Foreign news
UN at 75: Multilateralism not an option but a necessity
Seventy-five years on, as the United Nations (UN) marks its anniversary at a time of great worldwide upheaval – compounded by growing unilateralism and the virus crisis – upholding the international system with the world body and rejecting unilateralism and the winner-takes-all mindset has become more relevant than ever before.
“Multilateralism is not an option but a necessity as we build back a better world with more equality and resilience, and more sustainable world,” the 193-member UN General Assembly (UNGA) said in a declaration concerning the coronavirus pandemic, which threatens not only global health but also the world economic development.
Indeed, this year’s COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated global geopolitical trends, including the struggles to uphold multilateralism in a climate of growing nationalism, protectionism and rising great power competition. Yet, even before the global health crisis, multilateralism was already under risks as tensions in trade, technology and foreign relations between China and the U.S. escalated.
Ties between the two big nations have deteriorated further in recent months, while the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic cries for deeper and broader multilateral cooperation among countries just when we need it the most.
China advocated multilateralism at the UNGA, vowing that “the world will never return to isolation, and no one can sever the ties between countries.” Many heads of government, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in, shared the plea by China for a revival of multilateralism.
U.S. President Donald Trump has shown his skepticism of multilateral frameworks in many occasions since he came into power. He pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the World Health Organization (WHO), and stopped funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees – the list can go on and on which makes the rest of the world worry about isolation and a “new Cold War.”
Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the UN, said in the UN Security Council that “the U.S. should understand that a major power should behave like a major power.”
The fight against the virus and economic downturns should not be politicized and that “no country can gain from others’ difficulties,” said Zhang.
In a foreseeable future, anti-globalization and attempts at economic and technology decoupling, which started long before COVID-19, will not disappear soon. Multilateral cooperation at most of the world organizations such as the UN, the WHO and the World Trade Organization will face growing instabilities and setbacks. The U.S. election in November may push the U.S. to implement more competitive strategies towards China. The targets – the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan – would disturb regional economic and security order.
China advocated multilateralism at the UNGA, vowing that “the world will never return to isolation, and no one can sever the ties between countries.” Many heads of government, including Germany’s Angela Merkel and South Korea’s Moon Jae-in, shared the plea by China for a revival of multilateralism.
U.S. President Donald Trump has shown his skepticism of multilateral frameworks in many occasions since he came into power. He pulled the U.S. out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, the World Health Organization (WHO), and stopped funding the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees – the list can go on and on which makes the rest of the world worry about isolation and a “new Cold War.”
Zhang Jun, China’s ambassador to the UN, said in the UN Security Council that “the U.S. should understand that a major power should behave like a major power.”
The fight against the virus and economic downturns should not be politicized and that “no country can gain from others’ difficulties,” said Zhang.
In a foreseeable future, anti-globalization and attempts at economic and technology decoupling, which started long before COVID-19, will not disappear soon. Multilateral cooperation at most of the world organizations such as the UN, the WHO and the World Trade Organization will face growing instabilities and setbacks. The U.S. election in November may push the U.S. to implement more competitive strategies towards China. The targets – the South China Sea, Hong Kong, and Taiwan – would disturb regional economic and security order.
“The very nature of the relations between China and the U.S. has changed. The competition is the new theme after 40 years’ development of China. Given the external environment is becoming more complicated in recent months, the uncertainty of multiculturalism increases,” said Wang Yong, director of the international relations department of Peking University.
“The ‘abc’ mindset – anything but China – is quite popular in Washington right now. Anything about internet security, technologies and economies, especially trade, is threatened. I would say we should be prepared for the worst situation,” he said.
Even surrounded by concerns lingering over the strengthening of unilateralism and protectionism on the back of the continuing spread of the virus, China’s voice is loud and clear in defense of multilateralism and global collaborations. Wang said that it is obvious that world governance would benefit most countries, and clashes can only leave serious collateral damages.
“A complete separation of the world’s two largest economies cannot happen,” said Chen Deming, former minister of Chinese commerce ministry, at a seminar in New York in June. He believes the tensions between the two countries could worsen, but there is “enough space” for the world to continue to find a way to have win-win partnerships.
In addition, COVID-19 has brought global attention to food and health security. The virus vaccine programs will need regional and international cooperation. Joint efforts in research and studies need to link various regional organizations as well as the UN system. Major powers like China and the U.S. can always play key roles in such interdependent actions.
“The relations between the two big boys must be stable, which means ‘complete decoupling is almost impossible,’ and collaborations in multiple levels and areas would be back to the right track, sooner or later,” said Wang.
Featured
Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria
African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.
The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.
Africa’s Heavy Burden
Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.
Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.
Taxing for Health Futures
The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.
According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.
The new financing mechanism proposes:
Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items
Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions
A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue
“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”
Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.
Leaders Call for Urgent Action
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.
“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.
From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.
Private Sector and Global Support
Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.
