Gender equality and human rights are indivisible, foundational and unconditional

"When human rights are treated like an 'à la carte menu' by governments, and not what they truly are - indivisible, foundational and unconditional... we move fast into dystopia," said Dr Tlaleng Mofokeng, United Nations (UN) Special Rapporteur on Right To Health.

Finding strength in struggle for gender equality and human rights

The year 2025 marks 30 years since the landmark Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action was adopted in 1995. Despite rising anti-rights and anti-gender pushes, some progress on these bold promises gives hope and strength, to strive for achieving SDG5 fully by 2030 or earlier.

Design health services around people, not the disease

"We need to design services around people, not the disease," rightly said Dr Nittaya Phanuphak. Unless point-of-care health technologies are deployed for those who are most-in-need in a person-centred and rights-based manner, we would fail to deliver on the promises enshrined in #HealthForAll and SDGs goals and targets.

Legalising key population led health services in Thailand is a gamechanger

Legalising key population or community-led health services has been a gamechanger in Thailand to protect most-at-risk people from getting infected with HIV, as well as to take evidence-based standard care to the people living with HIV in a person-centred manner so that they can lead normal healthy lives, said Dr Praphan Phanuphak, a legend who helped shape Thailand's HIV response since the first few AIDS cases got diagnosed in the land of smiles in 1985.

To be or not to be? Daily oral versus long-acting injectable medicines for HIV prevention

Scientific research has gifted us with a range of evidence-based options to protect ourselves from getting infected with HIV. In 2012, US FDA had first approved Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) daily oral medicines for HIV prevention. More recently, long-acting injectable options of PrEP are also approved. We at CNS listened to the experts on both of these PrEP options so that we can make an informed choice.

Include males too in addressing human papilloma virus and related cancers

Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is a common sexually transmitted infection. Since an effective HPV vaccine exists and HPV screening and treatment of pre-cancer lesions can save lives, no one should be suffering from any of the HPV related cancer or had to die of it.

Will we rise to #endAIDS challenge or stumble withering away the gains in HIV response?

We have all the scientifically proven tools to end AIDS. It is about ensuring that these tools reach people who need them the most, through a sustainable HIV response, so said Dr Adeeba Kamarulzaman, the well known infectious diseases expert form Malaysia and a former President of International AIDS Society (IAS). She was speaking at the plenary of the 10th Asia Pacific AIDS and Co-infections Conference (APACC 2025) in Tokyo, Japan.

Unite Health systems with Community-led health services to deliver on UHC

We cannot deliver on universal health coverage (UHC) unless we reach the unreached people with standard health services – with equity and human dignity. Uniting Health systems with Community-led health services should be the new lens to look at UHC.

CNS Live with Dr N Kumarasamy on long-acting ARVs for HIV prevention and treatment

Register here

Join us in CNS Live session with Dr N Kumarasamy on 9th June 2025, Monday at 3:30pm IST. He will share latest updates on long-acting antiretroviral therapies for HIV prevention as well as treatment, and insights on preventing and managing advanced HIV disease (AHD).

CNS Live with Dr Nittaya Phanuphak on key population led health services and progress towards ending AIDS by 2030

Watch the recording

Join us in CNS Live session with Dr Nittaya Phanuphak on latest updates on AIDS and co-infections and co-morbidities, and importance of key population led services to deliver on SDG goals and targets, on 9th June 2025, Monday at 11am Thailand time.

Despite being preventable and curable cervical cancer remains 4th biggest cancer in women

Cervical cancer (cancer of the cervix) is preventable and curable, only if it is detected early and managed effectively. Yet it is the 4th most common cancer among women worldwide, with the disease occurring in 660,000 women and claiming the lives of 350,000 women in 2022 worldwide, as per the World Health Organization (WHO).

Celebrating those who courageously stand with public health and human rights despite tobacco industry interference

photo courtesy: HealthTVonline.com

Before world leaders meet at the United Nations General Assembly in September 2025 at the High-Level Meeting on non-communicable diseases (NCDs), it is important to underline that the major common risk factor of most NCDs is tobacco and nicotine use. Tobacco is also a major risk factor for deadliest infectious disease TB (and COVID-19). Unless we decimate (or eliminate) such risk factors, how will we deliver on the promises enshrined in the UN Sustainable Development Goals for 2030?

Commitment to end tobacco must translate to bold actions on the ground

Commitment to end tobacco must translate to bold actions on the ground, said Dr Tara Singh Bam. He exhorted the new government of Indonesia to sign and ratify the global tobacco treaty (formally called the World Health Organization Framework Convention on Tobacco Control or WHO FCTC) in the interest of the health and wellbeing of its people.

Toxic politics of selling addiction to children

[हिंदी] The same deceptive tricks and tactics are used by industries that profit from getting our children addicted to ultra-processed foods, high sugar products, tobacco and nicotine. Experts from the United Nations health agency – the World Health Organization (WHO) and Corporate Accountability, call for concerted efforts from the governments to put people before profit, and hold industries that do the reverse (prioritise profit over health) accountable.

Point-of-care health technologies make a difference when deployed at point-of-need

Vaccines (sitting on a shelf) do not save lives, but vaccination does. Only when people can access vaccines and get vaccinated in a people-centred manner, can we yield desired public health outcomes. Same goes for medicines or diagnostics or other disease prevention tools.

A for Accountability and Audit for TB deaths is missing in #EndTB response

When TB is preventable and curable then why over 1.1 million people died of it worldwide in 2023 (as per the latest WHO Global TB Report 2024)? Even one TB death is a death too many. Most of these deaths took place in low- and middle-income countries. Unless we find what went wrong and what we could have done better, how would we ever improve TB programmes in order to avert these untimely deaths?

[video] Audrey Galawu, Zimbabwe | Special Mention Prize | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Babacar Sene, Senegal | Special Mention Prize | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Betty Herlina, Indonesia | Special Mention Prize | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Hamu Madzedze, Zimbabwe | Special Mention Prize | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Yecenu Sasetu, Nigeria | Special Mention Prize | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Kalpana Acharya | 3rd Prize winner | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Catherine Murombedzi, Zimbabwe | 2nd Prize winner | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Ojoma Akor, Nigeria | 1st Prize winner | She & Rights Media Awards 2024-2025

[video] Delivering on UHC in an era of pushback against gender equality and human right to health

WHA78 Side Event: Delivering on UHC in an era of pushback against gender equality and human right to health

 

Welcome to hybrid Side Event around 78th World Health Assembly of the World Health Organization (WHO) on 22nd May, 3:30pm Geneva/ CEST time (90 minutes duration) on the theme: "Delivering on UHC in an era of pushback against gender equality and human right to health."