This week’s intro was written by Ismael Kawooya, IHP/EV resident.

Actions have consequences.

On October 30, President Biden notified the Speaker of the House and President of the Senate of his intentions to terminate more sub-Saharan African countries’ designation as beneficiary countries under the African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) –  more in particular, the Central African Republic, the Gabonese Republic, Niger, and the Republic of Uganda, my own country.  Apparently, because “….these countries have failed to address United States concerns about their non-compliance with the AGOA eligibility criteria”, being “ either involved in “gross violations” of human rights or not making progress towards democratic rule “.  Today’s feature article (by Saleh Aljadeeah et al) argues that sanctions almost always go beyond their original intentions, ending up further limiting access to health in the target countries. Meanwhile, it is not a coincidence that the current US Congress continues its punitive path to strangulate funding for PEPFAR. The dominoes are being put in place, as this analysis by Devex shows: among others, a failure to properly reauthorize PEPFAR could jeopardize, at least partly, other generous funding to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria.

The release of the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB)’s annual report 2023 last Monday served as another warning about the dire need for a Pandemic Accord that works for all. However, I am afraid it will be a herculean task to overcome the “mutual mistrust” they flag in the report to address the inequity among countries, as conflicts are taking center stage in many parts of the world and much of the West is once again showcasing its rather “selective” interpretation of international human rights laws. Despite the relentless pleas of WHO Director General Tedros and UN SG Guterres, the failure of the World Health Organization and the United Nations to stop the current catastrophic death and destruction in Gaza cannot be undone. But at least, unlike others, they keep trying, courageously. Against this backdrop, the Global Research Agenda for health and Migration  launched on Monday (30 Oct), comes timely- but am I too naïve to want all this horror to stop?  

On a lighter note, maybe the UN and WHO can learn from the resilience of the Springboks (as showcased in the rugby World Cup finals) and not give up on the calls for the wars to stop- but they will have to do more than pleas and votes at the General Assembly. And they certainly also need our “resilient” support. As our actions (or lack of them) also have consequences.

Enjoy your reading.

The editorial team