Day: January 24, 2023

GENEVA — The World Health Organization is appealing for a record $2.54 billion to assist millions of people in 54 countries facing catastrophic health emergencies triggered by multiple man-made and natural disasters.

In launching the appeal, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said the world is witnessing an unprecedented convergence of crises that demand an unprecedented response.

He said WHO is addressing an overwhelming number of intersecting health emergencies. These include climate change-related flooding in Pakistan, drought and acute hunger across the Sahel and in the greater Horn of Africa, health challenges sparked by the war in Ukraine, and the outbreaks of measles, cholera, and other killer diseases in dozens of countries.

“The world cannot look away and hope these crises resolve themselves,” Tedros emphasized. “With funding and urgent action, we can save lives, support recovery efforts, prevent the spread of diseases within countries and across borders, and help give communities the opportunity to rebuild for the future.”

WHO reports 80 percent of humanitarian needs globally are driven by conflict and around half of preventable maternal and child deaths occur in fragile, conflict-affected and vulnerable settings.

The African region faces the highest burden of public health emergencies globally. In 2022, the continent accounted for 64 percent of all Grade 3, or most acute, emergencies globally.

Fiona Braka, health emergencies operations manager in WHO’s regional office for Africa, said the continent has had to deal with conflicts and climate-driven humanitarian crises combined with new and recurrent outbreaks of diseases.

Speaking from Brazzaville, the capital of the Republic of Congo, she said dealing with these complex emergencies has not been easy. But she said support provided by WHO and partners is proving to be beneficial in many ways. She noted that member states have been making progress in dealing with emergencies as they arise.

“For instance, the time taken by countries to detect and interrupt outbreaks is shortening,” Braka gave as an example. “The investments made to address the COVID-19 pandemic over the past three years are paying off with the region better able to cope with the virus and its health emergency response systems bolstered.”

The 54 health crises WHO currently is assisting include 11 classified as Grade 3. They include seven African countries, along with Afghanistan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.

Source: Voice of America

GENEVA, The World Health Organization on Monday appealed for $2.54 billion for its work in 2023 to help millions of people facing health emergencies around the world.

The UN health agency said that it was currently responding to an unprecedented number of intersecting health emergencies.

It pointed to the brutal war in Ukraine and the health impacts of conflicts in Yemen, Afghanistan, Syria and Ethiopia, as well as climate change related disasters like the monster floods that hit Pakistan last year and swelling food insecurity across the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

And all of these emergencies, it stressed, overlap with the massive health system disruptions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic and outbreaks of other deadly diseases like measles and cholera.

“We’re witnessing an unprecedented convergence of crises that demands an unprecedented response,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said as the agency launched its appeal.

“The world cannot look away and hope these crises resolve themselves.”

He said the WHO was currently responding to 54 health crises around the world, 11 of which were ranked as the highest-possible level emergency, requiring a broad response.

Jarno Habicht, WHO’s representative in Ukraine, highlighted that the conflict-ravaged country had seen more than 700 attacks on healthcare, including strikes hitting hospitals and ambulances, since Russia launched its full-scale invasion nearly a year ago.

At the same time, massive attacks on critical infrastructure across Ukraine “means healthcare facilities cannot perform their duties” properly, he said, pointing out that they often are working without electricity, heating or water in “very difficult circumstances.”

The many health emergencies are happening as the need for humanitarian aid overall is skyrocketing.

The United Nations has estimated that a record 339 million people worldwide will need some form of emergency assistance this year — up nearly a quarter from 2022.

“Specialised medical supplies and expertise are needed immediately, if we are not to abandon the sick to disaster, disease and death,” said former British prime minister Gordon Brown, who serves as the WHO ambassador for global health financing.

“I want to plead with donors to respond urgently to this emergency appeal to fund vaccines, drugs treatments, equipment and medical expertise,” he said during the appeal event.

“Give hope a shot, inject optimism, inoculate us against more avoidable deaths.”

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

VIENNA, Evidence is emerging that climate-related disasters are becoming a cause of human trafficking as criminal gangs exploit a growing number of uprooted people, the UN said Tuesday.

The continuing war in Ukraine is also another risk factor for increased human trafficking, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in a report.

“Climate change is increasing vulnerability to trafficking,” the UNODC report said.

“While a systematic global analysis of the impact of climate change in trafficking in persons is missing, community level studies in different parts of the world point at weather induced disasters as root causes for trafficking in persons,” it said.

The report is based on data from 141 countries collected from 2017 to 2020, and the analysis of 800 court cases.

The impact of climate change “disproportionally” affected poor farming, fishing and other communities mainly relying on the extraction of natural resources for their livelihoods, the report said.

