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Agents Protest London Book Fair’s Handling of Refunds

By
Juan Sanchez Gil
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Agents Protest London Book Fair's Handling of Refunds

Association of Authors Representatives (AAR) and Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA) have written an open letter protesting the way Reed Exhibitions handled refunds to those who canceled their attendance at the London Book Fair due to the global pandemic. Agents who canceled their tables prior to the fair’s ultimate, formal cancellation announcement had no money returned. Those who canceled after the official announcement were offered 60% back or could carry over 100% of the cost of their table to next year’s fair.

In contrast, the Bologna Book Fair, which initially moved its fair from March to May, offered a 100% refund, provided the request was made by a set deadline.

Numerous North American agents and publishers had canceled their plans to attend LBF in late winter as the pandemic began to be more acutely felt around the world, including in the U.K. and U.S. The LBF was canceled about a week before it was set to open. A spokesperson for the agents said they decided to write the letter after an effort to find a “fair solution” to LBF’s cancellation policy were “rebuffed.”

The letter from the agents reads in its entirety:

“Earlier this year, Reed Exhibitions decided to penalize agencies which cancelled their London Book Fair tables prior to the Fair’s ultimate formal cancellation. We feel it is tone deaf for LBF to inflict a financial penalty on North American agents who responsibly notified LBF as soon as they realized that it would be impossible to attend the fair owing to the global pandemic. As the Association of Authors Representatives (AAR), we have tried to work this out privately with calls and letters from individuals as well as leaders of our organization. However we have seen no movement whatsoever on Reed’s part. We now need to make it clear publicly that we strongly disapprove of their silence and what we see as overly punitive actions.

Although the timing of each situation was unique and presented different challenges, we are mindful that other major international book fairs, which also had to modify and/or cancel events, have been far more accommodating and sympathetic to foreign attendees.
The international publishing community is one that values long term relationships. The dissonant response of the London Book Fair promises to be deeply damaging to their relationship with the North American agenting community and demonstrates a lack of sensitivity to the long term effects this will have on loyal attendees choosing to go to future fairs. We, along with members of The Professional Association of Canadian Literary Agents (PACLA), urge the London Book Fair /Reed to reconsider its position, and come to a new more equitable decision on these policies.”

The letter was signed by:

The AAR International Committee

  • Jennifer Weltz, JVNLA, Inc.
  • Chris Lotts, The Lotts Agency, Ltd., emeritus
  • Lara Allen, The Lotts Agency, Ltd Cheryl Pientka, Nancy Yost Literary Agency
  • Soumeya Roberts, HG Literary
  • Tamar Rydzinski, Context Literary Agency
  • Sarah Perillo, Curtis Brown, Ltd.
  • Katie Kotchman, Don Congdon Associates, Inc.
  • Kent Wolf, Neon Literary Agency
  • Sandy Hodgman, Hodgman Literary
  • Diana Finch, Diana Finch Literary Agency – Committee Head
  • Cheryl Pientka, Nancy Yost Literary Agency

AAR members

  • Brian DeFiore, DeFiore and Company
  • Albert Longden, Albert T. Longden Associates
  • Cynthia Cannell, Cynthia Cannell Literary Agency
  • Farley Chase, Chase Literary Agency
  • Danielle Egan-Miller, Browne & Miller Literary Associates
  • Vicky Bijur, Vicky Bijur Literary Agency
  • Anne Borchardt, Georges Borchardt, Inc.
  • Valerie Borchardt, Georges Borchardt Inc.
  • John Hawkins & Associates, Inc.
  • Laura Gross, Laura Gross Literary Agency
  • Tonda Martin, The Martin Agency
  • Janis A Donnaud, Janis A Donnaud & Associates
  • Dr. Uwe Stender, Triada US Literary Agency
  • Gina Maccoby, Gina Maccoby Literary Agency
  • Denise Shannon, Denise Shannon Literary Agency

PACLA members

  • Kelvin Kong, K2 Literary
  • Ron Eckel, CookeMcDermid Agency
  • Stephanie Sinclair, Transatlantic Agency
  • Rachel Letofsky, CookeMcDermid Agency
  • Hilary McMahon, Westwood Creative Artists
  • Jackie Kaiser, Westwood Creative Artists
  • Meg Wheeler, Westwood Creative Artists
  • Suzanne Brandreth, CookeMcDermid Agency.

