The white sand beaches of one of Kenya’s most popular tourist areas line an area with one of the country’s highest rates of deaths around childbirth. The Associated Press traveled to Kilifi County for the funeral of one of the latest women to die. Her family said she had been healthy but bled heavily during birth and had to wait several hours before being transported over rough roads to a larger health center. But the operation there came too late. Residents blame a shortage of resources and a lack of information about why so many pregnant women die. (AP video by Jackson Njehia)Esther Bendera, center, mourns beside the coffin of her daughter, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Nixon Charo, father of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, casts a handful of soil into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Adams Kahindi, center, mourns beside the coffin of his wife, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)The white sand beaches of one of Kenya’s most popular tourist areas line an area with one of the country’s highest rates of deaths around childbirth. The Associated Press traveled to Kilifi County for the funeral of one of the latest women to die. Her family said she had been healthy but bled heavily during birth and had to wait several hours before being transported over rough roads to a larger health center. But the operation there came too late. Residents blame a shortage of resources and a lack of information about why so many pregnant women die. (AP video by Jackson Njehia)Esther Bendera, center, mourns beside the coffin of her daughter, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Esther Bendera, center, mourns beside the coffin of her daughter, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Nixon Charo, father of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, casts a handful of soil into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Nixon Charo, father of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, casts a handful of soil into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Mourners gather as the casket of 29 years old Penina Zawadi, who died from complications while giving birth, is lowered into her grave during her funeral in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Adams Kahindi, center, mourns beside the coffin of his wife, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)Adams Kahindi, center, mourns beside the coffin of his wife, Penina Zawadi, who died from complications related to childbirth, in Kilifi County, Kenya, Saturday, July 18, 2026. (AP Photo/Brian Wachira)KILIFI, Kenya (AP) — As Penina Zawadi was wheeled to the operating room for a cesarean section, she gave her mother her jewelry for safekeeping, along with a reassuring word: She would have a safe delivery.An hour later, a nurse handed Esther Bendera her newborn grandson. But her daughter did not return. Her family said the 29-year-old Zawadi bled heavily after birth and was sent to another hospital to have her uterus removed, a last-ditch measure. She spent several days in intensive care before dying on June 23.
Read briefing AP reports that opposition to large AI data centers is broadening across partisan lines, with communities increasingly worried about water use, energy demand and land consumption.Why it matters: Data-center politics is a major global tech infrastructure story with direct relevance for water-stressed regions and AI growth.
Read briefing Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside a state office to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Jacob Weinreich and his mother Sharon Metcalf protest the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)A data center built by the Markley Group is seen over a ballpark and residential neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt O’Brien, File)Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside the New Mexico Environment Department to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside a state office to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Protesters gather outside a state office to voice opposition to the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Jacob Weinreich and his mother Sharon Metcalf protest the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)Jacob Weinreich and his mother Sharon Metcalf protest the Project Jupiter data center during a demonstration in Santa Fe, N.M., Friday, Aug. 21, 2026. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan)A data center built by the Markley Group is seen over a ballpark and residential neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt O’Brien, File)A data center built by the Markley Group is seen over a ballpark and residential neighborhood in Lowell, Mass., June 30, 2026. (AP Photo/Matt O’Brien, File)MURDOCK, Neb. (AP) — In rural eastern Nebraska, a technology revolution could rise from fields of corn and soybean in the form of new data centers to power the artificial intelligence boom.But just like around many parts of the country, opposition has been building in ways that defy typical partisan boundaries. Conservative farmers and the state Sierra Club chapter recently found common cause against labor leaders as they filled the firehouse in Murdock — population around 275 — to share concerns about data center development moving too quickly.The scene exemplified an unlikely coalition that worries about dwindling farmland, declining water supplies and rising electricity bills — not to mention how massive corporations could reshape small town America into nodes in a national network of computing warehouses.The debate around data center projects is one of the rare modern issues to cut across party lines, demographics and geography — from Republican-dominated Nebraska, Texas and Wyoming to swing-state Pennsylvania to Democratic-leaning New Mexico.Supporters of data centers, including Republican President Donald Trump and some union leaders who usually back Democrats, praise a potential jobs and economic bonanza, while helping the U.S. thwart China in the geopolitical race for technological supremacy.But hostility toward developments coming at breakneck speed has surged ahead of November’s midterm elections, and forced national, state and local elected officials to adapt to a shifting political landscape.Judy Stroy, a fifth-generation Nebraska farmer whose late husband grew corn and soybeans and whose son still does, worried that with “the amount of ground that’s getting gobbled up every year, our food source is in trouble.”Stroy’s fields are just outside Murdock, a village named for a railroad official at the company that first laid tracks here in the 1890s. There’s a school, a post office, a bar and a Corn Grower’s State Bank branch, plus the Midwest Farmer’s Coop where growers sell their produce and buy supplies like feed and fertilizer.This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.
