The World Health Organization (WHO) on Thursday reconvened the Monkeypox Emergency Committee to assess the public health implications of the evolving multi-country outbreak, as global cases passed 14,000, with six countries reporting their first cases last week.
The committee first met last month but decided against declaring it a public health emergency of international concern.
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus acknowledged his “acute” awareness that any decision regarding the possible determination involves “the consideration of many factors, with the ultimate goal of protecting public health”.
The committee has already helped “delineate the dynamics of this outbreak,” he said in his opening remarks to committee members and advisors.
“What matters is what you need to expect from this journey”
In the 3⃣rd episode, Harun explains how sharing stories about #monkeypox can empower other patients in their journey.
“As the outbreak develops, it’s important to assess the effectiveness of public health interventions in different settings, to better understand what works, and what doesn’t”.
Monkeypox, a rare viral disease, occurs primarily in tropical rainforest areas of Central and West Africa, though it has been exported to other regions.
This year, more than 14,000 cases have been reported across 71 Member States, from all six WHO regions.
While the trend in some countries has declined, others are increasing. Some, with less access to diagnostics and vaccines, make the outbreak harder to track and stem.
Tedros revealed that six countries reported their first cases last week and that the vast majority continue to be among men who have sex with men.
“This transmission pattern represents both an opportunity to implement targeted public health interventions, and a challenge because in some countries, the communities affected face life-threatening discrimination,” he said.
He warned of “a very real concern” that men who have sex with men could be “stigmatized or blamed…making the outbreak much harder to track, and to stop”.
Treating monkeypox
One of the most powerful tools against monkeypox is information, the WHO chief affirmed.
“The more information people at risk of Monkeypox have, the more they are able to protect themselves,” Tedros said. “Unfortunately, the information shared with WHO by countries in West and Central Africa is still very scant”.
The inability to characterize the epidemiological situation in those regions represents a “substantial challenge” to designing interventions which can control the historically neglected disease.
The UN health agency is working closely with affected communities in all its regions and as the outbreak evolves, has called for increased, “targeted and focused” access to all counter measures for the most affected populations.
Meanwhile, it is validating, procuring and shipping tests to multiple countries and continues to provide support for expanded access to effective diagnostics.
The committee will discuss the latest evidence and conditions through Thursday, and announce its decision in the coming days.
“A war of attrition” in which ” it is incumbent upon the international community to keep the hope of dialogue, the hope of negotiation alive”: this is how Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, Secretary for Relations with States and International Organizations, defines the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. In an interview with America magazine’s correspondent, Gerard O’Connell, the Vatican prelate recalls his recent visit to Ukraine in May: ”What I think I learned – said – was the resilience of the people, their determination, their courage. But also I learned about the degree of suffering” there, highlighted by “the great loss of life and by the growing concerns that the war will continue.
For this reason, Archbishop Gallagher underlines the role of the Holy See in calling for negotiations and for the “restoration of peace” “without ignoring the violence and the conflict”. He adds there has been “no explicit invitation” to the Holy See by Russia to mediate, though the two States have maintained contacts ”through the Apostolic Nuncio in Moscow”. Archbishop Gallagher remarks that the position of the Holy See “is appreciated” by Russia, that, however, hasn’t gone a “step further” asking for a possible mediation, as there was no explicit invitation for the Pope to go to Moscow.
Archbishop Gallagher goes on to recall the Holy See’s support for “the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine”, reiterating that: “It’s up to the Ukrainians to negotiate with others, with the Russians, obviously, in particular”. Based on this “principle”, he says, the Holy See “would not recognize a unilateral declaration of independence of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions”.
The Pope’s visit to Ukraine
Regarding hopes for a papal visit to Kyiv in August, Archbishop Gallagher remarks that the Pope “has made great progress in his mobility” which has been hindered by his knee problem, and, therefore, may want to start looking into this matter “seriously” in the next month, after his trip to Canada from 24-29 July.
