Blog

For the first time ever, the World Health Organization (WHO) is providing recommendations for healthy and nutritious food in schools around the world.The UN agency’s new global guidance on evidence-based policies and interventions shows that healthy food in schools can help children develop healthy dietary habits for life.&nbsp;“The food children eat at school, and the environments that shape what they eat, can have a profound impact on their learning, and lifelong consequences for their health and well-being,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General.&nbsp;<h3>Food habits start early&nbsp;</h3>Overweight childhood obesity and obesity are rising globally, while undernutrition remains a persistent challenge.&nbsp;Child obesity levels surpassed underweight cases around the world for the first time in 2025.&nbsp; Around one in 10 school-aged children and adolescents were living with obesity last year, and one in five – or 391 million – were overweight.Additionally, a recent WHO report revealed that diabetes now affects over 800 million people globally and one in 6 pregnancies.&nbsp;As of October 2025, 104 Member States had policies relating to healthy school food, but only 48 countries had policies that restrict the marketing of foods high in sugar, salt or unhealthy fats, according to WHO.&nbsp;For the millions of children that spend a large chunk of their day at school, the food environment they are exposed to can shape their future dietary habits.&nbsp;“Getting nutrition right at school is critical for preventing disease later in life and creating healthier adults,” said Tedros.&nbsp;<h3>More pulses, less sugar</h3>WHO recommends increasing the availability of healthy foods and beverages while reducing unhealthy foods. That means limiting free sugars, saturated fats and sodium, while offering more whole grains, fruits, nuts and pulses.&nbsp;Other recommendations include implementing ‘nudging interventions’ – changes &nbsp;in the packaging, placement or portion size of foods designed to encourage children to select healthier foods.The organisation will support countries with technical assistance, knowledge-sharing and other collaborative measures, to realise the new guidance.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Sources: <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166843" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166843">https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166843</a>

From lunch tray to lifelong health: WHO sets global standards for school meals

Global unemployment remains stable, but progress toward decent work has stalled, according to a new report from the International Labour Organization (ILO), which warns that young people continue to struggle in a job market which risks being further undermined by AI and trade policy uncertainty.According to the data compiled for the latest Employment and Social Trends 2026 report, the global unemployment rate is projected to stay stable at around 4.9 per cent this year, equivalent to some 186 million people out of work.The biggest area of growth is in poorer countries – a reflection of the ageing population in richer economies, where fewer people of working age are available to enter or remain in work.Job growth is projected to be 0.5 per cent in upper middle-income countries as opposed to 3.1 per cent in low-income nations.However, being employed is not necessarily the same as having a quality job or a decent wage: nearly 300 million workers are living in extreme poverty, earning less than $3 a day.It is expected that around 2.1 billion people will be working in the informal sector this year, with limited access to social protection, rights at work, and job security.<h3>Youth employment at risk</h3>The global job situation for young people in low-income countries is described in the report as “daunting”: more than a quarter (27.9 per cent) are neither in education, employment or training.&nbsp;Educated youth in high-income countries are not immune from uncertainty: the study warns that AI and automation could make it harder for them to find work and calls for “close monitoring” of the technology.<h3>Gender gap remains</h3>There’s little good news in the report for those fighting for women’s equality in the workplace; the data shows that social norms and stereotypes remain entrenched.Previous gains have stalled, slowing progress towards gender equality at work, and women are today around 24 per cent less likely than men to participate in the labour force.&nbsp;<h3>Trade uncertainty</h3>In 2025, the global economy was marked by the upheaval in international trade rules and tariff rates, led by the United States.Trade supports around 465 million workers worldwide, more than half of them in Asia and the Pacific, and the uncertainty is cutting into workers’ wages, especially in Southeast Asia, Southern Asia, and Europe.<h3>‘Coherent and coordinated’ response needed</h3>Responding to the findings in the report, ILO Director-General Gilbert Houngbo called for coordinated action and stronger institutions to advance decent work and social justice, particularly in poorer economies that risk being left behind.“Unless governments, employers, and workers act together to harness technology responsibly and expand quality job opportunities for women and youth – through coherent and coordinated institutional responses – decent work deficits will persist and social cohesion will be at risk,” said Mr. Houngbo.Sources: <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166751" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166751">https://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166751</a>

