The first-ever United Nations (UN’s) World Conjoined Twins Day (WCTD) was observed across the globe on 24th November to raise awareness about conjoined twins, support their well-being, and promote their social inclusion.
Background:
i.The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) passed resolution A/RES/78/313 on 1st July 2024 to declare November 24th as WCTD.
- It was proposed by Saudi Arabia in collaboration with Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen.
ii.It emphasized the need to enhance efforts to develop resilient, sustainable, and people-centered health systems and strengthen global partnerships to support Member States in achieving universal health coverage and health-related targets of the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
Conjoined Twins:
i.Conjoined fetuses are a rare form of identical twins who share a placenta and amniotic sac, occurring when the embryo splits between 13 and 15 days after conception.
ii.The occurrence rate is between 1 in 50,000 to 1 in 100,000 live births. Female fetuses are more commonly affected, as the ratio of female to male is 3:1.
International Conjoined Twins Conference 2024:
i.Saudi Arabia hosted the first-ever International Conjoined Twins Conference on November 24-25, 2024, in Riyadh (Saudi Arabia).
ii.The conference, co-hosted by the King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, KSrelief and the Ministry of National Guard Health Affairs, aims to highlight the success stories and challenges of separating conjoined twins.
About the United Nations (UN):
Secretary General– António Guterres
Headquarters – New York, the United States of America (USA)
Established – 1945