Read briefing Kenya’s agriculture ministry has ordered a nationwide clampdown on pesticide misuse and unsafe agrovet outlets, citing health risks and the need for stronger border and market inspections.Why it matters: It is a consequential food safety and public-health enforcement story with direct relevance to farmers and consumers.
Read briefing A new Africanews report shows Kenyan farmers using vermicompost and black soldier fly larvae to restore soil health, reduce dependence on chemical fertilizer and raise productivity amid climate stress and rising input costs.Why it matters: This is a timely agriculture-and-climate adaptation story with clear local relevance and practical impact for food systems.
Read briefing Africanews reports that Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni’s son Muhoozi Kainerugaba has signaled an intention to run for president in 2031.Why it matters: A consequential East Africa succession story with regional political implications.
Read briefing Search for Common Ground launched a 20-month initiative across 11 counties to help detect and respond to misinformation and tension ahead of the 2027 election.Why it matters: Links political stability, conflict prevention and business continuity in a period of heightened election anxiety.
Read briefing Johnson Sakaja acknowledged overtures from ODM but did not confirm whether he plans to leave UDA.Why it matters: A notable realignment watch item in Nairobi politics that could shape coalition dynamics and city governance.
Read briefing President Ruto said the long-running Mau evictions issue is closed after compensation reached 13,000 evictees in Narok South.Why it matters: The Mau remains a politically sensitive environmental and livelihoods issue with major land, water and conservation stakes.
Read briefing Police say five herders remain missing after a suspected al-Shabaab abduction in Lafey sub-county, with ransom reportedly demanded in livestock or cash.Why it matters: A live security story on Kenya’s northeastern border with immediate humanitarian, security and cross-border implications.
Read briefing Kenya’s anti-corruption commission says it arrested three suspects, including county officials and business associates, over alleged misuse of public funds tied to Turkana County contracts.Why it matters: Major corruption enforcement action with county-government accountability and public-finance implications.
Read briefing Parliament passed the Basic Education Amendment Bill, creating a path for APBET institutions in informal settlements to access public funding.Why it matters: Material education policy change with direct consequences for low-income learners and county-level service delivery.
Read briefing Rigathi Gachagua told diplomats and election observers that the disputed IEBC election-technology procurement was designed to favor a South Korean firm.Why it matters: Election technology procurement is central to credibility of Kenya’s 2027 poll preparations and remains a high-risk political story.
Read briefing IEBC defended its 2027 preparations, saying its technology documents were published on the procurement portal on 11 August 2026 and that the process is above board.Why it matters: This keeps election-tech procurement and oversight squarely in the news cycle. Mark political reporting sensitive for editor review.
Read briefing A new Africanews report shows Kenyan farmers using vermicompost and black soldier fly larvae to revive acidic, degraded soils, cut input costs and boost harvests amid climate pressure and expensive fertiliser.Why it matters: It is a timely agriculture and climate adaptation lead with strong visual potential and practical relevance for food security, soil health and farm productivity.
Read briefing Small-scale traders in Nairobi’s Kamukunji, Gikomba and Nyamakima markets are threatening to shut businesses on Friday, August 28, over a KRA customs valuation benchmark they say will raise import costs sharply.Why it matters: This is a live domestic business story with immediate consumer-price and supply-chain implications, and it could trigger wider market disruptions in Kenya’s biggest trading hubs.
Read briefing AP’s investigations hub continues to surface accountability reporting across migration, health and governance. It is a standing lead source rather than a single breaking story.Why it matters: Useful for identifying consequential investigative angles, but this is weaker than a discrete breaking investigation story.