Global employment stable but decent jobs in short supply

The global forest products sector saw recovery in 2024 following a steep decline the previous year, according to a new report released on Wednesday by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). &nbsp;FAO’s statistics cover 77 product categories, 27 product groups and over 245 countries and territories. The report presents recent trends in data for trade and for each of the main forest product groups.<h3>What are the main trends?</h3>Global international trade in wood and paper products regained momentum, with modest growth recorded across most major product groups, according to FAO. &nbsp;<ul><li>The upswing comes after a 14 per cent drop overall in trade of wood and paper products in 2023.</li><li>Industrial roundwood removals, referring to the total volume of wood harvested for uses other than energy, rose by two per cent in 2024, although its global trade declined by one per cent. &nbsp;</li><li>Global production of sawnwood such as planks, beams and other manufactured timber products, remained nearly unchanged but varied regionally. Trade in sawnwood recorded no overall change compared to 2023.</li><li>Wood-based panels grew for a second consecutive year. Global production expanded by 5 per cent.</li><li>Wood pulp production climbed three per cent to reach 189 million tonnes, while international trade expanded two per cent to an all-time high of 73 million tonnes.</li><li>Wood pellets have seen extraordinary growth in recent decades, mainly driven by bioenergy targets in Europe, the Republic of Korea and Japan. After a slight dip in 2023, global production returned to 48 million tonnes in 2024, equal to the 2022 level.</li></ul><h3>Why it matters&nbsp;&nbsp;</h3>Different types of trees can be used for housing, shelter, heat, food, medicine and even textiles or buildings.“Forests support millions of livelihoods worldwide, and the number is set to rise as forests offer more economic opportunities in a growing range of industries, including sustainable wood production,” said FAO Director-General Dongyu Qu. &nbsp;Promoting the sustainable use of forests is also part of Sustainable Development Goal 15, a vision countries have agreed to. &nbsp;When sustainably used, forests sustain life. Another recently published report by FAO assessing forest resources showed that the net loss of forest area has been reduced by more than half since the 1990s and that over 90 per cent of forests are regenerating naturally.Sources：<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166666" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166666">https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166666</a> &nbsp; &nbsp;

Paper and wood: Forest products show signs of recovery, UN agency says

“The Global Environment Outlook lays out a simple choice for humanity: continue down the road to a future devastated by climate change, dwindling nature, degraded land and polluted air, or change direction to secure a healthy planet, healthy people and healthy economies,” said UNEP Executive Director Inger Andersen.The report has input from 287 multi-disciplinary scientists from 82 countries and stretches to well over 1,000 pages.The report makes a case for interconnected ‘whole-of-society’ and ‘whole-of-government’ approaches to transform economy and finance, materials and waste, energy, food and the environment.Taking this path starts with moving beyond gross domestic product (GDP) as a measure of economic wellbeing and instead using inclusive indicators that also track the health of human and natural capital.It continues with a transition to circular economy models; a rapid decarbonisation of the energy system; a shift towards sustainable diets, reduced waste and improved agricultural practices; and expanding protected areas and restoring degraded ecosystems – all backed by behavioural, social and cultural shifts that include Indigenous and local knowledge.The report lays out a social and a technological pathway to transformation.1. Behaviour-focused transformation pathway: lifestyle, behavioural and value changes. Social awareness of the environmental crises drives a shift in worldview. 2. Technology-focused transformation pathway: innovation and technological solutions. An urbanized world with significant global trade and technological spill-over. According to UNEP:<ul><li>The state of the environment will dramatically worsen if the world continues to power economies under a business-as-usual pathway.</li><li>Without action, global mean temperature rise is likely to exceed 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels in the early 2030s, exceed 2.0°C by the 2040s and keep climbing.</li><li>Climate change would cut 4 per cent off annual global GDP by 2050 and 20 per cent by the end of the century.</li><li>If made, the changes have the potential to avoid nine million pollution-related premature deaths, lift 200 million people out of undernourishment, and move 150 million people out of extreme poverty by 2050.</li></ul>The agency called on countries to follow the whole-of-society and whole-of-government approaches laid out in the report to achieve a sustainable future.“This sounds like, and indeed is, a massive undertaking. But there is no technical reason why it cannot be done,” Ms. Andersen said.Sources：﻿<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166553" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166553">https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166553</a>

A sustainable future requires new thinking: UN environment report

More than one billion people worldwide live with obesity, which was linked to 3.7 million deaths in 2024.Without stronger action, WHO warns the number of people affected could double by 2030, placing immense pressure on health systems and pushing global economic losses to an estimated $3 trillion a year.As the world’s foremost public health authority, WHO’s statement is expected to influence national policies, insurance coverage and clinical practice, particularly as demand for effective weight-loss treatments continues to surge.“Obesity is a major global health challenge,” said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Our new guidance recognises that obesity is a chronic disease that can be treated with comprehensive and lifelong care. While medication alone won’t solve this global health crisis, GLP-1 therapies can help millions overcome obesity and reduce its associated harms.”WHO stresses that obesity is not simply the result of lifestyle choices, but a complex, chronic condition involving genetics, environment, biology and social circumstances.It is a major driver of heart disease, type 2 diabetes and some cancers, and can worsen outcomes for infectious diseases as well. For many people, losing weight and keeping it off is extremely challenging without medical support.GLP-1 therapies work by mimicking a natural hormone that helps regulate appetite, blood sugar and digestion.For people with obesity, these medicines can lead to significant weight loss and health improvements.WHO added them to its Essential Medicines List in 2025 for managing type 2 diabetes in high-risk groups, and its new guidelines now recommend their long-term use for adults living with obesity, except during pregnancy.The recommendation is conditional due to limited long-term safety data, uncertainty about maintaining weight loss once treatment stops, high costs, and significant concerns about unequal access across countries.WHO emphasises that weight-loss medicines must be used alongside other support.The most effective treatment combines medication with healthier diets, increased physical activity, and long-term guidance from health professionals.The organization highlights that obesity cannot be resolved by individuals alone and requires broad action from governments and industry to create healthier food environments and ensure early intervention for those at risk.Demand for GLP-1 medicines already far exceeds supply. Even with increased production, WHO estimates fewer than 10 per cent of eligible people will have access by 2030.It warns that without deliberate policies these treatments may widen existing health inequalities. The organization urges governments to consider tools such as pooled procurement, fair pricing and voluntary licensing to expand access.WHO also warns of rising circulation of falsified or substandard GLP-1 products fuelled by global shortages. It stresses the need for regulated supply chains, qualified prescriptions and strong oversight to protect patients.The guidance was developed at the request of Member States and drew on scientific evidence, expert review and input from people living with obesity.WHO plans to update the recommendations as new evidence emerges and will work with partners in 2026 to ensure that those with the most urgent needs are prioritised.Sources：<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166477" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166477">https://news.un.org/en/story/2025/12/1166477</a>

