- The U.N.-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) has confirmed famine conditions in Sudan's al-Fashir and Kadugli following months-long conflict between the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and the Sudanese army, Reuters reports. In al-Fashir, food supplies have been cut off for 18 months under the RSF's siege, and hunger has been spreading in Kadugli since the start of the war. The IPC estimates that 21.2 million Sudanese, or about 45% of the population, face acute food insecurity, with gradual stabilization and improved access in areas where the Sudanese army took control.
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The U.S. has been working with both sides of Sudan's conflict to secure a humanitarian truce, while the International Criminal Court (ICC) investigates atrocities in famine-hit el-Fasher. The city, besieged for 18 months by the RSF, recently fell after reports of mass killings and sexual assaults. The RSF had agreed to a ceasefire proposal, although the U.S. indicated a final deal had not been struck yet. Members of Congress on both sides of the aisle have condemned the escalating atrocities in Sudan, calling for accountability and expanded humanitarian access.
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The European Commission is revising future investments for global health initiatives, including Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and the Global Fund, Euractiv reports. The European Union (EU) bloc aims to redirect financing toward programs where it can "shape governance," mirroring recent shifts in U.S. global health engagement. The Commission said it is maintaining an "open and frank collaboration" with these organizations amid evolving priorities that emphasize country ownership, health integration, and strengthened health systems.
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Former European ministers and Commissioners, in a joint article, call for the EU to make a defining choice in its leadership to fight against HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria. Amid declining international engagement, climate change, conflict, and drug resistance, global leaders argue that "the real question is no longer whether the EU can afford to invest in the Global Fund, but whether it can afford to let these hard-won gains unravel." With the upcoming G20 summit and the Global Fund's replenishment cycle, the EU has a unique opportunity to continue support for the Global Fund, which has saved more than 70 million lives and deployed extraordinary scientific innovations.
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A new Think Global Health analysis identifies key questions about the implementation of the America First Global Health Strategy, which seeks to transition U.S. global health programs to time-bound, bilateral agreements that emphasize country self-sustainability. To avoid creating gaps in global health services and financing and ensure a smooth transition to new models of engagement, the U.S. needs to consider the issues outlined: assessing current service capacity and early warning indicators to prevent backsliding; designing predictable graduation and cofinancing policies; further analyzing the role of non-frontline investments in HIV outcomes; and maintaining access for key and vulnerable populations.
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A new report from the Global Council on Inequality, AIDS, and Pandemics warns that inequality is increasing the likelihood, severity, and cost of pandemics. Research reveals that social determinants, such as education, income, and housing, create health inequities in non-pandemic times and drive pandemic risk and vulnerability. To address the "inequality-pandemic cycle," governments can take steps towards removing fiscal barriers for health investment, strengthening social protection, treating pandemic health technology as public goods, and building community-led pandemic infrastructure.
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