Read briefing HZ UK Preview: Notting Hill Carnival -Notting Hill Carnival celebrates its 60th anniversary this weekendHZ China Robot Games --Robots compete in soccer, boxing, dancing and more at World Humanoid Robot GamesHZ Hong Kong Spinning Craze --Nostalgic spinning top craze whirls through Hong KongHZ Pakistan Kickboxer --Meet the young female kickboxer winning battles in and outside the ringHZ Kenya Dying Mothers--A Kenyan mother bled for hours after childbirth and died as health care remains weak + 0500GMT+HZ China Robot Games Wrap--Over 2,000 humanoid robots compete at Beijing’s Robot Games
Read briefing Promising efforts to restore degraded land are now in the spotlight at a time when 40 per cent of the world’s land currently faces degradation and drought, threatening the livelihoods of over three billion people, the head of the UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) said Wednesday, announcing three winners of its World Restoration Flagships awards.The UN desertification conference, running from 17 to 28 August in Mongolia, is has awarded three land rejuvenation programmes, which together aim to restore a total of almost five million hectares by 2030, an area equal to nearly seven million football fields.“These [programmes] show that restoration works,” UNCCD chief Yasmine Fouad said. “They demonstrate that investing in nature strengthens resilience, supports livelihoods and delivers tangible benefits for people and communities.”There is now a growing recognition that land degradation, drought and ecosystem loss are no longer just environmental concerns.They are fundamental challenges to food security, water security and economic stability, Ms. Fouad said, noting that the UN is committed to global goals of restoring one billion hectares of degraded land by 2030.Here’s a look at some of the gains already made by the World Restoration Flagships winners:The Cerrado covers about one quarter of Brazil’s total land area and is the world’s most biodiverse tropical savannah, but it has lost over half of its native vegetation due to large-scale land conversion and climate change, undermining Indigenous Peoples’ rights, food production and water availability. The initiative, Restoring Brazil's Cerrado Savannah, brings together over 180 partners to restore projects across nine Brazilian states through natural regeneration, direct seeding, restoration and agroforestry with native species.So far, the Restoring Brazil’s Cerrado Savannah has placed over 27,000 hectares under restoration and used seeds from more than 150 native plant species in restoration activities.Saudi Arabia has a national goal of restoring 40 million hectares by 2100 across rangelands, forests, deserts, urban areas and coastal ecosystems as well as planting 10 billion trees by the same deadline.The National Greening Programme is already contributing to this objective, having successfully brought one million hectares of degraded land under restoration and planted 159 million trees.Activities include reforestation, natural regeneration, controlled grazing, reintroduction of native wildlife species, rainwater harvesting and the use of treated wastewater to support restoration in water-scarce landscapes.The goal is restoring 2.5 million hectares and planting 215 million trees by 2030, generating up to 187,000 jobs and improving urban air quality.Across the Sahel, conflict, land degradation, drought and climate change are placing mounting pressure on ecosystems and communities, but since since 2018, the Sahel Integrated Resilience Initiative has strengthened food security and livelihoods for more than four million people by rehabilitating over 335,000 hectares of land and helping improve agricultural production.Led by the World Food Programme (WFP), the initiative stretches across Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger and has already seen achievements.To date, monitoring shows that 75 per cent of the programme’s reliance sites showed improved soil and vegetation conditions, and the number of households requiring humanitarian assistance in these areas has declined by about 11 per cent during the lean season. By 2030, the goal is restore 470,000 hectares, boost biodiversity, and lock away up to 20 million tonnes of CO₂.
Read briefing The 26 August world-news and AP-style summaries indicate an active news cycle spanning conflict, trade, health, climate and regional politics.Why it matters: A broad live-news environment is where assignment editors should mine for fast-moving, high-value stories.
