HEALTH, EDUCATION EFFORTS IN REPUBLIC OF CONGO RECEIVE $500,000 BOOST FROM UN

The Republic of Congo has received a $500,000 influx from the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) to boost health, nutrition and education initiatives to help ease the impact of the global economic crisis on the country's most vulnerable people.

The nation is recovering from two civil wars that uprooted over 1 million people, and despite strides made since the 2003 peace agreement, over half the population of nearly 4 million currently lives below the poverty line.

"Women and children are the most affected by poverty," UNICEF Executive Director Ann M. Veneman said in the capital, Brazzaville, today.

One in eight children die before they turn five, largely from preventable causes, she said, adding that the country also has one of the highest rates of maternal mortality in the region.

While in Brazzaville, Ms. Veneman visited the Life Savers national initiative which promotes 12 simple, easy-to-practice household behaviours, including breastfeeding exclusively for six months, sleeping under an insecticide-treated mosquito bednet, and washing hands with soap.

Life Savers also runs a 24-hour telephone hotline, which parents and caregivers can call when their children are sick.

In talks with Prime Minister Isidore Mvouba and other top officials, the UNICEF head commended the Government's efforts to improve access to social services and raised the issue of the treatment of indigenous people, or pygmies, especially the children who are marginalized and often face discrimination.
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LOW HEALTH STANDARDS IMPEDING RECOGNITION OF INDIGENOUS PEOPLES' RIGHTS -- BAN

The low standards of health among indigenous communities is perpetuating the gap in many countries between the recognition of their rights and the actual situation on the ground, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today, calling for swift action to find solutions.

In his message on the International Day of the World's Indigenous People, the Secretary-General appealed to governments and civil society "to act with urgency and determination to close this implementation gap, in full partnership with indigenous peoples."

This year's Day focuses on the threat posed by HIV and AIDS, and Mr. Ban underscored the importance of indigenous people having access to the information and services needed for detection, treatment and prevention.

This marginalized group -- numbering 370 million in 70 countries -- suffers disproportion
ately from low health standards linked to poverty, malnutrition, environmental contamination and inadequate healthcare, he said.

Calling the world's indigenous peoples the "custodians of some of the most biologically diverse areas on Earth" who speak a majority of all languages, the Secretary-General welcomed some recent national moves in which governments have apologized for past injustices, while others have adopted legal reforms.

But he cautioned that "many face discrimination and racism on a daily basis," as well as poverty and inadequate access to education.

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay said the International Day is an occasion to reaffirm the commitment to translate positive developments in international human rights standards into concrete progress for indigenous peoples.

"To achieve this, we all -- States, indigenous peoples, the United Nations system and others concerned -- must join our efforts and reach solutions based on true dialogue, mutual under
standing, tolerance and respect for human rights," she noted in a statement.

"This is no easy task. But it is the only way we can move the rights of indigenous peoples from paper to practice."

In 1994, the General Assembly proclaimed 9 August -- the anniversary of the first meeting in 1982 of the UN Working Group on Indigenous Populations of the Subcommission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights -- to be the International Day of the World's Indigenous People.

It will be commemorated this year at UN Headquarters in New York tomorrow with cultural events and panel discussions.

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$50 MILLION US CONTRIBUTION WILL BOOST WOMEN’S RIGHTS, SAYS UN

$50 MILLION US CONTRIBUTION WILL BOOST WOMEN'S RIGHTS, SAYS UN
New York, Mar 12 2009 12:00PM

United States President Barack Obama's release of $50 million to the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) will help curb poverty and improve the health of women and children in over 150 nations, the agency said today, lauding an action it said will help it continue its "life-saving" work.

Mr. Obama signed legislation yesterday to restore US funding for UNFPA which has been suspended since 2002.

"This is a great day for women, girls and their families around the world," said Thoraya Ahmed Obaid, the agency's Executive Director. "We warmly applaud this action by President Obama, which underlines his support to the protection of the lives and human dignity of women and girls in the poorest countries."

The US contribution will allow UNFPA to "maintain its life-saving work, particularly improving maternal and reproductive health in the world's poorest communities, especially during this financial crisis," she said.

Yesterday's action fulfills a pledge Mr. Obama made during his first days as US leader to resume support for UNFPA and join 180 other donor nations in working towards slashing poverty, boosting the health of women and children, preventing HIV/AIDS and providing family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.

"We are delighted that the United States will once again take a leading role in championing women's reproductive health and rights, alongside all other countries and partners that have supported us over the years," Ms. Obaid noted.
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HEALTH HAZARDS DEMAND STRONGER CLIMATE CHANGE MEASURES, ARGUES UN AGENCY

HEALTH HAZARDS DEMAND STRONGER CLIMATE CHANGE MEASURES, ARGUES UN AGENCY
New York, Mar 11 2009 3:00PM

Policymakers should consider the threat climate change poses to public health in setting their priorities for action and investments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the United Nations health agency told a conference in Copenhagen.

Experts from the World Health Organization (WHO) highlighted the health dimension of the issue at the three-day Climate Change Global Risks, Challenges and Decisions conference, which ends tomorrow.

Based on research, WHO estimates that around 150,000 deaths now occur in low-income countries each year, with young children making up almost 85 per cent of these excess deaths, due to the effect climate change has on crop failure and malnutrition, diarrhoeal disease, malaria and flooding.

Health hazards from climate change are diverse, global and difficult to reverse, according to WHO. They range from increased risk to safety from extreme weather events, to the effects of global warming on infectious disease and sea level rises leading to salinization of land and water sources.

The agency contends that feasible improvements to the environment could reduce the burden on global disease, a large part of which is caused by energy consumption and transport systems, by more than 25 per cent.

Outdoor air pollution accounts for 800,000 deaths annually around the world, traffic accidents for 1.2 million, physical inactivity for 1.9 million and indoor air pollution for 1.5 million, noted a press release issued by WHO.

"Whether it's the 70,000 excess deaths from the heat wave in Europe in 2003, or new malarial deaths in the central African highlands, the people at greatest risk for climate-related health disorders and premature deaths are the poor, the geographically vulnerable, the very young, women and the elderly," WHO said.

The populations WHO considered to be at greatest risk are those living in small island developing States, mountainous regions, areas with poor access to water, huge cities and coastal areas in developing countries, as well as poor people and those lacking access to health services.
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