This is the News in Brief from the United Nations. 

Improve health coverage for a world ‘increasingly in motion’ 

Around the world, millions of refugees and migrants in vulnerable situations suffer poorer health than the host communities in which they live, according to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) first world report on the subject, published on Wednesday. 

“One in every eight people on our planet is a refugee or migrant, and the numbers are growing,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.  

In reviewing healthcare provision for the roughly one billion migrants worldwide, the new analysis reveals that they are not inherently less healthy than host populations. 

However, they suffer worse health outcomes, often living and working in sub-standard conditions. 

The Report identifies trends, gaps, and practices in protecting and promoting the health of refugees and migrants and highlights factors and actions that can shape and improve their health and well-being. 

One main call is for urgent and collective action to ensure needs-sensitive healthcare access. 

Tedros underscored the pressing need to “address the root causes” of ill health and to “radically reorient” health systems to respond to “a world increasingly in motion”.  

‘Beyond time’ for Afghans to rebuild their lives 

The UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) released a report on Wednesday outlining the human rights situation in the country since the Taliban takeover last August. 

Despite an overall, significant reduction in armed violence, it revealed that terrorist attacks by ISIL extremists have killed around 700, wounded 1,406 others, and are responsible for a broad range of human rights violations.  

The report summarizes UNAMA’s findings surrounding the protection of civilians, extrajudicial killings, torture and ill-treatment, arbitrary arrests and detentions, and the rights of women and girls. 

The de facto authorities have arbitrarily arrested journalists, protestors and civil society activists, denying the right to freedom of peaceful assembly, expression and opinion. 

Rights of women and girls have progressively eroded, including access to education and the workplace. In many cases their rights have been completely taken away.  

The report also makes recommendations to both the Taliban, and the international community.  

After 20 years of armed conflict, the UN’s Acting Special Representative for Afghanistan, Markus Potzel, said that it was “beyond time” for all Afghans to be able to live in peace and “rebuild their lives”.   

Highlighting development in Africa 

Turning a spotlight on Africa, a high-level UN meeting on Wednesday, focussed attention on development issues there, with a particular focus on advancing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063. 

By adopting a transformational agenda towards sustainable development and chartering a path towards prosperity, unity, peace, and integration, General Assembly President Abdulla Shahid observed that Africa was moving in the right direction. 

Yet, notwithstanding its abundance of human and natural resources as well as enormous untapped economic and social potential, it still faces challenges meeting the Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs. 

Although the UN has over the past year partnered with the AU to support development objectives, “we still need to do more”.   

“Progress remains possible,” he said, advocating for investing in women and youth - both critical to overall development, but even more so for addressing the climate crisis.  

In a call to action, Mr. Shahid invited everyone to recommit to Africa’s development and take concrete steps to foster progress. 

Liz Scaffidi, UN News.