Pretoria — The World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region, Member States and partners have agreed on a roadmap to protect communities during public health emergencies, becoming the first region to formally establish systems that hold both governments and WHO jointly accountable for preventing and addressing sexual misconduct in their shared operations. The milestone–designed,…
The World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa (WHO AFRO) has unveiled the continent’s first-ever Prototype Competency-Based Curricula for 10 key health professions, a move aimed at transforming health worker training and accelerating progress toward Universal Health Coverage (UHC). The curricula, co-created with African health education experts, were presented during a high-level meeting of Member…
Pretoria — The World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for Africa today launched the first-ever Africa Prototype Competency-Based Curricula for ten selected health professions, marking a major turning point in how the region trains, equips and prepares its health workforce for the future. The launch, held in Pretoria with satellite events across multiple countries, will…
World Toilet Day reminds us that safe sanitation is fundamental to human health and dignity. In every community, a toilet protects people from disease, safeguards our environment, and underpins social and economic development. Yet today, 3.4 billion people still live without a safe toilet. Each year, 1.4 million people die due to inadequate access to…
“I was scared and terrified because I was still very young when I received the news. What else was going to save me if the medicines that are supposed to treat me are failing?” wonders Brandon Jaka, a 26-year-old pharmacist in Harare, in reminiscence. Harare — Born with HIV, Jaka has lived his entire life…
Less than one percent of adaptation finance targets health, even as climate-sensitive diseases multiply. Africa alone will need roughly $300 billion annually by 2030 to build resilient systems and respond to climate-related loss and damage. BELÉM, Brazil, Nov 20 2025 (IPS) – Around the world, the climate crisis is fast becoming the biggest public-health threat…
Safe sanitation is fundamental to human health and dignity. In every community, a toilet protects people from disease, safeguards our environment, and underpins social and economic development. Yet today, 3.4 billion people still live without a safe toilet. And every day, around 1,000 children under five die from diseases linked to unsafe sanitation, water and…
Brazzaville — To mark Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Day on 19 November, World Health Organization (WHO) in the African region launched the AFRO Geodatabase (AFRO GDB) to enhance the use of trusted administrative boundary data to strengthen geospatial governance and empower data-driven health decisions across Africa. The platform enables countries to store, manage and share…
Addis Ababa — First Pledge From Africa Announced Representatives from African Union Member States met last week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to engage on the Global Fund’s Eighth Replenishment, just days ahead of the pledging summit in Johannesburg, South Africa, on the margins of the G20 Leaders’ Summit. The meeting – convened by the Global…
Children in many countries are growing up surrounded by violence. It may happen at home, in their neighbourhoods, or both. Some children are directly harmed, while others witness violence between caregivers or in their communities. Either way, the impact can be profound. Evidence shows that the relationship between violence exposure and poor mental health can…
