Category: Health Care

Rome – For the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2022 has been as “extraordinary” as promised, in terms of circumstances, efforts and results, Director-General QU Dongyu said today in opening remarks to the 171st Session of the FAO Council.

He reported to Members that the Organization has successfully advocated for large-scale financial support for vulnerable countries in the face of rising food prices, proven its credibility as a development partner by mobilizing unprecedented levels of resources from donors, and demonstrated its effectiveness by reaching record numbers of people with life-saving and livelihood-supporting assistance.

Amid a wave of intense challenges including the COVID-19 pandemic, protracted conflicts, the climate crisis and the war in Ukraine, FAO “has demonstrated a readiness to adapt rapidly, and respond to changes agilely,” Qu said. “The Organization is now globally recognized as a professional, trusted partner of all stakeholders working to eradicate poverty, hunger and malnutrition,” he added.

“Our future strategic direction is transparent and inclusive, and includes all of you, working together towards our global goals,” the Director-General told delegates. FAO, and I, continue to be your partner on this extraordinary journey.”

“We have a strong FAO and can make it even stronger,” said Hans Hoogeveen, Independent Chairperson of the Council. Without intensified collaboration and action, the number of people suffering from hunger will rise above one billion in 2023, he warned.

Qu’s remarks represented a review of his 40 months in office, marked by values such as transparency, inclusivity, ethics and professionalism, a system-wide push to change the business model for how FAO works, and a wide range of institutional and strategic innovations. A transcript of his comprehensive address is available here.

Extraordinary numbers

FAO has already so far in 2022 mobilized $1.6 billion in voluntary contributions, considerably more than the $1.42 billion mobilized in 2021, which was the highest in FAO-s history and 22 percent above the five-year average.

FAO’s scaled-up efforts are on track to exceed the 30 million people reached in 2021 with urgently needed, life-saving and cost-effective assistance. Emergency and resilience programmes in countries with high levels of acute food insecurity have been stepped up, with reaching at least 60 million people per year by 2023 targeted.

By the end of 2022, FAO will be providing livelihood assistance to 9 million people in Afghanistan, half of the rural population in the country enduring IPC Phase 3+, a measure of acute food insecurity associated with crisis levels of hunger. Another 4 million will be reached in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia, subject to successive years of drought.

Those numbers highlight how important FAO’s contributions are in major emergency operations and also reflect “the confidence and trust of resource partners in FAO’s ability to deliver high quality, large-scale development programmes requiring specialized technical expertise,” the Director-General said.

FAO has also provided additional storage capacity allowing farmers in Ukraine to store up to 6 million tonnes of grain whose export the war is impeding.

In the first 10 months of the year, FAO’s Investment Centre provided technical assistance to $7.6 billion worth of projects financed by international financial institutions, closing in on a target actually set for 2023. “That’s the value of FAO, and a big impact for Members,” Qu said.

Since 2019, FAO has more than doubled the amount of funding it has helped Members to access from the Green Climate Fund and the Global Environmental Facility, which has enabled more than 100 countries to mobilize more than $6 billion.

FAO’s proposed Food Import Financing Facility, designed to help countries with balance of payment problems due to food price trends, was adopted by the International Monetary Fund through a Food Shock Window. “That is real collective action” that could provide up to $32 billion in relief for the most needy, the Director-General said, noting that several countries have already made use of the facility.

The FAO-led Global Action for Fall Armyworm Control campaign has reduced crop losses by 5 to 10 percent and decreased the risk of further spread and infestation of a major plant pest. FAO’s leading role in the combating the Desert Locust crisis across the Horn of Africa and beyond over the past three years has contributed to mitigating potentially devastating consequences.

The Hand-in-Hand Initiative, the first strategic initiative launched under Qu’s leadership, now has 54 participating countries and is poised to expand to middle-income countries. Investment opportunities worth $3 billion, with 15 million direct and indirect beneficiaries, were presented to partners and stakeholders during the World Food Forum in October under this framework.