Once “deprived of their means of subsistence and forced to flee their community,” people were becoming easy prey for traffickers, Fabrizio Sarrica, the report’s main author told a press briefing.

In 2021 alone, climate-related disasters internally displaced more than 23.7 million people, while many others fled their countries altogether.

As entire regions of the world are at risk of becoming “increasingly uninhabitable,” millions will face “high risk of exploitation along migration routes,” the UN report said.

The UN drugs agency noted that an increase in cases of human trafficking had been observed in Bangladesh and the Philippines after devastating cyclones and typhoons displaced millions.

Droughts and floods in Ghana, and the Caribbean region — subject to hurricanes and rising sea levels — were also forcing many to migrate.

While most of the victims of trafficking resulting from conflicts originated from Africa and the Middle East, a potentially “dangerous” situation is simultaneously building up in Ukraine as millions flee the war-torn country.

“The challenge is how to deal with human trafficking arising from war and instability,” Ilias Chatzis, the head of the human trafficking and migrant smuggling section at UNODC, said.

With regard to Ukraine, helping neighbouring countries and increasing support to the Ukrainian authorities is equally important, Chatzis added.

The Covid-19 pandemic limited the ability to detect cases, especially in low-income countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa, the report added.

Faced with the closure of public venues such as bars and clubs due to health restrictions, certain forms of trafficking, in particular sexual exploitation, have been pushed into “less visible and less safe locations”.

For the first time since data collection began in 2003, the number of victims detected worldwide fell in 2020, dropping by eleven percent compared to 2019, the Vienna-based UNODC said.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

NELSPRUIT - An off-duty Traffic Officer, who has since been identified by his family as Mr Silvester Samkelo Nkosi (34) was fatally shot and robbed of his white VW Golf 7 as well as his service pistol. The horrific incident is said to have occurred in the evening of Monday, 23 January 2023 at the Water reservoir (2010 Soccer Ball) in Steiltes, Nelspruit.

According to the report, on that fateful night around 19:30, police in Nelspruit received a complaint about a shooting incident at the said premises and upon arrival, they (police) found the Provincial Traffic Officer in a pool of blood. The medical personnel that attended the scene unfortunately certified him dead and a case of murder with additional charges of robbery and carjacking is being investigated by the police. No one has been arrested so far, but preliminary investigation indicates that the officer was with a female friend when two armed suspects preyed on them. The female friend was reportedly unharmed during the incident and she went to call for help at the nearest filling station whilst the suspects fled with the victim’s car and service firearm.

Police calls on anyone with information on the whereabouts of the suspects or the vehicle to contact Detective Branch Commander in Nelspruit SAPS, Detective Colonel Donald Mkhaliphi on 079 230 3126 or call the Crime Stop number at 08600 10111. Alternatively members of the public can send information via MYSAPSAPP. All received information will be treated as confidential and callers may opt to remain anonymous.

A manhunt for the suspects has since been launched and a team of experts in the field of investigation has been assembled under the leadership of the Provincial Commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Daphney Manamela who strongly condemned the incident and vowed that the perpetrators will not find peace until they are all locked up. "It is well-known that in this province we do not blink an eye whenever crime is committed. There will be no difference on this case and them better hand themselves over to the authorities before we get to them “said the General.

Source: South African Police Service

Violence against women and children remains a top priority for the Western Cape SAPS’s, therefore we shall continuously endeavour to bring perpetrators of sexual offences to book. This was shown again by members attached to the Riversdale police and Mossel Bay Family violence, Child protection and Sexual offences (FCS) unit ensured the arrest of a 19-year-old suspect on a charge of rape and assault with the intent to commit grievous bodily harm on Monday, 23 January 2023.

Investigation into the rape reveals that a 75-year-old woman was at her residence in Wilson Street, Riversdal on Sunday, 22 January 2023 at about 09:40 when the suspect, who is known to her, forcefully entered her flat. He allegedly assaulted the victim before he forced himself unto her and later violated her before he fled the scene. The victim managed to raise alarm and neighbours responded who alerted police.

Upon arrival the police found the victim who was later transported and admitted to hospital for medical care.

Riversdale police immediately assembled a team which commenced with a search for the suspect. His freedom was short-lived when the members tracked him down on Monday morning 23 January 2023. The 19-year-old was arrested and remains in police custody. He is expected to make his first court appearance in the Riversdale Magistrates’ court on Wednesday, 25 January 2023 on the mentioned charge.

Western Cape Police management commended the members for swift response in arresting the perpetrator.

Source: South African Police Service