Regression on ‘virtually every indicator’ of progress for children: UNICEF

“The number of children who are hungry, isolated, abused, anxious, living in poverty and forced into marriage has increased. At the same time, their access to education, socialization and essential services including health, nutrition and protection has decreased”, Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director, said. 

“The signs that children will bear the scars of the pandemic for years to come are unmistakable.” 

Stark findings 

According to the latest data from UNICEF, children in developing countries have been particularly affected, with rates of child poverty there feared to rise by around 15 per cent and an additional 140 million children in these countries also projected to be in households living below the poverty line. 

168 million schoolchildren globally missed out on almost a year of classes, and more than 1 in 3 of the schoolchildren were unable to access remote learning, while schools were closed. 

A sharp rise is also feared in child marriages, with about 10 million additional girls at risk of being married before they turn 18, unravelling years of progress in reducing the horrendous practice, and robbing young girls of their childhood and threatening their lives and health. 

Health indicators, including mental health, for children also suffered major setbacks, and hunger and malnutrition rose sharply. As of March, children accounted for 13 per cent of global COVID-19 infections in 107 countries surveyed (data under 20 years of age). Nearly 100 million children were at risk of missing vaccines due to paused measles campaigns in 26 countries (data as of November 2020). 

Furthermore, over two-thirds of mental health services for children were disrupted globally, and at least 1 in 7 children and young people lived under stay-at-home policies for most the year, leading to feelings of anxiety, depression and isolation. 

Refugees and asylum seekers, in some 59 countries with available data, faced additional challenges, unable to access COVID-19-related social protection support due to border closures and rising xenophobia and exclusion (data as of November 2020). 

Keep children at ‘heart’ of recovery 

UNICEF Executive Director Fore called on all countries and stakeholders to ensure children are “at the heart of recovery efforts”. 

“This means prioritizing schools in reopening plans. It means providing social protection including cash transfers for families. And it means reaching the most vulnerable children with critical services”, she urged. 

“Only then can we protect this generation from becoming a lost generation.” 

‘COVID-19 doesn’t discriminate, but societies do’, say women frontliners

Dr. Roopa Dhatt, Executive Director of Women in Global Health, and two scientists who have developed COVID-19 vaccines – Professor Sarah Gilbert of Oxford University and Dr. Özlem Türeci of German company BioNTech, one of the vaccine pioneers – were guest speakers at the bi-weekly briefing by the World Health Organization (WHO) held on Monday, International Women’s Day. 

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the pandemic has disproportionately affected women, who have faced challenges ranging from rising violence, to higher levels of unemployment.  And although women make up the majority of health workers globally, or 70 per cent, they only account for a quarter of those in leadership roles. 

Last month, the UN agency launched the Gender Equal Health Initiative whose objectives include boosting the proportion of women health leaders, promoting equal pay, and ensuring safe and decent working conditions for health workers, which includes having access to personal protective equipment (PPE) and vaccines. 

Inequality at the table 

Dr. Dhatt, a physician in the United States, spoke of her “rollercoaster” year treating COVID-19 patients while also working to expand her organization and manage duties at home.   

She warned that the fundamental flaws and inequalities which the pandemic has exposed must be resolved urgently before the next global crisis. 

“The extraordinary work done by women in the health and care workforce in this pandemic has not earned them an equal seat at the decision-making table, and as a result, we have all lost out on their talent and expertise”, she said. 

Although proud of her contributions, Dr. Dhatt said like many health professionals, she felt furious that richer nations were not prepared for the pandemic “even though it was not unexpected”. 

She was also angry that her sickest patients tend to be black or Latina “and this is not new”, she said, adding “COVID-19 does not discriminate, but societies do.” 

Pandemic hits career prospects 

Professor Gilbert from Oxford University in the United Kingdom previously worked on vaccines for influenza, Ebola and MERS, which was also caused by a coronavirus.

She acknowledged women’s “enormous contribution” during COVID-19, including in comprising two-thirds of the team that developed the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine.   

“However, of the senior positions in the team, only one-third are women”, she said, emphasizing that more needs to be done so that women can progress in the field and other disciplines. 

“There are concerns that the pandemic has had more of an effect on the careers and livelihood of women than men, and as we begin to make our plans for recovery, we must not neglect this,” she stated.  

Professor Gilbert reported on the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine’s effectiveness in protecting older populations, but pointed to the work ahead in assessing its ability against COVID-19 variants.  Preparations are being made to update the vaccine, if necessary. 

Increase vaccine partnerships 

“As vaccinations are rolled out around the world, with the most vulnerable being protected first, we need to continue to monitor virus transmission and apply all available measures to reduce it to protect those not yet vaccinated and reduce the chances of new variants arising”, she recommended.  

“And to increase the amount of vaccine doses that can be delivered across the world, I encourage vaccine manufacturers to form new partnerships in diverse geographical locations to manufacture, fill and distribute vaccines that are already approved.” 

As a self-described “wanderer between three worlds” – medicine, immunology and entrepreneurship, Dr. Türeci has witnessed lack of gender equality “every day”. 

‘Making the seemingly impossible, possible’ 

But things are different at BioNTech, the company she co-founded with her husband, Professor Uğur Şahin, as women make up 54 per cent of employees and nearly half of the top management. 

“We like to think that being a gender-balanced team has been critical for making the seemingly impossible possible: to develop the COVID-19 vaccine within 11 months without shortcuts,” she said. 

The BioNTech vaccine, developed with pharmaceutical giant Pfizer, was the first-ever authorized for use.  Together with the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine, it is part of the UN-backed COVAX initiative that is working to make inoculation accessible to all people everywhere. 

As more vaccines come on stream, Dr. Türeci underscored the goal of achieving herd immunity, or widescale population protection, through equitable rollout worldwide. 

 “’Mission Herd Immunity’ means that no one will be safe until everyone is safe: across genders, ethnicities, economies and nations”, she said, outlining the need for collective action in areas such as ramping up vaccine production, improving supply chains and securing funding. 

Woman army officer in forefront of COVID-19 battle in Sierra Leone

“COVID-19 is a dynamic and fluid situation,” says Lieutenant Matilda Mattu Moiwo. “You can’t predict everything that will occur in advance.” 

Lt. Moiwo is a staff officer of the Republic of Sierra Leone Armed Forces. Her military training serves her well in the fight against COVID-19. 

As the National Emergency Medical Services Referral Coordinator in the capital city of Freetown, Lt. Moiwo has to juggle national ambulance services, clinicians at hospitals, treatment centers and isolation units, and psychosocial assistance for patients and their families. She also disseminates test results and updates a national database on COVID-19.

Lt. Moiwo remains level-headed despite the skyrocketing demands for her team since the first case of COVID-19 was detected in the West African country in March 2020. 

She remembers one particular COVID-19 case, where a pregnant woman at full term needed a caesarean section. “For this woman, it was not just a matter of having a safe delivery. This was the very first delivery for a coronavirus patient in Sierra Leone. Health care workers at the isolation unit were worried. So was the patient.” 

It took an hour or more of managing the elements needed for a safe delivery, but in the end, the hard work paid off and the woman delivered a baby girl.  

