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Month: February 2023

WHO: Nations step closer to global guides on pandemics, disease outbreaks

The two processes are complementary, guided by the imperative of making the world safer from communicable diseases and ensuring equitable responses to public health threats, said Ashley Bloomfield, former Director-General of Health of New Zealand, who co-chairs the working group on updating the 2005 WHO International Health Regulations, which concluded its latest round of discussions on Friday.

“The efforts to update the International Health Regulations and draft a pandemic accord share a number of common themes, including the importance of equity in access to health, collaboration and capacity building,” he said. “It is important that there is consistency and alignment across the two processes.”

Facing COVID-19 challenges

A total of 307 amendments to the WHO International Health Regulations came in response to challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. As of Tuesday, WHO reported a total of 757,264,511 confirmed cases, including 6,850,594 deaths, since the start of the pandemic in 2020.

“COVID-19 showed us that having a good, strong set of international health regulations is essential, and showed where the current regulations need to be improved,” Dr. Bloomfield said.

During the week-long working group session, he said governments had focused on making their countries, and the international community, better prepared for future emergencies. They also stressed the importance of enhancing capacity building, especially in low-income countries; access to benefits arising from sharing pathogens; equitable access to medical countermeasures; and enhanced cooperation and information sharing.

Making the world safer

“The ongoing pandemic has underscored the importance of countries working together collaboratively, and supporting WHO in its vital work, to make the world safer,” he said. “The tone of the discussions and progress made during this week’s meeting clearly show that countries understand the responsibility they have to ensure this process is successful.”

Abdullah M. Assiri, Saudi Arabia’s Deputy Minister of Health and working group co-chair, said the 194-nation WHO membership is “in the driving seat” of the process of strengthening the current regulations.

“During the pandemic, the world faced the urgent need for functioning international instruments, and placed increasing importance in international organizations, such as WHO,” he said. “Updated regulations will enable the world to better detect outbreaks early and prevent them from developing into public health emergencies of international concern. This is about strengthening our collective ability to do that and to better protect everybody.”

The 2005 regulations had set out agreed approaches and obligations for countries to prepare for, and respond to, disease outbreaks and other acute public health risks. The working group is set to meet again in April to continue discussions.

The WHO working group met to consider 307 amendments proposed by governments to update current regulations.
© WHO

The WHO working group met to consider 307 amendments proposed by governments to update current regulations.

New ‘pandemic accord’

On Monday, governments will begin negotiating the drafting of a WHO instrument on pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response. Referred to as a pandemic accord, the “zero draft” of the agreement will be the focus of discussions during the week-long session.

Calls for action to draft the accord came following the World Health Assembly’s special session in December 2021, in recognition of the failure of the international community in showing solidarity and equity in response to the coronavirus pandemic.

Global health strides

The International Sanitary Regulations, issued in 1951, preceded the landmark 2005 WHO regulations. Both follow more than a century of global health strides, dating back to the first International Sanitary Conference, held in Paris in 1851, which drafted quarantine regulations to stem the spread of cholera, yellow fever, and other deadly pandemics at the time.

At the UN General Assembly’s first-of-its-kind science session, held in early February, epidemiologists and researchers had called for a global pandemic warning system. Suggestions included forging a new global digital collaboration comprising a network of researchers connected through an open-source data science platform capable of quantifying, modeling, and ultimately solving any climate and health problem at any scale.

Governments hold first detailed discussions on proposed amendments to the International Health Regulations (2005) https://t.co/FgOh1JXNvX https://t.co/CAxXEM0YSP

From the Field: Weathering climate change in Sudan

Women farmers in Sudan are being encourage to playing a more active role in their communities.

Women farmers in Sudan are being encouraged to take a more active role in their communities.

The livelihood of many farming families is under threat due to the cumulative effects of conflict, economic and political instability, coupled with increased water consumption from population growth and agricultural development; climate change is the latest threat.

Women in Sudan’s southern White Nile State, who are disproportionately affected by these natural and manmade hazards, are being encouraged to take a more active decision-making role in community projects which include building a water harvesting reservoir and planting drought-resistant and higher yielding crops.

Read more here about how other farming communities around the world can learn from Sudan’s farmers and fight their own water crises and adapt to climate change.

