Health system strengthening and COVID-19 response in focus during WHO/Europe Regional Director’s visit to Ukraine

20 January 2021

On December 13–16, WHO Regional Director for Europe Dr Hans Kluge paid his first official visit to Ukraine.

During the visit, Dr Kluge met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Mr Denys Shmyhal, Minister of Health of Ukraine Mr Maxym Stepanov, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Mr Dmytro Kuleba, Head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance Mr Mykhailo Radutsky, Member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Public Health, Medical Assistance and Medical Insurance Ms Olha Stefanyshyna, Deputy Minister of Justice of Ukraine Ms Olena Vysotska, Ambassador of the European Union to Ukraine and Head of the EU Delegation to Ukraine Mr Matti Maasikas, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Ms Osnat Lubrani, the United Nations Country Team in Ukraine, Heads of Cooperation from diplomatic missions and international organizations, as well as Health Cluster partners.

“The COVID-19 pandemic is a global challenge, putting health systems worldwide to the test,” said Dr Hans Kluge. “WHO works closely with the Ukrainian government and national and international partners in Ukraine to foster the COVID-19 outbreak response, ensure socioeconomic recovery as well as improve health outcomes for Ukrainian citizens.”

During the country visit, Dr Kluge also visited the Kyiv Regional Laboratory and the Primary Health Care Facility No.2, expressing appreciation for the continuous efforts and professionalism of laboratory staff and health care workers on the frontline against COVID-19, putting their health at risk to save patients’ lives.

A 3-day visit offered an opportunity to discuss COVID-19 preparedness and response, the health system reform process, the humanitarian response and socioeconomic recovery, and the importance of strengthening prison health system capacity in Ukraine during meetings with high-level representatives of the Government of Ukraine and international development partners.

Over 1.9 billion people in Asia-Pacific unable to afford a healthy diet: UN report

officialinstitutions

20 January 2021

Over 1.9 billion people in Asia-Pacific unable to afford a healthy diet: UN report

According to the 2020 Regional Overview of Food Security and Nutrition, the region’s poor have been worst affected, forced to choose cheaper and less nutritious foods. The report is jointly produced by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

“The outbreak of COVID-19 and a lack of decent work opportunities in many parts of the region, alongside significant uncertainty of food systems and markets, has led to a worsening of inequality, as poorer families with dwindling incomes further alter their diets to choose cheaper, less nutritious foods,” the agencies said.

“Due to higher prices for fruits, vegetables and dairy products, it has become nearly impossible for poor people in Asia and the Pacific to achieve healthy diets, the affordability of which is critical to ensure food security and nutrition for all – and for mothers and children in particular.”

As a result, progress is also slowing on improving nutrition, a key target for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As of 2019, over 350 million people in the region are estimated to have been undernourished, with an about 74.5 million children under five stunted (too short for their age) and 31.5 million suffering from wasting (too thin for height).

Table of Contents

‘Impact most severe in first 1,000 days’

The UN agencies went on to note that while nutrition is vitally important throughout a person’s life, the impact of a poor diet is most severe in the first 1,000 days, from pregnancy to when a child reaches the age of two.
“Young children, especially when they start eating their ‘first foods’ at six months, have high nutritional requirements to grow well and every bite counts,” they said.

The agencies called for an integrated systems approach – bringing together food, water and sanitation, health, social protection and education systems – to address underlying factors and achieve healthy diets for all mothers and children.

‘Changing face of malnutrition’

They also highlighted the “changing face” of malnutrition, with highly processed and inexpensive foods, readily available throughout Asia and the Pacific. Often packed with sugar and unhealthy fats, such food items lack the vitamins and minerals required for growth and development and also increase the risk of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

The report urged governments to invest more in nutrition and food safety to promote healthy diets, as well as regulate sales and marketing of food for consumers, especially children. It also highlighted the need for action within the private sector, given the sector’s important role in the food system and its value chains for achieving healthy diets.

LDC graduation: Labour law amendment needed to obtain GSP plus status in EU, say experts

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

LDC graduation: Labour law amendment needed to obtain GSP plus status in EU, say experts

Experts today suggested the labour law needs amendment to improve human rights and workplace safety for obtaining Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) plus status in the European Union (EU) after Bangladesh’s graduation from Least Developed Country (LDC) status to a developing nation in 2024.

