New pandemic treaty is a landmark, but flawed
23/5/2025: World Health Organization member countries have adopted a new treaty to improve international coordination and cooperation on the response to future pandemics. The agreement has the potential to reduce rising global health inequalities but it still falls far short of addressing the human rights violations that occurred during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Source: Human Rights Warch
Increases in vaccine-preventable disease threaten years of progress
24/4/2025: Outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are rising globally as misinformation, population growth, humanitarian crises and funding cuts jeopardize progress. UN agencies are calling for action to protect the reduction in child mortality achieved over the past 50 years.
Source: World Health Organization
WHO to slash senior leadership and departments
23/4/2025: The World Health Organization has announced that its senior leadership team will be reduced from twelve to seven and the number of departments from 76 to 34. This is the consequence of the US, its biggest donor, withdrawing from the agency.
Source: Devex
Countries finalize historic pandemic agreement
16/4/2025: A multilateral Pandemic Agreement outlines a framework for strengthening international collaboration in the face of future global health threats. The agreed draft will now be submitted for consideration to the 78th World Health Assembly, set to begin in May. The US has withdrawn from the process and would not be bound by the pact.
Source: UN News
Countries are experiencing health system disruptions
10/4/2025: The World Health Organization has warned of health service disruptions in 70% of its surveyed country offices as a result of sudden suspensions and reductions in foreign aid for health. The findings are based on rapid assessment of the fast-evolving situation.
Aid cuts threaten progress in ending maternal mortality
6/4/2025: Unprecedented aid cuts are putting global progress to end maternal deaths at risk, UN agencies have warned. Their report shows that maternal deaths declined by 40 per cent between 2000 and 2023 but that the rate of improvement is slowing. Sub-Saharan Africa still accounted for approximately 70 per cent of the global burden of maternal deaths in 2023 due to high rates of poverty and multiple conflicts.
Source: UN News
Eliminating malaria is an economic boost for Africa and the US
31/3/2025: The US has been the largest contributor to global malaria control efforts. If its sudden cessation of funding continues, it would leave significant gaps in malaria programs in many African countries.
Source: Devex
Decades of progress in reducing child deaths under threat
25/3/2025: Since 2000, child deaths have dropped by more than half and stillbirths by over a third, fuelled by sustained investments in child survival worldwide. Decades of progress are now at risk as major donors have announced or indicated significant funding cuts to aid ahead.
Source: World Health Organization
Funding cuts bring worldwide disruptions in tuberculosis services
20/3/2025: The World Health Organization is calling for urgent investment of resources to protect tuberculosis (TB) care. Reports reveal that severe disruptions in the TB response are seen across several of the highest-burden countries following recent funding cuts.
Source: World Health Organization
USAID cuts could create untreatable tuberculosis bug
10/3/2025: Dangerous new forms of tuberculosis for which there is no treatment could emerge as a result of cuts in US support to poorer countries which has historically provided between $200 million and $250 million a year for TB. In 2023, there were 10.8m new cases and 1.25 million deaths from the disease.
Source: The Guardian