Tostan [to 29 March 2014]
March 27, 2014
Sharing Seminar and Baby-ology Nights Help Mobilize Religious Leaders in Promoting Childhood Development
Last Thursday, March 20th, in the third event of its kind organized by Tostan, a group of Islamic religious leaders gathered in Kolda, Senegal to participate in a discussion on childhood brain development and parental practices. The 39 Pulaar imams and marabouts in attendance came from the Kolda and Kaolack regions of Senegal and spent two days in the seminar organized through Tostan’s Reinforcement of Parental Practices (RPP) team. Similar seminars have already been held by Tostan in Ziguinchor and Kaolack, two of the five regions where the RPP module is being implemented in Senegal…

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 28
@Tostan’s holistic education approach named as 1 of 6 innovations for ending violence against girls http://bit.ly/1lr3FDD @together4girls

Tostan @Tostan Mar 27
@Tostan & our founder @MollyMelching are featured in former U.S Pres. Jimmy Carter’s book ‘A Call to Action @CarterCenter #ACalltoAction

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 26
@JNJGlobalHealth @Joymarini Special note to Tostan’s mobile phones for literacy & dev. program & its impact on girls http://bit.ly/1dvLvy4

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 25
Our Prison Project supports former detainee to use his income-generating skills & start his poultry farming business http://bit.ly/1h5wVfy

United Nations – Selected Meetings Coverage and Press Releases [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

UN Meetings
Security Council Authorizes Year-long Mandate Extension for United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (28 March 2014)
SC/11340

General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region (27 March 2014)
GA/11493

Fifth Committee Considers Financial Implications of Draft Resolution on Strengthening United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System (26 March 2014)
GA/AB/4103

Modern Forms of Slavery Still Thrive among Us, Delegates Tell General Assembly as It Commemorates Transatlantic Slave Trade’s Victims (25 March 2014)
GA/11491

Press Releases
Durable Peace, Security in Africa Crucial to Region’s Transformation, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Forum (28 March 2014)
DSG/SM/761-AFR/2843

Secretary-General Urges All to ‘Harness Power of Sport to Build Better World’ in Message for First International Observance (28 March 2014)
SG/SM/15735-OBV/1321

Secretary-General, Marking International Mine Awareness Day, Highlights Women’s Vital Role in Safeguarding Earth (27 March 2014)
SG/SM/15732-OBV/1319

UNICEF [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_71508.html

Media Releases [selected]
Renewed violence threatens thousands of trapped children in Central African Republic
DAKAR, Senegal 28 March 2014 – With a new wave of fighting and vicious attacks in Central African Republic this week threatening vulnerable families, UNICEF warns that thousands of children, from both Muslim and Christian communities, are especially at risk. UNICEF has confirmed reports of the deaths of at least three children in an attack last night. In the past week of violence, eight children injured by grenade and gunfire have been treated.

UNICEF steps up response in Guinea as Ebola reaches capital
CONAKRY, Guinea/DAKAR, Senegal, 28 March 2014 – Amid an Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF) outbreak, four cases in Conakry have been confirmed yesterday by the Guinean Government. In Guinea’s capital and across the rest of the country, UNICEF is ramping up its activities in support of Guinean authorities to prevent the often fatal disease from claiming even more lives.

Racing against time for children in South Sudan: IKEA Foundation supports UNICEF
GENEVA, 28 March 2014 – The IKEA Foundation today announced a contribution of Euro 1 million to UNICEF in support of its efforts to scale up the emergency response in South Sudan ahead of the imminent rainy season.

Urgent Supplies Reach Remote Areas in South Sudan, with Joint Operation
JUBA, South Sudan, 28 March 2014 – An urgent operation to deliver food, vaccines, nutrition supplements and other vital relief supplies to one of the most isolated areas of conflict-affected South Sudan has begun today, as part of a joint response by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

UNICEF swiftly responds to Ebola outbreak in Guinea
CONAKRY, Guinea/DAKAR, Senegal, 26 March 2014 – With an Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF) outbreak declared in the Southern part of Guinea, 11 suspected cases of children infected have been reported, three of whom have died. In an effort to prevent the severe, often-fatal disease from spreading further, UNICEF immediately rushed in aid and delivered health supplies to the most affected areas.

Time running out for children in South Sudan says UNICEF
NEW YORK, 25 March 2014 – Unless the humanitarian situation inside South Sudan improves rapidly and radically for children and families, nearly a million people – mostly women and children – will face an even greater crisis both inside the South Sudan and in neighbouring countries, UNICEF said today.

