Photo by National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases on Unsplash The EU has moved to provide what is says is an “immediate response” to the mpox outbreak in Africa. The European Commission’s Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority, HERA, will procure and donate 175,420 doses of the MVA-BN® vaccine, the only FDA and…
Healthcare
EU Signs Pharma Deal to Combat Diphtheria
Photo by Bermix Studio on Unsplash The EU has announced that it is taking urgent action to combat what it calls a clear cross-border health threat. The European Commission says it wants to tackle diphtheria in a timely manner. The Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority (HERA) has signed a joint procurement framework contract on…
Humanitarian Aid for Afghanistan
Photo by Farid Ershad on Unsplash The EU has agreed to pump in an extra €150 million in humanitarian aid for the crisis in Afghanistan./ It says the move is needed “in view of the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Afghanistan.” On Monday, the EU said it had activated its emergency aid reserve to avoid a risk of famine…
EU Aid for Palestine
Photo by Michel E on Unsplash The European Commission has given the green light to a second tranche of assistance of €25 million for the Palestinian Authority. It says this will contribute to the payment of salaries and pensions of Palestinian civil servants and disbursed €16 million for UNRWA to provide basic services such as health and education…
Garden Party for the Songani Centre
We are coming up fast to the fundraising Garden Party for the Songani Centre for HIV testing and counselling Malawi on Saturday 8 June 2024 during the afternoon, so here is your opportunity to sign up! Ex-European Commission official and resident of Brussels for more than 30 years Sue Bird is organising the Garden Party. This promises to be…
Ukraine Veterans Run in Brussels 20K
Photo by Lance Reis on Unsplash A group of Ukrainian military personnel who have lost limbs in the war with Russia are taking part in the 20km run in Brussels today 26th May. The eight Ukrainian veterans are in Brussels to raise awareness about the well-being and rehabilitation programmes for injured Ukrainian defenders. All have sustained amputations or…
My Voice, My Choice
Photo by Manny Becerra on Unsplash Leading European NGOs met in Berlin on Wednesday (22 May) calling to “put reproductive rights on the ballot paper” in the forthcoming European Parliament elections. On the heels of the recent government commissioned report calling for abortions to be legalised within the first 12 weeks of pregnancy in Germany, activists from across Europe gathered…
Taiwan and the Loch Ness Monster
Taiwan’s absence from international organisations has been likened to the search for the Loch Ness Monster. The Taipei Representative Office in Brussels says the search for “Nessie” in the Scottish loch is like looking for Taiwan’s involvement in organisations like the UN. The Taiwan Representation has collaborated with the Belgian cartoonist, Lectrr, to create a cartoon comparing finding…
My Voice, My Choice
Photo by Gayatri Malhotra on Unsplash Activists have launched the “My Voice, My choice for safe and accessible abortion” initiative. The “ground breaking” drive, championed by prominent figures in the fight for reproductive rights, aims to secure over 1 million signatures over the next seven weeks before the EU elections. It is said to mark the first step…
Taiwan’s Indispensability in Preparing for Future Pandemics
The three years of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a terrible loss of life and exacerbated health inequalities. The global economy slumped and, worldwide, people’s lives were affected, writes Dr. Hsueh Jui-yuan This experience demonstrated that the present global health governance framework is not effective in responding to threats to global health. Although COVID-19 is…