By Oritro Karim
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10 2025 – On March 1, the first phase of the Israel-Hamas ceasefire was scheduled to end. However, as Israel continues to block humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, and Hamas declining to release more hostages until the second phase goes into effect, the long-term feasibility of the ceasefire agreement is uncertain. Additionally, U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent inflammatory comments surrounding the conflict between the two parties might put further strain on the already fragile ceasefire agreement.

Following the implementation of the ceasefire in early January, Israel has allowed for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip. The humanitarian situation has shown signs of considerable improvement within the past two months. On March 4, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) issued a situation update which examined the improvements seen within displaced populations.

It is estimated that over 150,000 students returned to school in February, marking the first time that children in Gaza have had a formal education since schools closed down in October 2023. Approximately 7,000 teachers have been mobilized in 165 governmental schools across the enclave. Additionally, OCHA notes that at least 88 percent of these schools require significant reconstruction due to infrastructure damage from hostilities and housing displaced communities.

Aid personnel had also taken notes on the improving health conditions of thousands of Gazans in February. According to OCHA, approximately 602,795 children under the age of 10 had been given polio vaccines. This included 101,777 children in north Gaza, which has been the most difficult area for humanitarian aid to reach.

The 2025 vaccination campaign has been significantly more effective in securing herd immunity than the efforts in September and October of 2024. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a total of 40,000 more children were reached during this round of vaccinations. WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyeus has said that the ceasefire “allowed health workers to reach more children than during previous vaccination rounds”.

On February 28, the World Food Programme (WFP) shared an analysis breaking down the hunger trends in Gaza in 2025. Within the first four weeks of the ceasefire, WFP had managed to deliver more than 30,000 metric tons of food, which is nearly double the monthly average for late 2024. Over 1 million people received food assistance.

“We are approaching full rations, proper calorie intake, and a complete food basket. Every WFP programme is running at scale – food parcels, wheat flour, hot meals, nutrition support,” said Antoine Renard, WFP’s Jerusalem-based Country Director for Palestine.

Bakeries, which have been a lifeline for food assistance in Gaza, have significantly increased their outputs following the ceasefire.25 bakeries are estimated to produce 150,000 bundles of flatbread per day, marking a five-fold increase from pre-ceasefire outputs. Additionally, more than 116,500 pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and children have received nutritional supplements, tents, tarpaulins, and other essential items.

From March 2, Israel blocked humanitarian aid deliveries following Hamas refusing to extend the first phase of the ceasefire to release more Israeli hostages. Despite the initial improvements over the past two months, experts have expressed concern that the humanitarian situation in Gaza could worsen greatly if aid does flow in.

“The aid restrictions announced yesterday will severely compromise lifesaving operations for civilians. It is imperative that the ceasefire – a critical lifeline for children remains in place, and that aid is allowed to flow freely so we can continue to scale up the humanitarian response,” said Edouard Beigbeder, UNICEF’s Regional Director for the Middle East and North Africa.

The UN Food Security Sector (FSS) has confirmed that at least eighty community kitchens in Gaza will run out of food if aid blockages continue. WFP has also warned that it only has enough materials to keep kitchens and bakeries in Gaza open for two more weeks.

The UN, as well as mediators in Egypt and Qatar, have criticized Israel’s blockade on humanitarian aid for being violations of the ceasefire agreement. Despite this, the U.S. has pushed for an extension of the first phase, which Israel supports.

On March 5, President Donald Trump issued a social media statement to X (formerly known as Twitter), expressing support for Israel and threatening the stability of the Gaza Strip.

“Release all of the Hostages now, not later, and immediately return all of the dead bodies of the people you murdered, or it is OVER for you…I am sending Israel everything it needs to finish the job, not a single Hamas member will be safe if you don’t do as I say… RELEASE THE HOSTAGES NOW, OR THERE WILL BE HELL TO PAY LATER!” said Trump.

This comes weeks after the president indicated interest in forcibly displacing all of the civilians of the Gaza Strip. Hamas spokesperson Hazem Qassem stated that Trump’s comments only put further strain on the delicate stability of the ceasefire.

“These threats complicate matters regarding the ceasefire agreement and encourage the occupation not to implement its terms. Hamas has implemented what it was required to do in the first stage, while Israel is evading the second stage. Unfortunately, these positions by the United States strengthened the position of the Zionist right within the government and pushed for taking punitive steps, including closing the crossings in this manner and using the starvation policy against the people of the Gaza Strip,” Qassem said to reporters.

On March 4, UN Secretary-General António Guterres spoke at the Extraordinary Arab League Summit, emphasizing the importance of the ceasefire and international humanitarian law as Gaza makes the transition to rebuilding.