Cases like these call for creative thinking, says Lt. Moiwo. “It is critical to get the right patients to the right places because we offer different treatment centers with different levels of care, depending on severity,” she says. 

Building women’s leadership is part of government efforts to promote gender equality in all areas of life. Such moves include a new law on sexual offenses, the launch of one-stop centres on sexual and gender-based violence, and the government’s 2019 declaration of rape and sexual violence as a national emergency. 

All these efforts are supported by the UN Country Team in Sierra Leone. And, says UN Resident Coordinator, Babatunde Ahonsi, supporting gender equality also means supporting the fight against COVID-19. 

“COVID-19 is an all-hands-on-deck situation,” says Mr. Ahonsi. “If women are prevented from taking leadership positions, then we’re fighting the pandemic with one hand tied behind our back. When women are subjected to sexual violence, then there’s that much less energy and resources to advance public health.” 

The equation works both ways. Just as gender equality supports public health, public health can support gender equality—if proper attention is paid to it.

That’s why the UN Country Team works on both gender equality and COVID-19—and makes sure that the two go hand in hand. 

For instance, Mr. Ahonsi led an effort to secure the donation of 100,000 face masks from China for the Sierra Leone Ministry of Health and Sanitation.  

UNICEF reached out to 50 health influencers, including women leaders, who advocated for the proper use of masks, handwashing, and physical distancing.

The World Health Organization provided technical support to the government and health facilities, which includes the National COVID-19 Emergency Response Centre, where Lt. Moiwo is a leader. 

“When we make progress in gender equality, we make progress in every area of human endeavor,” says the UN Resident Coordinator. 

Lt. Moiwo puts that notion into practice every day on the job. She believes that, by stepping up as a leader, she is helping dismantle discrimination against women.

‘They all died on the same day’: a Benin doctor on her fight against COVID-19

A doctor in Benin has been telling the UN about the challenging conversations she has had with the relatives of patients who have died from COVID-19, and how she has used her long medical experience to effectively lead a team of health care workers.

“The most painful moment in managing this crisis was in June 2020 when I had three severe cases of COVID-19. They all died on the same day.”

Dr. Rokhiatou Babio is one of the few women in Benin to lead a medical team on the frontline of the coronavirus pandemic, work which is supported by the United Nations in the north-east of the West African country. She recounts the shocking experience on that sombre and cruel day, a month into her new job.

“One of the three patients practically died in my arms”.

She falls into a deep silence and then continues. “You have to deal with the relatives after the deaths. The hardest part for them was not being able to take the mortal remains of their loved ones with them. It is difficult to convince them, even with the support of a psychologist”. 

Dr. Babio is a general practitioner at the emergency department of the University Hospital of Borgou. She also supervises a team of 40 medical staff at the COVID-19 care centre of the Borgou Army Instruction Hospital, which admits coronavirus patients from five of Benin’s 12 departments – Atacora, Borgou, Alibori, Donga and Collines.

As an expert with a long experience of medical emergency and epidemic care, Dr. Babio has managed four health crises in her career. Faced with the COVID-19 pandemic, she says she was quickly able to inspire confidence in other “less experienced” team members.

“As soon as I took on this task, my goal was to save the lives of patients while protecting health care workers, most of whom had never managed an epidemic before. It was, therefore, necessary from the first days to establish a climate of confidence and make them want to manage COVID-19 patients,” she says.

Dr. Babio divided her staff into three multi-disciplinary, teams made up of men and women. To get the best out of each of them, she listened to issues from all staff members, both professional and personal.

“Each colleague has my number and can contact me at any time to voice their concerns. This lowers staff stress levels and ensures good management of the epidemic”, she adds.

In Benin some people are surprised to see a woman at the helm of the emergency department, more so as the COVID-19 case management coordinator. But she says she’s the right person for the job.

“Since 2016, I have been managing epidemics of viral hemorrhagic fevers in Lassa and my competence has been recognized at the international level,” she says.

The doctor stresses that women are good at managing conflicts. “We are first and foremost mothers and, therefore, born to show empathy”.

Her colleague, Dr. Hermès Melvis Amoussouvi, a general practitioner, agrees. He acknowledges that leadership is “genderless”.

“A leader should be able to inspire both women and men. But it is important, and it is increasingly noticeable, that women realize their capacity to do as much or even better than men. Women have their own potential, and we must embrace it,” Dr. Amoussouvi said.

The UN country team in Benin is working closely with the government to facilitate women’s integration in all sectors of society, including in medicine.

“We cannot build the future we want and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) without the full participation of all stakeholders in society, especially women,” says Salvator Niyonzima, who, as Resident Coordinator, is the most senior UN official in Benin.

He emphasizes the significance of the promotion of gender equality and women’s rights in a broader social context. “Gender equality, enshrined in SDG 5, is often measured by the existence of a legal framework to promote, enforce and monitor the application of the principles around non-discrimination based on sex.”

Dr. Babio says she’s determined to do her best for her patients. “What a pleasure to see our patients getting better. I feel re-energized when they are grateful for our support. Yes, we save human lives”.

Her competence is well recognized by her peers and patients. “I take my hat off to this very dynamic team under the leadership of a rigorous and methodical woman,” explains Ms. Hermine Fatoumbi, a patient who has just recovered from COVID-19.

Mental health alert for 332 million children linked to COVID-19 lockdown policies: UNICEF

Based on new research, it said on Thursday that more than 330 million youngsters have been stuck at home for at least nine months, since the virus spread uncontrollably this time last year.

This has left them feeling isolated and anxious about their future, said UNICEF spokesperson James Elder: “Tens and tens of millions of youngsters have been left feeling isolated and afraid and lonely and anxious because of these enforced lockdowns and isolations that have become as a result of this pandemic.”

He said countries needed to emerge from this pandemic “with a better approach, a better approach to child and adolescent mental health, and that probably starts just by giving the issue the attention it deserves.”

Mental vulnerabilities

Half of all mental disorders develop before the age of 15, according to UNICEF and the majority of the 800,000 people who die by suicide annually, are under 18s.

The UN agency also said that the pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries worldwide.

UNICEF Executive Director, Henrietta Fore, said that when day after day “you are away from your friends and distant loved ones, and perhaps even stuck at home with an abuser, the impact is significant.

“Many children are left feeling afraid, lonely, anxious, and concerned for their future. We must emerge from this pandemic with a better approach to child and adolescent mental health, and that starts by giving the issue the attention it deserves.”

For children experiencing violence, neglect or abuse at home, lockdowns have left many stranded with abusers. Children in vulnerable population groups – like those living and working on the streets, children with disabilities, and children living in conflict settings – risk having their mental health needs overlooked entirely.

According to WHO, the COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted or halted critical mental health services in 93 per cent of countries worldwide, while the demand for mental health support is increasing.

UNICEF responding

To respond to growing needs, the agency has offered support to Governments and partners to prioritize services for children.

In Kazakhstan, this has led to the launch of a UNICEF platform for individual online counselling services, alongside distance training in schools for mental health specialists.

In China, the agency has also worked with social media company Kuaishou, to produce an online challenge to help reduce anxiety in children.

