December 26, 2024
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J. Tuyet Nguyen, a journalist with years of experience, has covered major stories in New York City and the United Nations for United Press International, the German Press Agency dpa and various newspapers. His reports focused mostly on topics with international interests for readers worldwide. He was president of the United Nations Correspondents Association (2007 and 2008), which is composed of more than 250 journalists representing world media with influence over policy decision makers. He has chaired the organization of the annual UNCA Awards, which seeks to reward journalists around the world who have done the best broadcasts and written reports on the UN and its specialized agencies. He has traveled the world to cover events and write stories, from politics to the environment as well cultures of different regions. But his most important reporting work has been with the United Nations since the early 1980s. He was bureau chief of United Press International office at the UN headquarters before joining dpa in 1997. Prior to working at the UN, he was an editor on the International Desk of UPI World Headquarters in New York. He worked in Los Angeles and covered the final months of war in Vietnam for UPI.

UN: “Unnecessary conflict” causes 1.7 million refugees, 406 dead and mounting, shatters millions of lives

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Geneva/New York, March 7 – The Russian military operations in Ukraine have shattered millions of lives, made 1.7 million refugees and killed 406 people among more than 1,200 civilian casualties in 11 days of violence but “the real figure could be considerably higher,” the UN humanitarian relief coordinator told the UN Security Council.

Martin Griffiths, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the relief works involved many UN agencies and non-governmental organizations and his office in Geneva began sending surge staff days before the Russian invasion started on February 24.

“People are watching as this unnecessary conflict engulfs cities and civilians with an extra sense of dread over the impact it will have on the wider world. I include myself in this category,” Griffiths said as he and UN staff and volunteers have been working non-stop without any sleep since the Russian invasion.

He described the war’s impacts on civilians in Ukraine as follow: “People cannot stay home with shops shut, power and water cut, shells falling and phones switched off.  They can’t find what they need even if they have money to pay for it. As we have seen even as the TV cameras roll, many can’t even flee in safety either. “
 

The UN refugee agency said more than 1.7 million refugees escaped violence, fear and pain and constituted the largest surge of refugees since World War II. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported at least 1,207 civilian casualties, including at least 406 dead. “The real figure could be considerably higher,”  Griffiths said.

He said humanitarian assistance has continued in all areas in Ukraine where security, including in  cities such as Mariupol, Kharkiv, and Kherson, and relief response is also being scaled up from hubs in Vinnutsya, Uzhorod and Lviv. 

“The UN and our partners have already provided food to hundreds of thousands of people. The World Food Program is setting up supply chain operations to deliver immediate food and cash assistance to 3-5 million people inside Ukraine, “Griffiths said.

The UN humanitarian office appealed for $1.7 billion days after Russian military forces began their operations in Ukraine. Griffiths said donors have generously met the request.

 He saidthe World Health Organization has shipped trauma care, emergency surgery equipment and other supplies that will help thousands of people and more supplies are on their way. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees is providing assistance through a network of shops in Mariupol, in collaboration with NGOs. It’s bringing in thousands of blankets, mattresses and other relief items from Poland and shipping them to transit centers. In addition, the Ukrainian Red Cross has distributed humanitarian assistance to thousands via its emergency stockpiles.

“I especially salute the more than 4,000 Red Cross volunteers, the community workers of local NGOs, the truck drivers carrying basic necessities into volatile areas,” he said.

Griffiths said his office has requested Moscow (1) to take constant care to spare civilians and civilian homes and infrastructure in their military operations; (2) create safe passage for humanitarian supplies into areas of active hostilities. Civilians in places like Mariupol, Kharkiv, Melitopol, and elsewhere desperately need aid, especially life-saving medical supplies and (3) the UN urgently needs a system of constant communication with parties to the conflict and assurances to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid.

Griffiths said the Russian invasion of Ukraine, which he called an “unnecessary conflict” happened while populations in other countries badly need humanitarian assistance.

“I am deeply worried about the consequences on vulnerable people living half a world away. 

Food prices are spiking and supplies uncertain. We didn’t need that either. People in the Sahel, Yemen, the Horn of Africa, Afghanistan, Madagascar, and beyond already face profound food insecurity.

Record-level fuel prices mean life becomes harder still in places like Lebanon, where generators keep hospitals open and water treatment plants working. 

We simply cannot afford to have political attention and donor funding diluted, diverted from other pressing humanitarian crises. This may be the latest war, but not the only one.” 