In any case, he says, Pope Francis “wants to and feels he should go to Ukraine”, despite the lack of an invitation from Moscow. “The two things are not linked”. It might be a good thing if they were linked. But I think the Pope’s main priority at this moment is to make the visit to Ukraine, meet with the Ukrainian authorities, meet with the Ukrainian people and with the Ukrainian Catholic Church”, the Vatican representative concluded
Extreme heat in western Europe is causing devastating wildfires in France and Spain, unprecedented drought in Italy and Portugal, and the United Kingdom recorded its highest-ever temperature of just over 40 degrees Celsius during Tuesday, at London’s Heathrow airport.
With temperatures expected to remain above normal until the middle of next week, the World Metrological Organization (WMO) warned that heatwaves will occur more and more frequently, into the 2060s.
The pattern is linked to the observed warming of the planet that can be attributed to human activity, raising serious concerns for the planet’s future, the UN weather agency said.
“We are expecting to see major impacts on agriculture. During the previous heatwaves in Europe, we lost big parts of harvest. And under the current situation -we are already having the global food crisis because of the war in Ukraine – this heatwave is going to have a further negative impact on agricultural activities”, warned Petteri Taalas, Secretary-General of the WMO at a press conference to launch the latest extreme weather findings, in Geneva.
In several countries, some economic sectors – including tourism that has only begun to fully recover in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic – are suffering as a result.
Further warming inevitable
“The negative trend in climate will continue at least until the 2060s, independent of our success in climate mitigation”, Mr. Taalas added.
“We have already lost the game concerning the melting of glaciers. We expect that the melting of glaciers will continue for the coming hundreds of years or even coming thousands of years…Sea level rise will continue for the same period”.
Mr. Taalas reflected growing concerns over extreme weather patterns, in his sartorial selection on Tuesday, he told journalists, choosing to wear short sleeves and a red and blue tie, in recognition of the increasing number of red alerts flashing up across Europe.
WMO briefed journalists that the European heatwave may not end, until the middle of next week.
Air pollution
The heatwave also acts as a kind of atmospheric lid, WHO explained, trapping pollutants, and degrading air quality, with adverse health consequences, particularly for vulnerable people such as the elderly. In the major 2003 heatwave in Europe, some 70,000 people died.
“Climate change is affecting our health in many ways, not only by heatwaves which are having direct consequences” but also other areas of essential healthcare, such as rising levels of disease, alerted Maria Neira, Director for public and environmental health at WHO.
She explained that reliable access to food and water is at stake, as with agricultural production levels at risk”, and there will be water scarcity for sure”.
She said that 99% of the global population is breathing air that does not meet the health standards set by WHO, hugely impacting chronic respiratory and cardiovascular conditions.
Ambition is key
“The best solution to this will be, again, being very ambitious on tackling the causes of this global warming.
“We have been alerting for a long time that climate change is affecting very much human health”, she emphasized, which will also impact the struggle to reach net zero carbon emissions, and the crucial transition to clean, renewable sources of energy.
More deaths among the elderly and those with pre-existing health conditions are feared due to the ongoing heatwave in the weeks ahead, and subsequent challenges to health systems, to keep up with rising demand.
Despite being “rich with human and natural resources and enormous untapped economic and social potential,” General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid told the high-level The Africa We Want dialogue that the continent “still faces challenges” in realizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Africa has undergone a dramatic transformation since the end of the colonial era, with many countries struggling post-independence to secure socio-economic development, peace and security.
“Africa today is a region that has adopted and pursued a transformational agenda towards sustainable development, and is chartering a path towards prosperity, unity, peace, and integration,” said the senior UN official.
Noting its commitments throughout the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), Agenda 2063, and the SDGs, he said, “we are moving in the right direction, but we still need to do more”.
Challenges
Against the 2021 targets of Agenda 2063, Africa as a whole is only 51 per cent on track, according to a report issued in February.
While facing world challenges, such as climate change, COVID-19, rising fuel prices, and inequality, Africa has shown underlying vulnerabilities.
“Yet, progress remains possible,” Mr. Shahid affirmed, underscoring the importance of investing in people.
Ambition required
Describing Africa’s sustainable development as a “priority” for the UN and international community, he said collective action had often fallen short on delivery.
The Assembly President urged everyone to recommit to sustainable development on the continent, assess where action is lacking, foster progress, and fulfil existing commitments while generating new ones “that reflect our ever-changing world”.
