According to the United Nations Health Organization, healthcare aid from abroad is expected to decline by 30 to 40 percent this year, compared to 2023.
This has already led to declines of up to 70 percent in key health services in some of the 108 low- and middle-income countries identified in a new WHO report.
The United Nations organization noted that more than 50 of these countries also reported job losses among health and care workers, a situation exacerbated by years of financial pressures caused by inflation, repayment of sovereign debt, and heavy reliance on external support.
The World Health Organization has warned that vital services such as maternity care, vaccination and disease surveillance are at risk in many low- and middle-income countries.
Lives lost
WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said that “sudden and unplanned cuts in aid” had already hit many countries hard, “costing lives and putting hard-won health gains at risk.”
But he added that it is time for countries to move from “aid dependence” to “sustainable self-reliance” by using domestic resources to focus on protecting the most vulnerable groups.
Many countries are already taking action. Nigeria increased its health budget by $200 million to offset cuts in external funding, while Ghana raised the ceiling on indirect tax revenues to boost the National Health Insurance Fund by 60 percent.
The WHO said such steps show that national leadership and global solidarity are crucial to the sustainability of health systems in a new era of limited aid.
Turk welcomes the first treaty concluded by Australia with indigenous peoples
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk welcomed Australia’s first formal treaty with indigenous peoples on Monday, calling it a “major step towards justice and equality” and “an important occasion for all Australians”.
Passed by Victorian legislators, the treaty creates a democratically elected First People’s Assembly – Geelong Warl – along with a “truth-finding” body, called Nirna Yurok Telkona, and an accountability body known as Njinma Ngaenga Wara.
Mr Turk said the initiative represented important progress towards self-determination for the country’s first peoples, addressing the “ongoing exclusion and discrimination” caused by colonialism.
A “truly transformative” historic step
He added in his statement that Victoria’s approach could be “truly transformative” if fully implemented, ensuring Indigenous communities have a direct voice in shaping laws and policies that affect their lives.
The move follows the 2017 Uluru From the Heart Statement, which called for constitutional recognition and voice for Indigenous Australians. Mr Turk expressed his hope that Victoria’s example would inspire similar action elsewhere in Australia and beyond, promoting reconciliation and respect for human rights for all.
About a quarter of Australia’s population lives in the state of Victoria.
Haiti: Independent experts at the United Nations warn of the worsening crisis of women’s exclusion
Independent UN human rights experts have warned that the worsening crisis in Haiti cannot be resolved while women remain excluded from decision-making and vulnerable to widespread sexual violence.
“Haiti is in the grip of one of the most severe crises in the world, and women and girls bear the brunt,” the UN Working Group on Discrimination against Women and Girls said. “Yet, they remain marginalized from the processes that determine their safety, rights and future.”
In Haiti, people carrying their belongings flee their homes as night falls due to violence.
The experts appointed by the UN Human Rights Council said that women are completely absent from Haiti’s transitional leadership, as all seven voting members of the Presidential Council are men, and that the new government has failed to meet the constitutional quota of 30 percent female representation.
“Haitian women have long played critical roles in rebuilding communities and supporting social cohesion,” the group said. “Excluding them is not only unfair, it is also a strategic failure.”
“Weapon of terror”
Criminal gangs continue to use sexual violence as a “weapon of terrorism”, especially in the capital, Port-au-Prince, while survivors are left without protection or justice.
The experts urged Haitian authorities and international partners to act immediately to ensure women’s equal participation in political, security and recovery processes, warning that “the Haiti crisis cannot be addressed without confronting the gender dynamics of violence and governance.”
