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“The Secretary-General expressed his concern over Ms. Mohammadi’s medical condition and urged the Iranian authorities to ensure that she receives, at a minimum, urgent medical treatment appropriate to her health condition,” UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said at a press conference Monday in New York.
Mohammadi was transferred from prison to hospital last week and reportedly requires special treatment for a life-threatening heart condition, he added.
Prison Conditions
In a statement released last week, Volker Türk, the UN Human Rights Chair said that his health condition was also exacerbated by pre-existing chronic medical conditions resulting from years of detention.
Mr. Türk has warned that detention conditions in Iranian prisons are very poor. Prisoners suffer from severe overcrowding and lack of food, water, hygiene supplies, medicines and often receive no medical care.
Global attacks on health services are increasing
Attacks on hospitals, medical staff and ambulances continue amid escalating conflicts around the world – and in many cases they are escalating, a leading humanitarian group warned on Monday.
Violence like this has left patients without treatment, exacerbated unsafe birthing conditions, and left entire communities cut off from essential health services.
On the 10th anniversary UN Security Council Resolution 2286 – calling on fighters to protect health services and health workers – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), World Health Organization (WHO)and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) urge countries to strengthen health service protection in conflict zones.
An urgent call for action
Under international humanitarian law, all parties to a conflict are required to protect medical personnel, facilities and transport, and ensure that other parties do the same.
The organizations also stressed the importance of tracking these attacks, based on reporting measures introduced by World Health Assembly through World Health Assembly Resolution 65.20 in 2012.
To prevent further adverse impacts, they call on countries to:
- implement existing commitments under Resolution 2286;
- incorporate health care protections into military operations and rules of engagement;
- strengthening national laws protecting medical services;
- provide sufficient resources for protective measures;
- press all parties to the conflict to comply with international law;
- investigate attacks and ensure accountability; And
- report progress and challenges regularly.
The groups warned that without immediate action, attacks on health services will continue to undermine humanitarian norms and endanger civilian lives.
High debt payments disproportionately impact women
A new report from the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) found that rising sovereign debt payments lead to significant economic and social disadvantage for women in developing countries.
Based on data from 85 countries, the report – Who Pays the Price? Gender Inequality and National Debt – estimates that increased debt repayments resulting from loan agreements between rich and poor countries could result in the loss of 55 million jobs for women in the short term and up to 92.5 million in the long term.
Women’s per capita income is expected to fall by 17 percent, while men’s income remains largely unchanged, widening the gender income gap.
When governments prioritize debt repayment, spending on health services, social services and care systems is often reduced. These cuts limit access to essential services and formal employment, increasing women’s responsibility for unpaid care and deepening inequalities.
Wider social impact
The report also links high debt burdens to broader social impacts, including a 32.5 percent increase in maternal mortality and reduced life expectancy for both women and men.
UNDP officials warn that this trend risks reversing development progress, especially when a global crisis occurs conflictinflation and energy instability, increasingly burdening the government budget.
The report calls on governments and financial institutions to incorporate gender analysis into lending and debt management decisions, protect spending on social infrastructure and health services, and prioritize jobs, human development and gender equality over austerity measures.
Mozambique: The UN allocates $98 million to provide life-saving assistance amid a deepening crisis
The United Nations has released nearly $98 million in emergency funding to support communities in Mozambique affected by conflict and climate-related disasters through 2026.
Ongoing violence in the north continues to displace many families and disrupt livelihoods, while severe floods and cyclones in central and southern provinces have destroyed homes, polluted water sources and damaged essential services.
The funding includes $83.3 million of East and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund and $14.5 million from United Nations Central Emergency Response Fundboth are administered by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (Ocha).
Saving Lives
“This funding will help meet the community’s urgent needs, including food for families who have lost crops and income, safe drinking water for communities whose water sources are flooded or contaminated, and health services for people who are deprived of basic services,” said Dr. Catherine Suzi, UN Humanitarian Coordinator.
Aid will target conflict-affected areas in Cabo Delgado and Nampula provinces, as well as flood-affected areas in Gaza, Sofala, and Maputo provinces, where communities are recovering from recent disasters.
This funding is part of Mozambique Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan 2026that would require $534 million to help 1.7 million people.
