The story of Mr. Figueira, who struggles to balance the cost of food, his children’s schooling, and life-saving medications for high blood pressure and diabetes, highlights the harsh reality that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) seeks to address. UHC aims to guarantee access to essential health services without exposing families to financial risk, ensuring that no… [Read More]
WHO
Seychelles intensifies measures to combat tropical and vector-borne diseases
Seychelles has endorsed a comprehensive strategic plan for 2025–2030 aimed at protecting public health by tackling tropical and vector-borne diseases. The plan outlines measures to prevent, control, and eliminate illnesses such as leprosy, rabies, dengue, and leptospirosis, while also addressing emerging health threats linked to climate change and increased movement of people and goods. Despite… [Read More]
Global: How Amnesty International’s Annual Letter-Writing Campaign Shows Humanity Can Prevail
Amid rising authoritarianism, climate crises, and the erosion of international law, Amnesty International has launched its annual Write for Rights campaign on Human Rights Day (10 December) to support victims of human rights violations and demonstrate the power of collective action. The campaign unites people globally to advocate for justice, dignity, and a shared future,… [Read More]
Ensuring International Justice for All Crimes Key to Lasting Peace in Israel and the OPT
Amnesty International has called on states to demonstrate their commitment to international justice to ensure accountability for victims of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide in Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory (OPT). Following the ICC Assembly of States Parties in The Hague, Amnesty emphasized that supporting institutions such as the ICC is critical… [Read More]
National Programmes’ Guide to Reaching Untreated Populations for NTD Elimination
This toolkit provides comprehensive guidance for national and district neglected tropical disease (NTD) programmes, partner organizations, researchers, and communities to identify and respond to “never treatment”—individuals who have never ingested NTD medicines during mass drug administration (MDA). It covers defining never treatment, understanding its role in persistent low coverage or ongoing transmission, estimating levels using… [Read More]
Global Humanitarian Needs Soar: UNICEF Calls for Urgent Investment in Children’s Services
Humanitarian needs for children worldwide are reaching unprecedented levels due to surging conflicts, rising hunger, global funding cuts, and collapsing essential services. UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children 2026 appeal has been launched, calling for US$7.66 billion to provide life-saving assistance to 73 million children, including 37 million girls and over 9 million children with disabilities,… [Read More]
Social Media Age Restrictions Insufficient to Protect Kids, Says UNICEF
Governments have introduced age-related bans on popular social media platforms such as TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube for users under 16, aiming to protect children from online abuse, cyberbullying, exploitation, and exposure to harmful content. These measures are intended to safeguard young people’s mental health and well-being, but UNICEF has warned that restrictions alone are not… [Read More]
Rethinking the Right to Learn: UNESCO Urges Education Reform for Today’s World
UNESCO has warned that the global legal framework for the right to education urgently needs modernization to keep pace with a rapidly transforming world. Borhene Chakroun, Director of Lifelong Learning at UNESCO, emphasized that without updating these frameworks, large populations risk being left behind. A new UNESCO report, Right to Education: Past, Present and Future,… [Read More]
Traditional Medicine Gains Global Recognition, Says WHO
Shyama Kuruvilla, director of WHO’s Global Traditional Medicine Centre, stated that traditional medicine has become a global reality, with half the world’s population lacking access to essential health services and often relying on these systems as their primary or only source of care. Established in 2022, the Centre seeks to harness the potential of traditional… [Read More]
Amador Seed Fund II Backed by IDB Lab to Boost Emerging VC Ecosystems in LAC
IDB Lab, the innovation and venture capital arm of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, has approved an investment of up to $3 million in Amador Seed Fund II, LP (ASF II) to support the growth of innovative, technology-driven ventures in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a focus on Central America. This investment underscores IDB… [Read More]
China’s Chishui River Basin to Benefit from ADB-Backed Nature Credit Pilot Program
The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a CNY1.068 billion ($150 million) loan to pilot its first nature credit mechanism in Gulin County, Sichuan Province, People’s Republic of China. The financing will support biodiversity conservation and green development in the Chishui River Basin, a key freshwater biodiversity hotspot. The initiative, known as the Chishui River… [Read More]
West Bank Tensions Rise as Palestinians Prepare for Losses
