Three hundred and forty-seven million people worldwide have diabetes and the World Health Organization (WHO) projects that it will be the 7th leading cause of death in 2030.
Diabetes is a chronic disease that occurs when the pancreas cannot produce enough insulin, or when the body cannot effectively use the insulin it produces, resulting in increased blood sugar.
The money spent by companies around the world on branding is more than what they invest in research and development, according to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO).
The agency on Thursday issued its second World Intellectual Property Report titled Brands: Reputation and Image in the Global Marketplace.
The report offers fresh data, analysis and insight into how companies use brands to differentiate their products from those of their rivals.
Derrick Mbatha reports.
Duration: 3'56"
Radiotherapy is one of the essential components of treatment for many forms of cancer.
But the technology and resources needed to treat the disease are expensive.
For many developing countries access to radiotherapy equipment is limited or non-existent.
Many cancer patients living in these countries either pay a large sum of money to get treated abroad or go untreated.
“Rising from Ashes” a documentary film about the Rwandan cycling team was screened at the United Nations on Tuesday.
Members of the team include survivors of the 1994 genocide, in which Hutu extremists reportedly killed approximately one million people, mainly Tutsis and moderate Hutus.
The coach of Team Rwanda is Jock Boyer, the first American to ride in the Tour de France.
UN Radio’s Derrick Mbatha caught with Mr. Boyer just before the screening of “Rising from Ashes” to find out how he got involved with the Rwandan cycling team.
Duration: 3’21”
A preparatory meeting for next year’s Second International Conference on Nutrition began on Wednesday at the headquarters of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome, Italy.
Presentations and meetings over the next three days are expected to help set the stage for discussions between high level delegates participating in next year’s event.
International experts and guests across all sectors are coming together to share their thoughts and ideas on what nutrition issues need to be in the spotlight.
The year 2013 is currently on course to be among the 10 warmest years since modern records began in 1850, according to the United Nations weather agency.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has issued its provisional report on the Status of Global Climate in 2013 to coincide with the conference on climate change taking place in Warsaw, Poland.
WMO points out that the final report will be available in February next year and the provisional report covers the period from the beginning of the year to September.
As aid trickles in to survivors of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines, people are doing what they can to survive, according to the UN Refugee Agency’s Representative, Bernard Kerblat.
Tacloban city in Leyte province, one of the hardest-hit places, has no electricity, according to Mr. Kerblat, therefore only military aircrafts can land at the airport, slowing down relief efforts.
The UN Development Programme (UNDP) and Motorola Company have launched an initiative to use information technology to promote human development.
Known as Mobiles for Human Development, it’s aimed at making governments aware of the potential of innovators, particularly in Africa, to use mobile technologies to address development issues.
To find out more about the initiative, UN Radio’s Jorge Mirayes sat down with Raul Zambrano, Senior ICT & Governance Policy Adviser of UNDP.
Duration: 4’57”
Secure access to natural resources like land, water supplies, fisheries and forests, is seen as a key condition to improving food security for the world’s poorest, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization.
For example, 70 per cent of female agricultural workers in developing countries, often have no or very limited access to resources, the agency notes. These women are often vulnerable to having their land seized, even when there are laws that protect them- and they are not alone.
The UN humanitarian community is appealing for $300 million to provide life-saving aid to people of the Philippines affected by typhoon Haiyan.
The Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Aid (OCHA) made the announcement on Tuesday in the capital, Manila.
According to government figures, an estimated 11.3 million people have been affected by the disaster and close to 700,000 have been forced out of their homes.
Jocelyne Sambira reports.
Duration: 2'52"
