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Conflicts, climate crisis and covid-19: the world needs peace for health and health for peace

2022-04-07T14:45:26.659Z


On the occasion of World Health Day, the WHO Director-General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, presents a new initiative that highlights the need to promote peace and health to protect the planet and its inhabitants.


Last week I spoke with Jarno Habicht, the World Health Organization (WHO) representative in Ukraine, while he was receiving fresh health supplies at a warehouse in Lviv.

He told me about the high cost that Russia's invasion of the country is having on the Ukrainian population, the damage caused to hospitals, and the mental and physical impact that the war is having on health workers and the civilian population.

But unfortunately, Ukraine is not the only emergency the world is currently facing.

In Afghanistan, people are even selling their kidneys and children to survive.

In Tigray, one of the longest and most severe blockades in history has largely disrupted the supply of food, fuel and medicine, and the region is facing a humanitarian catastrophe, including mass starvation.

The worsening of the climate crisis is causing countries to be affected by multiple climate catastrophes simultaneously.

In the same week last month, Australia's coral reefs bleached while other parts of the country suffered "catastrophic flooding".

And the pandemic persists with records of cases and deaths recorded in some Asian countries,

The increase in conflicts, the worsening of the climatic situation and the prolongation of the pandemic have caused the Doomsday Clock to be located at 100 seconds to midnight, which is the closest the world has come to an apocalypse that ends with civilization since the creation of the Clock in 1947. It's easy to feel hopeless, but there are things we can do at the micro and macro levels to make a difference.

To prevent the current multidimensional crises from becoming a death spiral for humanity, concerted and creative efforts are needed to turn the tide of history towards a solution-oriented, healthier and more sustainable world.

For the most part, all people want to live without war in a world where they and their families can get a good job, put food on the table, and have access to essential health services and quality schooling.

While it is relatively easy to start a conflict, the search for peace is often elusive, as wars often spiral into unforeseen escalations and negative consequences.

Peace is the basis of all that is good in our societies.

We need peace for health and, in the same way, health for peace.

For health workers, WHO staff and our humanitarian partners on the ground, war makes everything exponentially more difficult and sometimes even impossible.

Recognizing that peace is central to all of our work in health and development and in meeting the challenges of conflict, the climate crisis and COVID-19, today I am announcing a new global initiative "Peace for Health and health for peace.

Its main objective is to foster a new dialogue around health and peace in order, for example, to create humanitarian corridors so that people can access basics, such as nutritious food, fuel and health services, and so that no health facility is subject to military attack, which is a disturbing new trend in conflict.

I will ask other United Nations agencies, civil society, sports organizations,

Haftom Gebretsadik, a 17-year-old from Freweini, Ethiopia, lost his left hand in an artillery attack in March.

He poses at the Ayder Referral hospital in Mekele on April 6. Ben Curtis (AP)

The highly progressive Millennium Declaration, drawn up at the turn of the century, outlined the nexus between peace, security, development and health.

The war has relegated our fights against global warming and the covid-19 pandemic to the background, but on these two issues international cooperation is required to move forward.

And even in a highly divided world, progress is possible.

For example, in the midst of the Cold War, the US and the USSR worked together to eradicate smallpox, which remains one of the great scientific achievements of our time and provides lessons for the other existential challenges of our time.

Although the war currently dominates the attention of decision-makers and the media, the pandemic is by no means over.

The WHO recognizes the continuing threat of cpvod-19 and is working with countries both to track the virus and to ensure that every opportunity is taken to boost the immunity of populations.

The target of vaccinating 70% of the population is eminently achievable, and I am pleased to see countries like Vietnam, Pakistan and Nigeria showing that progress is possible if resources and efforts are targeted effectively.

At the same time, it is important to strengthen health systems so that countries can catch up on the many health issues that have regressed, while also preparing to deal with worrying future variants and possible new ones. pandemics.

While rich countries are rolling out “second booster doses”—that is, four effective doses—it is incompetent and/or remiss for some groups in those same countries to suggest that it is not worth vaccinating to similar standards.

After all, the pandemic and the resulting challenges related to supply chain chaos remain a threat not only to health, but also to peace and security.

Similarly, the climate crisis remains probably the biggest and most complex existential challenge of our time, requiring unprecedented action.

Global warming is generally bad for health, with seven million people dying every year from air pollution alone.

This week, the WHO released updated guidance on air pollution, highlighting that more than 110 countries are now monitoring the air their citizens breathe.

It is a good sign that countries invest in this technology, but the amount of pollutants in the air highlights the need for a transformation away from fossil fuels, which, for the survival of humanity, must remain underground.

The pandemic has taught us how scientific innovation can save lives and protect health systems, but only if everyone has access to it.

This may extend to the realm of climate, as it is important to plan now for revolutionary technology and knowledge to be shared effectively to help avert global calamity.

Conflict, the climate crisis and covid-19 are contributing to massive increases in food and fuel prices, as well as inflation, putting health care out of reach for many.

In the Horn of Africa and parts of the Sahel, famine is even potentially on the horizon.

As part of any peace initiative, it is critical that ensuring access to quality, nutritious food is also a basic requirement, along with other basic services such as health and education.

Whatever the crisis, I am proud that WHO is always on the front lines fighting to save lives and working for health for everyone, everywhere.

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus

is the director general of the World Health Organization.

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Source: elparis

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