In an increasingly globalised world, with new cross-border threats to
public health and widening disparities between populations, civil society
actors are challenging the existing structures of global health policies. The latest report by the
People’s Health Movement.
One billion children live in urban areas, a number that is growing
rapidly. Yet disparities within cities reveal that many lack access to
schools, health care and sanitation, despite living alongside these
services, says the latest flagship report by the United Nations childrens agency (UNICEF).
Social security reforms, driven by the interests of private finance, have led to structural shortcomings in the healthcare and pensions systems of many developing countries. The expanding influence of financial markets and actors must be checked, says a report by the Bretton Woods Project.
While nearly a quarter of a billion people escaped life in the slums over the past decade, rural exodus to the cities has more than countered this trend. Sustainable urban development is likely to prove impossible
if the urban divide is allowed to persist, finds a report by UN-HABITAT.
With few exceptions, the
lower an individual’s socioeconomic position, the worse their health. Tackling
inequality in health requires addressing disparities in income, education and
well-being across society, finds a report by the Marmot Review.
Despite rhetoric of increased flexibility, the IMF’s policy prescriptions, such as budget limitations and the prioritisation of debt repayments, still severely restrict governments’ ability to invest in public health. A report by Global Health in the UK and the Stop AIDS Campaign.
The
aftershock of the global financial crisis could deprive millions of children in
the world’s poorest countries of an education. Two reports offer alternative
ideas on how governments and donors should counter this ‘collective failure’.
By UNESCO and Oxfam.