“With resolve, continued commitment, perseverance and support from the international community and the UN system,” The Africa We Want could become a reality, he concluded.
Turn triple crises into an opportunity
Speaking on behalf of the Secretary-General, his deputy, Amina Mohammed confirmed that the UN shares the AU’s vision of a continent shaped by its own narrative, informed by its own citizens, and representing a dynamic force on the world stage.
However, the pandemic, climate change and the war in Ukraine have placed at risk previous development gains.
She outlined measures to tackle these challenges, maintaining that Africa’s goals are still within reach.
To get there however, mindsets must change and the triple crisis must be turned into an opportunity.
UN Photo/Mark Garten
Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed addresses the High-level Dialogue on
Silver lining
Collen Kelapile, President of the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and co-organizer of the session, called it “both timely and relevant”.
He advocated for “collective action and international solidarity to address the looming threat of food insecurity and famine…[and] the impacts of the Ukraine war on energy and the economy”.
“The silver lining here is that there is an unprecedented opportunity for Africa to step up to these challenges, speed up its industrialization and economic diversification, and integrate itself further upstream in global supply chains through increased value addition at source,” spelled out the ECOSOC chief.
Support the agendas
For the first time in a generation, Africa has displayed the “collective decisive measures and leadership” required, to take its destiny in its own hands, he continued.
“As we are drawing nearer to the end of Agenda 2063’s First 10-Year Implementation Plan 2013-2023, this is the right moment to have this forward-looking dialogue”.
The “mutually reinforcing and complementary” agendas bear testimony to the new narrative on Africa’s development
“I urge African Member States to accelerate implementation of both agendas, and to continue to show leadership, political will and vision as we move towards the target deadline of 2030 and beyond,” said Mr. Kelapile.
Financing Africa’s Development
Noting that external financing, such as Official Development Assistance (ODA), has “consistently fallen short of commitments,” he described domestic resources as “key” to development financing.
The question is how to “create and preserve the policy space needed” to reform and transform Africa’s “still untapped potential”.
“As African policymakers, we have a critical role to play in implementing and advocating for reforms that will strengthen Africa’s institutions and governance mechanisms, which will in turn improve its tax and revenue collection capacity and rationalize the expenditures in a transparent and accountable way”.
Vulnerable to climate change
He pointed out that while Africa has only contributed around 3.8 per cent to global carbon emissions, it is extremely vulnerable to global warming manifested through extreme weather, heatwaves, droughts, crop failures and hunger.
It also leads to further pressures in accessing resources, which result in vicious cycles of conflict on the continent and negative spill over to the rest of the world.
Dubbed the “African COP,” the next UN climate conference, COP27, set for Egypt in November is “a critical opportunity to address this imbalance,” said Mr. Kelapile.
It will provide opportunities to invest in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, efficient low-carbon transportation, digital transformations and climate resilient crops to break Africa’s dependence on food imports.
Empowering women and youth
Noting that by investing in human capital, every African can “earn a fair income, live a healthy life, and contribute to society,” he encouraged the participants to “harness its demographic dividend” and empower the region’s youth and women.
Investing in women and youth will “put the continent on track to realize the 2030 Agenda and its SDGs, as well as the aspirations and targets espoused in Agenda 2063,” said Mr. Kelapile.
In closing, he welcomed initiatives of the AU, UN, international and regional financial institutions and others to scale up their support for transformative change in Africa.
On 5 and 6 July, a Ministerial on FoRB took place in London with participation of Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Scientologists, and many others.
LONDON, UNITED KINGDON, July 21, 2022 /EINPresswire.com/ — On 5 and 6 July, an International Ministerial on Freedom of Religion or Belief occurred in London, hosted by the UK government. The conference brought together governments, parliamentarians, faith and belief representatives and NGOs, to discuss how a global action on freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) for everyone could be increased.
About 500 delegates were invited to participate, all of them being known actors in the field of FoRB, for this 2-day conference which was held at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre. It was the first in-person International Ministerial Conference on this topic since 2019 (the US held the two first ministerial conferences in 2018 and 2019).
