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 […]
One Billion US Dollar Committed to the UN Health Organization
By Jutta Wolf BERLIN | 14 October 2024 (IDN) — European countries, foundations and others have committed to provide nearly US$ 700 million new funding to the World Health Organization (WHO) and another US$ in 300 million in reaffirmed commitments. Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is the Director-General of The UN health body. This powerful support […]
Workspaces Have Evolved. So must our Approach to Mental Health for the Workforce
By Heidi Kar, Amy West, Kyra Beneke* WALTHAM, Massachusetts, USA | 9 October 2024 (IDN) — We have witnessed enormous changes in how and where we work since COVID-19. Prior to this, the workplace predominantly focused on corporate, in-person desk jobs, not virtual spaces and remote work from a laptop at a kitchen table or home […]
The Role of Land & Soil in Achieving UN’s Global Sustainable Development Goals
By Dr Shibu Thomas* SPRINGFIELD, New Jersey, USA | 5 October2024 (IDN) — The 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for 2030 highlight the interconnectedness of global challenges and provide a framework for promoting peace and prosperity for people and the planet, both now and in the future. Genuine sustainability requires long-term, comprehensive approaches, with […]
India To Host the World Music Peace Concert on UN Day 2024 in New Delhi
By Dr. Mohan Bhulanie* NEW DELHI | 3 October 2024 (IDN) — From Woodstock, Knebworth, Live Aid to the Global Citizen Festival to end poverty, music has united people to bring hope and harmony. It is also a wonderful medium to raise awareness about the noble ideals of the United Nations in a powerful and […]
Child Survival Award to Honour the Legendary Jim Grant
By Kul Chandra Gautam The writer is a former UN assistant secretary general and deputy executive director of UNICEF. KATHMANDU | 26 September 2024 (IDN) — Ever since UNICEF’s legendary Executive Director Jim Grant passed away in January 1995, I have had a dream that UNICEF, ideally, or some other organization, would establish a prestigious […]