Category: News

The amendments, adopted on December 29, to The law must stop UNRWA Operations “seek to further hamper the ability of UNRWA to function and carry out the activities entrusted to it,” said a statement published by the spokesperson for the Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

“The law and its amendments are inconsistent with the status and international legal framework applicable to UNRWA and must be immediately repealed,” the text adds.

Stressing that UNRWA is an integral part of the United Nations, the Secretary-General recalled Israel’s obligations under the United Nations Charter and the Convention on the Privileges and Immunities of the United Nations.

“The Convention remains applicable to UNRWA, its property and assets, as well as its officials and other personnel. Property used by UNRWA is inviolable,” the statement said.

The UN chief noted that the advisory opinion issued on October 22, 2025 by the International Court of Justice concluded that Israel is required to ensure full respect for the privileges and immunities accorded to the United Nations, including UNRWA and its personnel, in and in relation to the Occupied Palestinian Territory.

Reiterating his strong support for the agency, he said UNRWA plays an indispensable role in serving the Palestinian people – in Gaza and elsewhere in the region.

He added that UNRWA’s continued operations in Gaza contribute to the effective implementation of Security Council resolution 2803 (2025) and the Comprehensive Plan to End the Gaza Conflict on the Ground.

Although COVID-19 no longer causing the widespread disruption seen during the global health emergency, the virus continues to hospitalize and kill people across Europe and neighboring regions.

Studies carried out by the WHO The European Regional Office confirms that people who receive timely booster doses are much less likely to develop severe illness, require intensive care or die.

THE results are based on data from the European network EuroSAVE (European Severe Acute Respiratory Infection Vaccine Effectiveness), which monitors respiratory infections in hospitals in parts of Europe, the Balkans, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Important results

“Studies highlight that while COVID-19 does not cause the widespread illness we have seen during the pandemic, it has nonetheless caused considerable numbers of hospitalizations and deaths. » said Mark Katz, medical epidemiologist at the WHO regional office.

Between May 2023 and April 2024, nearly 4,000 patients were hospitalized for acute respiratory infections in the countries covered by the network.

Nearly 10 percent of these cases were caused by COVID-19, although the pandemic was declared over. Among patients hospitalized with COVID-19, only 3% had received a dose of vaccine in the previous 12 months.

The consequences have often been serious: 13 percent of COVID-19 patients required admission to intensive care units and 11 percent died.

Comparative research also showed that patients hospitalized with COVID-19 were more likely than those with the flu to need oxygen, intensive care or succumb to the illness.

Vaccines provide strong protection

On the other hand, vaccination offers strong protection.

A EuroSAVE study found that an up-to-date COVID-19 vaccine received within the last six months was 72% effective at preventing hospitalization and 67% effective at preventing the most serious outcomes, including intensive care admission and death.

A separate multi-country analysis found that vaccines reduced COVID-related hospitalizations by about 60 percent.

Although funding cuts, conflict and climate shocks have strained health systems around the world – disrupting essential services in many countries – governments and partners have nevertheless made notable progress in disease control, prevention and preparedness.

The United Nations health agency said the mixed picture of progress and pressure in Looking ahead to 2025 highlights both what is possible through evidence-based cooperation and what is at risk if momentum and funding are not sustained..

Victories for disease control

Several countries have reached historic milestones in eliminating infectious diseases.

The Maldives became the first country to achieve “triple elimination” of mother-to-child transmission of HIV, syphilis and hepatitis Bwhile Brazil has eliminated mother-to-child transmission of HIV, making it the most populous country in the Americas to achieve this goal.

Progress has also been made in the fight against neglected tropical diseases. Burundi, Egypt and Fiji have eliminated trachoma; Guinea and Kenya have eliminated sleeping sickness; and Niger became the first African country to eliminate river blindness. Since 2010, the number of people requiring treatment for a neglected tropical disease has fallen by almost a third.

Deaths from tuberculosis (TB) continued to declineparticularly in Africa and Europe, which have seen reductions of more than 45 percent over the past decade. Yet the disease has claimed the lives of an estimated 1.2 million people in 2024, underscoring continued risks from HIV, undernutrition and other factors.

The fight against malaria has also made progress. Georgia, Suriname and Timor-Leste were certified malaria-free, while seven other African countries introduced malaria vaccines in 2025. Combined with newer tools, including improved bed nets, these efforts prevented an estimated 170 million cases and one million deaths in 2024.

© UNICEF/Rabik Upadhayay

A doctor examines a newborn baby at a hospital in Kathmandu, Nepal.

Global health cooperation

Beyond disease-specific progress, 2025 also marked significant advances in global health cooperation.

Countries have adopted the the first global agreement on the pandemic and strengthened the International Health Regulations (IHR), laying the foundation for a faster and more equitable response to future health emergencies.

