COVID-19 vaccination programmes are gathering pace in high-income countries, but for much of the world, the future looks bleaker. Although a number of middle-income countries have started rolling out vaccines, widespread vaccination could still be
years away.
Temperatures have plummeted way below zero in Bosnia, making life even more miserable for hundreds of migrants and refugees — including entire families with small children — sleeping rough while trying to reach Western Europe.
When journalists are targeted, “societies as a whole pay a price”, the UN chief said on November 2, 2020, the
International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists.
In July 1921, a French infant became the first person to
receive an experimental vaccine against tuberculosis (TB), after the mother had died from the disease. The vaccine, known as Bacille Calmette-Guérin (BCG), is the same one still used today.
In December 2020, Fiji was pounded by
Pacific Cyclone Yasa, the years’ second
category 5 storm which destroyed hundreds of buildings and caused about $1.4 billion in damage to
health facilities, homes, schools, agriculture and infrastructure.
Supporters of President Donald Trump, following his encouragement, stormed the US Capitol building on Jan. 6,
disrupting the certification of Joe Biden’s election victory. Waving Trump banners,
hundreds of people broke through barricades and smashed windows to enter the building where Congress convenes. One
rioter died and
several police officers were hospitalized in the clash. Congress went on lockdown.
Agricultural mechanisation is on the rise in Africa, replacing hand hoes and animal traction across the continent. While around
80-90% of all farmers still rely on manual labour or draught animals, this is changing, driven by falling machinery prices and rising rural wages. During the last couple of years, tractor sales grew by
around 10% annually.
While 2020 will be remembered most for the way COVID-19 changed our lives in nearly every way and in every part of the world, we made some strides for women’s rights and gender equality.
At the end of this year, we must pay our respects to the nearly 1.5 million people who have died from the Coronavirus.
COVID 19 has inflicted extensive damage beyond human casualties, exposing the frailties of governments, societies, economies and health systems, particularly in those countries that chose to ignore the warnings and advice of the WHO.
María Victoria Angulo is Colombia’s Minister of Education. She holds a Master´s Degree in Development Economics from the Universidad de Los Andes and a Master´s Degree in Specialized Economic Analysis from Pompeau Fabra University (Barcelona, Spain). The minister has more than 20 years of experience in educational policy development.
Globally, millions of
people don’t have access to water in their home. They collect water from shared water supply points or surface water sources and physically carry water containers back home for household use.
The Kigali Cooling Efficiency Program (K-CEP), a philanthropic collaboration, has selected the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) as technical assistance providers to improve access to and the efficiency of cooling in Burkina Faso and Viet Nam.
H.E. Mr. Stanislas Ouaro became the Minister of National Education and Literacy of Burkina Faso in February 2018 after a long academic career. Between 2012 and 2018, Mr. Ouaro was the President of the Université Ouaga II. Prior to that, the eminent mathematician held several teaching and administrative posts with Ouagadougou University. Mr. Ouaro is widely published, and has also served as the President of the
Réseau pour l’Excellence de l’Enseignement Supérieur en Afrique de l’Ouest (Network for Excellence in Higher Education in West Africa). A leading advocate for education and equality, Mr. Ouaro has been awarded several academic awards in Burkina Faso and elsewhere.
Vaccine hesitancy is a severe threat to global health,
according to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The
term refers to the delay in acceptance or the refusal of vaccines, despite the availability of vaccination services. It’s a serious risk to the people who aren’t getting vaccinated as well as the wider community.
Pacific Governments, agencies, donors and civil society now have a central source of reliable and current data to help them to make decisions that affect Pacific Islanders.
World AIDS Day this year finds us still deep amid another pandemic –
COVID-19. The highly infectious novel coronavirus has swept across the world, devastating health systems and laying waste to economies as governments introduced drastic measures to contain the spread. Not since the HIV/AIDS pandemic of the 1990s have countries faced such a common health threat.
The insidious problem of
online violence against women journalists is increasingly spilling offline with potentially deadly consequences, a new global survey suggests.
I’m part of a
research team that has been following more than 800 Black American families for almost 25 years. We found that people who had reported experiencing high levels of racial discrimination when they were young teenagers
had significantly higher levels of depression in their 20s than those who hadn’t. This elevated depression, in turn, showed up in their blood samples, which revealed accelerated aging on a cellular level.
Reporters and other media workers in warzones across the world, are reliable witnesses who contribute to forging peace, and must be better-protected under international humanitarian law,
said the UN chief on Wednesday.
Back in May 2019, we were visiting a large garment factory in Arsikere, Karnataka, when we asked some of the workers, “What would you do if you got Saturdays off?” Their responses to this simple question summed up their priorities. A majority said they would spend time with family or friends and take care of their children. Many said they would use this time to relax or do household chores. Only a few said they’d look for additional pay.
The ability of Zimbabwean families to take care of children has been compromised by a collapsing economy, compounded by
COVID-19. About 4.3 million people in rural communities, including children, are food insecure
this year. The World Food Programme indicates that
at least 60% of the population of Zimbabwe need food aid.