Clean Air for blue skies marked on 7 September. The theme this year is Together for Clean Air, focusing on the need for strong partnerships, increased investment and shared responsibility to overcome air pollution.

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Refusal to waive IP rights for COVID-19 vaccines violates human rights: Experts — Global Issues

The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination (CERD) adopted a decision under its “early warning and urgent action” procedures, stating that developed countries’ “persistent refusal” to waive COVID-19 vaccine IP rights – such as patents and trademarks – violated non-discrimination guarantees under international human rights law.

CERD is one of the UN’s human rights treaty bodies. It monitors the implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination by its 182 State parties and is composed of 18 independent experts serving in their personal capacity.

Developing world left behind

The Committee said it was addressing in particular countries such as Germany, Switzerland, the United Kingdom and the United States, who were all State parties to the Convention and had developed IP-protected COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and healthcare technologies.

Quoting the latest data from the UN World Health Organization (WHO), the Committee pointed out that while some 32 per cent of the global population have received at least one COVID-19 booster, in developing countries such as Gabon, Papua New Guinea, Burundi and Madagascar, that proportion stands at less than one per cent.

‘Disproportionate impacts’

The Committee insisted that COVID-19 remained a serious public health issue with devastating negative impacts that are falling “disproportionately” on individuals and groups vulnerable to racial discrimination – in particular people of African or Asian descent, ethnic minorities, Roma communities and Indigenous Peoples.

In an interview with UN News, CERD chairperson Verene Shepherd underscored the “high levels of morbidity and mortality” affecting these groups. “We can’t allow this to go unattended”, she said.

Suspend IP rights in health crises

The Committee’s experts urged States to incorporate a mechanism that commits governments to suspend intellectual property rights in a health crisis, in the draft pandemic preparedness treaty currently under negotiation at the WHO.

They called on States parties in the global North to support poorer countries’ healthcare capacity with resources and to enable vaccines, relevant medicines and other necessary equipment and supplies “to be available to all”.

The right to health

The Committee is also in the process of preparing new guidance, under the form of a “general recommendation”, on racial discrimination and the enjoyment of the right to health.

Ms. Shepherd said that the COVID-19 pandemic was a direct trigger for this project. She stressed that a link had to be made between the historic injustices of slavery and colonialism which “remain largely unaccounted for today” and the low level of attention paid to the health of people of African descent, Indigenous Peoples and ethnic minorities.

The issue was an urgent action item for the Committee, she said, and the first draft adopted in April built upon the “evidence-based link between racial discrimination as a structural social determinant – as recognized by WHO – and the right to health”.

The Committee was gathering contributions from a wide variety of stakeholders to prepare a final version of the guidance, she said.

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With COVID-19 ‘here to stay’, new tools essential to continue fight: Tedros — Global Issues

The partnership, called the COVID-19 Technology Access Pool (C-TAP), was launched in 2020, to facilitate timely, equitable and affordable access to COVID-19 health products through public health oriented, transparent and non-exclusive licensing agreements.

“COVID-19 is here to stay, and the world will continue to need tools to prevent it, test for it and treat it,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.

“Through C-TAP, WHO and our partners are committed to making those tools accessible to everyone, everywhere. I am grateful to the leadership shown by those license holders who have contributed technology.

As of 16 August, there have been 769,806,130 confirmed cases of COVID-19 globally, including 6,955,497 deaths, while almost 13.5 billion vaccine doses have been administered.

Important boost

The three institutions joining C-TAP include private vaccine manufacturer Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp, the Spanish National Research Council and the University of Chile.

Medigen Vaccine Biologics Corp is offering its patent for a COVID-19 vaccine that has seen more than three million doses administered across seven countries.

Similarly, the Spanish National Research Council is sharing a license for a COVID-19 vaccine prototype, and the University of Chile, technology for quantification of neutralizing antibodies.

The addition of the three new licenses provides an important boost to the overall effort in the fight against COVID-19, WHO said. The new licenses are global, transparent and non-exclusive to all manufacturers.

The licenses can be accessed on the C-TAP website.

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More than two million children displaced by Sudan war: UNICEF — Global Issues

Fighting between the Sudanese Army and military rival the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which erupted in April, has displaced 1.7 million children within the country while more than 470,000 have fled across the border to safety.

Urgent response needed

Given these numbers, and that countless more children are trapped by the violence,

“the urgency of our collective response cannot be overstated,” said Mandeep O’Brien, UNICEF Country Representative in Sudan.

“We are hearing unimaginable stories from children and families, some of whom lost everything and had to watch their loved ones die in front of their eyes. We said it before, and we are saying it again: we need peace now for children to survive,” she added.

UNICEF continues to call on the warring parties to prioritize the safety and wellbeing of children, ensure their protection, and enable unimpeded humanitarian access to affected areas.

Fighting hinders aid delivery

The agency recently warned that currently, 14 million children in Sudan are in dire need of humanitarian support, noting that many of these boys and girls are facing multiple threats and terrifying experiences every day.

Apart from conflict hotspots like Darfur and the capital, Khartoum, the heavy fighting has now spread to other populated areas, including in South and West Kordofan states, which is hampering aid delivery and access to people in urgent need.

Humanitarians have estimated that 20.3 million people in Sudan will be food insecure between July and September, based on the latest Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) report for the country. As a result, the health and nutrition status of close to 10 million children is expected to worsen.

Threat of outbreaks

UNICEF added that with the beginning of the rainy season, many houses have been destroyed by floods, displacing growing numbers of families. Moreover, the rainy period raises the risk of disease outbreaks such as cholera, dengue, Rift Valley fever, and chikungunya.

Currently, nearly 9.5 million children in Sudan lack access to safe drinking water, and 3.4 million under-fives are at high risk of diarrhoeal diseases and cholera.

Meanwhile, violence continues to hamper the delivery of health and nutrition services, putting millions of young lives at risk.

Healthcare under attack

In Khartoum and the Darfur and Kordofan regions, fewer than one-third of health facilities are fully functional, UNICEF said. Insecurity and displacement are also preventing patients and health workers from reaching hospitals, with many facilities reportedly beingattacked and destroyed.

Health systems in Sudan’s 11 other states are overwhelmed as the displaced masses move to these less-affected areas. All states in the country are reporting severe shortages of medicines and supplies, including life-saving items, according to UNICEF sources.

A ‘lethal combination’

Disease outbreaks, including measles, are resurfacing, with reported associated deaths, in areas facing high internal displacement and stretched health systems, such as the Blue and White Nile states.

The “lethal combination” of measles and malnutrition is putting young lives at a very high risk unless urgent action is taken, UNICEF said.

The UN agency is urgently seeking $400 million over the next 100 days to scale up support in Sudan.

Staff have been providing education, protection, health, water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) services to over four million children, mothers, and families across the country since the war broke out.

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