UNOCHA [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unocha.org/

Press Releases
28 Mar 2014
Syrian Arab Republic: Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos Statement to the Press on Syria
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Syrian Arab Republic Friday 28 March 2014 Checked against delivery Good afternoon everyone. I would just like to make a very brief statement following my briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria and what has been happening since Resolution 2139 was adopted a month ago. As you know the Secretary–General presented his report earlier this week. I am not going to go into the detail of that…

27 Mar 2014
Syrian Arab Republic: The First United Nations Humanitarian Aid Convoy Enters North of Syria [EN/AR]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey (Mardin/Nusaybin, Turkey, 26 March) The United Nations confirms that its convoy carrying vital humanitarian aid for Syrian civilians who are desperately in need in the north of Syria has crossed the Turkish border at Nusaybin over the past five days. The humanitarian supplies have reached UN warehouses in the city of Qamishli, Northern Syria, from where they will be distributed to people in…

26 Mar 2014
Somalia: Statement attributable to the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr. Sikander Khan
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Country: Somalia (Mogadishu/Nairobi, 27 March 2014): I am deeply concerned that over 10 people were injured, including at least six children, and others were exposed to severe danger due to mortar shelling affecting several densely populated civilian areas in Mogadishu. This attack is a clear violation of international humanitarian law that prohibits indiscriminate attacks as…

26 Mar 2014
World: UN and IGAD strengthen ties on resilience and humanitarian action
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, World, South Sudan (Kampala, 26 March 2014) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) agreed today to enhance their collaboration in disaster preparedness, coordination of humanitarian aid, and advocacy for the protection of civilians affected by conflict and natural disasters. The…

25 Mar 2014
Sudan: Humanitarian situation dramatically deteriorating in Sudan and South Sudan: Scaled-up response urgently needed
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Sudan, South Sudan (New York, 25 March 2014) UN OCHA Operations Director John Ging today expressed deep concern about the massive and growing humanitarian needs in Sudan and the conflict devastating South Sudan and its people. Briefing the press with Yasmine Haque of UNICEF after their week-long visit to Sudan and South Sudan, with fellow Emergency Directors from the Danish Refugee Council, FAO, IOM, UNHCR, WFP and WHO…

WHO & Regionals [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.who.int/en/
WHO: South-East Asia Region certified polio-free
SEAR/PR 1569
New Delhi, 27 March: WHO South-East Asia Region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, was certified polio-free today by an independent commission under the WHO certification process. This is the fourth of six WHO Regions to be certified, marking an important step towards global polio eradication. With this step, 80% of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free regions.
An independent panel of 11 experts in public health, epidemiology, virology, clinical medicine and related specialties constituting the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) met for two days to review evidence from countries before reaching the decision that all 11 countries of the Region are now polio-free and have met the requirements for certification…
… “This is a momentous victory for the millions of health workers who have worked with governments, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and international partners to eradicate polio from the Region. It is a sign of what we can bequeath our children when we work together,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for the WHO South-East Asia Region…
…While celebrating the historic achievement, the WHO Regional Director also sounded a word of caution to maintain high vigilance against importation of polio. “Until polio is globally eradicated, all countries are at risk and the Region’s polio-free status remains fragile. High immunization coverage can prevent an imported virus from finding an underimmunized, susceptible population. A sensitive surveillance system, able to quickly detect and identify any importation and guide a programmatic response, is critical,” she added.

UNDP United Nations Development Program [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.us.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

27 Mar 2014
UN development chief reaffirms support to Typhoon Haiyan recovery
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark today wrapped up a two-day visit to the Philippines focused on post-typhoon recovery and support for the peace process in Mindanao.

27 Mar 2014
Japan and UNDP intensify support to Yolanda recovery efforts
The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) forged an agreement today for additional support to Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) recovery and resilience in the Visayas. As the humanitarian response transitions from relief to recovery, the Japanese Government committed an additional USD 3.5 million (approx. Php 157 million) to support livelihood restoration and to strengthen local government systems and services.

24 Mar 2014
UNDP chief: Inclusion and sustainability key to development progress in Viet Nam
“In considering its next generation of reforms, Viet Nam can opt for an inclusive and sustainable development pathway,” UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said in her keynote address at a conference sharing international experience and lessons for Viet Nam.