Later this year, UNICEF will dedicate its biennial flagship report on the state of the world’s children, to child and adolescent mental health, in a bid to increase awareness of the global challenge, exacerbated profoundly by the coronavirus.

Boost investment

“If we did not fully appreciate the urgency prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, surely we do now”, said Ms. Fore.

Countries must dramatically invest in expanded mental health services and support for young people and their caregivers in communities and schools. We also need scaled-up parenting programmes to ensure that children from vulnerable families get the support and protection they need at home.”

Untreated hearing loss threatens nearly 2.5 billion people worldwide – WHO 

The World Health Organization’s (WHO) report, launched ahead of World Hearing Day 2021 on Wednesday, says that in less than 30 years, nearly 2.5 billion people globally face the threat of hearing loss – at least 700 million of whom will require ear and hearing care as well as other rehabilitation services, unless action is taken. 

That figure would mark a significant increase from the current 430 million people worldwide who are experiencing “disabling hearing loss”.  

“Our ability to hear is precious. Untreated hearing loss can have a devastating impact on people’s ability to communicate, to study and to earn a living”, said WHO Director-General chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “It can also impact on people’s mental health and their ability to sustain relationships”. 

Hearing investments 

The new report underlines the need to promptly step-up efforts to prevent and address hearing loss by investing and expanding access to ear and hearing care services. 

WHO has calculated that governments can expect a cost-effective return of nearly $16 for every dollar invested. 

The vast majority of those with disabling hearing loss, live in low and middle income countries where policies, trained professionals, infrastructure and basic awareness to address the issue, are commonly lacking. 

“Integrating ear and hearing care interventions within national health plans and delivering these through strengthened health systems, as part of universal health coverage, is essential to meet the needs of those at risk of or living with hearing loss”, said Bente Mikkelsen, Director of the WHO Department of Noncommunicable Diseases.  

Hearing loss 

In children, almost 60 per cent of hearing loss can be prevented through measures such as rubella and meningitis immunizations, improved maternal and neonatal care, and screening for and early management of otitis media – inflammatory diseases of the middle ear.  

In adults, noise control, safe listening and surveillance of medicines that cause a toxic effect on the ear or its nerve supply, together with thorough ear hygiene can help maintain good hearing and reduce the potential for hearing loss. 

Correcting the loss 

Identification is the first step in addressing hearing loss and related ear diseases. 

According to WHO, clinical screening at strategic points in life ensure that any loss of hearing and ear diseases can be identified as early as possible. 

Moreover, recent technological advances, including accurate and easy-to-use tools, can identify ear disease and hearing loss at any age, and screenings can be done during the COVID-19 pandemic and in underserved areas of the world. 

Untreated hearing loss can have a devastating impact on people’s ability to communicate, to study and to earn a living — WHO chief

Once diagnosed, early intervention is key. Medical treatment can cure most ear diseases and where hearing loss is irreversible, rehabilitation can prevent adverse consequences of hearing loss.  

A range of options are available, including technology such as hearing aids and cochlear implants, which, when accompanied by appropriate support services and rehabilitative therapy, are effective and can benefit children and adults alike. 

“To ensure that the benefit of these technological advances and solutions is equitably accessible to all, countries must adopt an integrated people-centered approach”, Dr. Bente Mikkelsen advised. 

The report also highlights that sign language and other sensory substitution, such as speech reading, are important options for many deaf people, as are hearing assistive technology and services, including captioning and sign language interpretation.

‘We sink or we swim together’: 5 things you need to know about COVAX

1) What is COVAX?

COVAX (COVID-19 Vaccines Global Access) is the vaccines element of the ACT-Accelerator programme, led by the WHO and international partners, to develop a set of tools to fight the virus. WHO says that the programme has supported the fastest, most coordinated, and successful global effort in history to fight a disease.

The aim is to distribute two billion doses, mostly to poorer countries, in 2021, and immunise 27 per cent of their citizens.

“No one is safe until everyone is safe”, has been a World Health Organization (WHO) mantra since the beginning of the global COVID-19 health crisis. However, richer countries had the resources to pre-order vast quantities of vaccines, ensuring that their populations were first in the queue when pharmaceutical companies got the green light to deliver doses, prompting UN human rights experts to warn against “vaccine hoarding”, and insist that vaccines must be available for all.

2) How does it work?

Funded by richer countries and private donors, who have raised more than $2 billion, COVAX was launched in the early months of the pandemic, to ensure that people living in poorer countries would not be left out, when successful vaccines came onto the market. The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), in collaboration with the UN’s Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), is taking the lead in efforts to procure and supply doses.

Some 92 low and lower-income countries are purchasing vaccines with support from COVAX, and it is expected that the poorest citizens will be vaccinated free of charge. Around 80 higher-income economies have announced that they will finance the vaccines from their own budgets.

3) Which vaccines are being distributed through COVAX?

By the end of 2020, the WHO had lined up almost two billion doses of existing and candidate vaccines for use worldwide. Not all of those vaccines will be effective against the virus, but assembling such a huge vaccine reservoir meant that the UN health agency can say with confidence that COVAX will distribute enough doses to protect health and social care workers in all participating countries by mid-2021.

Some 1.2 million doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, which requires ultra-cold chain storage are to be delivered to 18 countries in the first quarter of 2021, out of an agreed total of 40 million. A much larger rollout of around 336 million doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford jab will be dispatched to nearly all countries that have signed up to the COVAX scheme, from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe.

4) Which countries are receiving the first COVAX doses?

On 24 February around 600,000 doses of the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine, produced under licence in India, arrived in Ghana, welcomed by WHO as a historic step towards the goal of ensuring equitable distribution of vaccines worldwide. This shipment was swiftly followed by the arrival of more than half a million AstraZeneca/Oxford doses in Côte d’Ivoire.

These initial shipments are part of an initial 90 million doses due to be sent to Africa from the COVAX facility in the first half of 2021, supporting the inoculation of around three per cent of those most in need of protection, including health workers and other vulnerable groups.

By the end of 2021, it is hoped that, with the availability of more vaccines and increased production capacity, 600 million doses will have been rolled out, and some 20 per cent of the African population will have been vaccinated.

5) Why is it important?

The COVID-19 virus has taken a huge human toll. More than two million people worldwide have succumbed to the virus. Many more have been hospitalized, and suffered ongoing debilitating consequences. COVAX is intended to stem this tragic loss of life and chronic illness.

In addition, billions of lives have been disrupted by the travel restrictions, lockdowns and other measures put in place to slow the spread of the virus. Millions of jobs have been lost as the global economy has slowed down, and health services have been overwhelmed, making it harder for patients with non-COVID-related ailments to receive treatment.

It’s hoped that the vaccines provided by COVAX will contribute to reversing those damaging trends and return the world to normality, whatever that might look like.

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghrebeyesus has pointed out that COVAX is not a charity effort: in a highly inter-connected global economy, effective vaccines, widely available in all countries, are the fastest way to end the pandemic, kick-start the global economy, and ensure a sustainable recovery. In the WHO chief’s words, “we sink or we swim together”.