If Bangladesh can obtain GSP plus status by fulfilling the conditions, local exporters will enjoy the same current trade benefits even after graduation to a developing country.

The labour issues like workplace harassment, child labour, unionism for freedom of association at factory level and strong implementation of the labour law should be amended for obtaining the GSP plus after graduation, said Khondaker Golam Moazzem, research director of Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD).

Moazzem also suggested for a decision on improvement of labour rights based on tripartite consultation among workers’ representatives, government and owners and wider use of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) method in resolving the labour dispute to save time and stop harassment of workers.

“Bangladesh has made much progress in labour rights and some progress is needed in some 9 to 10 other areas for further improvement,” said Moazzem while he was presenting the keynote paper in a virtual discussion.

CPD and Networks Matter, a research firm based in Brussels jointly organised the discussion on ‘EU’s EBA & Prospect of GSP+ for Bangladesh: Addressing challenges related to Labour Laws and Rights’.

Due to lack of adequate number of labour courts and labour tribunals across the country, especially in the industrial zones, it takes a lot of time to resolve the disputes filed both by the workers and factory owners.

For instance, currently, some 20,000 cases are pending in the labour courts and some 10,000 cases remain to be resolved in labour tribunals, the speakers said at the discussion where diplomats, government high-ups, researchers and union leaders participated.

Obtaining the GSP plus status to the EU is important for Bangladesh because the EU trade bloc is the largest export destination of the country.

Some three-fifth of the total export and some two-third of the total garment export are destined for the EU with zero duty under the EU’s generous Everything But Arms (EBA) scheme.

But such a generous preference on export will be eroded when the country graduates to a developing country from the LDC in 2024, as per the rules of the EU GSP for the LDC. In case of the graduation, the EU allows three more years grace period for preparation.

That means Bangladeshi exporters will have to face nearly 12 percent duty on export to the EU after 2027 and a tough completion if the GSP plus status is not granted to the country by the EU.

The EU has already informed Bangladesh in several occasions over the last few years to ratify 27 international convention and improve in four core areas including improvement of labour rights, human rights, good governance and protection of environment for obtaining the GSP plus status.

New US President: MEPs hope for a new dawn in transatlantic ties | News | European Parliament

officialinstitutions

20 January 2021

New US President: MEPs hope for a new dawn in transatlantic ties | News | European Parliament

, https://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20210114IPR95616/

LT Foods picks 30% stake in Netherlands-based Leev through subsidiary

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

LT Foods picks 30% stake in Netherlands-based Leev through subsidiary

New Delhi: LT Foods Ltd, which sells packaged rice under the Daawat, Heritage and Royal brands, on Wednesday said it has acquired a 30% stake in Leev.nu, a Netherlands-based packaged foods company, through its subsidiary Nature Bio Foods BV.

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The transaction allows Nature Bio Foods (NBF BV) an option to acquire a further 21% stake in Leev.nu at the end of five years, the company said in a statement.

Also Read | Why server stacks are the new realty play

Leev.nu sells organic breakfast products, baking mixes, and health snacks largely in Netherlands.

Anders Invest, a private equity investor, along with Did-It, a trader of organic products, have also picked up a stake in Leev.nu BV.

To be sure, Nature Bio Foods works as a supplier of organic pulses, nuts, oils and rice to large global retail chains such as Walmart, Carrefour etc.

Leev.nu will start sourcing organic produce from NBF for its packed snacking brands.

“From a strategic point of view, it is critical that we build short supply chains. With NBF BV, a subsidiary of LT Foods coming on board, we can source our raw materials directly from organic farmers in India. Did-It offers a wealth of experience in worldwide trading of organic products. In addition, Anders Invest gives us the opportunity to grow & build a future organic platform through acquisitions,” Leo Voorwinden, director, Leev.nu, said in the statement.

For LT Foods, the deal will help Nature Bio Foods foray into the branded snacking market.

“Strategically, this acquisition gives NBF BV a reach to the consumers directly via the mainstream distribution strength of Leev. Currently NBF manages the farm to the doors of EU industries and brands, and now would be contributing to the full chain from farm to fork,” Vijay Kumar Arora, chairman and managing director, LT Foods Ltd.

Leev.nu will now have access to organic produce grown by Nature Bio Foods’ network of over 60,000 organic farmers.

The move comes at a time when LT Foods, which sells a variety of rice in India and exports to the West, has been expanding its presence in the packaged snacking market.