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UN General Assembly condemns Russia’s military operations in Ukraine

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By J. Tuyet Nguyen

New York, March 2 – The United Nations General Assembly voted overwhelmingly 141-5 to adopt a resolution condemning Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and demanding that Russia withdraw its military forces and respect Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. A total of 35 countries abstained.

The five countries voting against were Russia, Belarus, Syria, North Korea and Eritrea.

The resolution adopted by the 193-member assembly in an emergency special session reaffirmed the UN commitment to the sovereignty, independence, unity and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

It condemned Russia’s “special military operation” against Ukraine and “deplored in the strongest terms the Russian Federation’s aggression against Ukraine” in violation of the UN Charter. The resolution called for an immediate and complete cease-fire and for the immediate withdrawal of Russian military forces from Ukraine.

The resolution also condemned all violations of international humanitarian law and violations and abuses of human rights, and it called on all parties to strictly respect relevant provisions of international humanitarian law.

On February 24, the UN Security Council, which is the top political body in the organization, attempted to condemn the Russian military operations that started on February 23 but a vote on a resolution failed due to a veto by the Russian representative. In the vote, 11 members voted in favor of the resolution, Russia voted against and three members abstained: China, India and the UAE.

Contrary to voting rules in the 15-nation Security Council, a negative vote in the General Assembly does not constitute a veto, which automatically blocks a resolution from being adopted. In the Security Council the five permanent members – the US, Russia, France, China and the UK – each has the right to block a vote regardless of whether a majority of council members voted in favor of a resolution.

The council then asked the General Assembly to take action on the resolution condemning the invasion of Ukraine under an emergency procedure known as Uniting for Peace. Only 10 such special sessions had been held by the assembly since 1950. The special sessions give the assembly the power to take up matters of international peace and security when the Security Council is unable to act because of the lack of unanimity among its five veto-wielding permanent members.

“The fighting in Ukraine must stop,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in an address to the special emergency session. “It is raging across the country, from air, land and sea. It must stop now.”

Guterres said Russia’s decision to put its nuclear forces on high alert is a “chilling development. The mere idea of a nuclear conflict is simply inconceivable. Nothing can justify the use of nuclear weapons.”

“We face what could easily become Europe’s worst humanitarian and refugee crisis in decades, with the numbers of refugees and internally displaced multiplying by the minute.”

Ambassador Olof Skoog, head of the European Union Delegation to the UN, told the assembly that the EU “condemned in the strongest possible terms the unprovoked invasion of Ukraine by armed forces of the Russian Federation in violation of Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

“We also condemn the involvement of Belarus in this aggression against Ukraine.  We urge both Russia and Belarus to abide by their international obligations.

We are also alarmed by Russia’s raising of the nuclear alert level.  We call on Russia to de-escalate and to immediately return to the previous alert level of its nuclear arsenal and to avoid any actions that could risk the safety or security of the nuclear power plants in Ukraine, a non-nuclear weapon State under the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).”

“Russia bears full responsibility for this aggression and the resulting loss of life and destruction. We demand from Russia to cease its military operations immediately and unconditionally and to withdraw all forces and military equipment from the entire territory of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. We further call on Russia to engage in earnest in dialogue with a view to a political and diplomatic solution.”

UN appeals for $1.7 billion as humanitarian needs soar in Ukraine and neighboring countries

(Following is a press release from Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator and UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Geneva)

The United Nations and humanitarian partners launched coordinated emergency appeals for a combined $1.7 billion to urgently deliver humanitarian support to people in Ukraine and refugees in neighboring countries.

The escalation of conflict has triggered an immediate and steep rise in humanitarian needs as essential supplies and services are disrupted and civilians flee the fighting.

The UN estimates that 12 million people inside Ukraine will need relief and protection, while more than 4 million Ukrainian refugees may need protection and assistance in neighboring countries in the coming months.

UN humanitarian chief Martin Griffiths said: “Families with small children are hunkered down in basements and subway stations or running for their lives to the terrifying sound of explosions and wailing sirens. Casualty numbers are rising fast. This is the darkest hour for the people of Ukraine. We need to ramp up our response now to protect the lives and dignity of ordinary Ukrainians. We must respond with compassion and solidarity.”

The Flash Appeal asks for $1.1 billion to assist 6 million people inside Ukraine for an initial three months. The program includes multipurpose cash assistance for the most vulnerable people, food assistance, water and sanitation, support to health care and education services, and shelter assistance to rebuild damaged homes. The plan also aims to deliver support to authorities to maintain and establish transit and reception centres for displaced people and prevent gender-based violence.

