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“There are still many countries with increasing numbers of cases, but at the global level, this is encouraging news”, saidWHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, speaking during the agency’s bi-weekly briefing from Geneva.
The development and approval of safe and effective vaccines less than a year after the emergence of a new virus is providing a much-needed source of hope. The challenge we face now is to ensure vaccines are a source of HOPE FOR ALL, not hope for some. #COVID19
“It shows this virus can be controlled, even with the new variants in circulation. And it shows that if we keep going with the same proven public health measures, we can prevent infections and save lives”.
While welcoming the development, Tedros recalled “we have been here before”, and warned against complacency.
“Over the past year, there have been moments in almost all countries when cases declined, and governments opened up too quickly and individuals let down their guard, only for the virus to come roaring back”, he said.
The WHO chief stressed that as vaccines are rolled out, people everywhere must continue to take measures aimed at keeping themselves, and others, safe.
“It is vital that governments enable people to make the right choices, whether it is making quarantine easier to adhere to, or making workplaces safer,” he said.
“Controlling the spread of the virus saves lives now, and saves lives later by reducing the chances of more variants emerging. And it helps to ensure vaccines remain effective.”
Lack of data undermines response
WHO has underscored the urgent need for better data to strengthen pandemic response and improve health outcomes, in a new report launched on Monday.
The SCORE Global Report provides a snapshot of the state of health information systems around the world and is the first study of its kind.
SCORE stands for Survey, Count, Optimize, Review and Enable, and the report covers 133 country health information systems and just under 90 per cent of the global population.
It reveals that globally, four in10 deaths remain unregistered, while only one in 10 deaths is recorded in the African region.
WHO said the lack of data worldwide limits understanding of the true mortality impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which undermines response planning.
Scoring a goal against COVID-19
The global football governing body, FIFA, is supporting the drive to make COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and diagnostics available to all countries.
FIFA has teamed up with WHO for the “ACT Together” campaign, which also promotes adherence to the everyday public health measures aimed at preventing coronavirus spread, such as hand washing and wearing masks.
Star footballers and competing team captains will participate in the campaign, which is being held in conjunction with the FIFA Club World Cup 2020, taking place in Qatar from 4-11 February.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino emphasized the importance of having a level playing field, whether in football or in health.
“Fairness and team spirit are key values of our sport,” he said. “And these same key values, fairness and team spirit are needed for today’s great challenge: overcoming COVID-19.”
It is important for football to address issues that affect society, 2001 Ballon d’Or winner Michael Owen told the briefing, reminding that vaccine access must be fair and equitable.
“This has been a global pandemic, and globally we need to give access to vaccination,” he said.
Update on Wuhan mission
Meanwhile, WHO Technical Lead on COVID-19, Dr. Maria Van Kerhkove, said the international mission on the ground in Wuhan, China, is having “very productive discussions” with counterparts there.
The 15 experts arrived in the city last month to study the origins of the novel coronavirus, which causes the disease.
Dr. Van Kerhkove reported that they have visited hospitals, as well as the market, and have met with officials from the Wuhan Centre for Disease Control (CDC) and the Chinese CDC.
“Their focus is on the early cases and they are having very good discussions around that,” she said.
The mission has attracted media attention and Dr. Van Kerhkove underscored that the team must be given the space to carry out its work.
Brussels – The European Union tightened its rules for visitors from outside the bloc on Monday, specifying that they would only be allowed in freely from countries with very few coronavirus cases and almost none of the more transmissible variants.
EU ambassadors agreed the new measure for travel from non-EU countries, including Britain, at a meeting in Brussels, an EU diplomat told Reuters.
Under the recommendation on non-essential travel, EU countries are encouraged to grant access without restrictions, such as mandatory quarantines, only under strict criteria.
The visitor would have to come from a country with no more than 25 COVID-19 cases per 100 000 people over 14 days, an infection rate lower than in all EU countries.
Travel curbs should also rapidly be reintroduced for countries where a high incidence of more infectious coronavirus variants is detected, the text says.