Ukraine: 18 million need support as war enters second year

“Since the start of the full-scale war we, along with our humanitarian partners in Ukraine, have made every effort to ramp up operations to provide life-saving support to those who need it most,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told journalists in New York. 

Last year, thousands of convoys delivered vital supplies to people in all regions of the country, he said, and humanitarians reached nearly 16 million with aid, including water, medicines, heating appliances, and other supplies, as well as support for home repairs. 

Some six million people received cash assistance totalling $1.2 billion – the largest such programme in history, he added. 

As the war enters a second year, the UN and partners are calling for nearly $4 billion to support more than 11 million people. The appeal is just over 14 per cent funded, Mr. Dujarric said. 

Young lives lost 

UN agencies have been taking stock of the death, destruction, devastation, and displacement that have occurred in Ukraine over the past 12 months. 

Nearly 500 children have been killed and almost 1,000 injured, UN humanitarians said on Friday in Geneva.  

In addition to that terrible human toll, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said that more than 800 health facilities had been damaged or destroyed by shelling.  

A Ukrainian teenager stands in the rubble of her destroyed school in Zhytomyr.
© UNICEF/Diego Ibarra Sánchez

A Ukrainian teenager stands in the rubble of her destroyed school in Zhytomyr.

Education under fire 

The fighting has also disrupted access to education, and thousands of pre-schools and secondary schools have been damaged.  

In total, 7.8 million children have been impacted and more than five million have no access to schooling in Ukraine at all, UNICEF warned.  

Toxic legacy looms  

The war will have a toxic legacy for generations to come, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) said earlier in the week, reporting on a preliminary monitoring of the conflict conducted last year together with partners. 

While UNEP will verify the full range and severity, the agency noted that “thousands of possible incidents of air, water, and land pollution and the degradation of ecosystems, including risks to neighbouring countries, have already been identified.” 

UNEP is supporting the Ukrainian Government on remote environmental impact monitoring and is preparing to undertake field-level impact assessments – expected to be a colossal task, due to the scale and geographical spread of reported incidents. 

“The mapping and initial screening of environmental hazards only serves to confirm that war is quite literally toxic,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.  

“Ukraine will then need huge international support to assess, mitigate, and remediate the damage across the country, and alleviate risks to the wider region,” she added. 

Air and waters polluted 

The data showed that the conflict has resulted in damage across many regions of the country, with incidents at nuclear power plants and facilities; energy infrastructure, including oil storage tankers, oil refineries, and drilling platforms; and other locations as well as distribution pipelines, mines, industrial sites, and agro-processing facilities. 

The result has been multiple incidents of air pollution and potentially serious contamination of ground and surface waters, UNEP said. 

Significant damage has also occurred to such water infrastructure as pumping stations, purification plants, and sewage facilities.  

Clean-up challenges 

UNEP added that hazardous substances have also been released from explosions in agro-industrial storage facilities, including fertilizer and nitric acid plants.  

Damage also extends to urban areas, where the clean-up of destroyed housing could lead to debris being mixed with hazardous chemicals, particularly asbestos. 

Furthermore, satellite imagery has also revealed a significant increase of fires in various nature reserves, protected areas, and forests. 

Additionally, pollution from weapons use, and the large volumes of military waste, also creates a major clean-up challenge, the UN agency said. 

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi (centre) visits the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine.
© IAEA

Averting nuclear disaster 

The conflict has also marked the first time in history that a war is being fought amid the facilities of a major nuclear power programme. 

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) issued a report this week highlighting its activities to reduce the likelihood of a nuclear accident during the fighting. 

IAEA has been working to implement a nuclear safety and security protection zone at the Zaporizhzhya Nuclear Power Plant, the largest in Europe, which has been occupied by Russian forces since the early weeks of the war.  

The plant has repeatedly come under fire, sparking fears of a nuclear disaster. 

IAEA Director General Rafael Mariano Grossi noted that several of the four other power plants in the country have come under direct shelling. 

The agency has outlined seven indispensable pillars for ensuring nuclear safety and security in wartime, and “every single one” has been compromised in the war. 

Mr. Grossi assured the people of Ukraine and the international community that he and IAEA will “do everything possible within our remit to assist them and to avert the danger of a nuclear accident that could cause even more suffering where there is already far too much.” 