Aid groups will need safe and unimpeded access to all conflict-affected areas according to the core humanitarian principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and operational independence.

With more than half a million refugees having fled Ukraine to neighboring countries in the past five days alone, and many more expected, support is also required to meet the critical needs of those seeking protection outside the country.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, said: “We are looking at what could become Europe’s largest refugee crisis this century. While we have seen tremendous solidarity and hospitality from neighboring countries in receiving refugees, including from local communities and private citizens, much more support will be needed to assist and protect new arrivals.”

An inter-agency Regional Refugee Response Plan (RRP) for the Ukraine situation asks for a preliminary $550.6 million to help refugees in Poland, the Republic of Moldova, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia, as well as in other countries in the region in order to help host countries provide shelter, emergency relief items, cash assistance, and mental health and psychosocial support to those who fled Ukraine, including people with specific needs, such as unaccompanied children. Media contacts: Shabia Mantoo, UNHCR, mantoo@unhcr.org, +41 79 337 7650 – Jens Laerke, UNOCHA, laerke@un.org, +41 79 472 9750

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Earth is heating up from coal and other fossil fuels burning, new climate report says

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Berlin/New York, February 28 – While all efforts have focused on preventing planet earth from heating up above 1.5 degrees Celsius, a new study by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) with the contribution of 270 scientists from 67 countries said global temperatures will well exceed that threshold in the 21st century unless deep reductions in carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions occur during this decade.

IPCC, a UN organization dedicated to assessing the science related to climate change, provided a detailed look at threats from global warming, focusing on climate change impacts and how countries have so far adapted to new technology to fight climate change. It said if earth temperatures are heating up above 1.5-2 degrees, coastal and Arctic regions could suffer beyond repair and the planet will see rising seas and more frequent and widespread wildfires, flooding and droughts.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the report shows “an atlas of human suffering and a damning indictment of failed climate leadership. With fact upon fact, this report reveals how people and the planet are getting clobbered by climate change.”

“As current events make all too clear, our continued reliance on fossil fuels makes the global economy and energy security vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and crises,” Guterres said. “Instead of slowing down the decarbonization of the global economy, now is the time to accelerate the energy transition to a renewable energy future. Fossil fuels are a dead end – for our planet, for humanity, and yes, for economies. A prompt, well-managed transition to renewables is the only pathway to energy security, universal access and the green jobs our world needs.”

The report said governments have not done enough to adapt to climate-friendly technology and taken the necessary measures to ward off the hazards of climate change. It called for transformational changes to safeguard human well-being, including building up stronger health systems, supply chains and providing the necessary needs in society, from energy to advanced urban planning.

It said poor countries face much bigger challenges than rich ones while developing countries do not have enough resources for dealing with climate shocks. It said floods, droughts and storms killed 15 times as many people in developing nations in Africa, Asia and elsewhere than in the wealthiest countries in the last decade. Between 3.3 billion and 3.6 billion people, or nearly half of the world population, are “highly vulnerable” to climate change.

Reaction supporting the report’s findings  were prompt. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) in Geneva called for urgent local action and funding, particularly for those most vulnerable, to combat the devastating humanitarian impacts of the climate crisis confirmed in the IPCC report.

IFRC Secretary General Jagan Chapagain said, “The IPCC report confirms what the IFRC and its network of 192 National Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies have already witnessed for years: Climate change is already disrupting the lives of billions, particularly the world’s poorest who have contributed the least to it.”

“The global response to COVID-19 proves that governments can act decisively and drastically in the face of imminent global threats. We need the same energy and action to combat climate change now, and we need it to reach the most climate-vulnerable communities across the world so that they have the tools and funding to anticipate and manage risks.”

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WHO establishes global biomanufacturing training hub in South Korea, Asian nations to receive mRNA technology

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Editor’s note: Following its successful establishment of mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa, WHO announced it is moving forward on goal to boost local pharmaceutical production by establishing global biomanufacturing training hub in the Republic of Korea.

Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia and Vietnam will receive mRNA technology from the technology transfer hub. Following is a press release from WHO in Geneva.