“Ending the immediate crisis is not enough. We need a clear political framework that lays the foundation for Gaza’s recovery, reconstruction and lasting stability. That framework must be based on principles and respect for international law.
Israel’s legitimate security concerns must be addressed, but that should not be through long-term Israeli military presence in Gaza,” Guterres said.

IPS UN Bureau Report

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By Mandeep Dhaliwal
UNITED NATIONS, Mar 10 2025 – One look at the headlines recently and anyone would know that cuts to foreign aid are jeopardizing hard-won progress on a range of issues. AIDS is one of them.

According to UNAIDS, without new resources 6.3 million people could die from AIDS-related causes by the end of the decade. With the stroke of a pen, the promise of ending one of the deadliest epidemics vanishes.

But what if I told you that money alone will not be enough to get us back on track? That discrimination is quietly sabotaging economies, destabilizing nations and turning preventable and treatable diseases into death sentences?

It has never been more urgent that we take action to protect those being left behind. That is the commitment 193 countries made when they adopted the Sustainable Development Goals.

Between 2021 and 2022, discrimination increased in 70 percent of countries, while global freedoms have steadily declined year-over-year for nearly two decades. Today, no country has all the laws needed to prohibit discrimination against women, and too many countries have laws on the books that criminalize the typically marginalized.

These actions are not just morally wrong, they are economically self-defeating. Discriminatory laws and policies deprive individuals of human dignity, essential services and opportunities, damaging entire economies. Globally, for example, the gender education gap costs about US$10 trillion annually.

Mandeep Dhaliwal

Discrimination also fuels and feeds off instability. When marginalized communities are shut out of civic participation, barred from economic opportunities and denied healthcare, resentment and unrest grows, and peace is undermined. The suppression of women’s rights, increasing crackdowns on marginalized communities and the persecution of refugees all fracture societies and stifle human progress.

Discriminatory laws and policies deprive individuals of human dignity, essential services and opportunities, damaging entire economies.

History has also repeatedly shown that discrimination harms health. From colonial-era medical exploitation to the apartheid-era denial of healthcare for Black South Africans, discrimination has long determined who receives care and who doesn’t.

Even today, these disparities persist. In the United States, Black women are three times more likely to die from a pregnancy-related cause than white women. And now the advent of technologies such as AI, which hold tremendous promise to transform societies and economies, threaten to hardwire historical discrimination into healthcare if not appropriately regulated.

But nowhere is the impact of discrimination on health more visible than in the fight against HIV. From the earliest days of the AIDS crisis, stigma and government inaction allowed the virus to spread unchecked, leading to countless preventable deaths that devastated families and communities.

In 1990, President Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act into law. These laws made the case for non-discrimination as an essential tool in the fight against HIV and played a pivotal role in improving health equity and shaping anti-discrimination legislation across the world.

Decades later, when we have game-changing prevention and treatment tools to finally end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030, discrimination continues to increase risk and block access for far too many.

Today we have game-changing prevention and treatment tools to fight HIV/AIDS, but stigma and discrimination prevent many people from getting the care they need. Credit: UNDP Zimbabwe

Ending discrimination is in our hands. As we marked Zero Discrimination Day on 1 March, we must remember that discrimination is a human construct that calls for human solutions.

Ending major public health threats like AIDS in a climate of discrimination requires leadership and decisive action. It also requires investments that go beyond funding medicines and commodities. Governments must remove the punitive laws that drive new infections and undermine access to life-saving tools, promote equality for all, and fund community-led responses, ensuring that those left behind have a voice in shaping solutions.

In 2021, countries committed to such steps, recognizing that a rights-based approach is critical to ending AIDS and advancing sustainable development. Yet, with the deadline set for this year, not a single country is on track to meet these goals. Leaders must make good on these commitments—the return on investment for generations will be profound.

We know that the price of discrimination is poverty, instability and disease. The price of equality? Prosperity, peace, health and the end of AIDS as a public health threat. The way out of our crises is clear—deliver on the promise of a world free of discrimination.

Mandeep Dhaliwal is Director of the HIV and Health Group, UNDP

Source: UNDP

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By Joseph Chamie
PORTLAND, US, Mar 10 2025 – Country populations worldwide are experiencing the demographic ageing transformation. The relatively young populations experienced during most of the 20th century are increasingly being transformed into the older populations of the 21st century.

Rather than attempting to return to the comparatively youthful age structures of the past, countries need to recognize and accept the reality of the demographic ageing of their respective populations

The historic demographic ageing transformation raises vital economic, political and social concerns for countries worldwide. Those concerns relate especially to the labor force, consumption, taxation, voting, retirement, pensions, healthcare, chronic illnesses, long-term care, social services, rising costs and program insolvencies.