Six Baha’is imprisoned by the Houthis freed in Yemen

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Newsdesk
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Six Baha’is imprisoned by the Houthis freed in Yemen | BWNS
An Arabic translation of this article is available here.

BIC GENEVA — The Baha’i International Community has just confirmed that six prominent Baha’is have been released from prison after being wrongfully detained for several years by the Houthi authorities in Sana’a, Yemen.

The six Baha’is—Mr. Hamed bin Haydara, Mr. Waleed Ayyash, Mr. Akram Ayyash, Mr. Kayvan Ghaderi, Mr. Badiullah Sanai, and Mr. Wael al-Arieghie—are in a safe location where they can recuperate after enduring extremely difficult conditions for three to nearly seven years in prison.

Following these releases, the Baha’i International Community has called for the lifting of all charges against these six individuals and the other Baha’is charged, the return of their assets and properties, and, most importantly, the safeguarding of the rights of all Baha’is in Yemen to live according to their beliefs without risk of persecution.

“We welcome the releases today yet remain gravely concerned,” said Diane Ala’i, Representative of the Baha’i International Community. “As Yemen’s search for durable, societal peace continues, Baha’is must be able—like all Yemenis—to practice their faith safely and freely, in keeping with the universal principles of freedom of religion or belief. This is not possible until the charges are lifted.

“The Baha’i International Community expresses its gratitude to the UN Special Envoy for Yemen as well as the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. We also thank those governments and non-governmental organizations that have provided their support throughout this process.”

Related background information

Mr. Haydara, an engineer, was arrested because of his beliefs at his workplace in December 2013. Following a long court case which lacked due process he was sentenced to death in 2018. His appeal was rejected in 2020.

Mr. Ghaderi, a project officer, was arrested in 2016 when a gathering was raided. In April 2017, Mr. Waleed Ayyash, a Yemeni tribal leader, was arrested on his way to Hudaydah and was held in an undisclosed location. The following month, Mr. Al-Arieghie, a civil rights activist, was abducted by the authorities in Sana’a, and Mr. Sana’i, a prominent civil engineer in Yemen in his late 60s, was arrested in front of his workplace. In October 2017, Mr. Akram Ayyash, a manager of a nonprofit organization, was arrested during a raid by security forces on a Baha’i celebration. In September 2018, these five, along with nineteen others, were indicted at a court hearing in Sana’a under baseless charges.

The release of the six comes four months after the televised address by Mr. Mahdi Al Mashat, President of the Supreme Political Council in Sana’a, in late March 2020 ordering the release of all Baha’i prisoners and a pardon for Mr. Haydara.

Alarm raised about ongoing crisis in Nigeria at world churches’ meeting

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officialinstitutions
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Alarm raised about ongoing crisis in Nigeria at world churches' meeting
(Photo: REUTERS / Joe Penney)A church is seen guarded by soldiers behind sandbags, in Maiduguri, Nigeria May 23, 2014. Christian houses of worship are guarded by military soldiers at all times in Maiduguri.

Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria, is experiencing concurrent crises this year, highlighted in a recent spate of violent attacks in the north of the country, and the World Council of Churches has expressed alarm about the destruction to life taking place.

The Executive Committee of the WCC, in a video conference on July 20-24, took “special note” of several situations of concern brought to its attention in Nigeria.

“A recent spate of violent attacks in northern Nigeria has once again cost many lives, destroyed much property and resulted in further displacement of affected people and communities,” said the WCC.

“Christian communities and church leaders have been among those seriously affected by such attacks,” said the message.

This has triggered growing insecurity in the north-west of the country exacerbating the challenges posed by a longstanding Islamist extremist insurgency in the north-east.

Nigeria has an estimated population of 214 million people of whom nearly half are believed to be Christians and just over half Muslims.

The WCC said recent attacks and insecurity have particularly affected the states of Borno, Adamawa, Taraba, Plateau, Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Zamfara and Sokoto.

“Further, alarming rises in food insecurity and gender-based violence have accompanied the coronavirus pandemic, prompting calls for legal and social reforms,” said the council.

IMPACT OF COVID-19

The impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic are also deeply felt in the economic arena, which has Africa’s biggest economy.

Officials responsible for developing Nigeria’s economic recovery plan estimate that 39.4 million people could be unemployed by the end of 2020 without major government intervention and support.