Geneva, 23 February 2022 – The World Health Organization (WHO), the Republic of Korea and the WHO Academy today announced the establishment of a global biomanufacturing training hub that will serve all low- and middle-income countries wishing to produce biologicals, such as vaccines, insulin, monoclonal antibodies and cancer treatments. The move comes after the successful establishment of a global mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

“One of the key barriers to successful technology transfer in low- and middle-income countries is the lack of a skilled workforce and weak regulatory systems,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “Building those skills will ensure that they can manufacture the health products they need at a good quality standard so that they no longer have to wait at the end of the queue.”

The Government of the Republic of Korea has offered a large facility outside Seoul that is already carrying out biomanufacturing training for companies based in the country and will now expand its operations to accommodate trainees from other countries. The facility will provide technical and hands-on training on operational and good manufacturing practice requirements and will complement specific trainings developed by the mRNA vaccine technology transfer hub in South Africa.

The WHO Academy will work with the Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare to develop a comprehensive curriculum on general biomanufacturing.

“Just 60 years ago, Korea was one of the poorest countries in the world,” said Mr Kwon Deok-chul, Minister of Health and Welfare, Republic of Korea. “With the help and support of WHO and the international community, we have transitioned into a country with a strong public health system and bio-industry. Korea deeply cherishes the solidarity that the international community has shown us during our transition. By sharing these lessons we’ve learnt from our own experience in the past, we will strive to support the low- and middle-income countries in strengthening their biomanufacturing capabilities so that we could pave the way together towards a safer world during the next pandemic.”

In parallel, WHO is intensifying regulatory system strengthening through its Global Benchmarking Tool (GBT), an instrument that assesses regulatory authorities’ maturity level. The GBT will serve as the main parameter for WHO to include national regulators in the WHO-listed Authorities list. Another aim is to build a network of regional centres of excellence that will act as advisers and guides for countries with weaker regulatory systems.

Five more countries will also receive support from the global mRNA hub in South Africa: Bangladesh, Indonesia, Pakistan, Serbia and Vietnam. These countries were vetted by a group of experts and proved that they had the capacity to absorb the technology and, with targeted training, move to production stage relatively quickly. 

“Indonesia is one of the countries that continuously supports vaccine equity and equal access to COVID-19 vaccines for all countries, including through transfer of vaccine technology and know-how to developing countries,” said Mrs Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Indonesia.

“This transfer of technology will contribute to equal access to health countermeasures, which will help us to recover together and recover stronger. This is the kind of solution that developing countries need. A solution that empowers and strengthens our self-reliance, as well as a solution that allows us to contribute to global health resilience.”

“Support from the World Health Organization in this process is of essential importance for the development of continuing, quality and safe production of vaccines and medical products,” said Dr Zlatibor Loncar, Minister of Health, Serbia. “The development of new technology means the development of professional knowledge of Serbian experts and training of new young staff, as the absolute national priority.”  

”Although Viet Nam is a developing country, we have had a lot of experience in vaccine development over the past decades,” said Dr Nguyen Thanh Long, Minister of Health of Viet Nam. ”Our National Regulatory Authority (NRA) has also been recognized by WHO. We believe that in participating in this initiative, Viet Nam will produce the mRNA vaccine not only for domestic consumption but also for other countries in the region and the world, contributing to reducing inequalities in access to vaccines.”

Argentina and Brazil were the first countries from the region of the Americas to receive mRNA technology from the global hub in South Africa, joining the initiative in September 2021. Companies from those countries are already receiving training from the technology transfer hub. 

“We are convinced that, with the technical support from WHO, its regional offices, and the international community of experts, we will succeed in improving equitable and timely access,” said Dr Carla Vizzotti, Minister of Health of Argentina. “If we want to achieve better global and regional health outcomes, including better preparedness for future health emergencies, we must break our region’s cycle of dependency in a highly concentrated global vaccine market.”

Numerous countries responded to the call for expressions of interest from the technology transfer hub in late 2021. WHO will provide support to all of the respondents but is currently prioritizing countries that do not have mRNA technology but already have some biomanufacturing infrastructure and capacity. WHO will enter into discussions with other interested countries and other mRNA technology recipients will be announced in the coming months. 

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UN chief calls for immediate cease-fire and de-escalation in Ukraine; says Russia violates UN Charter

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New York, February 22 – UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Russia’s recognition of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions in Ukraine amounts to a violation of that country’s sovereignty as well as the UN Charter. He said Russia’s military threats against Ukraine is the “biggest global peace and security crisis in recent years.”