World leaders approved a historic political declaration on noncommunicable diseases and mental health. New evidence-based guidance has also been published covering areas from maternal care and meningitis to diabetes in pregnancy and anti-cancer drugs suitable for children.

Healthier lives, uneven progress

WHOThe World Health Statistics 2025 report revealed that 1.4 billion more people live healthier livesthrough reduced tobacco consumption, cleaner air and improved water and sanitation.

Vaccination has remained at the heart of this progress. Global vaccination efforts have reduced measles deaths by 88 percent since 2000, saving nearly 59 million lives. By 2025, several countries have expanded vaccination against human papillomavirus (HPV), bringing the world closer to eliminating cervical cancer.

Yet challenges persist. Twenty million children have not received essential vaccines due to conflicts, supply disruptions and misinformation. Maternal and child deaths are also not decreasing fast enough to achieve the global goals, highlighting the need for greater investment in primary health care and safe childbirth programs.

© UNICEF/Ahmed Mohamdeen Elfatih

Children and adults suffering from cholera are treated in an isolation center at a hospital in Khartoum, Sudan.

Financial pressures, response to the crisis

Funding cuts in 2025 disrupted services including maternal care, immunization, HIV prevention and disease surveillance, with the WHO warning that reduced funding could reverse hard-won progress.

Despite these pressures, WHO has supported rapid responses to health emergencies and crises in 79 countries and territories, including Gaza, Sudan and Ukraine, providing emergency medical aid and helping to contain outbreaks.

He delivered medicines, helped keep hospitals open, participated in vaccination campaigns and ensured people could still access regular health services – “because babies still need to be born, heart attacks still need to be prevented, and diabetes still needs to be treated, even in an emergency.”

Looking to the future

Looking ahead to 2026, WHO sees the adoption of the first pandemic agreement and the strengthening of the International Health Regulations as signs of a renewed global commitment to preparedness.

He emphasizes that it remains guided by the principle stated at its creation in 1948: according to which the best state of health that it is capable of achieving must be a right for everyone and not a privilege for a few.

“Together,” WHO stress“through science, solutions and solidarity, we can build a healthier, safer and more promising future for all.»

© UNICEF/Bashir Ahmed Sujan

A baby is held by his mother and entertained by his grandfather at a community clinic in northern Bangladesh.

According to has MINUSCA, preliminary reports from observers indicate that more than 99 percent of polling stations across the country opened as scheduled on Election Day.

The transfer of envelopes containing the results from 19 prefectural capitals to the national capital, Bangui, is now underway, with the logistical and security support of the mission.

The vote of December 28 marked a unprecedented moment in the political history of the countrybringing together four ballots in a single electoral exercise. Municipal elections, in particular, have not taken place in the Central African Republic (CAR) since 1988 and are a key provision of the 2019 Political Agreement for Peace and Reconciliation.

Vast, sparsely populated and landlocked, the CAR is crisscrossed by dense forests, rivers and long, often impassable roads. Outside of Bangui, many communities are only accessible by plane or multi-day trips.

Ballots are counted under flashlights after elections in the Central African Republic.

Massive UN support for a complex operation

MINUSCA said it worked closely with national authorities and United Nations agencies to support the electoral process.delivering all voting materials on time despite difficult terrain and security constraints.

In total, the mission carried out 84 flights and eight road convoys to transport more than 230 tonnes of electoral materials, including ballots, indelible ink, voter cards, voting booths and ballot boxes.

Election materials were delivered to 6,679 of the country’s 6,700 polling stations, allowing them to operate normally in 20 prefectures.

Technically and operationally, some 34,500 people – including election officials, supervisors and polling station staff – were trained with UN support.

Security measures

Poll security was strengthened thanks to the deployment of additional national troops and police, logistically supported by MINUSCA, alongside patrols reinforced by UN peacekeepers and police personnel.

The mission also provided the Central African armed forces and internal security personnel with vehicles and motorcycles to reach remote and isolated areas.

Speaking at a press conference On Wednesday in Bangui, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for the CAR, Valentine Rugwabiza, said the mission had successfully fulfilled its mandate despite a difficult environment.

UN peacekeepers patrol a voting center in the capital Bangui during the elections.

Incident in Haut-Mbomou

Ms. Rugwabiza strongly condemned an attack in Bambouti, in the southeastern Haut-Mbomou prefecture, near the border with South Sudan, which prevented voting there due to insecurity.

The attack, carried out by the armed group Azandé Ani Kpi Gbe (AAKG), was also accompanied by hostage-taking, including the sub-prefect.

She said MINUSCA had been working tirelessly since Sunday to facilitate the release of those taken hostage.

Results expected next week

The National Elections Authority (NEA) is expected to announce the preliminary results of the presidential election on January 5, 2026..