“The recent lockdown imposed in some states to limit the spread of the virus has also compounded a long-term crisis of sexual and gender-based violence in Nigeria,” said the WCC.

It cited a major spike in cases of such violence prompted 36 governors to declare a state of emergency over rape and attacks against women and children in the country.

Nigeria’s police chief reported 717 rapes nationally between January and May this year, equating to one rape every five hours.

Furthermore, results of a 2019 survey suggest that up to one in every three Nigerian girls could have experienced sexual assault by the time they reach 25.

“However, the number of successful prosecutions of rape suspects remains low and stigma often prevents victims from reporting incidents,” said the WCC statement.

The executive committee noted the extensive ecumenical and interreligious engagement there and “expresses deep solidarity and prayers for the churches of Nigeria in their efforts to respond to such a constellation of crises [and] celebrates the signs of hope offered by the churches and their partners in the initiatives.”

The WCC statement noted the increased inter-religious cooperation for peace – including through the Nigeria Inter-Religious Council.

This is reflected in the establishment of the International Centre for Interfaith Peace and Harmony (ICIPH) in Kaduna, supported by the WCC and the Royal Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought (RABIIT).

The WCC said the center is a hub for cooperation among the Nigerian Christians and Muslims for the purpose of fostering peace and harmony between people of different religions

Asia-Pacific: ‘Call to action’ highlights role of family farmers amidst COVID-19 pandemic

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Newsdesk
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Creating greater understanding of the importance of these workers in ensuring regional food security is the goal of a new FAO-backed campaign launched on Wednesday.

Described as “a call to action that everyone needs to hear”, it also aims to give voice to family farmers’ organizations and reach out to rural communities through the use of community radio across 15 countries in the region.

“The campaign is calling on all people to value the role of family farmers to achieve food security in this region, especially during the pandemic. Family farmers are the frontline to provide nutritious food for us all. We believe a more resilient family farmer is representing a more resilient world”, said Maria Stella Tirol of ComDev Asia, a communication for development initiative supported by FAO.

Other partners include the Asian Farmers’ Association, the UPLB College of Development Communication, the Association of Community Radio Broadcasters, Digital Green, and the Self-Employed Women’s Association.

Pandemic exposing fragilities

Globally, there are some 500 million family farmers who produce more than 80 per cent of the world’s food, thus contributing to national and even global food security.

In Asia-Pacific, smallholder farmers own and operate the majority of farmland, but they hold less than five hectares per farm. Most of what they produce, or 75 per cent, is sold on to markets, while the remainder is consumed by household members.

FAO explained that food, trade, health and climate are interdependent, and the pandemic has revealed the fragility of these linkages.

The crisis has threatened progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which promise to bring about a better world for all people by 2030.

Asia is home to some 350 million undernourished people, more than any other region, and FAO feared the pandemic could jeopardize decades of gains in reducing poverty and ending hunger.

Still feeding us all

Smallholder family farmers already earned low average incomes prior to the pandemic and are now enduring worsening conditions, such as a weakening in their purchasing power. Disruptions of food chains have also caused increasing food loss and falling prices.

Despite risks to their health, they continue to play a fundamental role in feeding people everywhere.

“This campaign to advocate for Asia-Pacific’s family farmers, fishers, herders and others is needed now more than ever”, said Allan Dow, FAO’s Asia-Pacific Communication Officer.

“Safeguarding the food security and livelihoods of the most vulnerable people in our vast region is an absolute priority – and with the added impact of this global pandemic a call to action must be loud and clear.”

FAO has created a family farming knowledge platform, with extensive information about COVID-19 impacts on food systems.

The partners in the campaign will also use the platform to reach out to various stakeholders and development partners.

Buddhist Times News – As Sri Lanka researches ‘Ravan’s aviation routes’

By
Shyamal Sinha
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Buddhist Times News – As Sri Lanka researches ‘Ravan’s aviation routes’

It is believed that Ravan travelled widely in his Pushpak Viman, and the aviation routes could tell us more about Lanka’s geopolitical reach and influence.

रामायणम्, Rāmāyaṇam  is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India, the other being the Mahābhārata. Along with the Mahābhārata, it forms the Hindu Itihasa.