The purpose of the conference, coordinated by MP Fiona Bruce, UK Special Envoy on FoRB, and the FCDO team, was to identify what is working in different countries as regards FoRB, explore where and how we can apply new lessons and approaches and inspire the next generation to champion and defend FoRB for everyone all around the world.
Examples of discrimination, persecution and even sometimes genocide based on religion or belief was shared and discussed, and participating governments pledged to act strongly to put an end to violations of the right to freedom of religion or belief all over the world. Civil society and faith-based organizations were associated with the process, and it was duly recognized that only equal cooperation between civil society and governments could bring about a real change in the field of FoRB.
For the Vice-President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights, Rev. Eric Roux, who was invited as a delegate: “FoRB is a crucial human right. Often, the state of FoRB in a country tells everything about the respect of other human rights in that same country. Unfortunately, it’s a right which is endangered nowadays in so many parts of the world, would it be through discrimination, persecution or worst, that there is a strong need to build alliances of people of goodwill to defend it and make it a reality on Earth. There is a lot to go. That is why it is of the utmost importance to bring people together on this issue and the fact that the UK government decided to host this event is to be highly commended. It has been an important step towards the establishment of freedom of religion or belief for everyone, everywhere.”
A day after the conference, the UK government organized a meeting with some relevant stakeholders, for a “Strategic Discussion on Next Steps”, to cover scene-setting reflections and practical steps after the Ministerial, where Ivan Arjona, President of the European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights, had the chance to exchange views and make proposals with other stakeholders.
The strategic discussion on the next steps meeting, counted among the respondents Mervyn Thomas (Chair of the UK FoRB Forum), Lord Alton of Liverpool (Vice-Chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on International FoRB), Greg Mitchell (Chair of the US International Religious Freedom Roundtable Secretariat), Nadine Maenza (former Chair of the US Commission on International Religious Freedom), Jos Douma (Netherlands Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief), Sam Brownback (former US Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom), Chris Seiple from the Institute of Global Engagement, and Jim Shannon (Co-Chair of the UK All Party Parliamentary Group on International FoRB). Other subjects discussed were “Civil Society, Parliamentarians and Academics”, “FoRB and the Media” and “Funding FoRB”.
The Church of Scientology has been championing FoRB for decades, and this right is enshrined in its Credo since 1953. Also, the “Code of a Scientologist”, written by Scientology founder L. Ron Hubbard, requires Scientologist to support freedom of religion for all. The European Office of the Church of Scientology for Public Affairs and Human Rights is specifically tasked with this issue and works tirelessly to make it a reality in Europe and abroad, working shoulder to shoulder with many other like-minded organizations.
Scientology Europe European Office for Public Affairs and Human Rights +32 2 533 28 00 email us here Visit us on social media: Facebook Twitter LinkedIn
Photo credit:: Church of Scientology International.
Founding Church of Scientology, Washington, D.C., established at 1812 19th St NW July 4, 1955, by Scientology Founder L. Ron Hubbard. It has been recognized as a historic landmark by the DC Historic Preservation Review Board
Historic Monument – In just five years since the May 1950 publication of Dianetics: The Modern Science of Mental Health, Dianetics and Scientology had expanded from one foundation to an international organization headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona.
With the dramatic growth of the movement and the need for worldwide communication lines to coordinate Churches and groups on five continents, in the summer of 1955, Mr Hubbard moved the central operations of Scientology to Washington, DC., where he established the Founding Church of Scientology at 1812 19th Street NW.
The DC Historic Preservation Review Board has now unanimously approved an application by the Church of Scientology to designate this building as a historic landmark.
From his second-floor office, L. Ron Hubbard served as the first Executive Director, overseeing the organization of Churches and authoring the administrative articles and policies that continue to form the organizational structure of all Scientology Churches today.
The Church has also recently opened two other facilities in the nation’s capital: The D.C. Church of Scientology, which has retained its original name, The Founding Church of Scientology of Washington, D.C., at 1424 16th Street NW, and the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office on Dupont Circle at 1701 20th St NW.