UN’s nuclear watchdog agency will not be ‘bargaining chip’ in Iran nuclear deal

 After speaking to the International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) Board of Governors, Director General Rafael Grossi told a press conference that while the agency had opened a window of opportunity for diplomacy in Iran, it should not be put in the middle of negotiations between Iran, the United States and other nations over the deal.  

On 15 February, Iran announced that it would stop implementing “voluntary transparency measures” in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), known commonly as the Iran nuclear deal, along with other arrangements in Iran’s Safeguards Agreement.  

The IAEA chief said to the 35-nation board that a “temporary bilateral technical understanding” had been agreed upon during his visit to the country last month that would enable the UN agency to “resume its full verification and monitoring of Iran’s nuclear-related commitments under the JCPOA if and when Iran resumes its implementation of those commitments”. 

Serious concern 

The IAEA chief also raised the alarm that nuclear activities in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK), commonly known as North Korea, remains “a cause for serious concern”.  

“The continuation of the DPRK’s nuclear programme is a clear violation of relevant UN Security Council resolutions and is deeply regrettable”, Mr. Grossi said, adding that the Vienna-based agency was intensifying its readiness “to play its essential role in verifying North Korea’s nuclear programme”. 

Reviewing nuclear safety 

The IAEA chief also drew attention to the agency’s Nuclear Safety Review 2021, which provides an overview of the agency’s activities and global trends in nuclear, radiation, transport and nuclear waste safety protcols, as well as in emergency preparedness and response.  

“This year, it also identifies the priorities in these areas, and provides an analytical overview of overall trends”, he said. 

Strengthen preparedness  

Moreover, the UN official flagged IAEA’s work in strengthening global preparedness for future pandemics through its Zoonotic Disease Integrated Action (ZODIAC) initiative on diseases, that jump from animals to humans – the common path for viruses such as COVID-19. 

He said the initiative will help to reduce the chance that the next outbreak will wreak “the deadly destruction we are suffering today”. 

And Mr. Grossi informed the members that last week, IAEA signed revised arrangements with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to “help Member States respond to emerging challenges from climate change to outbreaks of zoonotic diseases”. 

Climate on the table 

As the Agency prepares for the 2021 UN Climate Change Conference, known as COP26, scheduled for November in Glasgow, Scotland, Mr. Grossi said that he would personally deliver the message that “nuclear energy has a seat at the tables when the world’s future energy and climate policies are being discussed”.  

“Almost five years after the signing of the Paris Agreement, governments are becoming increasingly aware that they must shift from fossil fuels to nuclear and other low-carbon technologies, if they are to reach their net zero objectives”, Mr. Grossi said. 

The Director-General concluded by assuring that the agency was continuing its work on advancing gender equality, and invited Member States to join a panel discussion with some of the IAEA’s early women pioneers on 8 March, International Women’s Day.

COVID-19 cases rise for first time in seven weeks: WHO

Four of the agency’s six regions reported a rise in numbers, with Africa and the Western Pacific excluded. 

“This is disappointing, but not surprising”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking during his biweekly press briefing from Geneva. 

“Some of it appears to be due to relaxing of public health measures, continued circulation of variants, and people letting down their guard.” 

The jump in cases comes as the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines continues. 

“Vaccines will help to save lives, but if countries rely solely on vaccines, they’re making a mistake”, Tedros warned, underscoring the importance of basic public health measures such as testing, contact tracing, wearing masks and avoiding crowds. 

‘Encouraging’ signs 

Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire began vaccinating health care workers on Monday, becoming the first countries to benefit from a global mechanism for ensuring vaccine equity.   

Through the COVAX Facility, WHO and our partners are working to ensure every country can begin vaccination within the first 100 days of the year.  

COVAX will deliver 11 million doses to countries this week.  By the end of May, some 240 million doses will be allocated to 142 participating countries. 

Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, WHO’s Chief Scientist, pointed to “encouraging” signs as the world continues to gear up for what is the largest vaccine deployment in history. 

“We’ve seen early data from countries where vaccination campaigns started months ago, the impact that this is having on reducing hospitalizations, reducing deaths, particularly in the older age groups, amongst the vulnerable. We’ve even seen very encouraging data in reduction in infections among health care workers who have received the vaccine”, she said. 

“So, these are still early days, but the signs are encouraging; the safety profile is encouraging. About 250 million doses have been given worldwide, and so far, there have been no major safety signals, so that is reassuring as well.” 

Concern for Tigray region 

WHO explained that some countries have received COVAX vaccines early due to several factors such as the level of government preparedness, but logistical challenges in distributing vaccines, which include labelling, packaging and shipping, can also affect deployment. 

Dr. Michael Ryan, WHO Executive Director, spoke about the difficulty in reaching conflict areas such as the Tigray region in Ethiopia, where government and regional forces have been fighting since November. 

He said the situation is of grave concern, as water, sanitation, essential health services and COVID-19 intervention have been disrupted. Many people are living in displacement camps, increasing risk of diarrhoeal disease, malaria and other illneses. 

WHO has worked to provide essential supplies to cover 450,000 people, or roughly 10 per cent of the population, for three months, Dr. Ryan told journalists.  

“Our primary aim as an organization, wherever we work, is to ensure that all people have access to the basic, essential human right of access to basic health care”, he said. 

“We will work with the Ministry of Health; we will work with health cluster partners and anybody else who can help us to provide better access to the population there.” 

WHO-backed policy brief calls for action to address ‘long COVID’

The document summarizes what is known so far about “long COVID” and how countries are addressing the condition, whose troubling symptoms include severe fatigue and increased damage to the heart, lungs and brain. 

The policy brief was published by the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Regional Office for Europe and the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. 

Struggling to be taken seriously 

Dr. Hans Kluge, WHO’s Regional Director, said long COVID is an extra cause for concern amid the pandemic, which has already caused immense suffering. 

“It’s important that patients reporting with symptoms of long COVID are included as part of the COVID-19 response to mitigate some of the longer-term health impacts of the pandemic”, he said. 

Long COVID is not fully understood, but available data indicate that roughly a quarter of people suffer from symptoms four to five weeks after testing positive for the coronavirus, and about one in 10 still experiences symptoms after 12 weeks. 

Patients, who include medical professionals, struggle to be taken seriously.  They report feeling stigmatized and unable to get a diagnosis, receiving “disjointed” care, while also facing problems in accessing health and disability benefits. 

Involve patients in research and response 

The policy brief highlights areas for action, including through developing “new care pathways”, creating appropriate services, and tackling wider consequences such as employment rights, sick pay policies and access to disability benefits.  

Patient registers and other surveillance measures should be implemented, and research into post-COVID conditions must be conducted in collaboration with patients and care providers. 

 “Long COVID has demonstrated the importance of involving patients in research”, said Dr. Selina Rajan, lead author of the policy brief.  

“However, much remains to be understood about the long-term, multisystem consequences of COVID-19 infections in children and adults, and the interventions required to treat them.”

West Africa steps up efforts to tackle latest Ebola threat

So far, nine cases have been reported in Guinea, leading to five deaths. While there have been no confirmed cases beyond the West African nation so far, the outbreak’s epicentre, Gouecke, N’Zerekore prefecture, is close to the borders of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Côte d’Ivoire, according to the UN health agency.

