Denmark, Lithuania, Poland, Saudi Arabia and Thailand have received the first certificates from WHO for demonstrating that they have a best practice policy in place for the elimination of industrially produced trans fatty acids (iTFA), supported by adequate monitoring and control systems. application of the law.
Trans fats are produced industrially or produced naturally, and both are linked to an increased risk of heart attacks and heart disease.
They have “no known health benefits, but huge health risks,” said WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. In addition, fried foods, cakes and prepared dishes where they can be found tend to be high in sugar, fat and salt.
The WHO had set an ambitious goal in 2018 to completely eliminate iTFAs from the global food supply by the end of 2023. Although it was not met, the UN agency said notable progress has been made towards this goal in all regions of the world. .
A total of 53 countries now have “best practice” policies to address mass-produced trans fats in foods. This covers 3.7 billion people, 46 percent of the world's population, up from just six percent just five years ago.
Ukraine: New attacks compound suffering for winter-weary civilians
Recent attacks in Ukraine are causing further suffering to civilians already enduring harsh winter conditions, the UN humanitarian affairs office, OCHA, said on Monday.
OCHA cited Ukrainian officials as reporting that more than a dozen civilians were killed or injured in attacks in eastern, central and southern Ukraine over the past three days. Homes, schools, a hospital and energy infrastructure were also affected.
“In the eastern region of Kharkiv, authorities said shelling caused damage to homes and power grids,” the U.N. agency said.
“In the southern region of Kherson, the weekend attacks also damaged homes, as well as educational and telecommunications facilities, according to the provincial governor.”
OCHA and its partners continue to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to people in these areas.
Convoys deliver aid
On Friday, the UN humanitarian coordinator in Ukraine, Denise Brown, led a convoy to the Kherson region. The trucks delivered food, medical supplies, winter clothing, solar lamps, hygiene items and children's supplies to about 800 people in need.
Another convoy that arrived in the Kharkiv region on Friday brought blankets, bottled water, solar lamps, medical supplies and hygiene kits, supplies for people with disabilities, and construction materials to repair damaged homes.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine will mark its second year on February 24.
During 2023, the UN and its partners sent more than 107 humanitarian convoys to support some 400,000 residents in frontline areas in the east and south of the country.
The President of the General Assembly, Mr. Dennis Francis, talks with researchers from the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies.
President of the General Assembly calls for a new commitment to the UN Charter
With the world at “a turning point,” countries must recommit to the basic principles of the United Nations Charter, the President of the General Assembly in China said on Sunday.
In his keynote speech at the Shanghai Institutes of International Studies, Dennis Francis highlighted how the worsening impacts of climate change, hunger and multidimensional poverty are hampering efforts to achieve a safer, fairer and more sustainable world.
Meanwhile, geopolitical divisions have sparked new conflicts and deepened existing ones in parts of Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
Francis said these worrying developments are exposing the limits of the multilateral system and raising legitimate questions about the relevance and ability of the UN to resolve complex problems.
“They demand that we strengthen our foundations and recommit to the basic principles of the United Nations Charter, which have offered us a guiding light out of the tumultuous past since the founding of the United Nations,” he said.
He praised China for continuing to play a leading role in global affairs, noting that it was the first country to sign the United Nations Charter, the founding document of the Organization, and has since been a “remarkably strong supporter of multilateralism.” .
“Since the horrific October 7 attack on Israel, the escalation of violence in the Middle East and the heartbreaking humanitarian catastrophe in the Gaza Strip continue to project the worst aspects of the human condition; precisely what the Charter was intended to prevent,” Francis said.
The General Assembly “has been active and ambitious” in the crisis, he said, resuming its Tenth Emergency Session on the Middle East and adopting two resolutions that received overwhelming support from its 193 members.