24 Mar 2014
Iraq – Working to End Domestic Violence Against Women Refugees of the Syria Conflict

24 Mar 2014
Helen Clark: Keynote Address at the International Conference on Economic Reforms for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: International Experience and Lessons for Viet Nam
Hanoi, Vietnam

UN Women [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at the NGO CSW Forum
Posted on March 27, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri, at the NGO CSW Forum on “What do we want from Beijing+20”, New York, 9 March 2014. More

Budgets respond to the needs of women in Morocco
Posted on March 27, 2014
The needs of women and girls are increasingly being reflected in how governments spend in Morocco and a new organic law of finance passed in January 2014 by the Council of Government has cemented gender throughout the budgeting process. More

My Mother Always Told Me Inaction Is Not an Option
Posted on March 26, 2014
In the words of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women. Cross-posted from the Huffington Post as part of the Global Moms Relay and Global Motherhood partnership with Johnson & Johnson. More

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on Trafficking in human beings
Posted on March 26, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on Trafficking in human beings – A severe form of violence against women and girls and a flagrant violation of human rights, New York, 10 March 2014. More

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on New Approaches to Poverty Eradication among Women with Disabilities
Posted on March 25, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on New Approaches to Poverty Eradication among Women with Disabilities, New York, 19 March 2014.
[see full text in Week in Review above]

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

28 March 2014 – Dispatch
Giving Birth amid Chaos in South Sudan
JUBA, South Sudan – Mary Akuol, 23, cradles her two-week old baby at the entrance of her family’s makeshift tent in Juba III, a civilian protection camp in South Sudan’s capital. With support from UNFPA, Mary was able to deliver safely and continues to learn about family planning, reproductive health, breastfeeding and general child care at maternal clinics in the camp. more

28 March 2014 – Dispatch
Making Sense of Myanmar’s Census
Starting tomorrow evening, Myanmar will conduct its first census in more than 30 years. The country has changed dramatically since the last census was held in 1983, with some areas seeing significant progress and others going underserved, yet it has been challenging for the Government or civil society to gauge or respond to the changing needs of the population. Those issues will soon be tackled. Hundreds of thousands of schoolteachers have been trained as enumerators. From 29 March through 10 April, they will be sent to urban and rural areas to count every person in the country. It is an enormous undertaking, but the exercise – by the Government with support from UNFPA – will help policymakers become better informed, promote the country’s development, and help ensure people’s rights and needs are met. more

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/

FAO Conference in Tunis emphasizes need to mobilize resources in Africa
Focus on 2025 Zero Hunger target for Africa, youth and inclusion.
28 March 2014, Tunis – The FAO Regional Conference for Africa, held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 24 to 28 March 2014, concluded its 28th Session, reaffirming its commitment to food security and sustainable development.
“We have given our full support to the 2025 Zero Hunger target for Africa,” declared FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, in his closing address. He was flanked by Tunisian Prime/…
….A final report adopted by the Conference recognized the importance of enhancing the business opportunities that agriculture offers to African youth as a pathway to social inclusion, food security and sustainable development.
….The African ministers of agriculture recommended member countries allocate dedicated financial resources for youth employment within agricultural and rural development programmes, particularly investments in the technical and entrepreneurial capacity of the region’s youth, as well as their access to key productive resources, notably land and finance…

28-03-2014
First six countries to benefit from Africa-led fund
Africa Solidarity Trust Fund to support ongoing efforts to eradicate hunger, reduce malnutrition and poverty [Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Niger and South Sudan]

28-03-2014
Africa’s youth key to strengthening agricultural economy
More investment needed to create new opportunities for young people in the sector, FAO Director-General tells Regional Conference.

27-03-2014
FAO calls for action to accelerate economic transformation and development in Africa
Despite important economic progress and agricultural successes, Africa remains the world’s most food insecure continent, with relatively low levels of agricultural productivity, low rural incomes, and high rates of malnutrition, FAO said today.
24-03-2014

UNESCO [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/for-the-press/all-news//

Press releases
28 Mar 2014
Record participation in Caribbean tsunami warning exercise

28 Mar 2014
Three laureates for UNESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize

27 Mar 2014
Peng Liyuan named UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education

25 Mar 2014
Technological progress and economic crisis reshape media landscape, according to new UNESCO report — World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development,

23 Mar 2014
The Director-General Opens the 9th Meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Dublin
The 9th Meeting of the Commission focused on the progress made by countries in reaching the Millennium Development Goals and the importance of recognizing broadband in the new global sustainable development agenda that will be set to follow 2015. The discussion explored also the importance of rural broadband for advancing inclusive and sustainable development.
“Our vision goes beyond mere advocacy for broadband enabled networks and services,” said Irina Bokova. “It is the vision that broadband can be an accelerator for inclusive and sustainable growth — opening new paths to create and share knowledge, to widen learning opportunities, to enhance freedom of expression,” she continued. “But this does not happen by itself, it requires will and leadership, and this is why this Commission matters.”