The epic, traditionally ascribed to the Maharishi Valmiki, narrates the life of Rama, the legendary prince of the Kosala Kingdom. It follows his fourteen-year exile to the forest by his father King Dasharatha, on request of his step-mother Kaikeyi, his travels across forests in India with his wife Sita and brother Lakshmana, the kidnapping of his wife by Ravana, the great king of Lanka, resulting in a war with him, and Ram’s eventual return to Ayodhya to be crowned king. This is the culmination point of the epic. It is the most sacred book, and is read by millions of people every year.

Sri Lanka tourism promotes an elaborate Ramayan trail stretching from Munneswaram to Trincomalee, Ella to Colombo. The nation’s first satellite launched last year is named ‘Ravana-1’.

Contrast this with India, where a masjid stood on Lord Ram’s birthplace for centuries and despite overwhelming evidence presented in court, ‘seculars’ stayed in denial. Any proposal to enhance the philosophical understanding of Ramayan, or studying Ram’s journey and alliances, or building tourism circuits based on the epic is mocked and met with disdain and protests.

While Sri Lanka unabashedly embraces its past, identity and legacy, Hindus in the homeland of their faith are repeatedly shamed and censored from honouring their defining epic because it would apparently be communal and upset minorities.

Indians are supposed to accept without compelling scientific proof the existence of Jesus or Mohammed, but a Ram or a Krishna cannot break the glass ceiling of mythology.

Even intellectual curiosity into Hindu epics is discouraged. In 2015, a paper presented on Ravan’s Pushpak Viman at the Indian Science Congress in Mumbai met with massive outrage. Five years later, a neighbouring government has proudly launched a full-scale study on the subject.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was incessantly mocked when in 2014 he said cosmetic surgery originated in India. Four years later, a Columbia University’s Inving Medical Centre study traced the roots of cosmetic and reconstructive procedures to ancient India more than 2,500 years ago.

“During the 6th Century BCE, an Indian physician named Sushruta €” widely regarded in India as the ‘father of surgery’ €” wrote one of the world’s earliest works on medicine and surgery,” the paper said. “The Sushruta Samhita documented the etiology of more than 1,100 diseases, the use of hundreds of medicinal plants, and instructions for performing scores of surgical procedures, including three types of skin grafts and reconstruction of the nose.”

The sheer genius of the British colonial project to ruin homegrown Indian knowledge and education and replace it with one that produces clerical, self-loathing brown sahibs is evident even today. Jawaharlal Nehru continued with this colonial system, outsourcing the massacre of history to Left intellectuals.

While Sri Lanka reconstructs its past by studying its tradition and trade routes mentioned in ancient texts like Ramayan and Valahassa Jataka, India is still to fix its education system, distortions of history, and broken pride in its glorious roots.

While India is in denial on Ram, Lanka proudly flaunts the extraordinary antagonist, Ravan, about whom writer Amish Tripathi says: “He is different from your ordinary villain. Just because he is so scholarly. He is a brilliant musician, a brilliant poet, a good dancer, he is exceptionally well read, he is a very good administrator. Which makes him a deep, complex man, and fascinating to write about. Even Ravan’s violence was scholarly.”

The name Ramayana means “Rama” + “Aayana”, where as Rama is name of Lord or God and Aayana means Path or Way. The literal meaning of the name is “the journey of Rāma” or “the career of Rāma” or in other words path or way taken or chosen by Rama during the human life cycle form at earth, during Treta Yuga (869000 years ago) in Jambudweep(Java Plum)/Aryavart/India.

Sri Lanka, wisely and justifiably, is delving into its rich trade, maritime traditions, and now even aerial routes to construct a robust national mythology. Vinod Moonesinghe, in his piece, outlines the scope of that knowledge from the story of Yakkhinis of Jataka Tales who captured and married shipwrecked merchants to Sinbad the Sailor to Tamil Nadu and Odisha connections to ship links with China and Vietnam.

These strengthen the story of Ravan’s regional influence. India, with a much richer maritime history and way bigger geopolitical influence in the Indian Ocean, don’t even give space to the likes of Rajendra Chola.

Sri Lanka has done what India should have long ago. An expansive study of Lord Ram’s travels and alliances is long overdue. But before that, we need to shed our apologist attitude towards our own past and roots.

According to Hindu tradition, Rama is an incarnation (Avatar) of god Vishnu. The main purpose of this incarnation is to demonstrate the righteous path (dharma) for all living creatures on earth.

