The world has witnessed extraordinary health gains since the UN agency was established, including smallpox eradication, the near elimination of polio, and declines in maternal mortality. Millions of young lives have also been saved through childhood immunization. “The history of WHO demonstrates what is possible when nations come together for a common purpose,” Director-General Tedros…
“Since the escalation of the war, at least 501 children have been killed,” said UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell. “This is another tragic milestone for Ukraine’s children and families.” OHCHR’s latest update recorded 765 civilian casualties in Ukraine, from 1 to 31 March, which included 178 deaths and 587 injuries. Since the invasion on 24…
Infertility, which affects men and women, is a reproductive condition defined by the failure to achieve a pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual intercourse. To compile the new in-depth estimates, WHO analysed all relevant studies on infertility from 1990 to 2021. The research shows that 17.5 per cent of the adult…
The report by the UN Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan details how perpetrators of the most serious crimes – including widespread attacks against civilians and extrajudicial killings – go unpunished, with senior Government officials and military implicated in serious violations. “Over several years, our findings have consistently shown that impunity for serious crimes…
“Today and every day, let us fully recognize the active and diverse contributions of persons with autism to our societies,” UN Secretary-General António Guterres said. “Let us work together with persons with autism to build an inclusive and accessible world for all.” ‘We must do better’ Despite important progress, he said, persons with autism continue…
“There is no such thing as disability in the world of art,” said Soomi Jeon, Director of the Vichae Art Museum. “We often think the persons with disabilities are the receivers of charity, and we are the givers,” she explained. “This belief actually divides us. It is not sharing. I planned this exhibition to break…
Born into peace but maimed by a weapon of war Two deminers work to decontaminate the land in Bunia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “Minga had never owned a toy. In her village, in Angola, children often made do with sticks or broken wheels – but this was something different. It was green, metal…
Shirin Yaseen from the Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General visited northwestern Syria as part of an interagency mission to assess the situation there. “On the day we visited Jindairis in northern Syria, one of the areas most affected by the February earthquake, the weather conditions were very bad. A mobile medical clinic housed in…
Children in conflict zones must be protected, not punished, said the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, together with Fionnuala Ní Aoláin, UN Special Rapporteur on the protection and promotion of human rights while countering terrorism, in a joint statement. “It is now time to bring them home,” they said. “Many children are…
OCHA Spokesperson Jens Laerke, told reporters in Geneva that the current phase was still “a humanitarian emergency where we look at, ‘What do the survivors need? How can we support those who have survived this devastating earthquake?’” Help for millions in need In Türkiye, where over nine million have been directly affected, the UN and partners have…