UNCTAD [to 29 March 2014]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/Home.aspx

UNCTAD and Cambodia to step up cooperation
28 Mar –
UNCTAD and Cambodia plan to intensify cooperation following a visit to the country by UNCTAD Secretary-General Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi.
UNCTAD to Support Thailand in Science, Technology and Innovation Policy-making
27 Mar –
Memorandum of Understanding signed between UNCTAD and the National Science Technology and Innovation Policy Office of Thailand.

Global Commodities Forum (7-8 April 2014)
26 Mar –
The theme of UNCTAD’s fifth Global Commodities Forum is: “Global value chains, transparency and commodity-based development”.

Trade facilitation workshop for Latin American and Caribbean countries
26 Mar –
With the WTO’s Bali Package on trade facilitation now in force, UNCTAD held a workshop in the Dominican Republic to help Latin American and Caribbean countries develop trade facilitation (TF) project proposals based on their national TF implementation plans.

”True champion of the South” Gamani Corea honored at tribute seminar
26 Mar –
The ideas of the former UNCTAD Secretary-General, who died in 2013, were discussed in light of current global economic challenges at a special event held in Geneva.

Global value chains under scrutiny at UNCTAD Commodities Forum
25 Mar –
Only 8% of the value created by international supply chains flows to 100-plus developing countries, analysis by UNCTAD suggests, placing the role of “global value chains” in developing countries’ strategies among discussions to be held at UNCTAD’s upcoming Global Commodities Forum.

USAID [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press Releases
U.S. Agency for International Development and 29 Partner Organizations to Launch U.S. Global Development Lab to Help End Extreme Poverty by 2030
March 27, 2014
Former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton delivers keynote address at launch event in New York
On April 3, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah will announce the establishment of the U.S. Global Development Lab at an event in New York City. The launch event will feature a keynote address by former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who has been a strong supporter of the use of science, innovation, and partnerships to further U.S development goals.

Statement by USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health Dr. Ariel Pablos-Méndez
March 27, 2014
South-East Asia Region Achieves Polio-Free Status
Today, the World Health Organization certifies the South-East Asia Region polio-free, marking another major milestone in the global fight against polio, and a significant step to protect all children against this debilitating, but preventable disease. Southeast Asia is the fourth WHO region to be certified polio-free, joining the Americas (1994), and the Western Pacific (2000) and European (2002) regions.

Additional Humanitarian Assistance for the People of South Sudan
March 25, 2014
This morning in South Sudan U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance Nancy Lindborg announced that the United States is providing nearly $83 million in additional humanitarian assistance to the people of South Sudan affected by the recent violence.

DFID [to 29 March 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development
Press release
Britain builds a new generation of global entrepreneurs
Published 27 March 2014
A new volunteering scheme will help young people work in start-up enterprises and companies in fast growing economies like Bangladesh, Nigeria and Tanzania.
Britain’s most promising young entrepreneurs will learn vital commercial skills while working in developing countries under an innovative new volunteering programme announced today by International Development Secretary Justine Greening.
Volunteers will build business skills, confidence and knowledge of overseas markets so they can return home to become the entrepreneurs and business leaders that Britain needs to remain a global success. Meanwhile, host countries will benefit from the volunteers’ hard work, helping them to become more competitive and, ultimately, less reliant on aid.
Ideas and the drive to succeed are what counts and volunteers do not need a degree to apply. The 18 to 25-year-olds selected will spend up to three months working in start-up enterprises and companies in fast growing economies like Bangladesh, Nigeria and Tanzania creating business plans, managing finances, devising marketing and boosting sales…

ECHO [to 29 March 2014]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
Central African Republic: “Only concerted international action can prevent an appalling tragedy from spiralling further out of control”
30/12/2013 – Reacting to the escalating humanitarian catastrophe in the Central African Republic (CAR), Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, has issued a statement.

Central African Republic: EU airlifts emergency shelter to over 100 000 victims of the fighting
28/12/2013 – The European Commission is sending urgently needed supplies to the Central African Republic (CAR) to help with meeting the needs for shelter of the increasing number of the displaced people in the country.