Qu expressed his thanks to all the donors and partners’ support for these extraordinary achievements.

Empowering women and youth

The Director-General highlighted FAO’s efforts to empower women and youth, which he started immediately upon arrival in 2019 with the establishment of the FAO Women’s Committee and FAO Youth Committee.

The power of youth has been on display in the three World Food Forums held at FAO so far. Qu suggested that this will become a real global movement in the near future. One goal of the effort to increase youth engagement is to identify “actionable and out-of-the-box solutions to current and future challenges,” he said.

The FAO Women’s Committee has set up a joint mentorship programme and other partnerships to advance gender equality both inside FAO and around the world. FAO is now “one of the best” UN agencies in terms of meeting or exceeding the indicators set forth in the UN Action Plan on Gender Equality, he said.

A new global report FAO is preparing on the Status of Rural Women in Agrifood Systems will become a benchmark for more effective work in support of women, the Director-General said.

These and other FAO efforts are all driven by science and innovation, themes which are now enshrined in the FAO Strategic Framework 2022-31. “As a scientist, I have always been in the business of change,” Qu said. “That is the essence of science – adaptation to change.”

More details on the new FAO, including the ambitious digitalization of the Organization, the step change in private sector engagement and partnerships and its provision of knowledge products and global public goods, are available in the transcript of the Director-General’s remarks, available here.

The 171st FAO council continues through Friday.

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Executive summary

This Progress Report covers the period 2018 to 2022 – a period of challenges and change for the world, for Africa and for the Pan Africa Program (PAP). During that period the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. Although Africa experienced fewer deaths and infections than had been anticipated, it spotlighted the shortcomings in the continent’s health systems, economic and political structures and the inequality of its relationships with global partners. This was most starkly evidenced in the global failure to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. But the pandemic also undid decades of positive development work and has left the continent poorer, more vulnerable and with less space for civil society to speak out.

This period began with a moment of hope

PAP’s 2019 ‘Rethinking Africa’ conference was an opportunity to confront not just the many challenges facing the continent but to reimagine Oxfam’s approach to tackling those challenges.

We listened to some hard truths – as well as encouragement and endorsement – from our partners and with their steer have radically reconfigured our team and our ways of working.

A new, unified way of working

Learning to do more with less, we are working in a less siloed way, with five thematic areas all working to a common set of objectives.

We are supporting and making space for our partners within African civil society to speak out for themselves and supporting them where they need us to do so.

We are engaging with continental and global decision makers at the highest level, through the African Union and through Oxfam’s own global policy mechanisms to bring about lasting change in the biggest challenges facing the African people; economic, climate and gender injustice, inequality, precarious food systems, lack of accountable governance and weak humanitarian and conflict policy.

Our successes and achievements

With the new approach, the new PAP team has succeeded in creating or engaging in several significant opportunities for African civil society to influence continental level policy and supporting them to do so. The strategic focus area in which we have gained the most achievements is in enhancing African civil society’s policy advocacy at the AU.

Achievements include convening Africa-wide high-level dialogues around Inequality in Africa, such as the High-Level Panel in Addis Ababa on the side-lines of the Feb 2020 AU Summit with Sierra Leone President H.E. Maada Bio; Launching the Africa Brief on the ‘Commitment to Reducing Inequality Index’; Raising our voices against an international financial architecture that is skewed against countries in the Global South.

We looked at the linkages between African cultural practices, food security, and conflict and explored the impact of COVID-19 on small-scale farming, food security and sovereignty in Africa.

We launched our ground-breaking ‘Care Policy Score Card,’ for assessing country progress towards an enabling policy environment on care; partnering with African and international organizations to call for equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines in Africa; and prompting discussion on enhanced Civil Society Organization (CSO) engagement with the AU and its EU partnership process. We have also pledged to support our 116 national humanitarian civil society partner organizations in influencing humanitarian aid systems and responses, after supporting their participation in the 2022 AU Humanitarian Summit.