UN Security Council hears echoed demands to end war in Ukraine

“Life is a living hell for the people of Ukraine,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres told the Council, which has held more than 40 debates on the conflict since Russia’s full-scale invasion one year ago.

On the occasion, the 15-member organ held a ministerial-level meeting on the heels of the UN General Assembly’s new demand that Russia immediately leave Ukraine, adopted at the world body’s resumed eleventh emergency special session on Thursday.

“The guns are talking now, but in the end we all know that the path of diplomacy and accountability is the road to a just and sustainable peace, in line with the UN Charter and international law,” the Secretary-General said.

The conflict has erased 30 per cent of pre-war jobs, millions are displaced, and nearly 40 per cent of the population of Ukraine require aid and protection. Almost 10 million people, including 7.8 million children, are at risk of acute post-traumatic stress disorder, he said, adding that Russia is also suffering the deadly consequences.

“We must prevent further escalation, encourage every meaningful effort to end the bloodshed and, at long last, give peace a chance,” he said.

Dmytro Kuleba (at table), Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, addresses the UN Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

Dmytro Kuleba (at table), Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, addresses the UN Security Council meeting on maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Ukraine: ‘Justice must be served’

Ukraine’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Dmytro Kuleba pointed to clear violations of Charter provisions related to acts of aggression, saying “Russia is the problem of the world.”

“Justice must be served,” he said. In this vein, he called for creating a special tribunal with jurisdiction over the crime of aggression against Ukraine and the ability to deal with the personal immunities of principal perpetrators.

“Peace means justice, and all the peace-loving nations will win peace on the battlefield and at the diplomatic table,” he said, requesting a minute of silence in memory of victims of aggression.

Russia: ‘Goal is not to destroy Ukraine’

Russian ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said the “goal of our military operation is not to destroy Ukraine”. But, there had been a missed opportunity to forge peace.

Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, addresses the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security.
UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe

Vassily Nebenzia, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the United Nations, addresses the UN Security Council meeting on threats to international peace and security.

Recalling that the conflict had started with a coup in 2014, he said Ukraine is “not a victim” and is “up to its elbows in blood and Nazi tattoos”. If Kyiv did not wage war on the people of Donetsk and Luhansk, there would have been no need for Russia’s special military operation, he added.

“If Russia stops hostilities, Ukraine will continue discriminating against Russian-speaking people and glorifying Nazism,” he warned. “If Ukraine stops hostilities, it will save many lives. Russia stands ready to negotiate for peace.”

Echoing calls for peace

Echoing calls for peace, many Council members pointed to such reflections of strong international support as the 141 countries who voted for the General Assembly’s new resolution.

“If we abandon Ukraine, we abandon the UN Charter itself and invite a world where might makes right and the strong dominate the weak,” said US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, adding that Russian President Vladimir Putin “has failed to break the spirit” of Ukrainians.

Emphasizing that Council members must now push for a just peace and ensure accountability, he said “we can never let the crimes Russia committed become ‘normal’. Behind every atrocity in this wretched war and in conflicts around the world is a human being. One man started this war – Vladimir Putin; one man can end it.”

Global impact

The war has caused a grave global crisis, including among developing countries, cancelling out gains made in the COVID-19 pandemic recovery, said Domingos Estêvão Fernandes of Mozambique, which had cast an abstention on the new General Assembly resolution.

From an African perspective, he said, wars only result in people’s suffering. In fulfilling its duty, the international community must now uphold the UN Charter’s provisions on collective security, he added.

Ambassador Michel Xavier Biang of Gabon, which had also abstained on the new resolution, said the UN Charter forms the foundation for all nations’ existence. Recalling divergent views shared in the Council over the past year, he called for unity “to silence the guns in Ukraine”.

“It is time to stem the blood flow,” he said, highlighting the war’s wide-reaching devastating impact. “As Council members, we owe a response to all those killed and injured and to those asking when they can return home.”

‘War of choice’

Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, said this is a “war of choice”, by President Putin.

“This war matters both for the principles at stake and for the shockwaves it is creating; it needs to stop, and it needs to stop now,” he said, pointing to Ukrainian and Chinese proposals on that goal. “Looking to the future, we need to build on this [new General Assembly] resolution and make it happen.”