Read briefing Aug 26 (Reuters) - For other diaries, please see: Political and General News Top Economic Events Emerging Markets Economic Events Government Debt Auctions U.S. Federal Reserve Today in Washington ---------------------------------------------------------------- This diary is filed daily. ** Indicates new events ---------------------------------------------------------------- WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 ** LONDON - Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is visiting London. (To Aug. 28) ** STOCKHOLM - Swedish Foreign Minister Maria Malmer Stenergard receives Latvian counterpart Baiba Braze with the two ministers holding a press conference – 0930 GMT ** WASHINGTON DC - U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio meets with Mexican Foreign Secretary Roberto Velasco at the State Department – 1330 GMT TORONTO/NEW YORK- Indian Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman embarks on a nine-day visit to Canada and the United States, with trade, investment and global economic cooperation at the centre of her agenda. The tour will take her to Toronto, Chicago, Asheville and New York, bringing together bilateral economic diplomacy, investor engagement and India's participation in the G20 Finance Track. (To Sep. 2) EDINBURGH, Scotland - Edinburgh Fringe Festival 2026 (To Aug. 31) EDINBURGH, Scotland - Edinburgh International Book Festival (To Aug. 30)ABUJA/ADDIS ABADA - Sihasak Phuangketkeow, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand and is scheduled to pay an official visit to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. (To August 29) NAYPYITAW, Myanmar - Vietnam's foreign minister Le Hoai Trung is scheduled to pay an official visit to Myanmar and co-chair the 10th Meeting of Vietnam-Myanmar Bilateral Cooperation VILNIUS/RIGA - European Council President Antonio Costa meets Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda in Vilnius and Latvian Prime Minister Andris Kulbergs in Riga. NEW DELHI - UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed set to visit India with focus on sustainable development (to Aug 28) - - - - - - - - -THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 ** NGERULMUD - Foreign Minister of Taiwan Lin Chia-lung will lead a delegation to Palau to attend the 55th Pacific Islands Forum and deepen partnerships with Pacific Island countries. (To Sept. 3) TALLINN - Lithuania’s New Prime Minister Mindaugas Sinkevicius to visit Estonia. BERLIN - At the invitation of Federal Chancellor of Germany Friedrich Merz, Finland Prime Minister Petteri Orpo will attend a meeting on the preparation of the EU's multiannual financial framework for 2028-2034 in Berlin. The informal lunch meeting will also be attended by the Prime Ministers of the Netherlands and Denmark and the Federal Chancellor of Austria. PRAGUE - European Council President Antonio Costa meets Czech Prime Minister Andrej Babis in Prague. - 1230 GMT BERLIN - German Chancellor Friedrich Merz receives Norway's Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store outside Berlin's chancellery. - 1820 GMT BYDGOSZCZ, Poland - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland Radosław Sikorski and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will visit Belma, the state-owned company that produce mines among other munitions - 2200 GMT - - - - - - - - -FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 WARSAW - Minister of Foreign Affairs of Poland, Radosław Sikorski and European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas will visit Belma, the state-owned company that produce mines among other munitions – 2200 GMT- - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 ICELAND – Referendum Election. - - - - - - - - -MONDAY, AUGUST 31 BRUSSELS – EU Informal meeting of defence ministers (to September 1) BISHKEK - Chinese President Xi Jinping begins a state visit to Kyrgyzstan (to September 1) BISHKEK - Russian President Vladimir Putin, Chinese President Xi Jinping, alongside other leaders, attend the summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation, a regional bloc including Russia, China, India, Iran, Pakistan and Central Asian countries. (to September 1) ASHEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA - G20 finance ministers and central bank governors gather in North Carolina (To Sep. 1)- - - - - - - - - TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1 NORTH OSSETIA, Russia - 22nd Anniversary of the terrorist attack at Beslan School GYMNICH - EU Informal meeting of foreign affairs ministers (to September 2). ASHEVILLE, North Carolina, U.S. - Finance ministers and central bank governors from G20 countries meet.- - - - - - - - - WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 BANGKOK - Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong visits Thailand. - - - - - - - - -THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 BRUSSELS - EU Informal meeting of the General Affairs Council (to September 4).- - - - - - - - - SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 MUNICH, Germany – 54th Anniversary of the attack on Israeli Olympic team by Palestinian gunmen, which killed 11 Israelis. - - - - - - - - -SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 INDIA/BANGLADESH – 15th anniversary of a pact to end a 40-year border demarcation dispute between India and Bangladesh. LONDON - Seven OPEC+ countries will meet on Sunday to discuss their output policy. The seven include Saudi Arabia, Russia, Iraq, Kuwait, Algeria, Oman and Kazakhstan. - - - - - - - - -
Read briefing The Togolese Cabinet, under the leadership of the Head of State, has examined a series of pivotal legislative texts designed to advance sustainable forest resource management while accelerating national investment initiatives.Sixty-seven Nigerian returnees arrived at the Murtala Mohammed International Airport, Lagos, via South African Airways on Wednesday night.Ivorian MP Naya Jarvis Zamble is speaking out against the persistent scourge of illegal gold mining.Nigeria’s Minister of Communications, Innovation and Digital Economy, Dr. Bosun Tijani, says that the Nigerian Government has inaugurated the National Digital Cloud Policy to drive investment, digital sovereignty and transformation of government services.The Port of Djibouti handled Ethiopia’s 17.57mln metric tons of import and export cargo during the 2025/26 Ethiopian fiscal year that ended on July 7, 2026, a senior official disclosed on Thursday.French football technician Hervé Renard has officially returned to Côte d’Ivoire as head coach of the Elephants but face a mammoth challenge to get the…Benin has officially unveiled its third Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC 3.0), a comprehensive climate framework spanning 2026 to 2035 designed to bolster economic resilience against escalating climate risks.