Last year, the company launched snacking brand Kari Kari in India. The snack is manufactured in India through a joint venture with Japan’s Kameda Seika which sells rice-based snacks. LT Foods set up a joint venture, Daawat Kameda India Pvt. Ltd, in 2017 to enter India’s snacking market. It subsequently started test-marketing Kari Kari in India in the same year.

For the financial year 2019-20, LT Foods reported a total income of ₹2,377.79 crore. It sells its packaged rice brands across the US, the UK, Europe, West Asia and Far East. It also has a range of organic food products, apart from selling rice-based sauces and snacks.

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EU hails Biden’s ‘new dawn’ but wants tough tech rules

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

EU hails Biden's 'new dawn' but wants tough tech rules

By Robin Emmott, Philip Blenkinsop

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – The European Union hailed Joe Biden’s inauguration later on Wednesday as U.S. president as a “new dawn” for Europe and the United States, while insisting U.S. technology companies should be regulated to stop the “dark forces” of hate speech online.

FILE PHOTO: U.S. President-elect Joe Biden cries during an event at Major Joseph R. “Beau” Biden III National Guard/Reserve Center at New Castle County Airport in New Castle, Delaware, U.S. January 19, 2021. REUTERS/Tom Brenner

The EU and the United States are the world’s top trading powers, along with China, and have close cultural, historical, business and defence ties, but Donald Trump sought to sideline the EU, championing Britain’s departure from the bloc.

Expressing relief at the end of four years of Trump’s “America First” policy, the EU’s chief executive and chairman told the European Parliament that shaping new global digital regulation together was paramount.

“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been waiting for,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said. But she also cautioned: “This sense of relief … should not lead us to making any illusions. Trump may be consigned to history in a few hours, but his followers remain.”

Von der Leyen said that while it might not be possible “to completely eliminate any of these dark forces” of the kind of incitement that led to the storming of the U.S. Capital on Jan. 6, hate speech and fake news must not be allowed to circulate freely on the internet.

“This political power, unbridled power held by the big internet giants must be reined in,” Von der Leyen said.

EU lawmakers are debating new digital policy that would have implications for Google, Facebook and Apple, but without major technology companies of its own, the European Union’s digital privacy and antitrust regulation can only go so far.

Von der Leyen proposed in her speech setting up a EU-U.S. Common Technology Council as a first step to draw up a template for global digital regulation that others around the world could follow.

From regulating artificial intelligence to complex algorithms based on vast amounts of data, the EU wants restrictions that would not at the same time limit the benefits of technology, such as self-driving cars or sharing data to fight diseases.

European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs EU summits in Brussels, said transatlantic priorities should also include combating COVID-19 and climate change.

“Together, we must stand as the bedrock of the rules-based international order, working for peace, security, prosperity, freedom, human rights and gender equity,” Michel said. “Let’s build a new founding pact for a stronger Europe, for a stronger America and for a better world,” he told EU lawmakers.

Writing by Robin Emmott; Editing by Frances Kerry

EU chiefs express relief as ‘friend’ replaces Trump

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

EU chiefs express relief as ‘friend’ replaces Trump

The European Union’s top officials expressed relief on Wednesday that they would again have a friend in the White House as Joe Biden replaces Donald Trump.

European Council President Charles Michel addresses European lawmakers during a plenary session on the inauguration of the new President of the United States and the current political situation, at the European Parliament in Brussels, on January 20, 2021. (Photo by JOHN THYS / AFP)

Charles Michel, president of the European Council, said the moment should be seized to form a new “founding pact” between democratic powers.

He was joined in the European Parliament by Ursula von der Leyen, president of the European Council, to address MEPs hours ahead of Biden’s inauguration.

“This time-honoured ceremony on the steps of the US Capitol will be a demonstration of the resilience of American democracy,” she said.

“And the resounding proof that, once again, after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.”

But Brussels’ top official warned the fact that millions of Americans had voted for Trump and that some of them had rioted on his behalf on January 6 should serve as a warning.

“President Trump may be history in a few hours, but his supporters remain. More than 70 million Americans voted for Trump in the election,” she said.

“A few hundred of them stormed the Capitol in Washington, the heart of American democracy, just a few days ago.

“And this really is what it looks like when words put into deeds, when hate speech and fake news become a real danger to democracy,” she said.