UN chief calls for urgent action

At the outset of the meeting, the UN Secretary-General outlined a range of urgent actions. Efforts must prioritize civilian protection, including ending targeted attacks against them and the use of explosive weapons with wide-area effects in populated areas.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.
UN Photo/Evan Schneider

UN Secretary-General António Guterres addresses the UN Security Council meeting on the maintenance of peace and security of Ukraine.

Some achievements demonstrate that international cooperation is possible, even in the midst of conflict, he said, underscoring the importance of continued engagement in the Black Sea Grain Initiative, by which more than 700 ships have carried more than 20 million metric tonnes of foodstuffs to global supply chains. As the agreement expires in March, he called for its extension.

At the same time, the Secretary-General called for unimpeded humanitarian access for life-saving assistance, and support for reconstruction and recovery efforts. In addition, he urged all parties to swiftly agree and implement a nuclear safety and security protection zone at Europe’s largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia, in line with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

“Veiled threats to use nuclear weapons in the context of the conflict have spiked nuclear risks to levels not seen since the darkest days of the cold war,” he said. “These threats are unacceptable.”

 

Looking back: One year since #Russia’s full-scale invasion of #Ukraine.

https://t.co/fxHvDNy6Zl

Early action saves lives, as Tropical Cyclone Freddy hits Mozambique

Accurate early warnings and early action on the ground helped limit loss of life over the course of the cyclone, UN officials said.

UN agencies delivered a host of supplies ahead of the approaching cyclone and are providing assistance to those in need. Currently, strong winds and high seas are threatening Mozambique with dangerous and exceptional rainfall levels.

Critical preparations

The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) has been helping residents to brace for the storms for days.

“UNICEF teams are fully focused on protecting the tens of thousands of children impacted by this tropical storm and the devastating flooding it is causing,” said Maria Luisa Fornara, the UNICEF representative in Mozambique.

“The coming hours and days are the most critical, and UNICEF will continue to work around the clock to support those in need,” she said.

UNICEF teams had assessed immediate needs and mobilized the rapid distribution of such critical supplies as safe water and water purification supplies, medical supplies, tents, and hygiene kits.

Early Warnings for All

UN officials underlined the importance of the Organization’s ongoing Early Warnings for All campaign in preventing the loss of life.

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has been tracking developments over the past weeks, including when it affected Madagascar days ago.

“Accurate early warnings and early action on the ground helped limit loss of life in Madagascar, with initial reports of seven casualties,” WMO said.

Before the cyclone made landfall in Madagascar, UNICEF had pre-positioned school kits for about 30,000 children, and the World Food Programme (WFP) has provided more than 25,000 hot meals to displaced people, UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters on Friday.

“Our colleagues estimate at least 79,000 people have been impacted and these numbers could rise as the assessments are ongoing,” he said.

Government sounds early ‘red alert’

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said that the Mozambique Council of Ministers declared on Tuesday a red alert enabling expedited and simplified response operations.

However, the confluence of multiple threats is compounding a severe humanitarian situation in Mozambique, where two million people need humanitarian assistance and protection across the northern provinces of Cabo Delgado, Niassa and Nampula, OCHA said.

Cyclone Freddy makes landfall in Vilanculos, in the province of Inhambane in Mozambique.
© UNICEF

Cyclone Freddy makes landfall in Vilanculos, in the province of Inhambane in Mozambique.

Rare cyclone

Cyclone Freddy is exceptional because of the long distance it has travelled and its longevity, developing on 6 February off the coast northwest of Australia and affected island nations, including Mauritius and La Réunion, during its long journey across the entire South Indian Ocean.

This rarely seen track was last recorded in 2000, with tropical cyclones Leon-Eline and Hudah.

Mozambique is regularly hit by the impacts of tropical cyclones, and flooding often poses a greater risk than the winds, WMO said. In January 2021, Tropical cyclone Eloise caused widespread damage and flooding on a long swathe of coastline and impacted an area that is still recovering from cyclone Idai, which hit in March 2019.

WMO said that in both the cases of Eloise and Idai, flooding affected Mozambique and neighbouring countries Zimbabwe, Malawi and parts of South Africa, which may be the case with cyclone Freddy.