Scaling up response

Despite limited border controls, all six neighboring countries – Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Senegal and Sierra Leone – are urgently updating national response plans using the WHO readiness assessment tool, to detect, isolate and manage potential cross-border cases. 

Ebola virus disease (EVD) is a rare but severe and often fatal illness. The average death rate is around 50 per cent, with rates having varied from 25 per cent to 90 per cent in past outbreaks.  

The virus spreads through contact with the body fluids – such as vomit, faeces or blood – of an infected person, or through contaminated surfaces and materials, such as bedding and clothing.

‘Hard lessons of history’

“We’ve learned the hard lessons of history and we know…preparedness works”, said Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa, stressing that “systematic surveillance, comprehensive preparations and strong, cross-border coordination are crucial to detecting any cases and ensuring that they are quickly isolated, treated and that vaccination of high-risk contacts begin quickly.

In addition to surveillance and screening at border crossing points, and in high-risk communities, rapid response teams are being deployed to border areas.

West African countries are also committed to stepping up testing and treatment facilities. So far 20 suspected cases have been reported across three countries bordering Guinea. All tested negative for Ebola.

Guinea vaccine push

Soon after the first case was reported, Guinea began an Ebola vaccine drive focusing on high-risk communities, especially in the epicentre Gouecke. To date, around 225 people have been vaccinated, including 66 high-risk contacts. according to WHO.

Meanwhile, the UN health agency has disbursed $1.25 million to support Guinea and to reinforce Ebola readiness in all six neighbouring nations.

Around 65 WHO experts are on the ground and the government has provided a charter flight to deliver the rVSV-ZEBOV Ebola vaccine, ultra-cold chain containers, personal protective equipment and other medical supplies from the capital Conakry to N’Zerekore.

DR Congo update

Moreover, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) has also released $15 million to help Guinea and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) tackle the resurgence of Ebola, as well as preparedness in countries neighbouring DRC.

So far eight cases and four deaths have been reported in DRC’s North Kivu province, following the fresh Ebola outbreak declared there on 7 February.

The recent tragic death of Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio in DRC, who was travelling in a UN World Food Programme (WFP) convoy, has highlighted the difficulties of dealing with outbreaks and the COVID-19 pandemic in areas of Africa where armed groups holds sway, hampering surveillance and treatment efforts.

Syria: Economic decline, rising hunger and surging humanitarian needs

Citing “disturbing new food security data” published by the World Food Programme (WFP), Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Mark Lowcock stated that some 60 per cent of the population “do not have regular access to enough safe and nutritious food”.  

“The increase may be shocking, but it cannot be said to be surprising”, he said via video link.  

‘Desperate measures’ 

The UN official told the Council that average household expenses now exceed income by an estimated 20 per cent, leaving millions to resort to “desperate measures” to survive. 

More than 70 per cent of Syrians say they have taken on new debt, and are forced to sell assets and livestock. Meanwhile, parents are eating less so they can feed their children, who are now working instead of studying.  

“Those who have run out of options are simply going hungry”, he spelled out, flagging that more than half a million under-fives are suffering from the effects of stunting. 

Looking north 

While these problems are visible in many parts of the country, Mr. Lowcock drew attention to the northwest and northeast, where nutrition data show that up to one in three children in some areas, suffer from the irreversible development and learning impacts of stunting. 

“A doctor at a pediatrics hospital told me that of his 80 in-patient beds, half are occupied by malnourished children”, five of whom had died due to their condition, he said. 

Meanwhile, malnutrition has become so normal that parents cannot spot the signs in their own children, another doctor told the relief chief. 

Cross-border assistance 

Some physicians shared their concerns that cross-border aid into Syria’s northwest may be disrupted, prompting Mr. Lowcock to stress the importance of humanitarian access. 

“All humanitarian assistance that enters northwest Syria is delivered cross-border” and supports 2.4 million people monthly, he said. Without it, “the situation would go from terrible to catastrophic”.  

“When it comes to delivering life-saving aid to people in need, all channels should be made, and should be kept, available”, the UN official said, echoing the Secretary-General.  

Should the Security Council fail to extend its authorization for cross-border assistance in the future, he warned that it would “trigger suffering and loss of life potentially on a very large scale”. 

Turning to the northeast, Mr. Lowcock informed ambassadors that recent tensions have caused temporary disruptions in emergency assistance for hundreds of thousands of people. 

While the UN has continued to scale up crossline medical deliveries there, expanding its reach is dependent on approvals, improved security conditions and adequate funding.  

Protecting civilians 

He painted a picture of a series of “horrific bombings” that killed dozens and injured many others, a humanitarian worker killed while helping COVID-19-affected people on 16 February, and a hospital damaged when a missile struck an adjoining building,  

Every day, humanitarian workers in Syria deliver aid under the most difficult circumstances and at great personal risk, Mr. Lowcock said, spelling out: “They must be protected”. 

He informed the Council that the third draft of UN Strategic Framework for 2021-2023, which covers the UN country team’s agreed operational activities, is moving forward and noted those activities are complementary to the Humanitarian Response Plan “to save lives, enhance protection, and increase resilience and access to services”. 

“This is essential at a time when the economy continues to suffer severe decline, poverty and hunger are on the rise, and humanitarian needs are also increasing”, he concluded.

COVID-19 imperils ‘historic advances’ in children’s access to school meals: UN report

According to WFP’s report, State of School Feeding Worldwide, 370 million children in 199 countries and territories were suddenly deprived of school meals, when schools closed due to the pandemic. That meal was for many their only nutritious food of the day. 

David Beasley, WFP Executive Director, highlighted the importance of school meal programmes. 

“That one meal a day is often the reason hungry children go to school in the first place. It’s also a powerful incentive to make sure they’ll come back after lockdown ends”, he said. 

“We need to get these programmes running again – even better than before – to stop COVID destroying the futures of millions of the world’s most vulnerable children.” 

Towards that end, WFP will build a coalition to support governments scale up their school meals programmes, working with development agencies, donors, the private sector and civil society organizations, according to the agency. 

It has also launched a ten-year School Feeding Strategy to strengthen its global strategic role in school health and nutrition. In addition, the agency will promote research on school health and nutrition as a global public good, helping countries to access better evidence for more cost-efficient programmes. 

Benefits of school meals  

Before the coronavirus pandemic, national school feeding programmes delivered school meals to one in two schoolchildren globally – or 388 million children – more than at any time in human history, making them the most extensive social safety net in the world, according to the WFP report. 

Studies have shown that school meals have a major impact on the lives of children, particularly those from poor families, the agency said, explaining that they stave off hunger, support long-term health and help a child learn and thrive. For girls, these meals are even more important, as they help keep them in school longer, reduce child marriages, and decrease teen pregnancies. 

When school meal programmes use locally produced food, they also boost a community’s economy, creating stable demand and market, supporting local agriculture and strengthening local food systems.  

The report highlighted that in the post-COVID-19 world, school feeding programmes will be even more of a priority investment, as they help countries to build a healthy and educated population, while supporting national growth and promoting economic development. 