PAP as a vital link

PAP functions as a vital link between Oxfam country programs and the AU, so engendering a pan-African agenda in country programs and with partners is an important area of work that we anticipate will expand further in future.

So far, we have brought Oxfam country program teams together to develop a strategy for Africa-wide food security, in line with the AU theme of ‘Strengthening resilience in nutrition and food security on the African continent’, and to engage in joint planning of the Fair for All program. We have also worked with Oxfam in Uganda and Oxfam in Zambia in conducting Fair Tax Monitoring Research to understand the depth of tax-related gender inequalities in the context of Covid-19 and beyond. In 2022, we have coordinated with all countries and regions as well as invested affiliates to develop an Oxfam in Africa Climate Strategy whose roll-out will gain momentum in the pre- and post-COP 27 engagements.

Knowledge platform

We have made progress towards developing a knowledge platform to support African countries in their continental influencing on development issues; for example, we created a documentary on the impact of COVID-19 on unpaid care work in African households; conducted research both for influencing energy transition in Zambia and for the Africa Mining Vision as a whole; and published an editorial series highlighting the challenges in the current state of food security in postCOVID-19 Africa.

Looking to the future

We will continue to pursue Oxfam’s vision of a self-reliant, democratic, and peaceful Africa that is responsive to the rights and development needs of her citizens. We will continue to build on the knowledge and experience of Oxfam colleagues, African civil society, African institutions and national governments as well as from experts from around the world to make the needs of African citizens known and acted upon in the appropriate spheres of power. Accordingly, Oxfam International has begun the process of transitioning to the OiA structure which will absorb Oxfam’s current regional structures, as well as PAP itself by April 2023.

The new ‘Oxfam in Africa’ (OiA) model presents opportunities for newer and more integrated ways of working in line with Oxfam’s Global Strategic Framework and ambition. Although PAP as we know it will cease to exist with the emergence of OiA, the new model will benefit immensely from PAP’s experiences. It has paved the way to enable us – and African civil society more widely – to build collective agency to engage more effectively in the continent and the rest of the world. This will strengthen our ability to tackle the major issues of the day and ensure that our youthful continent can fulfill its potential and ambitions and take its rightful place on the world stage

Source: Evaluation and Lessons Learned

Climate change is the single biggest health threat facing humanity. It is estimated that environmental factors take the lives of around 13 million people every year. Global warming is influencing weather patterns, causing heat waves, heavy rainfall and droughts.

The Greater Horn of Africa is facing an unprecedented, acute hunger and health crisis driven by climate change, and compounded by conflict and economic shocks. Forty-seven million people in that region are now experiencing high levels of malnutrition or worse – up from 31 million – and more will go hungry as the drought affecting parts of the Region is expected to continue. Malnourished people become more easily sick, and sick people become more easily malnourished.

Climate change is also a major aggravating factor for infectious diseases like cholera and dengue fever. Disease outbreaks are surging in the Greater Horn of Africa, escalating the health emergency. The impact of outbreaks of infectious diseases during emergencies is multiplied, especially when combined with low vaccination coverage and poor access to health services.

WHO and partners are on the ground, ensuring access to basic health services, providing treatment for severe malnutrition, and helping countries detect, prevent and respond to disease outbreaks.

Source: World Health Organization

GENEVA, SHARM EL-SHEIKH, On the eve of the pivotal climate talks at COP27, the World Health Organization issues a grim reminder that the climate crisis continues to make people sick and jeopardizes lives and that health must be at the core of these critical negotiations.

WHO believes the conference must conclude with progress on the four key goals of mitigation, adaptation, financing and collaboration to tackle the climate crisis.

COP27 will be a crucial opportunity for the world to come together and re-commit to keeping the 1.5 °C Paris Agreement goal alive.

We welcome journalists and COP27 participants to join WHO at a series of high-level events and spend time in an innovative health pavilion space. Our focus will be placing the health threat from the climate crisis and the huge health gains that would come from stronger climate action at the centre of discussions. Climate change is already affecting people’s health and will continue to do so at an accelerating rate unless urgent action is taken.