‘Compassion for the weakest is after all linked to the universal concept of humanity’
25/12/2013 – As 2013 is coming to an end, we talked with our Director General for Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection, Mr Claus H. Sørensen, and asked him about his most impressionable memories of the year, from his field trips to the Sahel and Myanmar to the ERCC’s response to Typhoon Haiyan, and his reflections on some of the challenges that lie ahead for ECHO in 2014.

ODI [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.odi.org.uk/
Biofuels and local food security: what does the evidence say?
Publication – Briefing papers – 28 March 2014
ODI Briefings 86
Anna Locke and Giles Henley
As EU governments debate how to increase the volume of low-carbon fuels in the energy mix, they must ensure that adding more biofuels does not worsen hunger in poor countries. While modelling research indicates that rising demand for biofuels can increase global food prices, existing evidence does not allow us to state categorically that biofuels projects worsen local food security in developing countries.

Zero poverty… think again: the impact of climate change on development efforts
Publication – Research reports and studies – 24 March 2014
ODI Working Papers
Miren Gutiérrez, Will McFarland and Lano Fonua
Climate change will affect the achievability of any future development goals through its impacts on areas such as agriculture, water and health, and through its many indirect impacts. This paper reviews what is known about the impacts of climate change on potential post-2015 development goal areas and shows that it is essential for climate change to be addressed in order not to compromise development efforts.

BMC Health Services Research
(Accessed 29 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
Research article
Disaster resilience in tertiary hospitals: a cross-sectional survey in Shandong Province, China
Shuang Zhong, Xiang-Yu Hou, Michele Clark, Yu-Li Zang, Lu Wang, Ling-Zhong Xu and Gerard FitzGerald
Author Affiliations
Open Access
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:135 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-135
Published: 25 March 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/14/135/abstract
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Hospital disaster resilience can be defined as a hospital’s ability to resist, absorb, and respond to the shock of disasters while maintaining critical functions, and then to recover to its original state or adapt to a new one. This study aims to explore the status of resilience among tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China.
Methods
A stratified random sample (n = 50) was derived from tertiary A, tertiary B, and tertiary C hospitals in Shandong Province, and was surveyed by questionnaire. Data on hospital characteristics and 8 key domains of hospital resilience were collected and analysed. Variables were binary, and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies.
Results
A response rate of 82% (n = 41) was attained. Factor analysis identified four key factors from eight domains which appear to reflect the overall level of disaster resilience. These were hospital safety, disaster management mechanisms, disaster resources and disaster medical care capability. The survey demonstrated that in regard to hospital safety, 93% had syndromic surveillance systems for infectious diseases and 68% had evaluated their safety standards. In regard to disaster management mechanisms, all had general plans, while only 20% had specific plans for individual hazards. 49% had a public communication protocol and 43.9% attended the local coordination meetings. In regard to disaster resources, 75.6% and 87.5% stockpiled emergency drugs and materials respectively, while less than a third (30%) had a signed Memorandum of Understanding with other hospitals to share these resources. Finally in regard to medical care, 66% could dispatch an on-site medical rescue team, but only 5% had a ‘portable hospital’ function and 36.6% and 12% of the hospitals could surge their beds and staff capacity respectively. The average beds surge capacity within 1 day was 13%.
Conclusions
This study validated the broad utility of a framework for understanding and measuring the level of hospital resilience. The survey demonstrated considerable variability in disaster resilience arrangements of tertiary hospitals in Shandong province, and the difference between tertiary A hospitals and tertiary B hospitals was also identified in essential areas.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume 8 – Issue 01 – February 2014
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=DMP&tab=currentissue
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Enhancing the Translation of Disaster Health Competencies Into Practice
Lauren Walsha1 c1, Brian A. Altmana1, Richard V. Kinga2 and Kandra Strauss-Riggsa1
a1 Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc; National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Rockville, Maryland
a2 Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9214264&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S193578931400007X
Abstract
Objectives Disaster health workers currently have no common standard based on a shared set of competencies, learning objectives, and performance metrics with which to develop courses or training materials relevant to their learning audience. We examined how existing competency sets correlate within the 2012 pyramidal learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health criteria and describe how this exercise can guide curriculum developers.
Methods We independently categorized 35 disaster health-related competency sets according to the 4 levels and criteria of the pyramidal learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health.
Results Using the hierarchical learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health criteria as guidance, we classified with consistency only 10 of the 35 competency sets.
Conclusions The proposed series of minor modifications to the framework should allow for consistent classification of competency sets. Improved education and training of all health professionals is a necessary step to ensuring that health system responders are appropriately and adequately primed for their role in disasters. Revising the organizing framework should assist disaster health educators in selecting competencies appropriate to their learning audience and identify gaps in current education and training. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;8:70-78)