“Let me be clear: the decision of the Russian Federation to recognize the so-called “independence” of certain areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions is a violation of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine,” Guterres told journalists at UN headquarters after cutting short his trip and meetings in Africa to return to New York.            

“Such a unilateral measure conflicts directly with the principles of the Charter of the United Nations – and is inconsistent with the so-called Friendly Relations Declaration of the General Assembly which the International Court of Justice has repeatedly cited as representing international law.”

Guterres said Russia’s deployment of so-called peacekeeping troops to the two regions is a “perversion of the concept of peacekeeping. I am proud of the achievements of UN Peacekeeping in which so many Blue Helmets have sacrificed their lives to protect civilians.”

“When troops of one country enter the territory of another country without its consent, they are not impartial peacekeepers. They are not peacekeepers at all.”

“The United Nations, in line with the relevant Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, stands fully behind the sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Ukraine, within its internationally recognized borders.

We are continuing to support the people of Ukraine through our humanitarian operations and human rights efforts,” Guterres said.

Russia’s military threats against Ukraine prompted the UN Security Council to hold an urgent meeting on February 21 at Ukraine’s request to discuss the situation regarding that country.

“The risk of major conflict is real and needs to be prevented at all costs,” Rosemary A. DiCarlo, the UN undersecretary general, told the 15-nation council. She said Russia’s decision was “in violation of Ukraine’s territorial integrity and sovereignty” and risks triggering regional and global repercussions.

“We also regret the order today to deploy Russian troops into Eastern Ukraine, reportedly on a ‘peacekeeping mission’”, she said, adding that the developments followed the decision to order “a mass evacuation of civilian residents of Donetsk and Luhansk into the Russian Federation”.

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Climate, Covid-19 and famine issues raised at Munich Security Conference as world faces more violent threats

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Munich/New York, February 18 – Issues of climate change, the pandemic and famine were raised at the annual Munich Security Conference which held an in-person meeting amid war threats in Ukraine for the first time since Covid-19 struck three years ago.

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the meeting that non-traditional security issues like climate crisis and Covid-19, which are the world’s current biggest issues, may exacerbate global security and he demanded that world leaders take action.

On Ukraine, Guterres said, “I am deeply concerned about heightened tensions and increased speculation about a military conflict in Europe. I still think it will not happen. But if it did, it would be catastrophic.”

Guterres said the world has become more complex and dangerous under the pandemic. He cited security threats in Syria where Da’esh, Al-Qaida and its affiliates are regaining grounds, the risks of terrorist spill over out of Afghanistan as well as the alarming spread of terrorism in some African countries that show “how adept terrorists are at exploiting power vacuums and subverting fragile states.”

“The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the inadequacy and moral bankruptcy of the global financial system, which has increased the systemic inequality between north and south.

Many countries in the Global South have suffered devastating economic losses during the pandemic.

Governments face debt default and financial ruin, while their people face poverty, unemployment, hunger and despair.

“I urge all countries to step up support for global solutions to these non-traditional security threats, including the full implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change; the World Health Organization global vaccination strategy; and urgent reforms to the global financial system to enable developing countries to access the resources needed to support their people,” Guterres said.

WHO: Pandemic will end “when we choose to end it.”

WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus boldly told the conference that the answer to the question of when the pandemic will end: “It will end when we choose to end it. Because ultimately, it’s not a matter of chance, it’s a matter of choice.”

Tedros said the world now has the tools and know-how to end the pandemic this year.

“In particular, we are calling on all countries to fill the urgent financing gap of US$ 16 billion for the ACT Accelerator, to make vaccines, tests, treatments and PPE available everywhere,” he said.

Compared with the costs of another year of economic turmoil, $16 billion is frankly peanuts. And some finance ministers called it a rounding error to the money they are losing due to the pandemic.”

One of the programs to fight the pandemic is to allow and strengthen capacities for local production of vaccines and other health products in low- and middle-income countries. Tedros said WHO has established the WHO Technology Transfer Hub in South Africa, which has now developed its own mRNA COVID-19 vaccine candidate.

With the financial support of the European Union, WHO announced (February 18) the first six African countries to receive technology from the hub to produce their own mRNA vaccines: Egypt, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa and Tunisia.


Tedros called for substantial resources of $31 billion a year in order to strengthen global health security with about $20 billion coming from existing and projected domestic and international resources, leaving a gap of U$ 10 billion per year. 

“To close the gap for the most essential functions – such as surveillance, research and market-shaping for countermeasures – we support the idea of a new dedicated financing facility, anchored in, and directed by, WHO’s constitutional mandate, inclusive governance and technical expertise,” he said.

