Before Ebola struck, the three hardest-hit countries — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — had a ratio of about one to two doctors per nearly 100,000 people. Ebola puts Liberia and Sierra Leone at high economic riskJob losses and food insecurity are among the major socio-economic impacts of Ebola in Liberia and Sierra Leone, according to the results of two new World Bank Group surveys released this week. Additionally, the survey showed evidence of reduced […]

By Gregory Anton Hartl, World Health Organization spokesperson  This Sunday, January 18, 2015, Mali’s government and the United Nations announced that there is currently no more known Ebola virus disease in the country. Over the weekend, the Government shared the outstanding news that demonstrates the progress being made in the fight against the Ebola virus. These results are further proof that Ebola can be beaten and signals the end of the outbreak in Mali.  However, this does not necessarily mean

Today Bill and Melinda Gates released their annual letter, and they made a big bet: “The lives of people in poor countries will improve faster in the next 15 years than at any other time in history.” This isn’t a pie in the sky dream; this is a future we can achieve if we rally together. Why do we think that? Because in our work supporting the United Nations, we’ve seen time and time again

In his State of the Union message on Tuesday night, President Obama emphasized that “no challenge – no challenge – poses a greater threat to future generations than climate change.” He reiterated the key facts: “2014 was the planet’s warmest year on record. … 14 of the 15 warmest years on record have all fallen in the first 15 years of this century.” And he warned of “rising oceans, longer, hotter heat waves, dangerous droughts

Photo credit: UN Environment Programme As President Obama travels to India for Republic Day on January 26, speculation is increasing that a new bilateral agreement related to climate change may be announced. Extensive groundwork has been under way since 2011 to support Indian engagement as a constructive partner as the international community hammers out a new agreement for the decisive Paris climate talks coming up in December. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry underscored the

Next week in Berlin, Gavi the Vaccine Alliance will be hosting its second replenishment conference; a key moment to keep the momentum and gains made in 2014 and continue progress as we enter the last year of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). At its replenishment, GAVI will announce that 500 million children have been reached through Gavi-supported routine immunisation since 2000, resulting in 7 million lives saved. Further support can help to solidify even bigger

“Don’t be fooled, it’s not over yet.” – Peter Piot, a co-discoverer of the Ebola virus and director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine warns of the need to continue the fight against Ebola to the end. Ebola fight needs $1 billion more to get to zero casesThe United Nations needs to raise a further $1 billion for the fight against West Africa’s Ebola epidemic after raising that same amount last year, according to the UN’s

We are less than 24 hours away from the pledging conference in Berlin that we hope will set the course for Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance, to save the lives of 5 million to 6 million children in the coming years. Over the weekend, the United States announced that it will commit $1 billion through 2018, a tremendous boost that brings Gavi closer to its goal. Including pledges already made by the European Union, Norway, Canada,

The global effort to reach every child with life-saving vaccines received a tremendous boost this week, as donors committed more than $7.5 billion to Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance. These commitments will help Gavi immunize an additional 300 million children in the coming years and save an estimated 6 million lives, working closely with key United Nations partners such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). The $7.5 billion pledged comes