A psychologist working with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Hebron, West Bank, describes the intense fear and anxiety that have engulfed Palestinians following the events of 7 October 2023. While violence has long been a reality in the region, the recent escalation—including checkpoints, roadblocks, and incursions by Israeli forces and settlers—has isolated towns and villages,… [Read More]
$10M FAO–Qatar Fund Initiative to Support Mine-Hit Rural Communities in Ukraine
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the Qatar Fund for Development have launched a USD 10 million programme to support rural communities in Ukraine whose farmland has been compromised by landmines and explosive remnants of war. The initiative seeks to restore safe access to agricultural land, revive local livelihoods and strengthen… [Read More]
UN Seeks $1 Billion to Establish Rapid First-Responder Fund for Global Crises
The Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), created in 2006, has provided nearly $10 billion in rapid humanitarian aid across more than 110 countries, often reaching people before any other assistance. As global crises intensify and needs rise sharply, the fund is now running critically low. UN Secretary-General António Guterres urged countries to help meet a… [Read More]
Empowering Women in Lao PDR Through Small but Powerful Actions
Aksonethip Somvorachit reflects on her experience as a Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) focal point, a role she took on early in her UN career with the hope of making a difference. She served as a confidential contact for colleagues seeking support, often providing a safe space to listen when individuals were too… [Read More]
Refugee Support Lives On: Nansen Award Honorees Inspire Hope
This year’s Nansen Award honourees include five outstanding individuals and organizations from Cameroon, Mexico, Ukraine, Iraq and Tajikistan, all recognized for their courage, compassion and steadfast efforts to protect people forced to flee. Established in 1954, the award honours those who go above and beyond in supporting refugees, internally displaced people and stateless communities. Announcing… [Read More]
CAR Launches Unprecedented National Initiative Against Antimicrobial Resistance
In the Central African Republic (CAR), antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is increasingly undermining the effectiveness of essential medical treatments for people and livestock. Infections that were once treatable are becoming harder to cure, posing a growing health threat across clinics and farms nationwide. In 2025, CAR took a historic step to confront this challenge by launching… [Read More]
Climate-Driven Disease Threats Addressed in Southern Africa Through Pandemic Fund Support
Eight Southern African countries—Botswana, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, and Zimbabwe—have joined forces in a USD 35.8 million, three-year initiative to prevent, detect, and respond to disease outbreaks before they reach communities. The program, titled Strengthening One Health Disease Surveillance and Response in Southern Africa, is coordinated by the World Health Organization Regional… [Read More]
IOM Receives 30,000 Tents from Türkiye to Assist Displaced Families in Sudan
As humanitarian needs escalate across Sudan, the Republic of Türkiye, through its Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), has donated 30,000 family tents to the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to support communities displaced by ongoing conflict. This represents the largest in-kind shelter contribution IOM has received for Sudan to date. IOM Director General Amy… [Read More]
IDB Supports Peru in Enhancing Early Childhood Development Initiatives
The Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) has approved a $50 million loan to enhance early childhood development services for children under 36 months from low-income households in Peru. The funding aims to strengthen the National Cuna Más Program by improving its governance, information systems, technological infrastructure, and staff training to ensure operational capacity and high-quality service… [Read More]
Amnesty International Campaign 2025: How Letter-Writing Can Make a Global Impact
Amnesty International has launched its annual Write for Rights campaign on Human Rights Day, 10 December, to support victims of human rights violations and demonstrate the power of collective action. This year, the campaign highlights individuals whose rights have been violated across the globe, including Indigenous land defenders in Norway, a photojournalist imprisoned in Myanmar,… [Read More]
Japanese Espionage Legislation Must Uphold Fundamental Rights
During a parliamentary session on November 26, 2025, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi announced that her Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) government would soon consider drafting new legislation aimed at “spy prevention.” While the government framed the initiative as a measure to strengthen national security, critics have raised concerns that such a law could threaten free… [Read More]
How Women Human Rights Defenders Are Driving Climate Action
Across the globe, women environmental defenders play a pivotal role in advancing climate justice, protecting forests and ecosystems, challenging extractive industries, and advocating for policies that prioritize people and the planet. Their leadership, however, comes with significant risks, including heightened exposure to digital violence, discrimination, and limited access to justice, funding, and decision-making spaces. These… [Read More]