WFP: Famine threatens world like a ring of fire
David Beasly, Executive Director of the UN World Food Program (WFP), told the conference that conflict and climate shocks compounded by the pandemic and rising costs are driving millions of people to the brink of starvation.

“We have a ring of fire circling the earth now from the Sahel to South Sudan to Yemen, to Afghanistan, all the way around to Haiti and Central America,” Beasley said. “If we do not address the situation immediately over the next 9 months we will see famine, we will see destabilization of nations and we will see mass migration. If we don’t do something we are going to pay a mighty big price.”

He said a total of 45 million people in 43 countries are teetering on the edge of famine and as global hunger rates and humanitarian needs shoot ever higher, the resources required to meet them are levelling off. Beasly said the number of food insecure people has jumped from 135 million to 283 million in the last two years and it could spike ever further.

“We averted famine and catastrophe in 2021 and 2022 because nations stepped up. We thought COVID would be behind us by 2022, but it only recycled again, exacerbating, and creating economic catastrophes among the poorest countries around the world,” Beasley said. “WFP has the solutions and we’ve got the programs to stop this crisis, we just need the money, otherwise nations around the world will pay for it a thousand-fold.”

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UPDATE: WHO calls for $23 billion to end pandemic in 2022; Africa on track to control Covid-19

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Geneva/New York, February 11 – The World Health Organization has launched a global campaign to raise $23 billion which it said would put an end to the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022. WHO said the launch amounts to a new financing framework based on the ‘fair share’ of financing that each high-income country should contribute to the ACT-Accelerator’s global response.

The Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator (see ACT-Accelerator) is a partnership of leading UN agencies that is providing low and middle-income countries with tests, treatments, vaccines, and personal protective equipment. WHO said ‘fair shares’ are calculated based on the size of their national economy and what they would gain from a faster recovery of the global economy and trade. 

“The end of this pandemic can be within our sights – this year,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said of the launch. “We can get the economic recovery back on track and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. But we need to act now.”

“Vaccines, tests and effective treatments are available. Yet many low and lower middle-income countries are still not getting these pandemic-ending tools to protect their families and communities – and our world. Until and unless we can ensure access to these tools, the pandemic will not go away, and the sense of insecurity of people will only deepen. We have the systems to accelerate the rollout of these essential tools.”

Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, said Africa is on track to control the COVID-19 pandemic this year if current trends continue because the continent has become smarter, faster and better at responding to each new surge, UN News reported. But she said vigilance will remain key.

“Against the odds, including huge inequities in access to vaccination, we’ve weathered the COVID-19 storm with resilience and determination, informed by Africa’s long history and experience with controlling outbreaks,” she said. 

Moeti said Africa has gone through four waves of Covid-19, which claimed over 242,000 lives and tremendous damage to economies.

She said every month that emergency containment measures stay in place costs the continent roughly $13.8 billion in lost Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

“Although COVID-19 will be with us for the long-term, there is light at the end of the tunnel. This year we can end the disruption and destruction the virus has left in its path, and gain back control over our lives,” she said.

“Controlling this pandemic must be a priority. But we understand no two countries have had the same pandemic experience, and each country must, therefore, chart its own way out of this emergency.”

The launch in Geneva attended by national and international organization leaders came at a time when Omicron cases have declined and popular protests mounted against continued pandemic restrictions. Covid-19 deaths have remained high in some countries.

WHO said in a press release that the campaign aims at meeting the ACT-Accelerator’s funding gap of $16 billion and $6.8 billion in-country delivery costs to take vital steps towards ending the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022.

The press release said the ACT-Accelerator is calling for “the support of higher income countries, at a time when vast global disparities in access to Covid-19 tools persist. Over 4.7 billion Covid-19 tests have been administered globally since the beginning of the pandemic. However, only about 22 million tests have been administered in low-income countries, comprising only 0.4 per cent of the global total. Only 10 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose. This massive inequity not only costs lives, it also hurts economies and risks the emergence of new, more dangerous variants that could rob current tools of their effectiveness and set even highly-vaccinated populations back many months.” 

“The rapid spread of Omicron makes it even more urgent to ensure tests, treatments and vaccines are distributed equitably globally,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “If higher-income countries pay their fair share of the ACT-Accelerator costs, the partnership can support low- and middle-income countries to overcome low COVID-19 vaccination levels, weak testing, and medicine shortages. Science gave us the tools to fight COVID-19; if they are shared globally in solidarity, we can end COVID-19 as a global health emergency this year.”