– Absurd fantasies’ –

“Despite established democracy being embedded here, we cannot assume that we are immune to these phenomena.”

Von der Leyen compared the US riot to a recent attempt by German activists to storm the Reichstag in Berlin in protest at coronavirus lockdown measures.

And she cited the case of Jo Cox, a British MP who was murdered by a far-right activist weeks before the UK voted to leave the European Union.

“Of course, there are differences with the storming of the Capitol, but there are also people here who feel wronged and angry”, she warned.

Europeans should beware of “people who adhere to wildly rampant conspiracy theories, an often confused mixture of completely absurd fantasies”, she said.

Michel, who hoped to host Biden at an EU-US summit in parallel with a NATO meeting in Brussels early in the new president’s term, struck a more upbeat tone.

“Law, order and democracy, have prevailed over this disgraceful attempt to overturn the election. American democracy has proven its strength and resilience,” he said.

“Let’s build a new founding pact for a stronger Europe, for a stronger America and for a better world.”

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EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House

The European Union’s top officials are breathing a sigh of relief as Joe Biden prepares to take over as president of the United States

January 20, 2021, 9:08 AM

2 min read

BRUSSELS — The European Union’s top officials breathed a sigh of relief on Wednesday that Joe Biden will be taking over as president of the United States, but they warned that the world has changed after four years of Donald Trump and that trans-Atlantic ties will be different in the future.

“This new dawn in America is the moment we’ve been awaiting for so long,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, hailing Biden’s arrival as “resounding proof that, once again after four long years, Europe has a friend in the White House.”

“The United States are back, and Europe stands ready to reconnect with an old and trusted partner to breathe new life into our cherished alliance,” she told EU lawmakers, hours before Biden was to be sworn in at his inauguration ceremony in Washington.

European Council President Charles Michel, who chairs summits between the EU’s 27 heads of state and government, said that trans-Atlantic relations have “greatly suffered in the last four years. In these years, the world has grown more complex, less stable and less predictable.”

“We have our differences and they will not magically disappear. America seems to have changed, and how it’s perceived in Europe and the rest of the world has also changed,” said Michel, whose open criticism of the Trump era contrasted starkly with the silence that mostly reigned in Europe while the Republican leader was in the White House.

This change, Michel said, means “that we Europeans (must) take our fate firmly into our own hands, to defend our interests and promote our values,” and he underlined that “the EU chooses its course and does not wait for permission to take its own decisions.”

The Europeans have invited Biden to a summit, quite probably in Brussels, in parallel with a top-level NATO meeting as soon as he’s ready. Michel said the EU’s priority is to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and climate change, rebuild the global economy and boost security ties with America.

EU Top Diplomats Ask North Macedonia’s Prime Minister about Dispute with Bulgaria

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

EU Top Diplomats Ask North Macedonia’s Prime Minister about Dispute with Bulgaria

The heads of the diplomatic missions of EU Member States in the Republic of North Macedonia, led by EU Ambassador David Gere, at their regular annual meeting with Prime Minister Zoran Zaev showed particular interest in resolving open issues with the Republic of Bulgaria, which resulted in no consensus on the negotiating framework for North Macedonia in Brussels, reports the “Sloboden Pecat”, quoted by BTA.

The meeting, as reported by the government press office, highlighted the unanimous opinion that the process should proceed as quickly as possible and end with the start of negotiations of the country with the EU. Prime Minister Zaev has stressed that it is important for the Republic of North Macedonia to continue the dialogue with Bulgaria in the spirit of mutual respect and through the realization of the Friendship Treaty as well as more intensive cooperation in different spheres.

The membership of the Republic of Macedonia in the EU does not have an alternative, Reev repeated. He has informed the ambassadors about the current and most important activities in the integration process of the country.

VMRO-DPMNE President Hristijan Mickoski and vice-president of the party Alexander Nikoloski had a meeting in Budapest with the Prime Minister of Hungary and Fidesz party leader Viktor Orban and a working breakfast with Hungarian Foreign Minister Peter Szijjrto, reports “Nezavisen Vesnik”.

At the meeting, Mickoski spoke about his country’s blocked European integration and asked Hungary for help. The conversation with Orban was focused on the excellent friendly relations that exist between the sister parties VMRO-DPMNE and Fidesz. At the working breakfast with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Hungary, the parties discussed the strategic priorities of the country related to the membership of the Republic of North Macedonia in the European Union.