#Freddy made landfall in #Mozambique as severe tropical storm
Cumulative rainfall of 200 to 300 mm and locally 500 mm in 72 hours in worst hit parts of Mozambique and #Zimbabwe
Big risk of floods and landslides
#EarlyWarningsforAll
🔗https://t.co/XVszqhVx5U
Chart @ECMWF https://t.co/HME1RRJSti

Ukraine: “Calling it a crisis seems so insignificant compared to everyday reality on the ground”: A UN Resident Coordinator blog

Denise Brown is the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine.

Based in the capital Kyiv, she works alongside around 20 UN agencies with some 2,600 staff, the majority Ukrainians.

She spoke to UN News about the challenges of supporting communities in a country at war.

“Conditions have been pretty difficult in Ukraine over the past year and we’ve had to adapt to some extreme circumstances.

There are constant air raid sirens, which means we are dashing in and out of the bunker all day long. In the past 12 months we’ve calculated that we’ve spent more than a month there holding meetings of all types, including with the Humanitarian Country Team or UN Member States.

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown meets with two residents of the front-line city of Mykolayiv, in southern Ukraine.
UNOCHA/Saviano Abreu

UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Denise Brown meets with two residents of the front-line city of Mykolayiv, in southern Ukraine.

Supporting the Ukrainian people

Our days here are too often unpredictable. There is no typical day, but one I remember very clearly was 10th October when the centre of Kyiv was hit by air strikes at 8.20am just 1.2 kilometres from my office. When I heard that explosion and the office started shaking, I thought “oh now would be a good time” to get into that bunker.

Our major focus is to support the Ukrainian people, especially with the delivery of relief items. We are working as close as possible to the front line, which requires meticulous planning and coordination.

I regularly visit front-line communities because I’m really insistent that UN staff are involved in these most difficult deliveries. We have the capacity, experience and resources. So, we spend quite a bit of time in places like Kherson, but also in different communities of the Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Donetsk regions.

In November, there was such hope when Kherson was retaken by the Ukrainian Government. Three days later, we were there and it was quite moving. There were people out on the streets, waving at us when we entered the city with trucks full of supplies. But several months later, as you saw last week, there were continued airstrikes in the middle of the city and civilians were killed; volunteers have been killed, aid workers have been injured. It feels like it’s never going to end in Kherson.

But also, what’s never ending in Kherson is the strength and the hope of the people who stayed there and who have told me they will not leave. This is a real testament to the strength, conviction and resilience of the Ukrainian population.

Rebuilding communities

In January I travelled near Soledar, and along the side of the road I saw communities that had been completely flattened. I’m convinced that the determination of the people of Ukraine will mean these towns and communities will be rebuilt even though it may take a long time. The courage and the determination to make that happen is very prevalent here. It’s something that that strikes me in all the places that I visit.

Since I arrived, I’ve dedicated time to talk to people in the communities I visit, to meet and talk with the volunteers, the local authorities, the mayors. I think there are perhaps two individuals, both women, who I remember very well; the mayors of Kherson and Orikhiv, which is about three kilometres from the front line, in the Zaporizhzhia region. I was on the ground there for less than three hours and we counted at least 20 strikes anywhere from five to 10 kilometres away. It’s just constant blasts.

These mayors have decided to stay and they are working non-stop, taking care of their communities and they are our primary interlocutors with whom we are in constant contact.

During that trip to communities close to Soledar I also met a fantastic woman, a doctor. She took me to a clinic she had to set up in her own house after the health centre of the village was hit. She told me how determined she was to remain there and support the people who stayed behind.

So, these are courageous women who I think I will never forget.

Humanitarian needs

The war continues and is intensifying, so we can reasonably expect that the population will continue to be affected. This is a humanitarian crisis, although calling it a crisis seems so insignificant compared to the everyday reality we see on the ground.

There is not one main need but many. The most acute situation is close to the front line, where houses are flattened and health clinics are destroyed. One clinic I toured in the Kharkiv region was destroyed a month after I visited it.

These communities need everything, so we’re very committed to delivering relief items. We’re also very much focused on the psychosocial trauma suffered particularly by children but caring for them becomes increasingly difficult the closer we get to the front line.