See important links:
ACT-Accelerator calls for fair share-based financing of US$ 23 billion to end pandemic as global emergency in 2022

·        Consolidated Financing Framework for ACT-A Agency & In-Country Needs: www.who.int/publications/m/item/consolidated-financing-framework-for-act-a-agency-in-country-needs

·        ACT-Accelerator ‘fair share asks’ – by country: www.who.int/publications/m/item/act-accelerator-fair-share-asks—by-country

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WHO seeks $23 billion to end pandemic as a global emergency in 2022

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Geneva/New York, February 9 – The World Health Organization has launched a global campaign to raise $23 billion which it said would put an end to the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022. WHO said the launch amounts to a new financing framework based on the ‘fair share’ of financing that each high-income country should contribute to the ACT-Accelerator’s global response.

The Access to Covid-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator (see ACT-Accelerator) is a partnership of leading UN agencies that is providing low and middle-income countries with tests, treatments, vaccines, and personal protective equipment. WHO said ‘fair shares’ are calculated based on the size of their national economy and what they would gain from a faster recovery of the global economy and trade. 

“The end of this pandemic can be within our sights – this year,” UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said of the launch. “We can get the economic recovery back on track and rescue the Sustainable Development Goals. But we need to act now.”

“Vaccines, tests and effective treatments are available. Yet many low and lower middle-income countries are still not getting these pandemic-ending tools to protect their families and communities – and our world. Until and unless we can ensure access to these tools, the pandemic will not go away, and the sense of insecurity of people will only deepen. We have the systems to accelerate the rollout of these essential tools.”

The launch in Geneva attended by national and international organization leaders came at a time when Omicron cases have declined and popular protests mounted against continued pandemic restrictions. Covid-19 deaths have remained high in some countries.

WHO said in a press release that the campaign aims at meeting the ACT-Accelerator’s funding gap of $16 billion and $6.8 billion in-country delivery costs to take vital steps towards ending the pandemic as a global emergency in 2022.

The press release said the ACT-Accelerator is calling for “the support of higher income countries, at a time when vast global disparities in access to Covid-19 tools persist. Over 4.7 billion Covid-19 tests have been administered globally since the beginning of the pandemic. However, only about 22 million tests have been administered in low-income countries, comprising only 0.4 per cent of the global total. Only 10 per cent of people in low-income countries have received at least one vaccine dose. This massive inequity not only costs lives, it also hurts economies and risks the emergence of new, more dangerous variants that could rob current tools of their effectiveness and set even highly-vaccinated populations back many months.” 

“The rapid spread of Omicron makes it even more urgent to ensure tests, treatments and vaccines are distributed equitably globally,” said WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “If higher-income countries pay their fair share of the ACT-Accelerator costs, the partnership can support low- and middle-income countries to overcome low COVID-19 vaccination levels, weak testing, and medicine shortages. Science gave us the tools to fight COVID-19; if they are shared globally in solidarity, we can end COVID-19 as a global health emergency this year.”


See important links:


ACT-Accelerator calls for fair share-based financing of US$ 23 billion to end pandemic as global emergency in 2022

·        Consolidated Financing Framework for ACT-A Agency & In-Country Needs: www.who.int/publications/m/item/consolidated-financing-framework-for-act-a-agency-in-country-needs

·        ACT-Accelerator ‘fair share asks’ – by country: www.who.int/publications/m/item/act-accelerator-fair-share-asks—by-country

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Picasso’s Guernica tapestry returns to United Nations headquarters

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New York, February 5 – Famed Spanish painter Pablo Picasso’s Guernica tapestry, which depicts war’s atrocities, was returned to the United Nations headquarters by the Rockefeller family and re-hung at its berth outside of the UN Security Council chamber where diplomats usually hold press stakeouts with international media.

The 25-foot iconic tapestry was re-installed with little notice by a crew of workers one year after it was removed. The Rockefeller family, which has been the steward of the tapestry, lend it to the UN three decades ago. Picasso painted the anti-war artwork during the Spanish Civil War in 1937.