BERLIN: BioNTech and Pfizer said Monday they will ramp up their coronavirus vaccine deliveries to the European Union, pledging to send up to 75 million extra doses to the bloc in the spring. “Pfizer and BioNTech continue to work toward increased deliveries beginning the week of February 15, ensuring we will supply the full quantity of vaccine doses in the first quarter we contractually committed to and up to an additional 75 million doses to the European Union in the second quarter,” they said in a statement. The EU has ordered a total of 600 million doses of their Comirnaty vaccine. The statement came hours ahead of a national conference called by Chancellor Angela Merkel with vaccine manufacturers amid growing anger over the bloc’s sluggish inoculation campaign. BioNTech and Pfizer, which will take part in the meeting, said that improvements in their production capabilities would allow them to speed up supplies. These included the completion of modifications at Pfizer’s plant in Puurs, Belgium. “Now, we are back to the original schedule of vaccine dose deliveries,” they said. BioNTech’s manufacturing site in the German city of Marburg has meanwhile received a licence to start production this month, as the companies have expanded their network of European supply partners to 13. “We’re further strengthening this network, and are now in discussions with additional qualified partners on potential new agreements,” they said. Their announcement in mid-January that they would delay shipments of the jabs due to the necessary modifications at the Puurs factory sparked ire across the bloc. Germany at the time urged the European Commission — which undertook joint procurement for the bloc — to “seek clarity and certainty” for upcoming shipments. And six northern EU nations warned in a letter to the Commission that the “unacceptable” situation “decreases the credibility of the vaccination process”. The news was followed last week by an announcement from British-Swedish company AstraZeneca that it could deliver only a quarter of the doses originally promised to the bloc this winter because of problems at one of its European factories. In the face of a political firestorm, European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said Sunday that AstraZeneca had now agreed to increase its coronavirus vaccine deliveries to the EU by 30 percent. An EU source said the first deliveries would start in the second week of February.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) has published a 24-page Reflection on the theme of its 11th General Assembly to take place in Karlsruhe, Germany, from 31 August to 8 September 2022. The text, which is the result of the work of an international group drawn from different regions and confessional traditions, is intended as a resource for Churches and Christians worldwide facing new pastoral challenges related to the current the COVID-19 pandemic, present world uncertainty, the ambivalences of the digital revolution, climate change, social injustice and rising xenophobia and racism.
The General Assembly meets every eight years in a different town and was originally planned in September in 2021 on the theme “Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity”, but due to the COVID-19 it has been postponed to next year.
During the 2022 event, world Churches are expected to continue the Pilgrimage of justice and peace they started in 2013 at their 10th assembly in Busan (South Korea) and to discuss the next steps of their journey, focusing for the first time on the “love of God, the Holy Trinity, a love revealed in Christ; and, through the power of the Holy Spirit, a love moving in and through all humankind and all creation”, the document explains.
Noting that the theme draws on the very heart of the Gospel and reminds us that the Church, as the body of Christ, is moved by Christ himself, the Reflection calls for an “ecumenism of the heart”: “Many people among the Churches are urging that our seeking for unity must not be only intellectual, institutional, and formal, but also based in relationship, in common prayer, and, above all, in mutual affection and love”, the text remarks.
According to the Wcc, this vocation to unity is all the more needed now in the current COVID-19 crisis, which has “exposed how the assumed self-sufficiency, independence, and individualism on which so many have come to rely are but illusions, that we human beings are not the masters of creation but part of creation and vulnerable within it and “also brought more clearly into the light the many inequalities in the world”.
Christian Churches called to set an example
In this context the Council says that Christian Churches are called, now more than ever, to set a leading example: “The Churches need now, together, in a renewed ecumenical movement for the sake of the world, to find a more public voice to speak a truer hope than the empty optimism of any faded political rhetoric: a hope that might build a better world than the one so deeply shaped by materialism, individualism, and consumerism, a world in which resources will be shared, inequalities addressed, and a new dignity found among us and for all of us”, the document reads. “Churches that live and pray only in hidden, private communities, separated from one another, are called by the risen Christ to be ‘sent’ into the very public and open spaces of the world, to reframe our corporate sense odf what matters, to make idols fall, and to be part of welcoming the kingdom of God in which the poor are blessed and the captives set free”.