The Rev. Susan Taylor, the national public affairs director of the Church of Scientology’s national affairs office in Washington, told the Washingtonian newsroom that the church aims to landmark properties with connections to Hubbard: “I think just like any other religion it’s important for our members to identify historic places where our founder has either lived or worked.”
Only blocks from the White House, the Founding Church of Scientology served as the first fully formed centre of Scientology training and religious counselling, and the first international administrative headquarters for the burgeoning religion.
The Beaux-Arts building, Andrew Beaujon from the Washingtonian wrote, “holds more history: Its primary architect was Waddy Butler Wood, who designed a number of significant houses and buildings around Washington, including the former Masonic temple that now houses the National Museum of Women in the Arts“.
Located at 1812 19th St NW, it was from his office on the second floor that L. Ron Hubbard served as Executive Director and coordinated the religion, its Churches, and activities on five continents.
More than five decades later, in dedicating the Church of Scientology National Affairs Office in Washington, D.C. in 2012, Mr. David Miscavige, ecclesiastical leader of the Scientology religion, spoke of “freedom” as an essential element in Scientology. He made it clear that Mr. Hubbard selected July 4th for inaugurating the new international headquarters in 1955 quite deliberately.
Mr. Miscavige said:
“Just as this nation was founded upon the principles of Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness, so too those principles are woven into the very fabric of our Scripture,”
He pointed out that the ideals enshrined in the Declaration of Independence, whose adoption is celebrated on Independence Day, are incorporated in the Creed of the Church of Scientology, published in 1954.
The Creed affirms:
That all men of whatever race, color or creed were created with equal rights.
That all men have inalienable rights to their own religious practices and their performance.
That all men have inalienable rights to their own lives.
That all men have inalienable rights to their sanity.
That all men have inalienable rights to their own defense.
That all men have inalienable rights to conceive, choose, assist or support their own organizations, churches and governments.
That all men have inalienable rights to think freely, to talk freely, to write freely their own opinions and to counter or utter or write upon the opinions of others.
That all men have inalienable rights to the creation of their own kind.
That the souls of men have the rights of men.
That the study of the Mind and the healing of mentally caused ills should not be alienated from religion or condoned in nonreligious fields.
And that no agency less than God has the power to suspend or set aside these rights, overtly or covertly.
In an essay published in August 1954, L. Ron Hubbard wrote:
“We are extending to you the precious gift of freedom and immortality—factually, honestly.
“You are a spirit. You are your own soul. You are not mortal. You can be free.”
In that same essay, Mr Hubbard credits America with having “kept wide the doorway” for this accomplishment “by retaining religious freedom.”
From its beginnings, the Church of Scientology has recognized that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. In a world where conflicts are often traceable to intolerance of others’ religious beliefs and practices, the Church has, for more than 50 years, made the preservation of religious liberty an overriding concern.
The Church publishes this blog to help create a better understanding of the freedom of religion and belief and provide news on religious freedom and issues affecting this freedom around the world.
On Wednesday, a delegation of the Budgetary Control Committee, led by chair Monika Hohlmeier, concluded a fact-finding visit to Poland on the disbursement of EU funds.
“We want to see EU recovery funds reach as many people and organisations in Poland, given all that they are doing to help those fleeing the war and the damage done by the pandemic. However, we as MEPs need to ensure that EU taxpayers’ money is protected and fairly distributed, and what we’ve seen on our visit here raises concerns. It seems that there are systemic problems caused by the government that prevent Poland from meeting all conditions for receiving the EU money. In particular, there are issues relating to their adherence to the rulings of the European Court of Justice,” Monika Hohlmeier (EPP, DE), head of the delegation, said at the end of the visit.
“We made an effort to look from all angles at the distribution and management of EU funds in Poland, to check whether there are systems in place to protect the EU’s financial interests. We focused on current EU funding under shared management and found that the systems to protect and control the EU funds are in place. However, we ask the government to make up for the damage done to SME’s that have been victims of the misuse of funds by letterbox companies in cooperation with big companies.
“Regarding the Recovery and Resilience Facility money (RRF), we were informed that the management and control systems for RRF funds have not yet been decided nor prepared.”
