‘Historic milestone’ as child mortality hits record low of 4.9 million in 2022

‘Historic milestone’ as child mortality hits record low of 4.9 million in 2022

Figures released by the UN Interagency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UN IGME) reveal the global under-five mortality rate has declined by 51 per cent since 2000. Some countries such as Cambodia, Malawi, Mongolia and Rwanda reduced under-five mortality rate by over 75 per cent over the time period. UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell praised…

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Everyone is hungry in Gaza now: UN humanitarians

Gaza: Worst famine fears realised as 10th child reportedly ‘starves to death’

“The official records yesterday or this morning said there was a tenth child officially registered in a hospital as having starved to death,” said UN health agency spokesperson Christian Lindmeier. “A very sad threshold…(but) the unofficial numbers can unfortunately be expected to be higher.” The development followed media reports overnight that four children had died…

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Grandparental involvement in child care reduces maternal depression

Grandparental involvement in child care reduces maternal depression

Helsinki: A new study has found that when grandparents lend a hand in caring for their grandchildren, mothers are less likely to develop depression and are less dependent on anti-depressant medications. According to media reports, a new study by Finnish researchers, published in the journal Population Studies, found that mothers whose parents or in-laws contributed…

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World News in Brief: DR Congo clashes, invest in ending polio, say #IDONT to child marriage

World News in Brief: DR Congo clashes, invest in ending polio, say #IDONT to child marriage

Violence last week forced thousands to flee, and fighting occurred on Tuesday in the outskirts of Sake, which is located some 20 kilometres northwest of the provincial capital, Goma. “Our peacekeeping mission is continuing to support the Congolese armed forces and is doing its utmost to protect civilians, including by maintaining a presence along the Goma-Sake axis,” said…

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World News in Brief: Artificial Intelligence pledge, child abuse online, Sudan crisis deepens

World News in Brief: Artificial Intelligence pledge, child abuse online, Sudan crisis deepens

Lenovo Group, LG AI Research, Mastercard, Microsoft, Salesforce, Telefonica, GSMA network of mobile phone operators, and INNIT have pledged to “integrate the values and principles” of UNESCO’s Recommendation on the Ethics of AI when designing and deploying AI systems. The announcement came at the UN education, science and culture agency’s  Global Forum on AI, taking place…

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World News in Brief: Haiti child displacement, Hong Kong torture claims, support Sudan refugees

World News in Brief: Haiti child displacement, Hong Kong torture claims, support Sudan refugees

Escalating armed violence in Haiti has triggered a profound humanitarian crisis, the UN Children’s Fund, UNICEF, warned on Wednesday. At least 170,000 children are now displaced – double the number from last year – amid a surge in gang-led killings and kidnappings, sexual violence and a severe food crisis. “In Haiti, children and families are…

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World News in Brief: Child deaths in Ukraine, alarm over US death row ‘experiment’, Timor Leste nutrition boost

World News in Brief: Child deaths in Ukraine, alarm over US death row ‘experiment’, Timor Leste nutrition boost

“Over the last six days, children and families, and the infrastructure they rely on have come under attack in Dnipro, Lviv, Kharkiv, Kyiv, Odesa, and other populated areas”, said Munir Mammadzade. With schools and health facilities destroyed and damaged, “Ukraine’s youngest citizens continue to bear the brunt of these attacks. Our heartfelt thoughts are with…

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World News in Brief: Burkina Faso attack, ending AIDS, Syrian child casualties, new UN migration ambassador

World News in Brief: Burkina Faso attack, ending AIDS, Syrian child casualties, new UN migration ambassador

A large number of fighters from the militant Islamist group JNIM attacked a military base, homes, and a camp for displaced people in the city of Djibo, on Sunday. At least 40 people were killed and more than 42 injured. The attackers also set fire to 20 shops and three sites for displaced people. Stop attacking civilians “Attacks on…

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UN agencies urge action to safeguard maternal, child health amidst climate crisis

UN agencies urge action to safeguard maternal, child health amidst climate crisis

In Protecting maternal, newborn and child health from the impacts of climate change, the World Health Organization (WHO), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) jointly underscore the neglect, underreporting, and underestimation of climate events’ effects on maternal and child health.  It also draws attention to the importance of integrating maternal or child…

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Gaza crisis: aid agencies warn of ‘tragic, avoidable surge’ in child deaths

Gaza crisis: aid agencies warn of ‘tragic, avoidable surge’ in child deaths

“About 160 children are killed every day; that’s one every 10 minutes,” said UN World Health Organization (WHO) spokesperson Christian Lindmeier, echoing concerns from the UN Children’s Fund about the serious additional threat of a mass disease outbreak in the enclave. “If youngsters continue to have restricted access to water and sanitation in Gaza, we…

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