“A world crying out for profound love, for community, for justice and hope needs Churches that are visibly in communion, longing for oneness where there is division and finding a new future for humankind and for all creation, as expressed in Revelation Christ’s Love Moves the World to Reconciliation and Unity”, the document concludes.
Last week, EASO carried out a targeted needs assessment mission to the Canary Islands in order to quickly begin implementing effective reception support to the Spanish authorities in the region.
On 1 February 2021, the Spanish State Secretary for Migration, Hana Jalloul Muro, accompanied by the Spanish Ambassador to Malta, Consuelo Femenía, visited the Headquarters of the European Asylum Support Office (EASO) in Valletta. During the visit, the State Secretary met with the Executive Director of the Agency, Nina Gregori, as well as with EASO’s senior management. Part of the discussions were also joined remotely by José Luis Escrivá Belmonte, Spanish Minister for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration.
During the meetings, discussions with the Spanish delegation focussed on EASO’s new operation in the country in support of the national reception system. The Agency’s fifth ongoing operation – together with those in Cyprus, Greece, Italy and Malta – was launched in January following the signing of the Operating Plan in December 2020.
The agreement was reached following a Joint Rapid Needs Assessment (JRNA) carried out by EASO and the Spanish Ministry for Inclusion, Social Security and Migration, between mid-September and the end of October 2020.
Commenting on the visit of the State Secretary, Nina Gregori stated: It was a great pleasure to welcome Ms Jalloul Muro to our premises today. The discussions built on the excellent cooperation we have fostered over the past months, allowing for the swift launch of a new EASO operation in Spain. EASO is wasting no time in quickly operationalising its plans to support the Spanish authorities in strengthening the reception system for asylum seekers.
Within the context of the new Spain operation, last week a multi-disciplinary EASO team carried out a needs assessment mission at six sites in the Canary Islands, which have received a high number of persons with international protection needs in recent months. The mission was carried out in order to enable the Agency to tailor its support to the specific needs in the region, and the results were discussed with the State Secretary during her visit.
In addition to providing enhanced capacity to the reception services in the Canary Islands, EASO’s operation in Spain will also support in the transition towards a new model for reception; enhance structural processes in support of the reception system; contribute to strengthening capacity within the reception system through professional development, tools and materials; and support the Spanish authorities in the area of resettlement.
Any further information may be obtained from the European Asylum Support Office on the following email address: [email protected]
WHO, with financial support from the European Union (EU), delivered over 8 tonnes of medical supplies to Kazakhstan to support the government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The delivery included personal protective equipment, that is, items such as surgical masks and gowns, as well as laboratory equipment.
The cargo is part of a joint delivery plan by WHO and the EU to support national health authorities in responding to the virus. Supplies will be distributed to medical organizations in the country in line with priorities and needs.
“During this challenging time, it is extremely important to show solidarity with and support for health workers in all countries,” said WHO Representative to Kazakhstan Dr Caroline Clarinval. “The health of Kazakhstani frontline medical workers must remain our priority,” she stressed, expressing gratitude to the EU for being the largest donor during the pandemic, and for ensuring the supply of medical devices to the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Long-term sustainability
EU ambassador to Kazakhstan Sven-Olov Carlsson thanked WHO for working with the EU to deliver the medical cargo, insisting that “with mutual assistance, openness and effective international cooperation, we will not only overcome this crisis, but we will also be able to prevent these kinds of public health threats in the future.”
In July 2020, the EU launched the Central Asia COVID-19 Crisis Response (CACCR) Programme, a solidarity package with a budget of 3 million euro (1.4 billion tenge) to help Central Asian countries, with Kazakhstan being a major beneficiary of the programme.
