Africas Maternal Deaths Need Urgent Action to Meet SDG Goals — Global Issues

Africas Maternal Deaths Need Urgent Action to Meet SDG Goals — Global Issues

Africa needs to urgently invest in health programmes to reduce maternal deaths, which is more than five times above the 2030 SDG target of fewer than 70 maternal deaths per 100 000 live births. Measures include ensuring women access to skilled birth attendants. Credit: Ernest Ankomah/IPS by Francis Kokutse (accra) Tuesday,…

Celebrating women fighting for their rights — Global Issues

Celebrating women fighting for their rights — Global Issues

It often takes considerable bravery to stand up for the rights of women. The UN, which is committed to empowering women and girls, works relentlessly with activists and organizations across the world, to protect women from abuse, support health initiatives, and improve lives. UNAMA/Fraidoon Poya Women living under Taliban rule…

UN and top aid officials slam Afghan rulers’ NGO ban for women — Global Issues

UN and top aid officials slam Afghan rulers’ NGO ban for women — Global Issues

“Banning women from humanitarian work has immediate life-threatening consequences for all Afghans,” they insisted. Some aid programmes have already had to stop temporarily, owing to a lack of female staff, at a time when more than 28 million people in Afghanistan need “assistance to survive” the brutal winter, economic collapse…

‘Unfathomable restrictions’ on women’s rights risk destabilizing Afghanistan — Global Issues

‘Unfathomable restrictions’ on women’s rights risk destabilizing Afghanistan — Global Issues

“No country can develop – indeed survive – socially and economically with half its population excluded”, said the High Commissioner for Human Rights. “These unfathomable restrictions placed on women and girls will not only increase the suffering of all Afghans but, I fear, pose a risk beyond Afghanistan’s borders”.  He…

Severe drought fuels malnutrition, reduces hospital-delivery births in Turkana County — Global Issues

Severe drought fuels malnutrition, reduces hospital-delivery births in Turkana County — Global Issues

“I have never experienced a drought as bad as this in my life”, 28-year-old Akure Ewar told UNFPA. At seven months pregnant, she complains that she is hungry and often feels dizzy when going about her day. “The dry seasons have been progressively getting worse over the last three years,…

UN Secretary-General ‘deeply disturbed’ by Taliban’s reported ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan — Global Issues

UN Secretary-General ‘deeply disturbed’ by Taliban’s reported ban on women working for NGOs in Afghanistan — Global Issues

A statement issued by Spokesman Stéphane Dujarric said that Secretary-General António Guterres was “deeply disturbed by the reported order of the de facto Taliban authorities” and that the UN chief “reiterates the rights of all women to participate in the workforce thus contributing to the greater good.”  According to media reports, the Taliban ordered all…

UN condemns Taliban decision to bar women from universities, calls for ‘immediate’ revocation — Global Issues

UN condemns Taliban decision to bar women from universities, calls for ‘immediate’ revocation — Global Issues

In a statement, the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) also urged the de facto authorities to “reopen girls’ schools beyond the sixth grade and end all measures preventing women and girls from participating fully in daily public life”. Clear and present violation UN Human Rights High Commissioner Volker Türk described the…

Grant to UN Mission in Mali boosts inclusivity for women in peacekeeping — Global Issues

Grant to UN Mission in Mali boosts inclusivity for women in peacekeeping — Global Issues

The allocation is from the Elsie Initiative Fund (EIF), which supports women’s meaningful participation in UN peacekeeping overall.    The funding comes at a time when three countries that contribute police officers to UN field operations – Nigeria, Senegal and Togo – have committed to increasing and sustaining the deployment…

UN reproductive health agency appeals for $1.2 billion to support crisis-affected women and girls — Global Issues

UN reproductive health agency appeals for $1.2 billion to support crisis-affected women and girls — Global Issues

The 2023 Humanitarian Action Overview is UNFPA’s largest appeal ever and includes $289 million in Afghanistan, $70 million in Ukraine, $62 million in Somalia, and $23 million in Haiti.  As the world faces multiple, intersecting crises, the agency calls for predictable and flexible humanitarian funding to save lives and ensure…

Africa’s advances in maternal, infant mortality face setbacks: WHO — Global Issues

Africa’s advances in maternal, infant mortality face setbacks: WHO — Global Issues

New data from the World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that by 2030 in sub-Saharan Africa, 390 women will die in childbirth for every 100,000 live births.   This is more than five times higher than Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) targets – and well above the global average of 211. “For many…