Countries are experiencing demographic ageing due to lower levels of fertility and mortality. People are having fewer children than in the recent past, with the fertility rates of more than half of all countries falling well below the replacement level of two births per woman. In addition, mortality rates worldwide are lower than in the past accompanied by increasing longevity of both women and men with growing numbers of centenarians.

One straightforward indicator of demographic ageing is the median age of a population. Over the recent past, the median age of the world’s population increased markedly.

The world’s median age increased from 22 years in 1950 to 31 years today. By mid-century, the median age is expected to increase to 36 years. And by the close of the century, the median age of the world’s population is projected to reach 42 years, nearly twice the 1950 level (Figure 1).

Source: United Nations.

Considerable variation exists in the median ages of countries. In 1950, for example, while some countries such as Austria and Belgium had median ages of about 35 years, other countries such as Niger and the Philippines had a median age of about 15 years. In 2025, the highest median ages of approximately 50 years are in Italy and Japan. In contrast, the countries with the lowest median age of about 15 years in 2025 include the Central African Republic and Niger.

The median ages of country populations are continuing to increase. By 2050, for example, countries with the highest median ages include South Korea at 57 years and Italy and Japan at 53 years. In contrast, countries with the lowest median ages include the Central African Republic at 19 years and Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at 20 years.

The median ages for countries are expected to continue increasing during the second half of the 21st century. By the year 2100, among the projected oldest countries are China and South Korea with median ages of approximately 60 years. And among the youngest countries at that future date are expected to be Chad and the DRC with median ages of 32 years.

Another insightful measure reflecting the demographic ageing transformation is the proportion of the population who are elderly, i.e., aged 65 years or older. Similar to the median age, the percentages elderly for the world’s population were relatively low during the second half of the 20th century, around 5 to 7 percent, and then increased markedly reaching 10 percent by 2025. The percentages are expected to continue increasing, reaching 16% by 2050 and 24% by the close of the 21st century (Figure 2).

Source: United Nations.

Similar to the median ages, the proportions of national populations who are elderly vary considerably and are also continuing to increase. In 1950, for example, while the proportion elderly in some countries such as France and Belgium was 11 percent, in other countries such as Niger and Mauritania the proportion was 1 percent. By 2025, the highest estimated proportions elderly are in Japan at 30% and Italy at 25%. In contrast, countries with the lowest percent elderly at about 2% include Chad and Zambia

By 2050, countries with the highest projected percent elderly include South Korea at 40% and Japan at 38%. Again in striking contrast, countries with the lowest projected percentages include the Central African Republic and Chad at approximately 2%.

At the close of the 21st century, China and South Korea are expected to have the highest proportions elderly at about 45%. As with the median ages, the lowest expected proportions elderly are among African countries, such as Chad and the Democratic Republic of the Congo at about 10%.

It is widely recognized, especially by governments, international agencies, businesses, non-governmental organizations and scholars, that populations worldwide are experiencing the demographic ageing transformation. It is also acknowledged that the demographic ageing of populations is resulting in formidable economic, political and social challenges for nations.

Government officials are concerned about the rising economic costs and projected insolvencies of programs for the elderly. They are also concerned about the negative reactions by the public to policy and program changes, especially with respect to retirement, pensions, benefits, social services and healthcare. In particular, attempts and suggestions to raise the official retirement age and reduce healthcare coverage for the elderly have been made with objections and protests.

Reluctant to accept the realities of the demographic ageing era, many governments have tended to postpone accepting the needed changes in policies, programs and expenditures for their ageing populations.

Rather than fully embracing the demographic ageing transformation, many governments have attempted to raise their low fertility rates back to at least the replacement level. By doing so, they are hoping to return to the comparatively youthful age structures of the past.

The various attempts to raise fertility rates and return to the younger age structures of the past have not achieved their desired goals. In addition, international population projections expect fertility rates to remain below the replacement level for the foreseeable future.

Rather than attempting to return to the comparatively youthful age structures of the past, countries need to recognize and accept the reality of the demographic ageing of their respective populations.

Following that recognition and acceptance, governments and their citizens need to begin actively adjusting to the many formidable challenges arising from the demographic ageing transformation. Moreover, the sooner they begin making the necessary adjustments and changes, the smoother and more straightforward will be the transition to their ageing populations of the 21st century.

Joseph Chamie is a consulting demographer, a former director of the United Nations Population Division and author of numerous publications on population issues, including his recent book, “Population Levels, Trends, and Differentials”.