The CACCR programme supports mitigation of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The programme also seeks to ensure the long-term sustainability of the national health systems by building the capacity to respond to any similar future threats to public health.
n the middle of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic that is currently sweeping the globe, the European Union (EU) and the Philippines have jointly convened a “friendly and constructive” sub-committee meeting on trade, investment, and economic cooperation with a focus on the country’s implementation of the GSP+ (Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus).
Held over the weekend, the first sub-committee bilateral meeting was conducted under the auspices of the EU-Philippines Partnership and Cooperation Agreement (PCA).
Peter Berz, EU’s Head of Unit for South and South-East Asia, Australia, New Zealand in DG TRADE, and Allan Gepty, DTI Assistant Secretary for Industry Development and Trade Policy Group led the virtual conference.
The GSP+ is a trade preference that allows the Philippines to export goods to the European market duty-free provided that the country commits to effectively implement at least 27 international core conventions covering labor rights, human rights, good governance, and environmental concerns.
In a statement, the EU Delegation in Manila said the discussions extended to market access issues, regulatory developments, regional trade agreements and reforms in the multilateral trading system, and areas for future engagement and cooperation.
The EU noted the usefulness of their discussions even more so at a time when working together and reinforcing international cooperation is crucial for recovering from the economic impact of the COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic.
The subcommittee on Trade, Investment, and Economic Cooperation was initially established after the EU-Philippines PCA entered into force in 2019.
The first EU-Philippines PCA committee meeting took place exactly two years ago which provided the mandate for the establishment of various subcommittees, including the one on trade, investment, and economic cooperation.
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“We should learn from the history of leprosy. To better fight against an epidemic or a pandemic, we must eliminate discrimination and double standards for those who have been systematically left behind”. This is the message from Alice Cruz, an independent UN rights expert, and Special Rapporteur on the elimination of discrimination against persons affected by leprosy and their family members, on World Leprosy Day.
Ms. Cruz notes that the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic – which range from deprivation of the right to education, housing and employment, to domestic and sexual violence – mirror those experienced by sufferers of leprosy (also known as Hansen’s disease) over thousands of years.
In May 2020, the independent UN expert raised the alarm of the disproportionate effect that the pandemic is having on leprosy sufferers, in an open letter addressed to governments in which she called for detailed actions plans.
In her message for World Leprosy Day, Ms Cruz warned that an inadequate response from countries where the disease is prevalent, is likely to lead to a setback in leprosy control, transmission and prevention of disabilities, as well as in the worsening of an already extremely precarious standard of living.
Changing mindsets
Leprosy is curable, if treatment swiftly follows a timely diagnosis, but if patients are not treated, they can be left with irreversible physical impairments and disabilities. However, in his message for the Day, Yohei Sasakawa, the World Health Organization (WHO) Goodwill Ambassador for Leprosy Elimination, points out that early diagnosis of leprosy and prompt treatment are not enough to overcome the disease.
“It also requires changing mindsets”, he says, “so that leprosy is no longer a source of shame or prejudice. We must remove all barriers in the way of those seeking medical care. We must eliminate the obstacles that prevent affected individuals and their families from living in dignity and enjoying all their basic human rights as full members of society”.
Mr. Sasakawa expressed confidence that the WHO’s Global Leprosy Strategy for 2021-2030 will generate new momentum in the fight against the disease, and looked forward to “an inclusive society in which everyone has access to quality treatment and services, and a diagnosis of leprosy no longer comes with a possibility of devastating physical, social, economic or psychological consequences”.
Moroccan-born Ms. Gardner, is one of the most prominent senior women in the financial sector, and has been an industry leader for over two decades, as president of a multi-billion dollar New York-based global alternative investment fund. She has pledged to use her new role as the first-ever UNCDF Goodwill Ambassador to promote opportunities and resources for women business owners, and improve living standards for underserved communities.
UN News: Why is it important to help more women gain access to finance?
Sonia Gardner: First, finance can play an important role in facilitating economic growth in the world’s poorest countries and that, in turn, can improve the investment climate and living standards for underserved women in those communities.