“I am delighted and deeply grateful, along with my family, for the careful stewardship the Secretary-General and the broader United Nations team has provided for the Guernica tapestry,” Nelson A. Rockefeller, Jr., said in a statement. “The Guernica tapestry with its probing symbolism – its depiction of horrific aspects of human nature – wrestles with the cruelty, darkness, and also a seed of hope within humanity.The Guernica tapestry is meant to be experienced and interpreted, with Picasso refusing to share its message when asked. I am grateful that the tapestry will be able to continue to reach a broader segment of the world’s population and magnify its ability to touch lives and educate.”

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UN launches 2022 humanitarian campaign for Afghanistan as it is “hanging by a threat” under Taliban authorities

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Kabul, Geneva, New York, January 26 – Afghanistan is “hanging by a threat” just six months after Taliban forces took over the country and it is facing another brutal winter with people burning possessions to keep warm and over half of the population of 39 million suffering extreme levels of hunger and over 80 per cent relying on contaminated drinking water, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the UN Security Council.

“For Afghans, daily life has become a frozen hell,” Guterres said. Other extreme conditions include clinics overcrowded and under resources;

Covid-19, deadly preventable diseases like measles, diarrhea and even polio and some families forced to sell their babies to purchase food.

“There is a danger that the currency could go into freefall, and the country could lose 30 per cent of its GDP within the year,” he said pointing out that liquidity has evaporated as sanctions and mistrust by the global banking system have frozen nearly $9 billion in central bank assets.

“As the economy spirals downward, human rights are also losing ground,” the UN leader said, citing the plight of women who lost their jobs and girls shut-out of their classrooms, and arbitrary arrests and abductions of women activists. “Meanwhile, terrorism remains a constant threat – not only to the security of Afghanistan itself, but to the entire world.”

Guterres urged the council to support recommendations and humanitarian programs that the UN team in Afghanistan was launching to assist  Afghanistan and to jump-start the country’s economy through increased liquidity.

While Guterres briefed the 15-nation Security Council at UN headquarters in New York, UN officials leading the humanitarian programs for Afghanistan launched the One-UN Transitional Engagement Framework (TEF) to assist Afghan people in 2022. They said TEF is the “overarching strategic planning document, ensuring the coordination of the UN team’s work to reduce the suffering of the people of Afghanistan by saving lives, sustaining essential services—such as health and education—and preserving essential community systems.”

“This UN system wide strategy will help ensure that Afghans can meet their basic human needs; acting on this now is more important than ever to avoid that an even wider proportion of the population requires lifesaving humanitarian assistance. It’s especially important now as millions are suffering with the harsh winter months, and we thank the international community for stepping up their vital support to the Afghan population,” said UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Afghanistan Dr. Ramiz Alakbarov.

The UN team said in a press release that the $8 billion required to implement this UN-wide framework include the $4.44 billion previously requested through the Humanitarian Response Plan, launched on 11 January, since all the activities in the TEF complement one another and are interdependent. While the HRP aims to deliver lifesaving assistance to 22.1 million people, through the TEF, the UN requires an additional $3.6 billion in immediate funding to sustain essential social services such as health and education; support community systems through maintenance of basic infrastructure; and maintain critical capacities for service delivery and promotion of livelihoods and social cohesion, with specific emphasis on socio-economic needs of women and girls.

“The United Nations are grateful to all donors for their continued generous support of relief and recovery efforts in Afghanistan, demonstrating the strong solidarity of the international community with the people of Afghanistan,” Dr. Alakbarov said, launching the TEF in Kabul with UN team representatives and members of the international community. “With the world coming together in aid of the resilient Afghans, adherence to the principles of equity, transparency and accountability inscribed in TEF will work towards restoring hope and dignity for all Afghans.”

The press release said the European Union recently announced 268 million Euros (US$302 million) to meet the basic human needs of the Afghans. Key contributions also include $308 million from the United States as well as continued generous support from the UK, Germany, Australia, Italy, Canada, Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Netherlands, Republic of Korea and other donors.

The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved $405 million in grants to support food security and sustain delivery of essential health and education services, while the World Bank (WB) and the Afghanistan Reconstruction Trust Fund (ARTF) donors approved first transfer of $280 million in support of delivery of essential services. Staying and delivering at the grassroots level across Afghanistan, the UN and partners will continue to engage in the sustained effort to meet humanitarian and basic human needs of Afghans, in compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 2615 adopted in December of 2021. 

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The San Francisco Conference in the spring of 1945, taking place while World War II was ending, resulted in the creation of the United Nations. The journalists excelled in their coverage of the historic event. They were the first United Nations correspondents. They continue today the task of reporting on UN activities around the world.

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