“After speaking with government and opposition politicians, prosecutors and judges, NGO representatives, journalists, paying and oversight authorities, as well as the Polish audit authority, we now have to analyse the complaints and concerns around particular cases in depth. There are signs that the distribution of public funds, including EU money, is increasingly politicised and that the complicated criteria for the receipt of EU funds hamper its fair distribution,” Ms. Hohlmeier said.
“The lack of an independent judiciary, and political interventions into the work of judges and prosecutors, gives us reason to be concerned about a growing systemic problem with the independent verification of the spending of EU funds. We expect respect for the separation of powers that is a fundamental pillar of European law. We also call on the Polish government to urgently start cooperating with the European Public Prosecutor’s Office (EPPO), so that EU-wide tax fraud and money laundering schemes can be properly prosecuted,” she added.
“A shocking revelation for us was the restrictions in place on Poland’s national court of auditors. It is crucial that the audit authorities are independent, and that they are protected and empowered to do all audits as they deem appropriate. We are very concerned about the ongoing political pressure on members of the court, the prohibition on nominations of court members, the refusal of their access to necessary documents”.
“Similarly, we were informed of a lack of transparency by the state institutions towards members of the Polish Sejm and towards the press. This is worrying, given we are facing the disbursement of recovery funds in a system where there is more national responsibility required and where Parliament and the Commission will have less power of oversight and control”.
“We will follow up on the information we received during our visit and include it in 2023’s discharge process, as well as passing it on to the Commission, the European Court of Auditors, the EU anti-fraud watchdog OLAF and the EPPO”, she concluded.
Delegation programme
Participating MEPs met with independent investigative journalists, with Polish parliament (Sejm) and the state secretary, prosecutors and judges, Warsaw’s mayor, business owners with judicial issues, and Poland’s Supreme Audit authority. MEPs also visited the European Border and Coast Guard agency’s (Frontex) headquarters to continue discussions following Parliament’s initial decision to postpone the approval of Frontex’s accounts.
Members in the delegation
Monika Hohlmeier (Head of delegation) (EPP, Germany)
Millions of refugees and migrants face poorer health outcomes than their host communities, which could jeopardize reaching the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for these populations.
The warning from the World Health Organization (WHO) comes in its first ever report on the health of refugees and migrants, published on Wednesday.
It calls for urgent action to ensure people on the move can access healthcare services that are sensitive to their needs.
“Whether by choice or by force, to be on the move is to be human and is part of human life. Whatever a person’s motivation, circumstance, origin or migratory status, we must unequivocally reiterate that health is a human right for all, and that universal health coverage must be inclusive of refugees and migrants,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the WHO Director General, in the forward to the report.
Globally, there are around one billion migrants, or roughly one in eight people.
Disease, famine, climate change and war have forced people to flee their homelands, and the conflict in Ukraine has helped push the number of displaced people worldwide to more than 100 million for the first time in history.
At the same time, the COVID-19 pandemic continues to disproportionately affect the health and livelihoods of migrants and refugees.
The report, which is based on an extensive review of data from around the world, reveals that refugees and migrants are not inherently less healthy than host communities.
Dirty, dangerous jobs
Their poorer health outcomes are due to the impact of various sub-optimal health determinants such as education, income, and housing, which are compounded by linguistic, cultural, legal and other barriers.
The report underscores that the experience of migration and displacement is a key factor in health and wellbeing, especially when combined with other factors.
A recent analysis of more than 17 million participants from 16 countries across five WHO regions found that migrant workers were less likely to use health services, and more likely to have an occupational injury, when compared with non-migrant counterparts.
Furthermore, a significant number of the world’s 169 million migrant workers globally are employed in jobs that are dirty, dangerous and demanding.
They are at greater risk of occupational accidents, injuries, and work-related health problems than non-migrant workers. The situation is also exacerbated by their often limited or restricted access to, and use of, health services.
WHO
Lwin Lwin Kyi (left), a Burmese migrant health volunteer during COVID-19 response.
Quality data crucial
The report also found that while data and health information about the health of refugees and migrants is plentiful, it is also fragmented and not comparable across countries and over time.
WHO said although migrant populations are sometimes identifiable in global datasets used for SDG monitoring, health data are often missing from migration statistics.