New report on the Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims

By
Robert Johnson
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The All Party Parliamentary Group for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community has launched a new report entitled: ‘Suffocation of the Faithful: Persecution of Ahmadi Muslims in Pakistan and the rise of International extremism’

It is the first of its kind to be written by the APPG in response to the worrying increase of persecution against Ahmadi Muslims and other religious communities in Pakistan.

A number of religious communities including Ahmadi Muslims, Hindus, Christian and Shias have long been victims of persecution in Pakistan due to its discriminatory laws. The laws have stifled freedom of religion, promoted state-sponsored persecution and acted as a catalyst for violent extremism in Pakistan.

As a result, religious communities are denied fundamental human rights to practice their faith and engage in society without fear of harassment, discrimination or violence.

The effects of such persecution are not limited to Pakistan alone, as anti-Ahmadi hate has also surfaced in the UK. The most extreme example of this was the brutal murder in Glasgow of Ahmadi shopkeeper Asad Shah in 2016, who was killed on grounds of faith.

There has also been a worrying development of hate preachers coming to the UK and the rise in hate speech on satellite television, the internet and social media that is feeding intolerance and extremism.

Read the report

Italy’s Book Sales Bounce Back

By
Juan Sanchez Gil
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Italy's Book Sales Bounce Back

The recent return of book buyers to stores in Italy in the Italian book market has helped the overall market bounce back from showing a year-over-year revenue loss of 20% through April 18 to down 11% as of July 11, according to a study conducted by the research department of the Italian Publishers Association (AIE) based on data provided by Nielsen and IE – Informazioni Editoriali.

Overall market revenue was valued at approximately €533 million, representing a 11% drop compared to €600 million for the same period in 2019.

Perhaps even more heartening is the news that bookstore and online sales (excluding Amazon), which had fallen by 70% in weekly sales between March and April, have bounded back, showing as much as a 2.5% hike over 2019 for the week ending on July 19. Sales had shifted significantly over this period from bricks-and-mortar stores, which had been locked down, to online sales, but these too are returning to a more normal rate; typically, retailers account for some 70% of overall sales and in recent weeks have accounted for about 56% of overall sales, up from a low point of 52% earlier in the spring.

The AIE noted that the next several months will indicate whether or not the shift from retail stores to online purchases is a temporary phenomenon or has accelerated a shift that has already been underway for several years.

Agricultural policies key to addressing drivers of migration, says BIC Brussels

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Newsdesk
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Agricultural policies key to addressing drivers of migration, says BIC Brussels | BWNS
BRUSSELS — In order to address the arrival of migrants and asylum seekers, countries often take measures, such as border control and migrant quotas, that tend to deal with immediate issues. In recent years, however, there has been growing recognition of the need for a long-term view that takes into account the underlying causes of migration.

The contribution of the Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) has included focus on the underlying drivers of migration and it has encouraged thinking in this regard. The Office has been creating discussion spaces, including with the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission, to explore with policymakers and civil society organizations some of these drivers.

Rachel Bayani of the Brussels Office speaks about the relevance of certain spiritual concepts to these discussions. “The Baha’i principle of the oneness of humanity has profound implications for how people in one place consider the impact of their decisions and actions not only on their own surroundings but on the whole of humanity. A new approach to policy responses to migration and displacement should consider this principle, because the well-being of Europe cannot be advanced in isolation from that of the rest of the world.”

One of the drivers that the Office has drawn attention to has been the link between agricultural policies and the causes of migration in Africa. In the most recent gathering on this topic, the Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations co-hosted an online discussion last week, bringing together over 80 policymakers and other social actors from Africa and Europe.

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Some of the participants at an online discussion hosted by the Brussels Office of the Baha’i International Community (BIC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, bringing together over 80 policymakers and other social actors from Africa and Europe to explore links between European agricultural policies and the adverse drivers of migration and in Africa.

“In recent years, there has been an acknowledgement that more attention needs to be given to factors compelling people to leave their country of origin,” says Ms. Bayani. “We wish to examine how different policy areas, including agriculture, trade, investment, and the environment impact the drivers of migration.”

“Tracing the positive and negative consequences of policies is difficult, but this should not prevent efforts to do so in order to develop long-term strategies with the well-being of all humanity in mind.”