Humanitarian supplies are delivered to communities in the Soledar and Donetsk regions in Ukraine.
© UNOCHA

Across the front line

We have access to all the territory controlled by Ukraine, but we have extremely limited access across the front line. Since February 2022, no humanitarian convoys have been able to cross between the two areas. We request this access very regularly at both Ministries of Defence in Ukraine and Russia, and while we consistently receive a positive response from the Ukrainian side, we have not yet received a similar response from Russia.

It’s essential that we have access across that front line. We’ll be able to go tomorrow if we get the green light but guarantees of safety are needed. It is imperative, and extremely urgent to send supplies and assist people living on the other side of the front line, who I’m convinced are in a desperate situation.

The suffering continues and until the war is over, we have to continue to support the people of Ukraine, who are living through the horrors the invasion is causing.”

The UN Resident Coordinator

  • The UN Resident Coordinator, sometimes called the RC, is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level.
  • In this occasional series, UN News is inviting RCs to blog on issues important to the United Nations and the country where they serve.
  • Learn more about the work of the UN in Ukraine.

Every two minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth

According to a new report from the World Health Organization (WHO), maternal deaths have either increased or stagnated nearly everywhere, from 223 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births in 2020, down from 227 in 2015 and 339 in 2000. 

Unless progress is made on global targets for reducing maternal deaths – most of which are preventable – the lives of over one million more women by 2030 could be at risk, the WHO warned. 

“Pregnancy … is tragically still a shockingly dangerous experience for millions around the world who lack access to high quality, respectful health care,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director-General. 

Tedros highlighted stark disparities in healthcare access in many regions and the urgent need “to ensure every woman and girl has access to critical health services before, during and after childbirth, and that they can fully exercise their reproductive rights”. 

Furthermore, as the world slowly emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic which has highlighted that coronavirus infections can increase risks during pregnancy, the report’s authors stressed that more research will be needed to show the true impact of the global health emergency on maternal deaths. 

Baby steps 

The WHO-produced report, Trends In Maternal Mortality, tracked maternal deaths nationally, regionally and globally from 2000 to 2020. 

It calculated 287,000 maternal deaths worldwide in 2020, which represented “only a slight decrease” from 309,000, in 2016. 

This was the case despite countries’ pledges in 2015 to implement the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), whose target is less than 70 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030. 

Although the report indicated “some significant progress” in reducing maternal deaths between 2000 and 2015, gains largely stalled, or in some cases even reversed, after this point, its authors said. 

Responding to the report’s findings, the UN Population Fund’s (UNFPA) Executive Director, Dr. Natalia Kanem expressed alarm that “so many women continue to die needlessly in pregnancy and childbirth. Over 280,000 fatalities in a single year is unconscionable.” 

Dr. Kanem added: “We can and must do better by urgently investing in family planning and filling the global shortage of 900,000 midwives so that every woman can get the lifesaving care she needs. We have the tools, knowledge and resources to end preventable maternal deaths; what we need now is the political will.” 

Maternal care services are close to a standstill in Haiti.
© WHO/PAHO

Maternal care services are close to a standstill in Haiti.

Conflict and poverty: a deadly cocktail 

Among the report’s key findings: that maternal deaths remain largely concentrated in the poorest parts of the world and in countries affected by conflict.  

In 2020, about 70 per cent of all maternal deaths were in sub-Saharan Africa. And in nine countries facing severe humanitarian crises, maternal mortality rates were more than double the world average (551 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to 223 globally). 

The leading causes of maternal death are severe bleeding, high blood pressure, pregnancy-related infections, complications from unsafe abortion and underlying conditions that can be aggravated by pregnancy – such as HIV/AIDS and malaria.  

“These are all largely preventable and treatable with access to high-quality and respectful healthcare,” the report’s authors stressed. 

Additional data showed that roughly one-third of women do not receive four of the recommended eight antenatal checks or receive essential postnatal care, while some 270 million women lack access to modern family planning methods.  

The report’s authors also stressed that inequality related to income, education, race or ethnicity “further increase risks for marginalized pregnant women, who have the least access to essential maternity care but are most likely to experience underlying health problems in pregnancy”. 

The report was produced by WHO on behalf of the UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-Agency Group comprising WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, the World Bank Group and the Population Division of the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).  