Additionally, migrant status variables are frequently missing from health statistics, making it difficult to determine and track progress for refugees and migrants with regards to the health-related goals.
“It is imperative that we do more on refugees and migrants’ health but if we want to change the status quo, we need urgent investments to improve the quality, relevance and completeness of health data on refugees and migrants,” said Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab, WHO’s Deputy Director-General.
“We need sound data collection and monitoring systems that truly represent the diversity of the world population and the experience that refugees and migrants face the world over and that can guide more effective policies and interventions.”
On the frontlines
Although policies and frameworks do exist that address and respond to the health needs of refugees and migrants, WHO said disparities persist due to a lack of their meaningful and effective implementation.
“Health does not begin or end at a country’s border. Migratory status should therefore not be a discriminatory factor but a policy driver on which to build and strengthen healthcare and social and financial protection. We must reorient existing health systems into integrated and inclusive health services for refugees and migrants, in line with the principles of primary healthcare and universal health coverage,” said Dr Santino Severoni, Director of WHO’s Health and Migration Programme.
The report highlights how refugees and migrants can spark innovations that drive economic and social transformation.
It also draws attention to their extraordinary contributions to frontline response during the pandemic, noting that in several countries under the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as many as half of doctors or nurses are foreign born.
Dutch customs officials have identified another group of superyachts that may be owned by Russian individuals. The service is currently monitoring 24 of these luxury yachts worth a total of €1.6 billion, RTL Nieuws reports.
Two of the yachts are not allowed to leave the Netherlands. They are “frozen” because their owners are definitely known to be Russians or Russian companies on the list of sanctions that the European Union imposed after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. The list is of individuals and countries that support Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war against Ukraine.
The owners of the remaining 22 yachts are not included in the sanctions list, but they cannot leave the Netherlands either. EU sanctions also prohibit the export of luxury goods worth more than 300 euros to Russia. The fact that customs officials are still finding Russian yachts in the Netherlands months after the invasion began is because the “ultimate beneficiary” is not always transparent and easily identifiable. Companies are required to clearly state who will take delivery of a given yacht, but this is not always the case. For three of the 22 yachts, the identity of the beneficial owner is still under investigation.
The most prestigious scientific journal Nature Energy published an article by German scientists on the development of a technology for the scalable production of today’s most advanced perovskite solar cells. We are talking about a fully perovskite tandem solar cell, both layers of which contain the crystalline structures of only these minerals. This means that such elements can be produced simply and quickly without losing a fairly high efficiency.
Tandem solar cells allow cells to operate over a wider energy spectrum. For example, the upper silicon layer absorbs red and infrared spectra, while the lower perovskite layer absorbs blue and green. Last week, such tandem perovskite cells set a record for efficiency, when the efficiency of photovoltaic cells exceeded 30% for the first time in history (for a cell of 1 cm2, which is important, since efficiency decreases with increasing scale). The result is amazing, although it should be remembered that one of the layers of this element is silicon with all the ensuing production features, including expensive processing.
In a new study, scientists at the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) set out to create a tandem cell exclusively from perovskite minerals with different band gaps, which would allow the upper and lower layers of the cell to work with different spectra and avoid the use of silicon. The result was so good that the scientists called the development a direct path to the mass production of tandem pure perovskite cells.
Using a combination of mechanical application of solutions and vacuum deposition, the researchers created a cell that, with a net area of the photocell of 12.25 cm2 (excluding frames and contact electrodes), showed an efficiency of 19.1%. In the manufacture of the same element with an area of 0.1 cm2, the efficiency was 23.5%. The multiple scaling of the manufacturing process resulted in only an incomplete 5% drop in efficiency. This means that the process technology can be scaled up to mass without significant loss of efficiency. At the same time, the main advantages of the production of perovskite cells are retained – processing using liquid solutions and, as a result, the ability to create photovoltaic surfaces of complex shapes and on a flexible substrate.
Image Source: Bahram Abdollahi Nejand, KIT
Source: Karlsruhe Institute of Technology. The research is freely available from Nature Energy at https://rdcu.be/cRW93.
