Number 04 | 2022

By Caroline Mwanga

NEW YORK (IDN) — It is "dangerous to assume that Omicron will be the last variant, or that we are in the endgame" of the pandemic. "On the contrary, globally, the conditions are ideal for more variants to emerge," exactly two years and a day since he declared the deadly virus a public health emergency of international concern, says Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of the UN's World Health Organization (WHO).

By Jaya Ramachandran

GENEVA (IDN) — The World Health Organization (WHO) a specialized agency of the United Nations, has warned that fundamental and life-saving primary health care services in Afghanistan are under severe threat. It is, therefore, making an urgent appeal to international donors to rapidly finance the Sehatmandi programme, as they have done for almost two decades.

The programme is the backbone of Afghanistan’s health system, providing care for millions of people through 2 331 health facilities.

Viewpoint by Orria Goni and Luckystar Miyandazi

Orria Goni is SDG Financing and South-South Cooperation Advisor, UNDP, and Luckystar Miyandazi is Regional Tax Specialist, UNDP. This article was posted on UNDP Blog.

NEW YORK (IDN) — On October 30, 2021, the leaders of the world's 20 largest economies, the G20, endorsed a two-pillar blueprint to address the tax challenges arising from the digitalization of the economy. The agreement includes partial reallocation of taxing rights to market jurisdictions and a 15 per cent global minimum tax for multinational enterprises (MNEs).