Links to news and analysis that engage with global citizenship and international cooperation in the search for solutions in a troubled world
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Africa on track to control pandemic this year
10/2/2022: The WHO's Regional Director for Africa has said that countries have got smarter faster and better at responding to Covid-19. The most recent wave of the virus has been the shortest and has not led to an increase in hospitalizations and deaths.
Source: UN News
A step toward Africa’s own Covid-19 vaccine
16/2/2022: A Cape Town company claims it has made a vaccine that successfully mimics Moderna's messenger RNA vaccine. This copycat will still need to undergo clinical trials but the effort could yield Africa's first Covid-19 vaccine.
Source: Inter Press Service
World leaders call for $23 billion to end pandemic this year
9/2/2022: The UN is calling for a fair share of contributions from more than 50 rich countries to fund the ACT-Accelerator treatments and vaccines. Only a paltry 0.4 per cent of COVID-19 tests administered globally have been conducted in low-income countries.
Source: UN News
Safe havens for coral reefs will disappear as oceans warm
2/2/2022: A new study has found that places that have historically protected coral reefs from thermal stress will decline substantially when global heating reaches 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels; at 2°C most coral reef refugia will disappear.
Source: Mongabay
Vaccinating the world depends on elusive coordination
21/2/2022: People in advanced economies are not safe until the poorest countries are protected from Covid-19. With barely 1 per cent of available vaccines reaching low-income countries the world has a coordination problem.
Source: East Asia Forum
Malaria vaccine receives WHO seal of approval
6/10/2021: The World Health Organization has recommended that RTS,S/AS01, a vaccine developed by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, should be widely given to African children. How soon and to what scale countries can begin to roll out the vaccines will remain in question until decisions are made around funding.
Source: Devex
Rich countries block moves to waive COVID vaccine patents
11/3/2021: Richer members of the World Trade Organization have blocked a push by over 80 developing countries to waive patent rights in an effort to boost production of COVID-19 vaccines for poor nations. Western nations argue that protecting intellectual property rights encourages research and innovation.
Source: EURACTIV
For more background, see this Third World Network analysis of the wavering position on the TRIPS waiver of the new WTO Director-General, Ms Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.
COVID vaccine patents are not the issue
8/5/2021: US President Biden's push to waive COVID-19 vaccine patents has led to mixed responses in Europe. Defenders of intellectual property rights argue that the vaccine shortage is more complex than populist claims made by many international aid organizations.
Source: DW
Myanmar: 1 year after coup, a bitter stalemate looms
31/1/2022: One year ago Myanmar's generals took power away from the county's democratically elected government. But the ruling junta faces heavy challenges and resistance to its rule will continue to come at a great human cost.
Source: DW
When will countries learn how to do fuel subsidy reforms?
28/1/2022: Developing countries are under pressure to increase social safety nets for the poor by eliminating fuel subsidies for the rich. Precedent suggests this is easier said than done.
Source: Inter Press Service