EU steps up Covid fight with new action plan

Newsdesk

20 January 2021

EU steps up Covid fight with new action plan

Two days ahead of the meeting of European leaders on a coordinated response to the Covid-19 crisis, the European Commission set out a number of actions needed to step up the fight against the pandemic.

The Commission has called on member states to accelerate the roll-out of vaccination across the EU: by March 2021, at least 80% of people over the age of 80, and 80% of health and social care professionals in every Member State should be vaccinated. And by summer 2021, member states should have vaccinated a minimum of 70% of the adult population.

The Commission also called on member states to continue to apply physical distancing, limit social contacts, fight disinformation, coordinate travel restrictions, ramp up testing, and increase contact tracing and genome sequencing to face up to the risk from new variants of the virus. As recent weeks have seen an upward trend in case numbers, more needs to be done to support healthcare systems and to address “Covid-fatigue” in the coming months.

Key actions for member states, the Commission, the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) which will help reduce risks and keep the virus under control:

Speeding up the roll-out of vaccination across the EU

•   By March 2021, at least 80% of people over the age of 80, and 80% of health and social care professionals in every Member State, should be vaccinated.
•   By summer 2021, Member States should have vaccinated 70% of the entire adult population.
•   The Commission, Member States and the EMA will work with companies to use the EU’s potential for increased vaccine manufacturing capacity to the fullest.
•   The Commission is working with Member States on vaccination certificates, in full compliance with EU data protection law, which can support the continuity of care. A common approach is to be agreed by the end of January 2021 to allow Member States’ certificates to be rapidly useable in health systems across the EU and beyond.

Testing and genome sequencing

• Member States should update their testing strategies to account for new variants and expand the use of rapid antigen tests.
• Member States should urgently increase genome sequencing to at least 5% and preferably 10% of positive test results. At present, many Member States are testing under 1% of samples, which is not enough to identify the progression of the variants or detect any new ones.

Preserving the Single Market and free movement while stepping up mitigation measures

•   Measures should be applied to further reduce the risk of transmission linked to the means of travel, such as hygiene and distancing measures in vehicles and terminuses.
•   All non-essential travel should be strongly discouraged until the epidemiological situation has considerably improved.
•   Proportionate travel restrictions, including testing of travellers, should be maintained for those travelling from areas with a higher incidence of variants of concern.

Ensuring European leadership and international solidarity

• To ensure early access to vaccines, the Commission is to set up a Team Europe mechanism to structure the provision of vaccines shared by Member States with partner countries. This should allow for sharing with partner countries access to some of the 2.3 billion doses secured through the EU’s Vaccines Strategy, paying special attention to the Western Balkans, our Eastern and Southern neighbourhood and Africa.
• The European Commission and Member States should continue supporting COVAX, including through early access to vaccines. Team Europe has already mobilised €853 million in support of COVAX, making the EU one of COVAX’s biggest donors.

President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Vaccination is essential to get out of this crisis. We have already secured enough vaccines for the entire population of the European Union. Now we need to accelerate the delivery and speed up vaccination. Our aim is to have 70% of our adult population vaccinated by summer.

“That could be a turning point in our fight against this virus. However, we will only end this pandemic when everyone in the world has access to vaccines. We will step up our efforts to help secure vaccines for our neighbours and partners worldwide.” – TradeArabia News Service

Latest news of Europe and the world.

Health system strengthening and COVID-19 response in focus during WHO/Europe Regional Director’s visit to Ukraine

Over 1.9 billion people in Asia-Pacific unable to afford a healthy diet: UN report

‘Impact most severe in first 1,000 days’

‘Changing face of malnutrition’

LDC graduation: Labour law amendment needed to obtain GSP plus status in EU, say experts

New US President: MEPs hope for a new dawn in transatlantic ties | News | European Parliament

LT Foods picks 30% stake in Netherlands-based Leev through subsidiary

EU hails Biden’s ‘new dawn’ but wants tough tech rules

EU chiefs express relief as ‘friend’ replaces Trump

– Absurd fantasies’ –

EU sighs with relief as Biden readies to enter White House

The European Union’s top officials are breathing a sigh of relief as Joe Biden prepares to take over as president of the United States

EU Top Diplomats Ask North Macedonia’s Prime Minister about Dispute with Bulgaria

EU steps up Covid fight with new action plan

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