WHO backs wider use of weight-loss medicines, calling obesity a chronic diseas

<figure id="figure-k3caj4q4um2mynlm6" class=""><img id="k3caj4q4um2mynlm6" src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/1ciWT24spPYZQJzX2JACRqDDjpGwth3AwNjIbdNm1qXjq2E4tEUKme6veqJS1W2y.jpg" alt="Natural background Sunrise Sundown Sky with colorful clouds and sun. Cloudscape" title="Natural background Sunrise Sundown Sky with colorful clouds and sun. Cloudscape" class="object-cover bg-gray-100 " style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;" data-corners="default" data-aspect="16:9" data-caption="" data-positionx="undefined" data-positiony="undefined" data-fullwidth="false" data-mce-src="https://cdn.durable.co/covers/1ciWT24spPYZQJzX2JACRqDDjpGwth3AwNjIbdNm1qXjq2E4tEUKme6veqJS1W2y.jpg" data-mce-style="aspect-ratio: 16/9; object-position: undefined undefined;"></figure>Speaking in Samoa, where he met residents uprooted from their homes by sea level rise and coastal erosion, Mr. Guterres said that Pacific islanders had refused to be victims of climate change. But their ambitious plans to resist this “existential threat for millions” had been put on hold, amid a lack of promised funding, he insisted.“We are fighting hard for climate justice…[but] we are not seeing the money that is needed and that’s why we ask for the reform and the international financial institutions in order for the funding needs of countries, like Pacific countries, to be met,” the UN chief told journalists at UN House in Apia, the capital.Positive gestures from wealthy nations towards developing countries have been insufficient to compensate for economic shocks from natural disasters caused by climate change, Mr. Guterres insisted, pointing to the Loss and Damage Fund, agreed in 2022 at the UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) in Egypt.Developed countries also pledged in 2021 to double climate adaptation funding from the $100 billion a year agreed in 2009, the Secretary-General said, as he noted that this potential game-changing income stream hadn’t garnered enough support either.“We need all countries to honour their promises on climate finance and a strong finance outcome from this year’s COP where we will discuss the financial commitments after 2025,” he said.Speaking to reporters, the UN chief described how Samoans have repeatedly pushed back at climate shocks, including the deadly 2009 tsunami that left at least 192 dead.“We have seen people that moved their houses inland. We have seen people that persisted coming back and rebuilding. We have seen an enormous determination of people to fight against, not only the impact of the tsunami, but the impacts of the rising sea levels and of the storms and the cyclones”, he said.“I’ve seen a wall that is protecting a village from the sea; that wall in 20 years, because of the tsunami - because of the rising sea level, and because of the heavy storms - has already been built three times.”Many developing countries like Samoa which are also on the frontlines of the climate crisis must rely on borrowing from international lenders at higher rates than the world’s poorest nations, which has effectively prevented them from accessing the funds they need to help themselves.To address this historic structural inequality in international finance, the UN has worked with Small Island Developing States (SIDS) on a new measurement of national income – the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index (MVI) – so that they too can access the significant funding required for sustainable development.“We ask the international community to act in a way that when international financial institutions deal with countries like Samoa, the Multidimensional Vulnerability Index is taken into account to allow for concessional funding to be granted for the projects that are necessary for this country to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and protect its populations against climate change,” Mr. Guterres said.The Secretary-General also reiterated his wish for small island states like Samoa to have access to some $80 billion in development funding linked to Special Drawing Rights, which can be channeled by members of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to multilateral development banks to be made available for borrowing.New income streams like this are crucial for countries like Samoa that lost vital tourist income because of the COVID-19 pandemic and “have not received the support of the international community”, Mr. Guterres continued. “When we look at Samoa, we understand what that means and we never stop fighting to make sure that this is recognized by the international community.”Sources：<a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153431" data-mce-href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153431" data-mce-selected="inline-boundary">https://news.un.org/en/story/2024/08/1153431</a>

Justice echoes

News

From lunch tray to lifelong health: WHO sets global stand...

Global employment stable but decent jobs in short supply

Paper and wood: Forest products show signs of recovery, U...

A sustainable future requires new thinking: UN environmen...

WHO backs wider use of weight-loss medicines, calling obe...

UN chief urges climate justice for Pacific nations beset ...