PAHO Launches New Tool to Improve Care for Sexual Violence Survivors
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) has unveiled a new rapid assessment tool aimed at strengthening care for women who survive sexual violence across the Americas.
The initiative comes amid alarming regional statistics showing that one in three women has experienced physical and/or sexual violence in her lifetime.
According to PAHO, the tool provides the public-health sector with a practical, evidence-based method for evaluating the quality of services offered in clinics and emergency departments. It is designed to help health systems identify critical gaps in post-rape care and bolster the overall response of medical professionals confronted with one of the region’s most persistent human rights and public-health crises.
UN Faces Growing Financial Crisis as Member States Delay Payments
The United Nations is warning of an unprecedented financial shortfall, with Secretary-General António Guterres cautioning that the organization is “entering a race to bankruptcy.”
Addressing the General Assembly’s budget committee in New York, Guterres revealed that the UN ended 2024 with US$760 million in unpaid contributions, much of it overdue from member states.
The UN’s regular budget is assessed based on national income, which places significant pressure on low- and middle-income regions, including Latin America and the Caribbean.
For small island developing states already struggling with climate vulnerability, the implications are severe. Development and humanitarian programs — long a lifeline for the region — are already being restricted due to financial strain. Experts warn that the funding gap threatens climate adaptation, poverty reduction, and resilience-building efforts at a time when climate impacts are accelerating.
US Congresswoman Condemns Military Strikes on Alleged Drug Boats
US Congresswoman Yvette Clarke has sharply criticized recent US military strikes on alleged drug-carrying vessels off the coasts of Venezuela and the Pacific, calling the actions both unlawful and un-American.
Clarke, who represents New York’s Ninth Congressional District and is of Jamaican heritage, said the Trump administration is using the US Armed Forces in hostilities that Congress has not authorized, violating both US constitutional requirements and international law.
She described the administration’s “kill first and ask questions never” approach as a reckless disregard for due process and global norms. Clarke is urging an immediate halt to such operations across Venezuela and the Caribbean, stressing that unchecked military action could escalate tensions in an already fragile region.
