This agreement marks the first time that governments have committed to tackling chronic diseases – such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes – alongside mental health, recognizing their growing impact on lives and economies around the world.
Clear objectives for 2030
Noncommunicable diseases are among the leading causes of death worldwide, while mental health problems affect more than a billion people.
The declaration sets measurable goals to be achieved by 2030, including reducing tobacco use, improving control of high blood pressure, and expanding access to mental health care for millions more people.
WHO Leader Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said these commitments offer a “once-in-a-generation opportunity” to change the course of global health and improve quality of life.
The declaration also calls on countries to strengthen their national health policies, expand access to essential services and ensure sustainable financing to turn their promises into action.
Progress will be reviewed through regular UN reports, and governments are expected to show concrete results in the coming years.
Afghan mothers turned away from health centers due to disastrous budget cuts
The dire financial situation facing aid workers around the world continues to have a devastating impact on vulnerable communities.
In Afghanistan today, that means children aren’t getting the help they need – and used to get – to combat worsening hunger.
In an update Tuesday, the United Nations World Food Program (PAM) warned that more than 17 million Afghans are at risk as winter approaches.
That’s more than two million more than last year, according to the global authority on hunger’s Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, or IPC, platform.
WFP’s Jean-Martin Bauer explained the impact of unprecedented cuts in funding for essential services: “Mothers in particular are showing up at health centers with their children hoping for support for them,” but in many cases they have been turned away “because resources are no longer available.”
Fears deepen
The agency says clear signs of a worsening humanitarian crisis are being confirmed on the ground, with families “skipping meals for days” as hunger worsens.
“Our teams are seeing families take extreme measures to survive,” said John Aylieff, WFP country director in Afghanistan. “Child deaths are increasing and are likely to get worse in the months to come. »
Afghanistan faces a harsh winter after drought destroyed crops, lost jobs and recent earthquakes left thousands homeless.
Forced returns from Pakistan and Iran are worsening needs, with 2.5 million people returned this year, many suffering from malnutrition.
Yet aid is decreasing. The WFP needs $468 million to help six million people survive the winter.
Violence in the DRC forces 500,000 people to leave their homes
United Nations agencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) say more than half a million people have fled their homes in recent days in eastern regions overrun by Rwandan-backed M23 fighters.
“No one should have to choose between security and survival,” the WFP said in an online message on Tuesday, as South Kivu province experiences its biggest escalation of hostilities since the start of the year.
To help, the agency urgently needs $350 million to provide food supplies to communities affected by decades of insecurity in this vast, resource-rich region.
In neighboring Burundi, the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCRsaid about 64,000 refugees have arrived and more are on the way.
Needs include medical assistance and shelter, the agency said. He also issued a warning about unaccompanied or separated children and the “high percentage” of women at risk among the newly displaced.
Suspended operations
Fighting in parts of South Kivu has forced the suspension of all humanitarian operations in the towns of Fizi and Baraka, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said Tuesday, amid reports of panic and looting by armed groups.
Local authorities estimate that around 110,000 people have been displaced since December 8, many of whom have taken shelter in public spaces without access to aid. Some have crossed the border into Burundi, while others are heading towards Tanzania.
Aid deliveries are gradually resuming in Uvira and Bukavu, but OCHA has warned that access remains fragile as needs continue to rise.
Publicado anteriormente en Almouwatin.
