OWSA Contributor

The report says that the COVID-19 pandemic is a profound global example of the inequitable health outcomes driven by upstream social determinants. From its outset, socio-economic inequality was a predictor of higher mortality.

Guterres also praised both countries for their long-standing contributions to UN peacekeeping operations and expressed hope that their shared history of cooperation could form the basis for renewed dialogue.

The committee decided to postpone any immediate action, opting instead to thoroughly review the investigation report and accompanying documents provided by the JSC. This approach aims to ensure a comprehensive understanding of the case before making a final decision.

This slump is largely attributed to domestic unrest, contractionary monetary and fiscal policies, and a broader climate of uncertainty that has discouraged both foreign and domestic investment.

Since September 2023, nearly a million Afghans, 545,000 of them children, have returned, often with little more than a few belongings in hand and no clear idea of what lies ahead.

Experts say that if Bangladesh is to achieve its ambition of becoming an upper-middle-income country by 2031, it must confront the growing dominance of business elites in its political system.

With reduced aid, already fragile services are deteriorating, and local efforts to compensate remain insufficient.

Papageorgiou's comments come in the wake of political shifts that have disrupted previous reform strategies. The new administration under President Anura Kumara Dissanayake has halted privatization efforts initiated by the previous government, led by Ranil Wickremesinghe.