Participants at the gathering traced the path that migrants often take from rural areas to cities, and from there to other countries and continents. Discussions cast a light on how economic and environmental crises, the loss of land by farmers, and other factors that drive people to leave rural areas in Africa have ripple effects across the continent and beyond.

“Where migration starts is where the people are in rural areas. If people are discontent in their rural areas, they are pushed to cities, and then further abroad,” said Geoffrey Wafula Kundu, Program Coordinator for Migration at the African Union Commission.

Jannes Maes, president of the Council of European Young Farmers, noted that positive cultural attitudes around farming, particularly among rural youth, are an important element in strengthening rural communities in any part of the world.

“Changing the mindset toward farming will require removing barriers,” says Mr. Maes. “The main barriers—in Europe but also those that we hear from our African colleagues—are access to land, to supply chains, and to investment, even if there is no ‘home-grown capital’ to build on. These have to be tackled by the whole of our societies.”

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Performing soil analysis at the Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education, a Baha’i-inspired organization in Uganda.

Jocelyn Brown-Hall from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations says, “… we want to make sure that agriculture is part of the solution and is not overlooked when it comes to migration.”

Leonard Mizzi of the European Commission Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development observed that actions now being taken to effect a sustainable economic recovery from the coronavirus crisis provide an opportunity to create more resilient agricultural systems. “COVID has exposed fragilities around systems such as trade. What type of food systems will be more resilient to future shocks? … If we don’t have a systems approach that will really address these things, we cannot recover. Solutions from the top down will not work. We need a farmer- and human-rights-driven process.”

Kalenga Masaidio of the Kimanya-Ngeyo Foundation for Science and Education, a Baha’i-inspired organization in Uganda, explained the importance of allowing rural communities to participate in generating knowledge about agricultural systems.

“The main issue is empowering individuals and rural community members so that they can take ownership of their own social, economic, and intellectual development,” says Mr. Masaidio. “Rather than us thinking that solutions to these problems will always come from outside… development should start right from the rural communities.”

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Photograph taken before the current health crisis. Several Baha’i-inspired organizations in Africa have carried out initiatives enabling rural communities to participate in generating knowledge about agricultural systems. “When efforts to contribute to social progress draw on both science and insights from religion, opportunities and approaches emerge that would otherwise not be visible,” says Rachel Bayani.

Reflecting on these discussions, Mrs. Bayani, states: “The pandemic has so prominently highlighted flaws in the international order and how unity is needed to tackle any problem efficiently. Simply having a space where policymakers and social actors across continents can think together in light of a heightened understanding of our essential oneness is an important step in addressing an issue of international concern.

“When efforts to contribute to social progress draw on both science and insights from religion, opportunities and approaches emerge that would otherwise not be visible.”

Spread of hepatitis B in children under five, lowest in decades: WHO

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Newsdesk
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The advance marks the achievement of a critical target in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs):  to reduce the transmission of hepatitis B in children under age five to under one per cent by this year.

The news coincides with World Hepatitis Day, commemorated annually on 28 July to raise awareness of the disease, a viral infection of the liver that causes a range of health problems, including liver cancer.  The theme for 2020 – “Hepatitis-free future” – has a strong focus on preventing the disease which attacks the liver, one of the five main strains, among mothers and newborns.

“No infant should grow up only to die of hepatitis B because they were not vaccinated”, said WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  “Today’s milestone means that we have dramatically reduced the number of cases of liver damage and liver cancer in future generations.”

Preventing mother-to-child transmission essential

Preventing mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis B is the most important strategy for controlling the disease and saving lives, Dr. Tedros said.

WHO is calling for united and intensified efforts to test pregnant women, provide antiviral prophylaxis to women who need it, and expand access to hepatitis B immunization and its all-important birth dose vaccine.

Globally, more than 250 million people live with chronic hepatitis B infection, according to WHO.  Infants are especially vulnerable – and 90 per cent of children infected with hepatitis B in their first year of life become chronic carriers.  Each year, the disease claims nearly 900,000 lives.

Greater access to vaccine ‘birth dose’ needed

Infants can be protected from hepatitis B through a safe and effective vaccine that provides over 95 per cent protection.

WHO recommends that all infants receive a first dose of the hepatitis B vaccine as soon as possible after birth – preferably within 24 hours – followed by at least two additional doses.  Three-dose coverage during childhood, reached 85 per cent worldwide in 2019, up from 30 per cent in 2000.

