New Law Should Require Greater Inclusion of Pregnant Girls, Young Mothers The Sierra Leone government should prioritize the views and experiences of girls to advance its education reforms, Human Rights Watch and Purposeful said in a report released today. Despite the government’s important progress on access to education for girls, many girls who are pregnant, […]
A “silent emergency” that is claiming one million tiny lives born premature each year requires concerted action to swiftly improve children’s health and survival, according to a new report released by UN agencies and partners on Wednesday May 10th, 2023. An estimated 13.4 million babies were born premature in 2020, with nearly a million dying […]
Global progress in reducing the premature deaths of pregnant women, mothers and babies, has flatlined for eight years due to decreasing investments in maternal and newborn health, according to a new UN World Health Organization (WHO) report, published on Tuesday 9th May 2023. The report, Improving maternal and newborn health and survival and reducing stillbirth, assesses the latest data, […]
As catastrophe grips Sudan, the UN agency for reproductive health is stepping up support, with midwives playing a key role in helping provide safe deliveries amid growing violence. “Health facilities and hospitals should be safe havens in times of crisis,” the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) said on Saturday, condemning an attack on a hospital in […]
The head of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has declared “with great hope” an end to COVID-19 as a public health emergency, stressing that it does not mean the disease is no longer a global threat. Last week, COVID-19 claimed a life every three minutes – and that’s just the deaths we know about”, said Tedros […]
Disinformation, hate speech and deadly attacks against journalists are threatening freedom of the press worldwide, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Tuesday 2nd may 2023, calling for greater solidarity with the people who bring us the news. The appeal comes in his message ahead of World Press Freedom Day, celebrated annually on 3 May, in line […]
Three imprisoned Iranian women journalists – whose reporting helped spark the nationwide protests surrounding the death of Mahsa Amini in police custody – are the recipients of an award that celebrates press freedom, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) announced on Tuesday 2nd mai 2023. Niloofar Hamedi, Elaheh Mohammadi and Narges Mohammadi have been […]
The practice of child marriage has continued to decline globally, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said in a new report published on Wednesday, warning that a ‘polycrisis’ including war, climate shocks, and the continuing COVID pandemic, is putting the fragile gains made towards ending the scourge, under threat. Currently, one in five young women aged 20 […]
OPINION BALTIMORE, Maryland / DENVER, Colorado, May 1 2023 (IPS) – Studies consistently show that women have lower rates of agricultural productivity compared to men in the region, but it’s not because they’re less efficient farmers. Women in sub-Saharan Africa often lead food storage, handling, stocking, processing, and marketing in addition to other household tasks and […]
Critics have said justice takes too long, and perpetrators are not always held accountable in cases of sexual exploitation and abuse committed by UN personnel. Appointed by the Secretary-General in 2017, Jane Connors, the UN’s first Victims’ Rights Advocate, is tasked with getting a victim-centred approach installed across the system’s more than 35 entities. She […]
