women take to the streets of different cities in Latin America this 08 March to demand their rights and raise their voices one more year against macho violence. (Source: Keystone)

🛑🥊One in three women subjected to violence. A recent study shows that violence against women and girls remains endemic. Focusing on physical and sexual violence the report estimates that around 641 million experience abuse from an initimate partner, whilst six per cent of women are sexually assaulted by someone other than their husbands or partners.

⚕️ ‘WHO as fragile as it is indispensable,’ says a new report commissioned by the Fondation pour Genève, which explores the role of the organisation and International Geneva in their response to the Covid crisis. With less than a fifth of its budget provided by member states and the rest derived from private funding, the report also questions the governance and funding model of the WHO.

⚠️IFRC warnings of a “deadly gap”. Even with the Covax equitable vaccine distribution scheme underway, the most vulnerable in lower income countries do not have access to shots. President of the IFRC urged governments to contribute economically to help vaccinate 500 million people in hard to reach areas.

Patents ‘not’ the main barrier to equitable vaccine rollout. Two leading vaccine experts said at a World Health Organization event that the structural barriers to faster and more equitable Covid-19 vaccine roll-out go far beyond the issue of patents.

Public Eye, March 2021

It seems big pharma always win. The pandemic has shone a light on the profiteering practices of the pharmaceutical industry, according to Swiss-based NGO Public Eye. In a report that promises to bare it all, companies such as Pfizer, Roche and Norvatis are picked out for systematically using Covid-19 to their advantage.

📍 15 March | Digital transformation in the wake of Covid-19. This event will highlight the urgent needs of digitisation in response to the coronavirus pandemic. Discussions will focus on the importance of meaningful connectivity and equal access to information and communication technologies (ICTs).

📍 16 March | How can parliaments ensure that Covid-19 recovery strategies are in line with the SDGs? As the pandemic disrupts the sustainable development goals (SDGs), this webinar will provide parliaments with up-to-date information on the status of SDG implementation while also offering recommendations on how to accelerate transformative change.

Covid-19 challenges gender equality. The latest data published by UN Women, shows that women's rights and leadership are under threat, even more due to the Covid-19. Current projections show that gender equality in the highest positions of power will not be reached for at least another 130 years.