Up to $9 return for $1 investment 

Efficient school meals programmes yield returns of up to $9 for every $1 invested, and create jobs, WFP said, pointing to its calculations that about 1,668 new jobs are created for every 100,000 children fed. 

“After the turmoil of recent months, we must seize the opportunity to start building the better world we all want to see”, Executive Director Beasley urged, stressing that “WFP is fully committed to working with our partners to ensure that no child, regardless of where they live, goes to school hungry – or worse, doesn’t go to school at all.”  

‘No place’ for coups in today’s world, UN chief tells Myanmar military 

“Coups have no place in our modern world”, Mr. Guterres said in a pre-recorded video address at the Council’s 46th regular session, his comments coming after the forum held a special session on 12 February, in which it adopted a resolution expressing deep concern at the junta’s move. 

“Today, I call on the Myanmar military to stop the repression immediately”, the UN chief continued. “Release the prisoners. End the violence. Respect human rights and the will of the people expressed in recent elections. I welcome the resolution of the Human Rights Council, pledge to implement your request, and express my full support to the people of Myanmar in their pursuit of democracy, peace, human rights and the rule of law.” 

14-year old victim 

Mr. Guterres’s comments followed his censure at the weekend of the use of “deadly force” in Myanmar, in which a protester – reportedly 14 years old – was killed in Mandalay, along with one other. 

Also addressing the Council at the start of its month-long session, which is being held almost entirely remotely to prevent the spread of COVID-19, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, focused on the massive and negative impact of pandemic. 

“I think we all realise that the use of force will not end this pandemic. Sending critics to jail will not end this pandemic. Illegitimate restrictions on public freedoms, the overreach of emergency powers and unnecessary or excessive use of force are not just unhelpful and unprincipled. They deter public participation in decision-making, which is the foundation of sound policy-making.”  

Help for the most vulnerable 

In another video message, President of the UN General Assembly, Volkan Bozkir, underscored the need to focus on people’s basic needs – including new coronavirus vaccines – as the best way to recover from the pandemic. 

“It is essential that all responses to the COVID-19 pandemic are centred around human rights, and promote the protection of our citizens, including the most vulnerable who need our care and consideration the most”, he said. “This includes ensuring the equal and fair distribution of vaccines for all. It is critical that civil society, the private sector, and all stakeholders are facilitated to participate and provide feedback throughout the planning and assessment of responses.” 

Vaccine unfairness 

Echoing the call for equitable vaccine access in a wide-ranging address that included a broadside against right-wing extremists becoming a “transnational threat” and the manipulation of personal digital data by Governments to control citizens’ behaviour, the Secretary-General described the fact that only 10 countries had administered “more than 75 per cent of all COVID-19 vaccines” as “the latest moral outrage”.  

Vaccine equity “affirms human rights”, he said, but “vaccine nationalism denies it. Vaccines must be a global public good, accessible and affordable for all.” 

Taking up that theme, Ms. Bachelet insisted that the new coronavirus crisis had illustrated the “deadly realities of discrimination”. 

Deep inequalities and chronic under-funding for essential services were to blame, she added, with policymakers largely responsible for ignoring these basic needs. 

Pandemic rolls on 

“Today, the medical impact of the pandemic is far from over – and its effects on economies, freedoms, societies, and people have only just begun”, she said. “The global rise in extreme poverty, accelerating inequalities; setbacks to women’s rights and equality; to education and opportunities for children and young people; and to the Sustainable Development Agenda are shocks that could shake the foundations of societies.” 

Despite the scale of the challenges posed in this second year of the pandemic, the High Commissioner struck a positive note, insisting that “we have the possibility of rebuilding better, more inclusive systems, which address root causes and prepare us to meet the challenges we will certainly face”.  

Among the many major problems facing people everywhere, the UN Secretary-General highlighted the disproportionate gender impact of COVID-19. 

Crisis ‘has a woman’s face’ 

“The crisis has a woman’s face”, he said. “Most essential frontline workers are women — many from racially and ethnically marginalized groups and at the bottom of the economic ladder. Most of the increased burden of care in the home is taken on by women.”  

Persons with disabilities, older persons, refugees, migrants and indigenous peoples had also paid a higher price than others during the first year of the pandemic. Mr. Guterres continued, before calling for “a special focus on safeguarding the rights of minority communities, many of whom are under threat around the world”.  

Cautioning against “policies of assimilation that seek to wipe out the cultural and religious identity of minority communities”, the UN chief maintained that the diversity of communities was “fundamental to humanity”.

Extremists a ‘transnational threat’ 

And without identifying any specific countries, Mr. Guterres also spoke out against the rising and potentially international threat of right-wing extremist movements. 

“White supremacy and neo-Nazi movements are more than domestic terror threats. They are becoming a transnational threat”, he said. “Far too often, these hate groups are cheered on by people in positions of responsibility in ways that were considered unimaginable not long ago. We need global coordinated action to defeat this grave and growing danger.” 

Under the presidency of Jordanian Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan, the 46th Human Rights Council session is due to meet until Friday 23 March.

Lifeline for vulnerable Cambodians as poverty doubles during COVID-19 pandemic

The government-issued IDPoor card has been providing Yom Malai, a 42-year-old single mother of four children living in the Battambang province of Cambodia, with a lifeline since May 2020. With the card, she is entitled to 176,000 riels (around $43.45) per month, to support herself and her family, using most of it to buy dry food ingredients and rice, products with a longer shelf life, that can be rationed throughout the month. 

“We collect the money from a money transfer service”, she says. “During the COVID-19 pandemic, it has been a great help for my family. In addition, if we ever need to go to the hospital, we get medical treatment, care and medicine free of charge”. 

No cash, cards only

As a result of the pandemic, poverty is forecast to almost double in Cambodia: the UN estimating that it could reach around 17.6 per cent of the population. With these stark predictions in mind, the government, alongside partners which include UNDP and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), decided to strengthen the level of social protection in the country. The UN’s research indicated that an emergency social protection program would significantly improve both economic growth and the well-being of the most vulnerable.

The UN agencies, and other partners, focused on supporting the new “Cash Transfer Programme for Poor and Vulnerable Households”, by providing the digital tools needed to make it work smoothly and efficiently, and ensure that almost 700,000 people listed on the scheme’s database receive funds in a cashless form, either through their phone or, like Ms. Yom, via a card.

With support from the Government of Australia, UNDP supplied Cambodian Ministry of Planning employees around 1,700 tablet computers, and software, which allowed them to quickly register families that had recently fallen into poverty as a result of the economic slowdown.

“The Government of Australia and UNDP have provided these tablet computers to the Ministry of Planning so that all those registered as poor can receive a cash transfer”, says Nick Beresford, UNDP Cambodia’s Resident Representative. “This expands the UN’s work in social protection and helping the Royal Government of Cambodia build a robust and fully digital IDPoor Programme”. 

In Ms. Yom’s village, many households received the IDPoor card. “The officials registered our names in an electronic system so that everyone gets what they are entitled to”, she says, adding that each family first went through an interview process with local officials.

Under the programme, each eligible and registered household receives either $20 or $30 a month, as a basic benefit. In addition, the household receives top-up amounts for members of vulnerable groups including pregnant women, children under 2, the elderly, people with disabilities and people living with HIV.

