UN DECLARES NOV 24 WORLD CONJOINED TWINS DAY AFTER SAUDI, OTHERS’ REQUEST

By Ajape Sefiu A.

The UN has declared Nov. 24 to be World Conjoined Twins Day following a request from Saudi Arabia, according to the Saudi Press Agency.

From this year on, the day will be observed annually after an initiative proposed by Saudi Arabia in collaboration with Bahrain, Morocco, Qatar and Yemen.

The day, according to reports, aims to raise awareness of conjoined twins and celebrate achievements in the field of conjoined-twin separation surgery.

The permanent representative of Saudi Arabia to the United Nations, Abdulaziz Al-Wasil, delivered a speech at the UN General Assembly while presenting the draft resolution for adoption.

He said the resolution aimed to increase awareness about conjoined twins at various stages of their lives. He also noted Saudi Arabia’s leading role in conducting conjoined-twin separation operations.

The Kingdom’s Conjoined Twins Program has treated around 139 sets of conjoined twins from countries around the world since its launch in 1990. Operations carried out under the program are fully sponsored by the Saudi government.

Al-Wasil stressed the need to foster “international and regional cooperation to ensure conjoined twins’ wellbeing and access to the highest quality healthcare, while promoting their human rights.”

He expressed his gratitude to representatives of UNICEF and the World Health Organization for their support throughout the resolution’s drafting and negotiation phases.

Conjoined twins…

Meanwhile, conjoined twins are identical twins whose bodies are joined in utero.

The medical term for conjoined twins is “conjoined twinning” or “conjoined siblings.”

The extent of the connection and the organs shared by the twins determine the complexity of the case.

Surgical separation may be considered in certain cases, depending on factors such as the twins’ overall health, the extent of the connection, and the potential for independent function after separation.