Policy and Rights

On Sunday, I left Ukraine, where alongside my Executive Director Dr. Mike Ryan and WHO colleagues we saw first-hand hospitals that have been bombed, we spoke with health workers and we met patients that were physically injured and mentally exhausted. We met with the Prime Minister, Minister of Health and other officials and saw their commitment to health despite the difficult circumstances. We tol...

Shireen, for every Palestinian journalist and for every Arab journalist, is a model we lost today,” Al Jazeera journalist Tamer Mishal said. “The tragic pictures that we saw on social media, shot in the head, show that it came from an Israeli sniper who fired a bullet directly at her.” “Till the very last second, Shireen Abu Akleh was professional and persevering,” he added. The last message Abu A...

Policy and Rights Conserative Leadership Debate Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support .

Policy and Rights Question periond in House on Commons Ottawa Speaking briefly with reporters ahead of the weekly federal Liberal caucus meeting, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is asked about his government's upcoming announcements on firearms and access to abortion services. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and MPs speak with reporters on Parliament Hill as they convene for the daily question period...

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau holds a joint news conference in Kyiv with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the prime minister's unannounced visit to Ukraine amid Russia's ongoing invasion. Trudeau announces additional support for Ukraine, including more military aid, $25 million to the U.N.'s World Food Programme to address food security, and the removal of tariffs on Ukrainian import...

Press Conference by the United States Representative and President of the Security Council for the month of May, Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield on the programme of work of the Security Council in May. The United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Linda Thomas-Greenfield, urged Russia on Tuesday (3 May) to continue "to do the right thing” and guarantee safe passage for any c...

The disruption of health services across Ukraine has been catastrophic, compounded by displacement, and the fact that millions of people remain trapped in conflict areas, unable to move. This puts health workers, care workers, services and infrastructure, and the health of millions of people, at severe risk. We salute the nurses caring for newborns in hospital basements; Ambulance drivers and para...

Briefing by Arif Husain, World Food Programme’s Chief Economist, and Rein Paulsen, the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Director of Emergencies, on the Launch of the 2022 Global Report on Food Crises. Nearly 193 million people in the world are in acute food insecurity, an increase of 40 million people in one year, according to a new UN report. The Global Report on Food Crisis released today joi...

Ukraine, Nigeria, Yemen & other topics - Prime Minister Justin Trudeau responds to the leaked United States Supreme Court draft opinion that may overturn the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision on abortion rights. Speaking with reporters ahead of the Liberals' weekly caucus meeting, the prime minister is also asked about the legal framework around reproductive rights and services in Canada. White House Pres...

In observance of World Press Freedom Day 2022, join UNESCO and the UN Department of Global Communications for the NY Observance virtual event “Journalism Under Digital Siege.” The event includes a high-level segment, moderated by UN Under-Secretary-General Melissa Fleming, featuring remarks from UN Secretary-General António Guterres, other high-level UN officials, the President of the General Asse...

President Joe Biden on Wednesday highlighted new figures showing the government's red ink will grow less than expected this year and the national debt will shrink this quarter as he tried to counter criticism of his economic leadership amid growing dismay over inflation going into midterm elections that will decide control of Congress. Biden, embracing deficit reduction as a way to fight inflation...

A leaked draft opinion suggests the US Supreme Court could be poised to overturn the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ... after receiving “complaints and public reports of potential violations of the contraceptive coverage requirement.” Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support .

For decades, Canada’s auto sector has been creating good, middle-class jobs and driving economic growth. Today, as we continue to recover from the pandemic and accelerate our work to build a clean future, the auto sector plays a key role in supporting workers and helping us achieve net-zero emissions by 2050. By making smart investments, the Government of Canada is delivering clean air, good jobs,...

So far, at least 169 cases of acute hepatitis have been reported from 11 countries in Europe, and in the United States, in children aged from 1 month to 16 years. Seventeen children – about 10 percent of the reported cases – have required liver transplants, and one death has been reported. The symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhoea, vomiting, jaundice, severe acute hepatitis, and increased lev...

António Guterres was speaking to journalists on Thursday (28 April) at the Presidential Palace. Guterres said he had witnessed the pain "very vividly", including "the senseless loss of life, the massive destruction, the unacceptable violations of human rights and the laws of war." According to the UN chief, "it is vital that the International Criminal Court and other UN mechanisms conduct their wo...

Informal remarks by Minister of Foreign Affairs of Albania, H.E Ms Olta Xhaçka, ahead of the Security Council Arria-Formula meeting on Ensuring Accountabilities for crimes committed in Ukraine, organized by Albania and France. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support .

The German government on Tuesday confirmed reports that it would approve a delivery of anti-aircraft tanks to Ukraine. German Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht holds a press conference following talks on Ukraine. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/policy-and-rights--3339563/support .

The First Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations of the Russian Federation told journalists today (25 Apr) that the Russian ministry of defense “keeps collecting information that the Kyiv regime, backed by the US, is preparing staged provocations in order to accuse the Russian Armed Forces of using chemical, biological, and tactical nuclear weapons.” Speaking to reporters outside th...

“The Manitoba government is proud to support this act of historic reconciliation, by partnering with SCO and Canada on this landmark, Indigenous-led housing and social opportunity for Indigenous Peoples. This unique partnership will see the iconic Hudson’s Bay building transform into a new, vibrant space that will provide Indigenous Peoples with a range of services, including affordable housing fo...

(PAHO/WHO)- With the goal of accelerating vaccination against COVID-19 and closing coverage gaps against other vaccine-preventable diseases, countries and territories in the Americas plan to immunize some 140 million people as part of Vaccination Week in the Americas, the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) initiative that celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. The theme of the Week, which...

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Chrystia Freeland, the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, speaks with reporters in Calgary after highlighting clean energy initiatives announced in the recent 2022 federal budget, including a new tax credit for carbon capture and storage. She is joined by George Chahal (the MP for Calgary Skyview); John Van Ham (executive director of sector alignment and business relations at InnoTech...

At Canadian Forces Base Trenton in Ontario, Defence Minister Anita Anand makes an announcement regarding Canada’s response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine. She announces the deployment of up to 150 Canadian Armed Forces personnel to Poland to provide humanitarian assistance to Ukrainians. According to the United Nations, more than 2.6 Ukrainians have fled to Poland since Russia began its invasi...

The people of Ukraine cannot bear the violence being inflicted on them. And the most vulnerable people around the globe cannot become collateral damage in yet another disaster for which they bear no responsibility. We need to silence the guns and accelerate negotiations towards peace, now. For the people of Ukraine. For the people of the region. Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spre...

President Joe Biden will allow E15 ethanol-blended gas to be sold throughout the US this summer, the White House said Tuesday, as part of measures to tackle soaring fuel prices in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine. E15 gasoline, which is gasoline blended with 15% ethanol, is banned in most of the US during the summer because of air pollution concerns. But the White House said that the Envir...