Globalization and Health
[Accessed 29 March 2014]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
Debate
Mutual learning and reverse innovation–where next?
Nigel Crisp
Author Affiliations
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/10/1/14
Abstract
There is a clear and evident need for mutual learning in global health systems. It is increasingly recognized that innovation needs to be sourced globally and that we need to think in terms of co-development as ideas are developed and spread from richer to poorer countries and vice versa. The Globalization and Health journal’s ongoing thematic series, “Reverse innovation in global health systems: learning from low-income countries” illustrates how mutual learning and ideas about so-called “reverse innovation” or “frugal innovation” are being developed and utilized by researchers and practitioners around the world. The knowledge emerging from the series is already catalyzing change and challenging the status quo in global health. The path to truly “global innovation flow”, although not fully established, is now well under way. Mobilization of knowledge and resources through continuous communication and awareness raising can help sustain this movement. Global health learning laboratories, where partners can support each other in generating and sharing lessons, have the potential to construct solutions for the world. At the heart of this dialogue is a focus on creating practical local solutions and, simultaneously, drawing out the lessons for the whole world.

Health Economics, Policy and Law
Volume 9 / Issue 02 / April 2014
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=HEP&tab=currentissue
Articles
Trends in health and health inequalities among major states of India: assessing progress through convergence models
Srinivas Golia1 c1 and Perianayagam Arokiasamya2
a1 Assistant Professor, Department of Development Studies, Giri Institute of Development Studies, Uttar Pradesh, India
a2 Professor, Department of Development Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Convergence in health and health inequalities reflects not only a sense of equity, but also provides a critical assessment tool for monitoring the health progress of differently placed individuals. This study examines convergence hypothesis for health and health inequalities across major Indian states, using both standard and cutting-edge convergence metrics. The findings lend support to the convergence in average health status among the states and the socioeconomic group of India, examined through select health indicators. However, results also suggest a setback in convergence in decline of health inequalities in recent times, particularly in life expectancy at birth, child immunization and underweight. Evidence signals that from the late 1990s, convergence in decline of health inequalities are replaced by emerging divergence. This paper contributes to health policy and planning by identifying areas where, India needs to work to achieve efficiency with equity in health status across geographical divisions and social groups.

Infectious Diseases of Poverty

[Accessed 29 March 2014]
Research Article
A qualitative exploration of Pakistan’s street children, as a consequence of the poverty-disease cycle
Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah1*, Zeeshan Basharat2, Omairulhaq Lodhi1, Muhammad Hisham Khan Wazir1, Hameeda Tayyab Khan1, Nargis Yousaf Sattar1 and Adnan Zahid3
Author Affiliations
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2014, 3:11 doi:10.1186/2049-9957-3-11
Published: 24 March 2014
http://www.idpjournal.com/content/3/1/11/abstract
Abstract
Background
Street children are a global phenomenon, with an estimated population of around 150 million across the world. These children include those who work on the streets but retain their family contacts, and also those who practically live on the streets and have no or limited family contacts. In Pakistan, many children are forced to work on the streets due to health-related events occurring at home which require children to play a financially productive role from an early stage. An explanatory framework adapted from the poverty-disease cycle has been used to elaborate these findings.
Methods
This study is a qualitative study, and involved 19 in-depth interviews and two key informant interviews, conducted in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from February to May 2013. The data was audio taped and transcribed. Key themes were identified and built upon. The respondents were contacted through a gatekeeper ex-street child who was a member of the street children community.
Results
We asked the children to describe their life stories. These stories led us to the finding that street children are always forced to attain altered social roles because health-related problems, poverty, and large family sizes leave them no choice but to enter the workforce and earn their way. We also gathered information regarding high-risk practices and increased risks of sexual and substance abuse, based on the street children’s increased exposure. These children face the issue of social exclusion because diseases and poverty push them into a life full of risks and hazards; a life which also confines their social role in the future.
Conclusion
The street child community in Pakistan is on the rise. These children are excluded from mainstream society, and the absence of access to education and vocational skills reduces their future opportunities. Keeping in mind the implications of health-related events on these children, robust inter-sectoral interventions are required