My family is classified as a level 1 poor household because I am a widow with four children. However, some poor households are struggling but, as their living standards are not as difficult, they are classified as level 2 poor households”, says Ms. Yom.

As well as supporting this emergency cash transfer programme, the UN is supporting the Cambodian Government in other ways. These include procuring critical medical equipment, ranging from bio-hazardous waste bags to ventilators and ambulances, and providing technical support to the Planning Ministry, by producing COVID-19 related communications and awareness raising materials.
 

UN chief to security meeting: ‘2021 must be the year to get back on track’

“Our global tests and challenges are getting bigger and more complex. Yet our responses remain fragmented and insufficient”, Secretary-General António Guterres said via videoconference. 

“2021 must be the year to get back on track. Pandemic recovery is our chance”. 

Global Vaccination Plan 

The UN chief stressed the need for available and affordable inoculations for everyone, everywhere. 

“Vaccine equity is crucial for saving lives and for saving economies”, he said. “Countries need to share excess doses and provide the billions needed for the COVAX initiative to be in full swing”. 

The UN-led vaccine initiative, COVAX, is part of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator to equitably provide coronavirus diagnostics, treatments and vaccines to all people globally, regardless of their wealth.  

“We also need at least a doubling of global manufacturing capacity, through sharing of licenses and technology transfer”, he continued, pointing to the G20 richest nations as being “well placed” to establish an Emergency Task Force that brings together countries, companies, international organizations and financial institutions with the required power, scientific expertise and production capacities to prepare a Global Vaccination Plan. 

“I am ready to galvanize the full United Nations System in support of this effort, starting by the World Health Organization (WHO)”, affirmed Mr. Gutteres. 

Tackling the climate crisis 

Drawing attention to the environment, the UN chief spelled out: “Climate catastrophe is looming”. 

He spotlighted the urgency to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions by mid-century, while flagging, “there is reason for hope”. 

The Secretary-General detailed that countries representing more than 65 per cent of emissions and over 70 per cent of the world economy have “committed to net zero greenhouse emissions by 2050”. 

However, he urged an expansion of that coalition to 90 per cent by the November climate conference in Glasgow, saying that “all countries, cities, corporations and financial institutions should set benchmarks to implement the net-zero transition in the next 30 years”. 

To this end, immediate and concrete steps should be taken, specifically to put a price on carbon, end subsidies and financing for coal and other fossil fuels, and reinvest those funds in renewable energy and just transition. 

Peace on earth 

Because the world’s most complex problems cannot be solved when its biggest powers are at odds, the UN chief underscored the need to “ease geopolitical tensions and enhance diplomacy for peace”. 

“Our world cannot afford a future where the two largest economies split the globe into two opposing areas in a Great Fracture – each with its own dominant currency and trade and financial rules, its own Internet and its artificial intelligence capacity and strategy”, he maintained. 

Moreover, a technological and economic divide that threatens a geo-strategic and military divide must be avoided “at all costs”. 

“I also want to repeat my call for a global ceasefire”, Mr. Guterres said. 

While recognizing some encouraging signs “in a few stubborn peace processes”, the top UN official lamented that “elsewhere, fighting continues” and “everyone is losing”. 

He advocated for a ceasefire “beyond traditional battlefields”, namely in homes, workplaces, schools and public transportation, “where women and girls face an epidemic of violence”. 

Citing “Wild West behaviour in cyberspace” that is creating “new vectors of instability”, the UN chief upheld that digital technologies must be a force for good that requires “a total ban on lethal autonomous weapons, the most dangerous dimension that artificial intelligence can bring to the future of war”. 

Calling for “solidarity and international cooperation” to tackle these challenges, Mr. Guterres concluded by saying, “I am convinced that if we are determined, we can achieve our shared goals”. 

US erases ‘any lingering doubt’ 

Meanwhile, United States President Joe Biden said that his country would “work closely with our European Union partners”. 

“Let me erase any lingering doubt”, he stated. “America is back … We are not looking backward. We are looking forward together”. 

WHO seeks $1.96 billion for 2021 Strategic Plan for COVID-19 Response

The strategy follows the initial plan last year that outlined the path countries should take to suppress transmission of the new coronavirus. 

“Fully funding the SPRP is not just an investment in responding to COVID-19, it’s an investment in the global recovery and in building the architecture to prepare for, prevent and mitigate future health emergencies”, said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking during his routine press conference. 

Six main objectives 

The 2021 plan will have six objectives: suppressing transmission, reducing exposure, countering misinformation and disinformation, protecting vulnerable people, reducing death and illness, and accelerating equitable access to new tools against COVID-19 such as vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics. 

WHO is looking to raise $1.96 billion to fund the SPRP. 

Tedros said $1.2 billion will go to the agency’s component of the Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator, a landmark global collaboration to make these medicines accessible to people everywhere. 

Another $643 million will go towards supporting people who require humanitarian assistance due to conflict, insecurity or other crises. 

Report on 2020 plan 

The WHO chief also provided details about the first SPRP, which raised $1.58 million.  Some 90 per cent of the funding was allocated to countries and regions, supporting those on the frontlines of the pandemic. 

“It also enabled WHO and our partners to ship millions of tests and items of personal protective equipment, and to support thousands of ICU beds around the world”, Tedros said. 

The funding was also used to deploy some 191 Emergency Medical Teams, support sero-epidemiological studies in 58 countries, and provide online training that reached nearly five million people. 

Declaration on vaccine equity 

Tedros also announced that WHO will launch a new declaration on Friday focused on the equitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines, which calls for action from several groups, such as political leaders, manufacturers and governments. 

“Vaccine equity is especially important for fragile and vulnerable groups, and for small island states like those in the Pacific and Caribbean with small populations who can miss out on vaccines because they have less bargaining power than big countries”, he said, stressing that no country should be left behind. 

First Person: ‘The world is in your hands and begins at your door’.

Mr. Don, the UK’s leading garden writer and broadcaster, is an advocate for the Food and Agriculture Organization of The United Nations (FAO) for the International Year of Plant Health (extended into 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), an initiative aimed at demonstrating the ways in which protecting plant health can help end hunger, reduce poverty, protect the environment, and boost economic development.

“I would define the term ‘plant health’ in two ways. Firstly, the way in which plants’ health is related to the environment in which they are growing. The biggest mistake that gardeners make is to try and force a plant to grow where it doesn’t want to grow, and not understanding what a plant needs in order to be healthy. Rosemary, for example, is adapted to the rocky sun-baked hillsides of the Mediterranean, whilst a Hosta likes shade, rich food, and lots of water.

The second definition involves the ways that plants boost human health, whether it’s physical health, or mental health. The last year and the COVID-19 pandemic has certainly highlighted the importance of mental health, and the positive role that gardens can play: tens of thousands of people around the world have reported that horticulture has provided them with a close connection with nature, with the seasons, with the weather and with their own internal mindset. We might be living in the midst of an unpredictable, scary, chaotic world at the moment, but gardening and plants remain constant.