“Climate change is making millions of people sick or more vulnerable to disease all over the world and the increasing destructiveness of extreme weather events disproportionately affects poor and marginalized communities,” says Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “It is crucial that leaders and decision makers come together at COP27 to put health at the heart of the negotiations.”

Our health depends on the health of the ecosystems that surround us, and these ecosystems are now under threat from deforestation, agriculture and other changes in land use and rapid urban development. The encroachment ever further into animal habitats is increasing opportunities for viruses harmful to humans to make the transition from their animal host. Between 2030 and 2050, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250 000 additional deaths per year from malnutrition, malaria, diarrhoea and heat stress.

The direct damage costs to health (i.e., excluding costs in health-determining sectors such as agriculture and water and sanitation), is estimated to be between US$ 2–4 billion per year by 2030.

The rise in global temperature that has already occurred is leading to extreme weather events that bring intense heatwaves and droughts, devastating floods and increasingly powerful hurricanes and tropical storms. The combination of these factors means the impact on human health is increasing and is likely to accelerate.

But there is room for hope, particularly if governments take action now to honour the pledges made at Glasgow in November 2021 and to go further in resolving the climate crisis.

WHO is calling on governments to lead a just, equitable and fast phase out of fossil fuels and transition to a clean energy future. There has also been encouraging progress on commitments to decarbonization and WHO is calling for the creation of a fossil fuel non-proliferation treaty that would see coal and other fossil fuels harmful to the atmosphere phased out in a just and equitable way. This would represent one of the most significant contributions to climate change mitigation.

Improvement in human health is something that all citizens can contribute to, whether through the promotion of more urban green spaces, which facilitate climate mitigation and adaptation while decreasing the exposure to air pollution, or campaigning for local traffic restrictions and the enhancement of local transport systems. Community engagement and participation on climate change is essential to building resilience and strengthening food and health systems, and this is particularly important for vulnerable communities and small island developing states (SIDS), who are bearing the brunt of extreme weather events.

Thirty-one million people in the greater Horn of Africa are facing acute hunger and 11 million children are facing acute malnutrition as the region faces one of the worst droughts in recent decades. Climate change already has an impact on food security and if current trends persist, it will only get worse. The floods in Pakistan are a result of climate change and have devasted vast swathes of the country. The impact will be felt for years to come. Over 33 million people have been affected and almost 1500 health centres damaged.

But even communities and regions less familiar with extreme weather must increase their resilience, as we have seen with flooding and heatwaves recently in central Europe. WHO encourages everyone to work with their local leaders on these issues and take action in their communities.

­Climate policy must now put health at the centre and promote climate change mitigation policies that bring health benefits simultaneously. Health-focused climate policy would help bring about a planet that has cleaner air, more abundant and safer freshwater and food, more effective and fairer health and social protection systems and, as a result, healthier people.

Investment in clean energy will yield health gains that repay those investments twice over. There are proven interventions able to reduce emissions of short-lived climate pollutants, for instance applying higher standards for vehicle emissions, which have been calculated to save approximately 2.4 million lives per year, through improved air quality and reduce global warming by about 0.5 °C by 2050. The cost of renewable sources of energy has decreased significantly in the last few years, and solar energy is now cheaper than coal or gas in most major economies.

Source: World Health Organization

GENEVA – Refugees demonstrate great resilience in the face of life-altering circumstances but need increased support for mental health services, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, said.

According to new figures out this week, UNHCR provided mental health and psychosocial support services to over 472,000 refugees, asylum-seekers and their families and caregivers in the first half of 2022.

Although strides are being made to improve access to psychosocial support, UNHCR is concerned that the worsening socio-economic outlook and rising food insecurity in many refugee hosting countries could compound existing pressures on refugees.

“The best way to improve the mental health of refugees is to find lasting solutions to the crises they are fleeing,” said Sajjad Malik, Director for the Division of Resilience and Solutions. “We know that the experience of displacement takes a huge toll on emotional and social well-being and it is the right of every refugee to be able to access appropriate care and support.”