Every 2 minutes, a woman dies during pregnancy or childbirth:
🆕 UN report

Most of these deaths are preventable with the right care, at the right time https://t.co/7FegPsNvgZ
 
#HealthForAll https://t.co/pcznUFwy0r

DR Congo: Senior UN rights official calls on authorities to stop ‘appalling’ violence

The UN Assistant Secretary-General for Human Rights, Ilze Brands Kehris, concluding a 10-day visit to the country on Wednesday, reported a resurgence of attacks by armed groups and the devastating toll on communities alongside the need for action.

“The violence must stop,” she said, encouraging authorities to redouble their efforts to counter rising hatred and implement targeted initiatives to promote trust and cohesion within and between communities. “Without efforts to address the root causes of conflict, the human rights and humanitarian crises could worsen dramatically.”

Hate speech sparks violence

Alarmed by the deteriorating security situation in the east of the country, she said brutal attacks against civilians continue at the hands of such armed groups as the Mouvement du 23 mars (M23), the Allied Democratic Forces, and the Cooperative for the Development of the Congo.

“I strongly condemn theses appalling attacks and echo the Secretary-General’s call for ‘action for peace’ in Africa,” she said.

In North Kivu, the Government response of deploying troops to the area has created a “security vacuum” in other regions, allowing other armed groups to gain ground and spread terror in towns, villages, and camps for displaced people.

This fraught environment has fostered misinformation, prejudice, and hate speech against specific ethnic groups, posing serious risks of inciting further violence, she stated.

Documented abuses

Documented human rights violations and abuses include mass killings, mutilations, and conflict-related sexual violence, causing massive displacement and enduring trauma.

“In Goma and Bunia, I was struck by the determination of victims, representatives of civil society, and communities affected by conflict to chart a new path,” Ms. Brands Kehris said. “I listened to their individual accounts of violence and proposals for action, and I listened intently to their calls for how the United Nations and the international community can help the Congolese people and Government end conflicts and address present and past traumas.”

In the country with the world’s third-largest number of displaced people, she said that people facing years-long precarious conditions are a “stark reminder” that meeting basic humanitarian needs is a human rights issue.

Signs of ‘hope for the future’

Welcoming recent progress in the transitional justice process as “a clear sign of hope for the future”, she said these “important steps show the will of the Congolese people to meaningfully come to terms with traumas of the past and set a new foundation for peace and stability.”

Ahead of planned elections in December, she said officials and politicians from all sides have a responsibility to contribute to ensuring a free, fair and inclusive process, and called for the protection of civic space.

The Assistant Secretary-General’s visit included meeting with Prime Minister Jean-Michel Sama Lukonde Kyenge, Government officials, community leaders, civil society organizations, the East African Community Regional Force and the UN system, especially the UN mission, MONUSCO.

The 2023-2024 DRC Humanitarian Response Plan is available online!

Watch the video⤵️ https://t.co/QT4LJun0pD

Internet for Trust Conference discusses guidelines for online platforms

More than 4,300 people participated in the Internet for Trust Conference, organized by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which will launch the guidelines in September. 

The three-day event marked the latest phase in the global dialogue to develop regulatory solutions for social media to improve the reliability of information and promote human rights online. 

Fertile ground for falsehoods 

“The blurring of boundaries between true and false, the highly-organized denial of scientific facts, the amplification of disinformation and conspiracies – these did not originate on social networks. But, in the absence of regulation, they flourish there much better than the truth,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay warned in her opening speech. 

She urged countries to act together so that information remains a global common good, stating that “only by taking the full measure of this technological revolution can we ensure it does not sacrifice human rights, freedom of expression and democracy.” 

No facts, no truth 

Speakers such as Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize winner, journalist Maria Ressa from the Philippines, addressed participants. 

“Lies spread faster than facts. For some reason, facts are really boring. Lies – especially when laced with fear, with anger, with hate, with tribalism – us against them. They spread. It’s like throwing a lit match into kindling,” said Ms. Ressa in her keynote speech.  

She cautioned against tolerating social media algorithms which reward lies, as future generations will inherit a world in which truth has been dangerously devalued.  

“Without facts, you can’t have truth, without truth, you can’t have trust, and we have no shared reality,” she said. 

Disinformation as ‘ammunition’ 

 In his message to the Conference, the Brazilian President, who is known as “Lula”, recalled the violent attacks last month against democratic institutions in his country.  

