WHO | Week Ahead for media | 10 April 2021

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Friday 04.09.21 | Issue 105

© WHO / Andre Rugema

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.

Monday, 12 April

Webinar: Tobacco Taxes: Averting deaths and promoting inclusive growth post-COVID19

Each year, tobacco kills over 8 million people around the world, and in 2012 it cost economies over US$1.4 trillion in health expenditures and lost productivity. Tobacco use is also a risk factor for severe COVID-19 that has crippled economies globally. WHO is releasing its Technical manual on tobacco tax policy and administration that will help countries improve their tobacco taxation policies to help advance public health and build back better after COVID-19. Tobacco taxes are win-win-win: raising tobacco taxes helps countries move toward healthier populations, healthier budgets and a more inclusive growth post COVID19.

In 2018, only 38 countries covering 14% of the global population, had sufficiently high tobacco taxes - which means that total taxes should account for at least 75% of the retail price, and that governments should aim to further reduce the affordability of these health-harming products. By implementing proven policies like tobacco taxes, the harms caused by the tobacco industry to countries and local communities can be avoided. For an optimal development and implementation of tobacco tax policies, close collaboration between Ministries of Health and Finance will be key. Register here.

Tuesday, 13 April

NCD Hard Talk: Data Driven Action on NCDs for Impact

Monitoring noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and their determinants provides the foundation for advocacy, policy development, national and global action. A decade ago, during the first UN High Level Meeting (UNHLM) on NCDs, world leaders recognised the critical role that data plays in supporting evidence-based actions for NCD prevention and control. Those leaders called on WHO to develop a Global Monitoring Framework to measure implementation progress of interventions and establish targets for NCDs. It was recognised that many countries had a lack of or limited useable mortality data and weak NCD surveillance. Improving country-level surveillance and monitoring was considered a top priority in the fight against NCDs, including strengthening mortality registration systems, high quality risk factor surveillance, and patient and program monitoring.
Where are we, 10 years after the first UNHLM? Join the NCD Hard Talk and find out how to ensure that our data systems for noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) are fit for purpose and designed to drive impact. Register here.

Fair Pricing Forum

The Fair Pricing Forum is a biennial WHO initiative to find new ways and strategies to make medicines and other health products affordable and more fairly accessible to all health systems. The Forum brings together all stakeholders in this area – governments, civil society, researchers and the pharmaceutical industry, both originator and generic.

This year’s forum, taking place from 13-22 April, has the following objectives:

The 2021 Forum will be virtual and is supported by the Government of Argentina. It is not open to media, but WHO will issue a read-out of discussions or a press release on the last day. More info.

Wednesday, 14 April
World Chagas Disease Day

Theme: Comprehensive, equitable health care services for all people affected by Chagas Disease. In 2021, WHO is shining a spotlight on Chagas disease, the suffering it causes and are calling for comprehensive and equitable access to health care and services for everyone affected by the disease. Chagas disease is prevalent among poor populations of continental Latin America but is increasingly being detected in other countries and continents. More info on the campaign is available here.

Global Diabetes Summit

The Global Diabetes Summit, co-hosted by WHO and the Government of Canada, with the support of the University of Toronto, coincides with the 100th anniversary of the discovery of insulin, a life-saving medicine for people with diabetes. During the high-level segment, during which the WHO Director-General will be joined by Prime Ministers, Ministers of Health and people with lived experience of diabetes, the Global Diabetes Compact, a major new initiative to address the global diabetes epidemic, will be launched.

Today, approximately 6% of the world’s population – more than 420 million people – live with either type 1 or type 2 diabetes. This number has quadrupled since 1980, and is expected to rise beyond half a billion by the end of the decade. While premature mortality from other major noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) is decreasing, early deaths from diabetes actually increased by 5% between 2000 and 2016. Furthermore, people living with diabetes are at increased risk of severe illness and death from COVID-19, while diabetes care has been severely disrupted due to the pandemic.

The high-level segment will be broadcast on WHO's YouTube channel from 17:00-19:00 CEST on Wednesday. More info here. Experts are available for interviews to discuss the Global Diabetes Compact.

Thursday, 15 April

New report: 2020 Antibacterial agents in clinical and preclinical development

WHO will launch its new report 2020 Antibacterial agents in clinical and preclinical development on Thursday. The report presents the current global development pipeline for new antibacterial treatments, including for tuberculosis, in the context of the silent pandemic of antibacterial resistance.

At the virtual press conference at 14:00 CEST, WHO will present the report highlighting the key results, which will be followed by a Q&A session with:

The link to the new report can be shared under embargo next week. A Media Advisory will be sent next week, with dial-in details and a link to the embargoed report.

Cities Hold the Key: Prioritizing Equity in the COVID-19 Recovery

The Partnership for Healthy Cities invites you to a special event on how cities are taking on the challenge of vaccine distribution. Highlighting how cities have responded to the pandemic, steps to ensure equitable vaccine distribution, and how their policies can serve as models for governments and regions worldwide.

Featuring:

16:00-17:00 CEST, Thursday. Register here.

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