However, access to the first critical dose within 24 hours of birth remains uneven.  Global coverage is 43 per cent.  Coverage drops to 34 per cent in the eastern Mediterranean region and only 6 per cent in Africa.

“Expanding access to a timely birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine is the cornerstone of efforts to prevent mother-to-children transmission,” said Meg Doherty, WHO Director of Global HIV, Hepatitis and STI Programmes.  In sub-Saharan Africa, where the birth dose of hepatitis B vaccine has not yet been introduced, “it is a priority to assure that protection as early as possible”.

COVID-19 hampering progress

A new modelling study by Imperial College London and WHO found that disruptions caused by COVID-19 to WHO’s hepatitis B vaccination programme, could have a serious impact on efforts to reach targets in the global strategy.

Under a worst-case scenario, the study projects that 5.3 million additional chronic infections could be seen in children born between 2020 and 2030, and one million additional hepatitis B-related deaths among those children later on. 

Hepatitis C, once deadly, now highly curable

Speaking at a press conference from Geneva, Dr. Tedros said 325 million people live with hepatitis B or C.  Each year, 1.3 million people lose their lives to these diseases.

The first-ever global hepatitis strategy, adopted by countries at the 2016 World Health Assembly, calls for an end to viral hepatitis by 2030, reducing new infections by 90 per cent and mortality by 65 per cent.

“Even talking about hepatitis elimination would have once seemed a fantasy”, Tedros said, “but new drugs have transformed hepatitis C from a life-long deadly disease into one in most cases can be cured in 12 weeks.” 

While medicines remain too expensive for patients in many countries, the UN health chief pointed to cases of “incredible” progress, notably in Egypt, where 60 million people have been tested for Hepatitis C and linked to treatment, free of charge.  There has also been progress in eliminating hepatitis B in Asia, where childhood immunization coverage is high, including the all-important birth dose. 

Asked about the average cost of a 12-week treatment for hepatitis C in high, middle and low-income countries, Dr. Doherty said the price has fallen from $3,000 to $60 today. 

The price is right

“In many ways, we now have prices that will allow us to end hepatitis C,” she said.  “This is essentially a cure.”  The goal now is to find “the missing millions” of people who have not yet been identified as infected – and to test and treat them so they no longer pass on the virus.

COVID-19 has only made this goal more daunting.  With supply chains and services disrupted, resources diverted, and the political focus shifted to containing the pandemic, there is a real risk of losing gains made.

“Like so many diseases, hepatitis is not just a health problem, it is an enormous social and economic burden”, Tedros stressed.

World Council of Churches names 2022 date for 11th Assembly in Germany

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officialinstitutions
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World Council of Churches names 2022 date for 11th Assembly in Germany
11th World Council of Churches Assembly poster.

The executive committee of the World Council of Churches has approved a new date for the WCC 11th Assembly, which will now be held in Karlsruhe, Germany, from August 31 to September 8, 2022.

Initially planned for 2021, the event was postponed by one year because of the gravity and uncertainties related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the WCC said.

“Inspired by the theme ‘Christ’s love moves the world to reconciliation and unity,’ our fellowship will come together as a whole in prayer and celebration in Karlsruhe,” said Rev. Ioan Sauca, interim WCC general secretary.

“Being the most diverse Christian gathering of its size in the world, the assembly will be a unique opportunity for the churches to deepen their commitment to visible unity and common witness,” Sauca said.

“We will draw renewed energy for the WCC’s work far beyond the event itself.”

Bishop Petra Bosse-Huber, from the Evangelical Church in Germany, said that the host churches welcomed the WCC’s acceptance of a renewed invitation to hold the 11th Assembly in Karlsruhe.

The assembly symbol was presented to the WCC executive committee on July 27.

The WCC said the design was inspired by the dynamic expressions and variety of the ecumenical movement in its search for Christian unity and promotion of justice and peace.

The symbol has a cross, a dove, and a circle alluding to the concept of reconciliation. It has crossed paths representing the various journeys, movement, freedom, and vibrancy of life that drive the WCC and its churches worldwide.

The WCC brings together churches, denominations, and church organizations in more than 110 countries and territories throughout the world, representing over 500 million Christians as it strives for gobal Christian unity.

It includes most of the world’s Orthodox churches and Anglican, Baptist, Lutheran, Methodist and Reformed churches, and many United and Independent churches.

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