“What happened that day was the culmination of a campaign, initiated much earlier, and that used lies and disinformation as ammunition,” he said.  

 “To a large extent, this campaign was nurtured, organized, and disseminated through digital platforms and messaging apps. This is the same method used to generate acts of violence elsewhere in the world. It must stop.”  

Top YouTube influencer Felipe Neto, who also is from Brazil, shared his experiences with extremist content pushed by algorithms, but stressed that the aim is not to shut down digital platforms. 

“It’s about accountability, stopping impunity, bringing them to the table, and saying ‘you need to be responsible for the mistakes you’ve made and that you’re going to make,” said Mr. Neto, who has more than 44 million online followers. 

Global response required 

Currently, at least 55 countries are working on regulatory initiatives, according to UNESCO.  However, Ms. Azoulay advocated for a coherent, global approach based on human rights, noting that if regulations are developed in isolation, they are doomed to fail. 

“Information disruption is by definition a global problem, so our reflections must take place at the global scale,” she said.  

The UNESCO chief closed the conference by urging all countries to join its efforts to transform the internet into a tool which is truly at the service of the public and that helps assure the right to freedom of expression, which includes the right to seek and receive information. 

When misinformation & disinformation spread, facts are undermined & public trust is no longer there.

This makes it much more difficult for the @UN & its agencies to make the world a better place.

The digital world needs to be regulated: https://t.co/PrIw5FzmYV #InternetForTrust https://t.co/IPsIapdsH0

UN General Assembly calls for immediate end to war in Ukraine

At its resumed eleventh emergency special session, the world body adopted a new resolution calling for an end to the war, only hours before the conflict enters its second year on Friday.

The results were 141 Member States in favour and seven against – Belarus, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Eritrea, Mali, Nicaragua, Russia and Syria. Among the 32 abstentions were China, India and Pakistan.

By the terms of the 11-paragraph resolution, the Assembly reiterated its demand that Russia “immediately, completely and unconditionally withdraw all of its military forces from the territory of Ukraine and called for a cessation of hostilities”.

Address war’s global impact

The Assembly, through the resolution, urged Member States to cooperate in the spirit of solidarity to address the global impacts of the war on food security, energy, finance, the environment and nuclear security and safety. Underscoring that arrangements for a lasting peace should consider these factors, the Assembly also called upon all nations to support the Secretary-General in his efforts to address these impacts.

The  resumed session had met on Wednesday to begin debating the resolution, with the General Assembly President, Csaba Kőrösi, saying that for a full year, the 193-member Assembly, the Secretary-General, and the international community “have been consistent and vocal in our calls to end this war, and to adhere to the UN Charter and international law”.

Justice for all victims

The Assembly also reaffirmed its commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters.

The resolution also emphasized the need to ensure accountability for the most serious crimes under international law committed in Ukraine through independent national or international investigations and prosecutions to ensure justice for all victims and the prevention of future crimes.

A woman stands in her damaged home after a missile struck her apartment complex in Zaporizka, Ukraine.
© UNOCHA/Matteo Minasi

A woman stands in her damaged home after a missile struck her apartment complex in Zaporizka, Ukraine.

Rejected proposals

The world body on Thursday also rejected two amendments proposed by Belarus. The first proposal would have altered several of the resolution’s provisions, and the second would have had the Assembly call on Member States to, among other things, refrain from sending weapons to the zone of conflict.

‘New chapter of history’

At the outset of the resumed session on Wednesday, the Assembly President said that in this “new chapter of history”, the world is facing “stark choices about who we are as an international community. These choices will either set us on a path of solidarity and collective resolve to uphold the tenets of the UN Charter,” he said, “or a path of aggression, war, normalized violations of international law and collapsed global action.”

Days after the 24 February 2022 invasion, UN Security Council members had voted to allow the General Assembly to convene the eleventh emergency special session after Russia had vetoed a resolution that would have condemned the invasion of Ukraine.

In line with resolution 377A(V), adopted in 1950, the Assembly is able to take up international peace and security matters when the Council fails to do.

For more information on the emergency special sessions, visit UN Meetings Coverage.

The UN General Assembly adopted a resolution that demands #Russia leave #Ukraine.

In favour: 141

Against: 7

Abstentions: 32 https://t.co/WnEoRp94kx

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