The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:
“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”
Financing Health Futures: Nigeria, Ghana, Uganda Turn to Tobacco and Telecom Taxes in Big Push Against Malaria
Abuja, Nigeria – African leaders, parliamentarians, health experts, and development partners have renewed their commitment to ending malaria by 2030, with a bold call for domestic financing through innovative taxation on tobacco, alcohol, and telecom services to close critical funding gaps.
The discussions took center stage at the Big Push Against Malaria: Harnessing Africa’s Role high-level political engagement in Abuja, where Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda showcased new homegrown financing strategies aimed at reducing dependence on dwindling donor support.
Africa’s Heavy Burden
Malaria remains one of Africa’s deadliest diseases. In 2023, the world recorded 263 million cases and nearly 600,000 deaths, with 94% of cases and 95% of deaths occurring in Africa. Nigeria alone accounted for 26.6% of global cases and 31% of deaths, according to the World Malaria Report 2024. Children under five remain the most vulnerable, making up 76% of deaths.
Despite progress — with Nigeria cutting malaria deaths by more than half since 2000 through insecticide-treated nets, preventive treatments, and the rollout of the new R21 malaria vaccine — leaders warned that global targets are off-track. The World Health Organization’s technical strategy for malaria (2016–2030) has stalled since 2017, with Africa unlikely to meet its 2025 and 2030 milestones without urgent action.
Taxing for Health Futures
The Nigerian Parliament’s Committee on HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (ATM) announced plans to fund malaria elimination through “sin taxes” and telecom levies.
According to the House Chair on ATM, Hon. Linda Ogar, a bill is underway to restructure the National Agency for the Control of AIDS (NACA) into a multi-disease agency that will address HIV, TB, and malaria.
The new financing mechanism proposes:
Taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and other luxury items
Dedicated levies on telecom airtime and mobile money transactions
A percentage of the nation’s consolidated revenue
“These resources will provide sustainable funding to strengthen health systems and accelerate malaria elimination,” Ogar said, stressing that Africa must stop relying solely on foreign donors. “We cannot continue to take two steps forward and five steps backward. Africa must begin to show the world that we are ready to solve our problems ourselves.”
Similar models are already being piloted in Ghana and Uganda, where levies on mobile money and telecoms are being redirected to finance health interventions. The Abuja meeting urged other African countries to adopt this approach as part of a continental framework for sustainable financing.
Leaders Call for Urgent Action
Nigeria’s Minister of State for Health and Social Welfare, Dr. Iziaq Adekunle Salako, emphasized that while malaria is preventable and treatable, it still kills hundreds of thousands yearly due to funding shortfalls, climate change, insecticide resistance, and humanitarian crises.
“To truly defeat this disease, we must rethink, join forces, and mount a concerted ‘Big Push’. Funding gaps remain a major obstacle, and innovative domestic financing is the way forward,” Salako declared.
From the civil society front, grassroots representatives pledged to act as “foot soldiers”, demanding that communities have a seat at the decision-making table. The World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Aliko Dangote Foundation, and other partners reaffirmed support but stressed the need for stronger political will and local ownership.
Private Sector and Global Support
Representing billionaire philanthropist Aliko Dangote, the Nigeria Malaria Council reiterated that private sector investment must complement government financing. Meanwhile, the Global Fund confirmed it has invested nearly $2 billion in Nigeria’s malaria response and committed an additional $500 million for 2024–2026, including support for local production of malaria drugs.
The Gates Foundation’s Uche Anaowu noted that while progress has slowed, malaria remains beatable:
“Smallpox is the only human disease ever eradicated. The question is — can malaria be next? I believe Africa has both the burden and the opportunity to lead the world in making that happen.”
The Big Push: From Talk to Action
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.
With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.
“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”
Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
Speakers acknowledged that Africa has hosted too many malaria meetings without concrete outcomes. This time, however, leaders insisted the Abuja gathering must mark a turning point — from dependency to self-reliance.
With Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda setting the pace on tax-based health financing, the continent now faces the challenge of replicating and scaling up these models.
“Now that Africa is at a critical point, the need for a Big Push against malaria cannot be overemphasized. If we align political will, innovative financing, and community engagement, we can end malaria within our lifetime.”
Nigeria, Ghana, and Uganda are pioneering a shift from donor dependence to domestic revenue mobilization via tobacco, alcohol, and telecom taxes — a model hailed as central to financing Africa’s health futures and ending malaria by 2030
-
Featured6 years agoLampard Names New Chelsea Manager
-
Featured5 years agoFG To Extends Lockdown In FCT, Lagos Ogun states For 7days
-
Featured6 years agoChildren Custody: Court Adjourns Mike Ezuruonye, Wife’s Case To April 7
-
Featured6 years agoNYSC Dismisses Report Of DG’s Plan To Islamize Benue Orientation Camp
-
Featured4 years agoTransfer Saga: How Mikel Obi Refused to compensate me After I Linked Him Worth $4m Deal In Kuwait SC – Okafor
-
Sports3 years ago
TINUBU LAMBAST DELE MOMODU
-
News9 months agoZulu to Super Eagles B team, President Tinubu is happy with you
-
Featured6 years ago
Board urges FG to establish one-stop rehabilitation centres in 6 geopolitical zones
1 Comment