Separately, women have traditionally faced many obstacles in building their careers in the finance industry. For example, in some areas of finance, the percentage of women in C-Suites (executive-level managers) is less than 10 per cent, and gender inequality tends to become more pronounced as one moves up the career ladder, particularly as many women drop out in middle management for a variety of reasons.
These are the types of challenges I hope to help address as Goodwill Ambassador for UNCDF. I am truly honoured and humbled to serve in this role.
UN News: What are some of the challenges faced by women?
Sonia Gardner: I think one of the biggest challenges faced by women continues to be unequal treatment in the workplace. Since I entered the workforce 30 years ago, there has been improvement, but there still is much work to be done to eliminate systemic inequality.
In 1986, I entered the world of finance and built a business working closely with my brother. In part because of that, I didn’t face the same challenges that many women in our industry have confronted as they have worked their way up the corporate ladder, or hit the glass ceiling. I faced different challenges; at the top of the list, was the experience of being the only senior woman in the room on too many occasions over the last 30 years.
Much has been written about how to solve the problem of systemic inequality, and although some progress has been made over the years, there is still much work that needs to be done to increase the number of senior women in finance. As you can imagine, gender inequality in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) is a far greater problem.
UNCDF
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is supporting women’s economic empowerment in the world’s 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
UN News: As Goodwill Ambassador, who are you advocating for?
Sonia Gardner: My area of focus is on gender equality in the 47 least developed countries working to give women access to economic resources. These women in the LDCs need capital to start and grow businesses and provide a path to lift their families out of poverty.
I absolutely believe that most men and women see that change is necessary. Women in the LDCs are particularly underserved and vulnerable.
UN News: Why are you so passionate about this issue?
Sonia Gardner: This issue is critical to me because the inequities are so stark and so few women experience financial inclusion.
My personal background has helped shape my perspective. I was born in Morocco and, at age four, I immigrated to the United States with my family. I grew up in a small two-bedroom apartment and shared a room with my brother and sister for many years.
My parents came here with almost nothing, and their primary goal was for us to have a good education. They made incredible sacrifices and we all went to college and law school on scholarships and loans. I’m grateful every day for the success I have had over the years and I believe giving back is central to anyone’s success. I have truly lived the American Dream.
Despite my modest upbringing, I was afforded numerous opportunities in my life that helped me to achieve success. I want to give my time and use my voice to help improve the lives of women in the LDCs because that’s one of the areas where I see the greatest needs, at this time.
UNCDF
The United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) is supporting women’s economic empowerment in the world’s 47 Least Developed Countries (LDCs).
UN News: What will you do to bring about change and make it easier for women to access finance?
Sonia Gardner: Last year, I was able to meet Yvonne Aki-Sawyerr, the incredible mayor of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Since meeting the Mayor at an event during the UN General Assembly, I have helped her build an early learning centre at the Congo Water Market in Freetown, for 40 preschool children ages one to five. A second centre for an additional 40 children will be built later this year.
These centres will allow women working at the market to have their children get a head start on a quality education.
I look forward to broadening this type of support, for UNCDF to make finance work for the poor and help to achieve the SDGs.
In much of the world, women are the providers. They, like the market women in Sierra Leone, are earning money and supporting their families every day. It’s very hard for them to get any sort of financing or backing or even childcare. I’m planning my first trip to Sierra Leone, which will hopefully be in the fall, to visit the childcare centres and see first-hand the positive change for these market women and their children.
UN News: What do your peers in this male-dominated industry make of your appointment as Goodwill Ambassador?
Sonia Gardner: My peers are very excited that I’ve taken on this role, and have been very supportive. They agree that we need to improve the pipeline and build a system that supports women, to eliminate the systemic inequality women have traditionally faced.
Studies have found that, because mentorship for young women is so important, both senior women and men need to participate. I saw this in my work as the Chair of 100 Women in Finance, which does important work with its NextGen programme. My hope is to create a network of my peers, men and women alike, who will mentor women in the Least Developed Countries and help find solutions to lift them out of poverty.
Commenting on the visit of the State Secretary, Nina Gregori stated: 