Refugees are exposed to stress at every stage of their displacement. Pressures include separation from families, xenophobia, lack of livelihood opportunities, perilous journeys and exposure to conflict and persecution. A recent survey conducted by UNHCR and the World Bank in Uganda found rates of depression among refugees were markedly higher than among people living in host communities.

Today, UNHCR’s Executive Committee adopted a conclusion acknowledging the mental fortitude of forcibly displaced people, urging increased availability of mental health and psychosocial support services to refugees and other displaced and stateless people, including access to national health and social services.

In 2021, 1,683 primary healthcare staff in refugee settings were trained to identify and manage mental health issues across 19 countries.

Speaking about the conclusion, which came days after marking World Mental Health Day on Monday, Malik said he was encouraged by the commitment of states to prioritize mental health and psychosocial support in the international response to displacement.

Part of ensuring that refugees are well cared for, is to make sure that humanitarian staff are also in good mental health, he added. “The priority is to improve mental health support for refugees, but we must also ensure that humanitarians are in the best possible condition to serve the people who need us most,” Malik said.

The Executive Committee conclusion also highlights the need to include mental health and psychosocial support when planning for refugee responses and encourages states to integrate refugees and displaced people into national services and existing care systems. Its adoption represents a significant acknowledgement by states in different regions and circumstances of the importance of mental health and psychosocial support for displaced and stateless people worldwide.

The UNHCR Executive Committee is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly, comprising 107 member states, that advises the High Commissioner on international protection and approves the programme budget.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees

As of 4 September 2022, a total of 235 million people in the African Region had completed the primary COVID-19 vaccination series, representing 20.3% of the Region’s population. Two countries in the African Region have surpassed the target of 70% of their population fully vaccinated: Mauritius (75.3%) and Seychelles (76.3%).
Following a quality control of data conducted at country level in Rwanda, the percentage of people who have completed the primary series has been found to be below 70%. Eight countries have recorded a percentage of between 40% and 70% of people who have completed the primary series: Mozambique (40.0%), Eswatini (41.1%), Sao Tome and Principe (46.1%), Comoros (46.5%), Botswana (53.1%), Liberia (56.8%), Cabo Verde (52.4%) and Rwanda (66.3%).

Six countries have fewer than 10% of their population who have completed the primary vaccination series: Burundi (0.1%), Democratic Republic of the Congo (3.0%), Cameroon (4.5%), Madagascar (5.1%), Senegal (6.5%) and Mali (7.5%).

Booster doses are being administered to fully vaccinated people (those who have completed the primary series) in 36 out of 46 countries in the African Region (78%). This figure includes 35 countries that have submitted reports on booster shots to the WHO Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO). Benin is the only country with no data on booster doses available at national level. In the 35 countries that submitted reports to WHO AFRO, 13.2% of people who have completed the primary series have received at least one booster dose.

Data from 26 countries show that 49.7% of health-care workers have completed the primary series.accounts for 3.5% of doses received in the 35 countries and 2.3% of doses received in the African Region. Senegal (25.4%), Madagascar (23.3%), Algeria (18.8%), Namibia (11.3%) and Sao Tome and Prince (10.9%) recorded the highest percentage of expired doses in relation to those received.

The WHO AFRO continued to provide technical and financial support to Member States to scale up COVID-19 vaccination with a special focus on the 14 priority countries to address equity gaps in COVID-19 vaccination coverage.
The support provided by WHO AFRO through its Vaccine Pillar and efforts made by countries to improve the quality and coverage of COVID-19 vaccination were recognized by the WHO Director-General and the Regional Director for Africa at the Seventy-second session of the Regional Committee for Africa held in Lomé, Togo, from 22 to 26 August 2022. They urged countries to focus on reaching 100% of the highest priority groups with the primary series and assured them of the commitment and support of WHO.

Source: World Health Organization