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Friday 05.14.21 | Issue 110
WHO / Blink Media - Juliana Tan
Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) updates
Virtual press briefings with simultaneous translation in all UN languages with the participation of the WHO Director-General are planned for this week. Media advisories with Zoom links/dial-in details will be emailed in advance. For the latest news from WHO on COVID-19 and other breaking health stories, read WHO's news updates.
17 - 23 May
6th UN Global Road Safety Week
Mobility has decreased overall due to lockdowns and people working from home. This has led to fewer accidents overall, but accidents have shown more fatal due to higher speeds. Globally, it is estimated that 40-50% of people drive above the speed limit and that every 1 km/h increase in speed results in a 4-5% increase in fatal crashes.
WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus and Zoleka Mandela, Global Ambassador for the Child Health Initiative join the heads of UN and international agencies, companies, and organizations in signing an Open Letter calling for 30 km/h speed limits in cities worldwide to save lives and achieve the target of the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021-2030. Read the news release. On Monday, 17 May, join the Launch of the 6th UN Global Road Safety Week here, and at 15:30 CEST there will be a press conference on COVID-19 and Road safety.
Monday, 17 May
Launch of the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury
A joint WHO/ILO study, covering the period between 2000 and 2016 reveals that deaths caused globally from heart disease and stroke attributable to long working hours are on the rise, launches Monday at 00:01 GMT. A paper to be published in Environment International breaks new ground and systematically analyses and quantifies the disease burden of long working hours. The paper also highlights some key recommendations. Embargoed materials are available upon request. All related information will be available here beginning Monday.
Tuesday, 18 May
WHO and UNICEF launch new tools for the promotion of adolescent mental health
The Helping Adolescents Thrive Toolkit, developed jointly by WHO and UNICEF, provides guidance for people working in the health, social services, education and justice sectors on how to implement programmes for adolescent mental health promotion and protection. The Toolkit covers the legal foundations required for such programmes to succeed, the features of environments that are conducive to the well-being of adolescents, what support should be provided to parents and other caregivers, and information about psychosocial interventions that work.
An accompanying Comic Book and Teacher’s Guide, for use by school-based professionals who work with adolescents aged 10-14 years, can be used for planning and facilitation of classroom activities focused on socio-emotional learning. The Comic Book is the first in a series and refers specifically to adolescents’ experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Register here for the online launch event 15:00 CEST Tuesday. WHO has an expert available for interviews on this topic.
Wednesday, 19 May
PBAC34
From 19-21 May, the 34th Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the Executive Board (PBAC34) will take place, in advance of the 74th World Health Assembly. Here is the provisional agenda, and all related documents can be found here.
Launch of updated WHO framework for testing genetically modified mosquitoes
Malaria and other vector-borne diseases, including dengue and Zika, affect millions globally. More than 400,000 people a year die from malaria alone, a disease transmitted by the deadliest animal—the mosquito. If proven safe and effective, genetically modified mosquitoes could be a valuable new tool to fight these diseases and eliminate their enormous social and economic burden. WHO will launch an updated WHO framework for testing genetically modified mosquitoes Wednesday.
Thursday, 20 May
A conversation on mental health
The COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our mental health. Listen in to Dévora Kestel, Director of the Department of Mental Health and Substance Use at WHO, and Cynthia Germanotta, President and Co-Founder of Born This Way Foundation and WHO Goodwill Ambassador for Mental Health, for a conversation on the impact of the pandemic on our mental health and what we can do for our mental well-being. Watch live on WHO's YouTube channel at 15:00 CEST.
Friday, 21 May
40th Anniversary of 'The Code'
On Friday, the World celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the adoption of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes (otherwise known as the Code) by the 34th World Health Assembly on 21 May 1981. The Code aims to contribute to the provision of safe and adequate nutrition for infants by the protection and promotion of breast-feeding, and by ensuring the proper use of breast-milk substitutes, when these are necessary, on the basis of adequate information and through appropriate marketing and distribution.
In collaboration with UNICEF, the WHO, and partners, the Global Breastfeeding Collective will host a virtual meeting via Zoom to celebrate this milestone. This event aims to engage and equip delegates to strengthen country-level implementation of the Code, including its subsequent resolutions. As one in a series of major global events in the Year of Action on Nutrition, midway through the UN Decade of Action on Nutrition, the Code at 40 celebration will focus on mobilizing smart policy commitments to protect promote and support breastfeeding in all contexts.
24 May - 1 June
74th World Health Assembly
The 74th World Health Assembly (WHA) will be held virtually from Monday, 24 May, to Tuesday, 1 June. The WHA is attended by delegations from all of WHO's 194 Member States, and focuses on a specific health agenda prepared by the Executive Board. WHO will provide more details to the media on the WHA next week. The WHA will be webcast live here. More WHA information is available in WHO's six official languages here. The provisional agenda is available here.
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