Read briefing It is a great honour to welcome you to WHO for the WFUNA World Congress. Welcome to our house.By the way, it opened this year after four years of renovation, and I thank Switzerland for its support.It is a particularly special occasion, as we celebrate 80 years of the People’s Movement for the United Nations.I thank WFUNA, its members and the national United Nations Associations around the world for 80 years of work to bring the United Nations closer to people.Over the past 80 years, the UN and the multilateral system have delivered incredible results for our world.In the past 80 years, life expectancy globally has increased by more than 25 years, with the biggest gains in the poorest countries.Just in the past 25 years, tobacco use has fallen by one third, maternal mortality has fallen by one third and child mortality has more than halved.The COVID-19 pandemic exposed cracks in the international order, and widened them.But it also showed why, in the face of an international threat, there is no alternative to international cooperation.In response, WHO Member States negotiated and, at the World Health Assembly last year, adopted the WHO Pandemic Agreement – a landmark instrument of international health law.The negotiations were often difficult, but in the end, countries were able to compromise and find common ground.And in that sense, the Agreement is a strong demonstration that multilateralism is alive and well, and that it still works.As you know, Member States are still negotiating an annex to the Agreement, the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system, which will operationalize the Agreement.Although differences remain, I have every confidence that countries will find common ground, just as they did in the negotiations for the Agreement itself.They recognize that pathogens have no regard for the lines that humans draw on maps and call borders.Neither do climate change, antimicrobial resistance, misinformation or many of the other threats to our health and our societies.For 80 years, WFUNA and the national United Nations Associations have helped connect the United Nations with the people it serves.Together, WHO and WFUNA are creating opportunities for young people to engage in and to help shape the future of global health.I would like to personally thank WFUNA Secretary-General Aziel Goulandris for always championing young people and for the trust and support he has brought to our partnership.We are now preparing the fourth edition of the Global Model WHO, which will take place here at WHO in November.Through the Global Model WHO, young people from around the world engage directly with global health challenges and experience what it means to negotiate, find common ground and build solutions together.We also collaborate on educational programmes that empower young people to engage in global health and shape its future.And WFUNA is also a valued partner in amplifying the work and voice of the WHO Youth Council.Last month marked 80 years since the WHO Constitution was signed in New York City, on the 22nd of July 1946 – although it did not come into force until the 7th of April 1948, the date we celebrate as World Health Day. Like WFUNA and the United Nations, WHO was born in the aftermath of the Second World War, and the realization that the only alternative to global conflict is global cooperation.Just as our world is changing, so multilateral institutions including the UN and WHO must change with it. Change should be a constant.Over the past nine years, we have undertaken a sweeping set of reforms called the WHO Transformation, with major changes to our financing, strategy, structures, culture and ways of working.As you know, last year was very difficult for WHO, and for global health in general.All international organizations live with a tension between serving the interests of all Member States, while avoiding undue influence from any single Member State.Sometimes, that comes down to a choice between losing funding or losing integrity.We chose integrity, and we took measures to deal with the financial consequences.WHO cannot be killed by lack of funding, but lack of integrity. That’s why we made that choice.We have now reached a point of stability, and we are moving forward, more focused on our core mandate, and more independent.As an impartial UN agency, our duty is to serve all nations, based on science and evidence, without fear or favour for any nation.That is the UN the world needs, and that is the UN for which WFUNA has advocated for 80 years.As we celebrate 80 years of WFUNA, the question is not whether multilateralism has a future.The question is how we make it stronger, more trusted and more connected to people.And we need you to help make the case for multilateralism – now, and for the generations to come.Because when we work together, we can achieve what no country can achieve alone.
Read briefing 26 August 2026 - Euronews Archives – browse all articles and videos online
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