By Prof. Concepta Kwaleyela, Twaambo Mutinta, and Levy Mkandawire* LUSAKA. Zambia | 14 November 2025 (IDN) — There is a core issue in the Zambian health system that numbers alone cannot show. It is not simply a shortage of drugs or ambulances, but the need to give dignity to the many women who still give […]
Accessibility to the Disabled isn’t a Luxury – it’s a Necessity
By Tanja B. Sejersen & & Manal Hassan* BANGKOK | 14 November 2025 (IDN) — Imagine being invisible—not because you’re unseen, but because your existence isn’t officially recorded. For millions of children with disabilities across Asia and the Pacific, this is a daily reality. A recent UNICEF report reveals stark disparities in access to rights […]
Every Breath Counts
By Praise Nutakor The writer is a Partnerships and Communications Specialist at UNDP. NEW YORK | 2 November 2025 (IDN) — Every breath matters. For a newborn struggling for air, an expectant mother requiring surgery, or a patient battling respiratory illness, access to medical oxygen can mean the difference between life and death. Yet in […]
Disaster Preparedness: Anew From the Ancient Old
By Yossef Ben-Meir* Marrakech, Morocco | 4 June 2025 (IDN) — The Kingdom of Morocco is taking the wise measure of building 36 storage facilities that will serve the people’s serious needs during severe crises, should they ever arise, such as with the horrifying 2023 earthquake in the High Atlas region. Ancient knowledge captured in […]
Ukraine War: UN Health Agency Sounds Alarm
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 25 February 2025 (IDN) — While European leaders travelled to Kyiv on the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, assuring President Zelensky of the continued flow of money and weapons, and President Emmanuel Macron of France pleaded with President Trump in Washington not to ignore Europe while brokering a […]
The Significance of World Health Organization US President Is Qutting
By Eileen Travers, UN News NEW YORK | 22 January 2025 (IDN) — When the plague, cholera and yellow fever rippled deadly waves across a newly industrialised and interconnected world in the mid-19th century, taking a global approach to health became an imperative. Doctors, scientists, presidents and prime ministers urgently convened the International Sanitary Conference […]
WHO Appeals for USD 1.5 billion to Tackle Unprecedented Global Health Crisis
By Jaya Ramachandran GENEVA | 17 January 2025 (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued 2025 Health Emergency Appeal (HEA), calling for US$ 1.5 billion to support an unparalleled global health crisis, with 305 million people in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. Conflict, climate change, epidemics, and displacement have converged to create this […]
G20 Summit-Health: Leaders Pave the Way for Sustainable Funding of WHO
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | 23 November (IDN) — President-elect Donald Trump has picked Robert F. Kennedy Jr., environmental lawyer, prominent Kennedy political family member, and activist who became a leading figure among vaccine sceptics. He is expected to be a critical prop for Trump’s policies. Four years ago, as the US recorded a daily […]
Improving Cities — from Space
By Ladislav Charouz and Kareff Rafisura* BANGKOK | 2 November 2024 (IDN) — Despite offering a range of opportunities, urbanisation poses a set of unique challenges to sustainable development. The rapid expansion of cities often results in the growth of informal settlements, with East and South-East Asia being home to 370 million people living in […]
Developing Countries Need 1.4 trillion US Dollar for Social Protection by 2030
By Ramesh Jaura BERLIN | NEW YORK | 28 October 2024 (IDN) — As the international community girds up its loins for next year’s Second World Summit for Social Development, the UN has warned that more than 4 billion people worldwide lack any social protection. Only 47 per cent of the global population is estimated […]