The environmental cost of food

For humans to be healthy, we need to eat and to have access to fresh, seasonal, locally produced fruit and vegetables. In wealthy western and northern Europe, we have twenty-four-hour, year-round access to fruit and vegetables from all over the world.
For me this is not healthy, because it means huge transportation costs, and large-scale interventionist and artificial out-of-season growth. So, for example, you can eat strawberries in February, but they will have to be grown in a polytunnel in a warmer country and produced in such a way that they won’t actually taste good.

There are many ways that we can eat local fruits and vegetables. We can grow our own, whether in allotments, back gardens, window boxes or rooftop gardens, and we can try to buy locally whenever possible. If we all do this, it will lead to improved health benefits for us, and environmental benefits for the planet.

Healthy soil means healthy plants

Soil is amazing. There are more living organisms in the first six inches of the soil than there are stars in the known universe. And we know less about what’s happening just a foot below the ground than we do the deepest part of the sea.

If you have healthy soil, you will have healthy plants. The relationship between the bacteria in the soil and the nutrients that the plants take up is completely intertwined. Not just the main nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, but the micro-nutrients and minerals which people increasingly realise are so important to our health.

However, our agricultural practices since the Second World War have practically ignored soil health. Over the last seventy or eighty years, we have treated soil as an inert medium that we can use rather like a factory floor, raising plants short of any obvious nutritional quality.

A new generation of activists

But now there is a new generation of farmers all over the world who realise that, by looking after the soil, you no longer have to spend a fortune on artificial fertilisers, you get much healthier plants, and your crops are just as good.

My message to this generation, to all of the young people who are concerned about sustainability and the future of the planet, is that the world is in your hands and the world begins at your door. 

By far the best way that we can tackle the bigger issues of plant health, sustainability and climate action, is to learn how to connect to our own immediate world, how to love, treasure and care for it. So, I would say, it’s the old, old story: think global, act local.”

Monty Don was interviewed by the UN Regional Information Centre for Western Europe.

Strengthen ‘One Health approach’ to prevent future pandemics – WHO chief

While the concept of One Health – where multiple sectors communicate and work together to achieve better public health outcomes – may have once seemed simple, “it is no longer”, WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said, opening the 27th Tripartite Annual Executive Committee Meeting World Organization for Animal Health (OIE). 

“We can only prevent future pandemics with an integrated One Health approach to public health, animal health and the environment we share. Now is the time to take our partnership to a new level”, he underscored.  

Zoonoses on the rise 

The WHO chief maintained that to keep people safe, One Health must be translated into local-level systems.  

He pointed out that approximately 70 per cent of all emerging and re-emerging pathogens are zoonotic, jumping from animals to humans, warning that “we don’t know when the next threat – the next disease X – will emerge”.  

“It is clear, however, that One Health must be about more than zoonoses”, Tedros spelled out. “We cannot protect human health without considering the impact of human activities that disrupt ecosystems, encroach on habitats, and further drive climate change”. 

These activities include pollution, large-scale deforestation, intensified livestock production and the misuse of antibiotics, along with how the world produces, consumes and trades food. 

Effective collaboration needed 

As set out in the WHO Manifesto for a healthy and green recovery from COVID-19, the UN health agency supports a greater One Health emphasis on connections to the environment. 

“Paradoxically, the COVID-19 pandemic is giving us a unique opportunity to drive real change”, said the top WHO official, noting that One Health will be the focus of upcoming G7 and G20 meetings. 

He flagged the need for more science, better data and bolder policies across multiple sectors, “with a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach”.  

“Expectations for the Tripartite, and the need for effective collaboration, have never been higher”, he said. 

Citing closer collaborative efforts at regional and country levels, and progress in joint areas of work, including the launch of the United Against Rabies forum, Tedros said that advances are also being made in establishing governance structures to curb antimicrobial resistance, and noted that the Global Leaders Group held its first meeting earlier this year. 

Expert Council in the works 

The UN health agency chief said that WHO will support and host the secretariat of a One Health High Level Expert Council, which will advise the expanded Tripartite members on action priorities, building consensus and collaboration.  

“We also need to ensure that all partner organizations have the resources to play this role jointly”, he stated. 

The Tripartite consists of WHO, OIE and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) with the UN Environment Programming (UNEP) joining this year. 

For its part, WHO will scale up investment and work through its disease programmes and technical networks to strengthen the One Health workforce for outbreak alert and response. 

“We are at a critical juncture. We must build on this momentum to strengthen the One Health approach, with public health and disease prevention as its central pillar”, Tedros underscored. 

The WHO chief concluded by saying: “If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’re stronger together”. 

‘Triple threat’ adds to long-standing crises menacing food security in Somalia – FAO

In a joint report, the UN The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warns that in the absence of large-scale and sustained humanitarian assistance “the situation could worsen through mid-2021”. 

“Somalia’s long-standing crises are compounded now by the ‘triple threat’ of the COVID-19 pandemic, desert locust infestations and climatic shocks”, said UN Deputy Special Representative Adam Abdelmoula, who also serves as the Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the country.

A cry for help 

The report, compiled by FAO’s Food Security and Nutrition Analysis Unit, and the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET), highlights that desert locusts will continue to pose a serious risk of damage to both pasture and crops countrywide. 

It also and cites forecasts that indicate an increased likelihood of below-average rainfall during the April-June season across most of the country that will further exacerbate food and nutrition insecurity for millions. 

FAO and the Somali Government emphasized the urgency to increase support for ongoing desert locust control and surveillance efforts, and to provide rapid emergency assistance over the coming months. 

“With the Government’s support, our teams and partners have maintained operations in control and surveillance, while delivering crucial humanitarian assistance and livelihood support during extremely challenging circumstances,” said Etienne Peterschmitt, FAO Representative in Somalia. 

From July to December, an average of 1.8 million people per month received assistance in parts of Somalia.  

While the large-scale humanitarian and Government support helped to minimize the magnitude of the crisis last year, funding is needed urgently to boost efforts to reduce new food insecurity currently threatening the country. 

“Expanding the emergency response is crucial and underway, with a focus on interventions aimed at reducing food consumption gaps, saving lives, and protecting and preserving livelihoods,” said Mr. Peterschmitt. 

Grim numbers 

According to the humanitarian assistance plan for the first quarter of 2021, some 1.6 million people are facing Crisis (IPC Phase 3) – or worse.  

Moreover, an additional 2.5 million people are Stressed (IPC Phase 2), bringing the total number of acute food insecure to 4.1 million, which includes approximately 840,000 under-age-five children who are likely to be acutely malnourished, nearly 143,000 of them severely so. 

Pointing to a multitude of threats and crises in poor rural, urban and displaced populations, the joint assessment said that food insecurity is expected to deteriorate from April to June.  

And FAO underscored that humanitarian assistance must be sustained through mid-2021 to prevent Crisis (IPC Phase 3) or Emergency (IPC Phase 4) outcomes for nearly 2.7 million people. 

“We must continue to work with all humanitarian partners to ensure the most vulnerable Somalis are able to withstand the challenges and build resilience against future shocks,” said Mr. Abdelmoula, urging all partners to “work together across the humanitarian, development and peacebuilding paths” to address root causes and build lasting solutions that leave no one behind.