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
West accused of climate hypocrisy on funding fossil fuels
28/1/2022: Several countries and finance institutions have pledged to end funding of fossil fuel projects in low income countries. These same countries continue to develop fossil fuels at home. New research highlights this hypocrisy.
Source: The Guardian
Food insecurity soaring across 20 hunger hotspots
27/1/2022: UN food agencies are warning that food insecurity is soaring across 20 countries. In particular. Ethiopia, Nigeria, South Sudan and Yemen have areas where people are experiencing, or projected to experience, starvation and death.
Source: UN News