April 25, 2019 No comments
Change attitudes for future generations of women in tech, UN urges
INTERNATIONAL, 25 April 2019, Women - When women and girls are empowered with technology, the whole world benefits. That’s one key message from the International Day for girls in the field of information and communications technology, or ICT, marked on Thursday. Celebrated every year on the fourth Thursday of April, the Day is an initiative of the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and aims to encourage and empower girls and young women to consider entering the growing field of ICT, enabling both girls and technology companies to reap the benefits of greater female participation in the sector. Recalling the energy and dedication he saw for himself from those taking part in the African Girls Can Code Initiative, earlier this year in Addis Ababa, UN chief António Guterres, tweeted that “such inspiring programmes not only develop skills, they also challenge stereotypes that limit girls’ ambitions and dreams”. This year, falling on 25 April, and with main celebrations...
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April 25, 2019 No comments
‘Zero malaria starts with me’ UN health agency urges grassroots responsibility on World Day
INTERNATIONAL, 25 April 2019, Health - After more than a decade of steady advances in fighting malaria, progress has leveled off, which is why this World Malaria Day, the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting a grassroots campaign to emphasize country ownership and community empowerment to improve malaria prevention and care. “Every two minutes a child dies from this preventable and treatable disease”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Every two minutes a child dies from this preventable and treatable disease – WHO chief Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by parasites that are transmitted to people through the bites of infected female mosquitoes. According to the UN health agency’s latest World Malaria Report, the estimated number of malaria cases remained virtually unchanged from 2015 to 2017. Moreover, there are approximately 219 million cases...
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April 25, 2019 No comments
Aid preparations gear up as Mozambique braces for second massive storm
INTERNATIONAL, 25 April 2019, Humanitarian Aid - Emergency measures are being stepped up by the UN and partners in northern Mozambique, amid fears that another devastating tropical storm could batter coastal areas on Thursday evening, weeks after Cyclone Idai claimed hundreds of lives and flooded vast swathes of the south of the country. “We are expecting that heavy rain will provoke flash floods and landslides impacting the north-eastern provinces of Cabo Delgado and Nampula,” Word Food Programme (WFP) spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said. “Another storm would be an additional blow for the people of Mozambique and further complicate the response in all areas.” Confirming that the agency is “closely” watching the approaching weather system in the north and helping provincial authorities to prepare for the worst,...
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April 24, 2019 No comments
Vaccinations create ‘umbrella of immunity’ against global measles outbreaks, says UNICEF
INTERNATIONAL, 24 April 2019, Health - Between 2010 and 2017, an average of 21.1 million children missed their first dose of the measles vaccine, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) revealed on Wednesday, stressing its importance to creating “an umbrella of immunity for everyone.” According to UNICEF, widening pockets of unvaccinated children have created a pathway to the measles outbreaks currently spreading around the world. “The ground for the global measles outbreaks we are witnessing today was laid years ago,” said Henrietta Fore, UNICEF Executive Director. During the first three months of 2019, more than 110,000 measles cases were reported worldwide, representing a near 300 per cent jump from the same period last year. And in 2017, measles cost some 110,000 people, mostly children, their lives,...
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April 24, 2019 No comments
‘You can and should do more’ to include people with disabilities, wheelchair-bound Syrian advocate tells Security Council in searing speech
INTERNATIONAL, 24 April 2019, Peace and Security - The UN Security Council was told on Wednesday that people with disabilities “can’t wait any longer” for more of a say in how the world’s top diplomatic forum for peace and security, factors their needs into its work. The polite but passionate plea came from 20-year-old wheelchair-bound Syrian refugee, Nujeen Mustafa, who briefed members in a soft but commanding voice, on the acute vulnerabilities of people with disabilities in conflict, describing how once war began in her home city of Aleppo, she lived with the intense fear that she would be responsible for her own family dying in an airstrike. “Every day, buildings in our neighbourhood were bombed, leaving people trapped beneath the ruins. Every day, I feared that I could be...
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