UniFocus IAS ( UNIFOCUS UNIVERSAL )

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) are hosting the first Global Congress on the implementation of the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes on 20-22 June 2023 in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Assembly (WHA) in 1981 adopted the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes. Forty-two years later, formula milk manufacturing companies continue to violate these established principles and place commercial interests before children’s and families’ health.  Subsequent WHA resolutions have repeatedly called upon national governments to enact, monitor and enforce the provisions of the Code. The response to calls to action launched by WHO and UNICEF has been inadequate and further underscore the need for stronger government regulations. WHO

The United Nations yesterday formally adopted  a historic treaty  designed to protect life in the high seas. Key Features of the Treaty: The treaty extends for the first time environmental protections to the two-thirds of the ocean that lie beyond national jurisdictions. Treaty allow for the creation of marine protected areas.  Treaty allows the use of "area-based management tools" to more sustainably manage ocean resources. Treaty offers an updated framework to  The UN Convention on the Law of the Sea   that came into force in 1994. UNEP Previous Article: <<<  UN inks first ‘High Seas Treaty’ in a bid to protect ocean bodies of the world

Relevance:    June 19 - World Sickle Cell Day. Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin, a protein that carries oxygen. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the hemoglobin is abnormal, which causes the red blood cells to become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle.” The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious complications (health problems) such as infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke. Haemoglobin disorders are inherited from parents. There are several types of SCD. The specific type of SCD a person has depends on the genes they inherited from their parents. People with SCD inherit genes that contain ins...

  The Department of Biotechnology (DBT) has announced that the Omicron-specific mRNA-based Booster vaccine developed using the indigenous platform technology by Gennova Biopharmaceuticals Ltd. and supported under the Mission COVID Suraksha, implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), has got a nod from the office of the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) for Emergency Use Authorization (EUA). DBT has facilitated establishing Gennova's mRNA-based next-generation vaccine manufacturing for developingthe platform technology from proof of concept till Phase I clinical trial of the prototype mRNA-based vaccine developed against the Wuhan strain. The project was further supported under the'Mission COVID Suraksha. The Indian COVID-19 Vaccine Development Mission' by DBT's dedicated  Mission Implementation Unit at Biotechnology  Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC), for further clinical development and Scale up of the prototype vaccine, wh...

NHPC Limited , India’s largest hydropower development organization, participated in  91st Annual Meeting of International Commission on Large Dams (ICOLD 2023) , held in Gothenburg, Sweden from 11 th  to 15 th  June, 2023.  The  I nternational  C ommission  O n  L arge  D ams (ICOLD) is a non-governmental International Organization which provides a forum for the exchange of knowledge and experience in dam engineering.   The Organization leads the profession in ensuring that dams are built safely, efficiently, economically, and without detrimental effects on the environment. Its original aim was to encourage advances in the planning, design, construction, operation, and maintenance of large dams and their associated civil works, by collecting and disseminating relevant information and by studying related technical questions. The World Register of Dams (WRD) has been created by ICOLD in 1958 and is maintained ever since. "A dam with a heig...