Yearbook of the United Nations, 2007. Part 3, Economic and social questions. Chapter 13, Health, food and nutrition

Abstract

In 2007, the United Nations continued to promote human health and food security, coordinate food aid and support research in nutrition. At the end of the year, about 33.2 million people were living with HIV/aids and an estimated 2.5 million became infected with the virus. Deaths due to aids-related illnesses were estimated at 2.1 million. The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/aids (UNAIDS) and the World Health Organization (WHO) observed that, despite the scaling up of anti-retroviral treatment, aids remained a leading cause of mortality worldwide and the primary cause of death in sub-Saharan Africa. UNAIDS, as coordinator of aids activities in the UN system, involved an increasing number of actors in the response to the epidemic, including civil society, the private sector, treatment activists and Governments. In December, the General Assembly decided to convene, in June 2008, a high-level meeting to review progress achieved in realizing the targets set in the 2001 Declaration of Commitment on HIV/aids and the 2006 Political Declaration on HIV/aids. WHO reported to the Assembly that despite significant political and financial commitments to control malaria, more than 500 million people suffered from the acute form of the disease every year, resulting in an annual toll of 1 million deaths. In a December resolution, the Assembly welcomed a decision by the World Health Assembly to commemorate Malaria Day on 25 April and urged Member States and the international community to enhance the quality of malaria-related activities. Also in December, the Assembly designated 2 April as World Autism Awareness Day, to be observed annually beginning in 2008. In other health-related action, the Assembly called for efforts to end obstetric fistula (resolution 62/138) (see p. 1169). In April, the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration organized the first UN Global Road Safety Week, which focused on young road users and aimed to raise awareness about the societal impact of road traffic injuries. As part of the observation of that event, the World Youth Assembly for Road Safety provided over 400 youngsters from 100 countries with the opportunity to share experiences and create a global network of young road safety advocates. In 2007, the World Food Programme (WFP) distributed 3.3 million metric tons of food aid, assisting a total of 86.1 million hungry people in 80 countries. The aid was provided through development projects, emergency operations and protracted relief and recovery operations. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAQ) continued to implement the Plan of Action adopted at the 1996 World Food Summit and the Declaration of the 2002 World Food Summit, which called on the international community to fulfil the pledge to halve the number of undernourished people by 2015.