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During an obstetric emergency, minutes can make the difference between life and death. In Benin, Côte d’Ivoire and Togo, drivers race along rural roads day and night to bring pregnant women to health clinics and hospitals. At the end of the journey, skilled midwives stand ready to deliver crucial care. A global partnership between the United Nations Population Fund and Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is helping to make these potentially life-saving connections possible. The initiative, “”, trains both drivers to drive safely and midwives to deliver babies, to ensure that pregnant women are transported safely and receive quality obstetric care within two hours. This follows the people behind those critical moments: the fast-acting drivers and expertly trained midwives, and the women they have helped deliver safely.

On 18–23 May, the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) is taking place in Geneva, Switzerland. As the principal decision-making body of the World Health Organization, it plays a vital role in global health governance, addressing pressing health challenges through collaborative action. The WHA serves as a platform for Member States to discuss and vote on critical health issues, set priorities, and coordinate responses to global health threats. It is essential in shaping international health policies and ensuring that health systems are resilient and equitable. Watch the Assembly. #WHA79

A large proportion of avoidable infections acquired during health care delivery could still be prevented with hand hygiene and infection prevention and control action at the right times. Each year, since 2009, the SAVE LIVES: Clean Your Hands campaign marked on  (5 May) aims to progress the goal of maintaining a global profile on the importance of hand hygiene and infection prevention and control in health care and to ‘bring people together’ in support of improvement globally. #handhygiene

Global efforts to curb viral hepatitis are reducing infections and deaths, but progress is too slow to meet 2030 targets, a new World Health Organization (WHO) warns. Hepatitis B and C, which cause 95% of hepatitis deaths, killed 1.34 million people in 2024, while 1.8 million new infections occurred. Since 2015, new hepatitis B infections fell 32% and hepatitis C deaths 12%, and child hepatitis B prevalence dropped to 0.6%. Yet 287 million people live with chronic infection, most untreated, and transmission persists due to low vaccination, unsafe injections and limited harm reduction. WHO urges faster scale-up of prevention, testing and treatment efforts worldwide.

For girls in eastern Uganda, sport has become a lifeline. Athletics coach Zuena Cheptoek is more than a trainer: she is a trusted adult to whom girls confide fears about female genital mutilation, pressure to leave school and unsafe relationships. Working with Sebei communities, she uses sport to challenge traditions that trap girls in cycles of poverty, violence and early marriage. Through races, mentorship and safe spaces, girls gain education, confidence and knowledge of their rights. As they run and learn, attitudes begin to shift—offering girls the chance to choose safety, dignity and a future of their own.

When psychosocial factors harm workers, they become hazards that, alongside physical, chemical and biological risks, must be addressed and managed to ensure safe and healthy working environments. Each year, an estimated 840,000 deaths are linked to psychosocial risks at work, underscoring the scale and urgency of the challenge. The 2026 campaign of the World Day for Safety and Health at Work (28 April) focuses on creating safe and healthy psychosocial working environments, tackling issues such as work-related stress, burnout and mental health, alongside physical safety.

In Myanmar’s remote and conflict-affected Shan State, accessing basic healthcare has long meant long journeys, unreliable facilities and difficult conditions. Today, that reality is changing. Through community-focused design and investment, new and upgraded health centres are bringing safe, dignified care within reach for thousands. Equipped with reliable power, clean water and inclusive spaces, these facilities are more than buildings—they are trusted lifelines. By strengthening local health systems and supporting frontline workers, the initiative is helping ensure that even in the most challenging environments, families have a dependable place to turn when it matters most.

Women are living longer, but they are not living better. An explainer by UN Women lays out how deep‑rooted gender bias in healthcare continues to undermine women’s health worldwide. Women are more likely to have their pain dismissed, symptoms misread and conditions diagnosed too late, reflecting medical systems built without women in mind. From outdated examination tools to male‑centric data driving diagnosis and treatment, inequality is embedded in everyday care. These systemic gaps have lasting consequences for women’s health, safety and quality of life, prompting calls for research, services and systems that deliver dignity, accuracy and respect for all women and girls.

In voodoo ceremonies, in mosques and in churches, religious leaders across Benin are talking about sex. From consent to preventing the spread of HIV and AIDS, UNFPA is helping them provide sexual health education.

Every life saved. Every disease prevented. Every child who grows up healthy. It all starts with science. On , WHO celebrates the discoveries, the public health research network, and the communities — all standing behind the evidence that protects us all. Because when we stand together, science gives us something no one can take away: a future we can believe in.

7 April marks the anniversary of the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1948. On , WHO unites and mobilizes the world under the theme “Together for health. Stand with science” celebrating the power of scientific collaboration to protect the health of people, animals, plants, and the planet. The year‑long campaign spotlights both scientific achievements and the multilateral cooperation needed to turn evidence into action. Two global events will anchor the 2026 campaign: the (5–7 April) and the (7–9 April).

On International School Meals Day (12 March), it is important to recognize the essential role school feeding programmes play in advancing education, nutrition, and long‑term development. The supports governments in delivering school meals to 466 million children worldwide, ensuring they receive the nourishment required to learn and succeed. These programmes strengthen attendance, improve concentration, and represent one of the most cost‑effective investments in human capital, particularly in contexts where children are most at risk.

Polio once paralyzed hundreds of thousands of children every year, striking fear into families across the world. Thanks to global vaccination efforts, cases have fallen by 99.9% since 1988. But polio is not gone yet.

In this episode of the podcast , we speak with Dr. Jamal Ahmad about why polio eradication still matters, how close the world truly is to ending this disease forever, and what's at stake if we don't finish the job.

Polio spreads easily, respects no borders, and remains a threat as long as it exists anywhere. With only a few cases left in two countries, the tools, knowledge, and partnerships are stronger than ever—but sustained political commitment and global cooperation are essential.

Ending polio would mean no child is ever paralyzed by this disease again—and billions saved for health systems worldwide.

Overweight and obesity, characterized by excessive fat accumulation posing risks to health, are on the rise worldwide. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2019 an estimated 5 million deaths from noncommunicable diseases were linked to overweight and obesity. Obesity represents one side of the “double burden of malnutrition”, with more obese people than underweight in every region except South-East Asia. Once largely confined to high‑income countries, obesity has now become a major public health concern in many middle‑income nations, as well. Let's act on obesity to ensure a healthy life for all.