Professor CN Purandare, FIGO President, said:

FIGO wishes to pass on its sincere condolences to UNFPA on the very sad passing of Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, its Executive Director. 

A new UNAIDS report has revealed that people are particularly vulnerable to HIV at certain points in their lives and has called for a “life-cycle approach” to find solutions for people of all ages.

UNAIDS also announced that by June 2016, around 18.2 million people had access to HIV treatment, including 910,000 children.

Analysis of the complete genetic code of hundreds of breast tumours could potentially lead to more personalised care for cancer patients, according to an international team of scientists, spearheaded by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.

Research reveals that a patient's tumour may be highly individual, with experts claiming that these findings offer a more comprehensive view of breast cancer. 

The study analysed the complete genetic code, or genome, of 560 breast tumours and uncovered five genes newly associated with the disease.

Although Ms. Amina J. Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary General wasn’t present, she reaffirmed via video the strong commitment of the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to invest in the health of women and children. Ms. Helga Fogstad, Executive Director of PMNCH, addressed the audience with an awe-inspiring message.

Afterwards Dr. Natalia Kanem Executive Director of UNFPA and host of EWEC secretariat introduced an interesting an stimulating panel discussion moderated by Mr. Ray Kumar, founder and CEO of Devex.

In 1978 health was recognised as a fundamental human right.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the Alma-Ata Declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO), which stated that access to primary healthcare should be available to all. 

But 40 years on, is this the case?

40 years of the Declaration of Alma-Ata