UN/WHO news release: Staggering backsliding across women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health revealed in new UN analysis

20 October, 2022

Dear HIFA and CHIFA colleagues,

(with thanks to Jackeline Alger, HIFA-Spanish moderator)

Extracts below. Full text: https://www.who.int/news/item/18-10-2022-staggering-backsliding-across-w...

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Staggering backsliding across women’s, children’s and adolescents’ health revealed in new UN analysis

COVID-19, conflict, climate crises exacerbate setbacks for childhood and adolescent prospects, women’s rights

18 October 2022

A new UN report shows that women’s and children’s health has suffered globally, as the impacts of conflict, the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change converge with devastating effects on prospects for children, young people and women... food insecurity, hunger, child marriage, risks from intimate partner violence, and adolescent depression and anxiety have all increased...

An estimated 25 million children were un- or under-vaccinated in 2021 – 6 million more than in 2019 - increasing their risk of contracting deadly and debilitating diseases. Millions of children missed out on school during the pandemic, many for more than a year, while approximately 80% of children in 104 countries and territories experienced learning-loss because of school closures. Since the start of the global pandemic, 10.5 million children lost a parent or caregiver to COVID-19.

“At the core of our unkept promise is the failure to address the gaping inequities at the root of global crises, from the COVID-19 pandemic to conflicts and the climate emergency. The report describes the impacts of these crises on women, children and adolescents, from maternal mortality to education losses to severe malnutrition,” said Antonio Guterres, United Nations Secretary-General...

The report... advocates for countries to continue investing in health services, to address all crises and food insecurity, and empower women and young people around the world.

The report, titled Protect the Promise, is published by global partners, including WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health (PMNCH) and Countdown to 2030...

UNICEF Executive Catherine Russell. “By investing in resilient, inclusive primary health care systems, jumpstarting routine immunization programmes, and strengthening the health workforce, we can make sure that every woman and every child can access the care they need to survive and thrive.”...

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Neil Pakenham-Walsh, Global Coordinator HIFA, www.hifa.org neil@hifa.org

Global Healthcare Information Network: Working in official relations with WHO