This is the News in Brief from the United Nations. 

Vaccine equity can end COVID-19 pandemic in 2022 

World leaders on Wednesday launched a campaign to meet a $16 billion funding gap for the global health initiative to end the COVID-19 pandemic by the end of this year. 

By funding the Access to COVID-19 Tools, or ACT Accelerator, coronavirus diagnostics, treatments and vaccines can be equitably provided to all people globally, regardless of their wealth. 

Secretary-General António Guterres described vaccine inequity as the “biggest moral failure of our time”. 

He said that if we want to ensure vaccines for everyone, we must “first inject fairness into the system.” 

The ACT-Accelerator initiative is a partnership of leading agencies that works to overcome global inequalities by offering low and middle-income countries access to tests, treatments, vaccines and protective gear. 

World Health Organization (WHO) chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, noted that science had provided the tools to beat the pandemic, and if they are universally shared in solidarity, the global health emergency can end “this year.”  

Removing ageism from artificial intelligence  

Artificial intelligence, or AI technologies, have the potential to revolutionize public health and medicine for older people, but only if ageism is eliminated from their design, implementation, and use, WHO said in a newly released report. 

The World Health Organization’s Ageism in artificial intelligence for health, presents legal, non-legal and technical measures to minimize the risk of neglecting the needs of older people. 

WHO’s Alana Officer said that the new report shows how to identify and eliminate ageism from AI “design, development, use and evaluation”.  

It also outlines strategies, such as investing in digital literacy for older people and their healthcare providers as well as age-inclusive data collection for caregivers.  

ISIL terrorist fighters gaining strength 

Turning to peace and security, UN counter-terrorism chief Vladimir Voronkov told the Security Council on Wednesday that the ISIL terrorist group is “on the rise again”. 

He said that the group, known in Arabic as Da'esh, continues to move and operate across unprotected borders, while regional affiliates may have gained new capabilities.  

Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Voronkov said it was “crucial” for States to remain “focused and united” to counter the scourge. 

As people – especially youth – spend more time at home and online, he explained that ISIL propaganda and incitement has continued to grow. 

He warned that this could lead to a “sudden rash of attacks” in some countries when pandemic restrictions ease. 

To stem the group’s resurgence, he underscored the need to disrupt new attacks, tackle the threat of regional affiliates, and solve “the protracted issue” of their family members in displacement camps and detention facilities across Syria and Iraq.  

Liz Scaffidi, UN News.