UN Division for Sustainable Development [to 22 March 2014]
http://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/index.html
Meetings
Second meeting of the high-level political forum on sustainable development 30 Jun – 9 Jul 2014 –
Tenth session of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals
31 Mar 2014 – 4 Apr 2014
Outreach meeting in Helsinki for Intergovernmental committee of experts on sustainable development financing
3 Apr 2014 – 4 Apr 2014
UNDP United Nations Development Program [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.us.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html
22 Mar 2014
World Water Day 2014: Water and Energy – Twin benefits from UNDP/Coca-Cola projects
The concept of ‘water and energy’ – the theme of key water events in 2014 – can conjure up thoughts of large cooling towers in power stations and the hefty power needs of industrial-scale water-treatment plants. But on a much smaller scale, within communities, water and energy also go hand in hand – as is happening in the community water projects of ‘Every Drop Matters’, an innovative partnership between the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and The Coca-Cola Company.
21 Mar 2014
Putting an end to the racial divide
Around 20 to 30 percent of the Latin America and Caribbean population is of African descent. Even though citizens of African ancestry comprise more than half of the population in countries like Brazil, throughout the region they still face discrimination and experience disproportionate levels of poverty and social exclusion.
20 Mar 2014
International experts discuss the reduction of inequalities in middle-income countries in the Post-2015 Agenda
The Government of Spain, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), opened the workshop on “Development with equality: Reducing inequality in middle-income countries” in Salamanca.
19 Mar 2014
Helen Clark: Speech at the UN Security Council’s public briefing on Post-conflict Peacebuilding
19 Mar 2014
UNDP, Government of Japan Support to Improve Livelihoods of People in Tajikistan and Afghanistan
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Tajikistan signed today an Exchange of Note with the Government of Japan and Grant Agreement with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to support the “ Project for Livelihood Improvement in Tajik-Afghan Cross-border Areas (LITACA)”.
UN Women [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/
21/03/2014
Collecting and carrying water, burdensome reality for women
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/
22 March 2014 – Statement
UNFPA Welcomes Outcome of the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women
UNITED NATIONS, New York — UNFPA, The United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the agreement by the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that clearly reaffirms the international community’s commitments to gender equality and the empowerment and human rights of women and girls. We also welcome the Commission’s reaffirmation of the importance of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development. more
21 March 2014 – Press Release
Italian Priest and Medical Doctor, American NGO, Win 2014 United Nations Population Award
UNITED NATIONS, New York — A Catholic priest and a non-profit organization specializing in maternal health have been named the winners of the 2014 United Nations Population Award. The General Assembly established the award in 1981 to recognize outstanding achievement in the fields of population and health. more
20 March 2014 – In the News
Syria’s Refugees Meet Mama Munira
ZA’ATARI REFUGEE CAMP, Jordan — Over the past three years, Syria’s civil war has left more than 130,000 dead and forced millions to flee to neighbouring countries like Jordan. In the midst of this catastrophe, one extraordinary woman remains focused on her work: changing lives for the better. more
19 March 2014 – Press Release
An Estimated 200,000 Pregnant Women in Syria in Need of Urgent Care, Warns UNFPA
AMMAN, Jordan — As the conflict in Syria enters its fourth year, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is calling for urgent support to protect the lives of the country’s estimated 200,000 pregnant women, including an estimated 1,480 women who give birth in dire conditions every day. more
18 March 2014 – Dispatch
Engaging Adolescent Boys and Young Men for Gender Equality
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Adolescent boys and young men are critical allies in the battle for gender equality and must be proactively and positively engaged at an early stage. They can be educated to challenge gender stereotypes, promote positive constructions of masculinity, and practice attitudes and behaviours based on equality and respect for human rights. This was the focus of discussions at a side-event hosted by UNFPA during the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. more
17 March 2014 – Dispatch
Sound of Silence: Dealing with the Legacy of Sexual Violence as a Weapon of War
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Women often suffer the worst consequences of armed conflict. As targets of sexual violence, they endure unspeakable atrocities on the margins of the world’s battlefields. As part of this year’s Commission on Status of Women, UNFPA co-hosted a high-level panel addressing sexual violence in conflict and the needs of victims and survivors, with a special emphasis on learning from the experiences of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Rwanda. The event was also the occasion to launch “Sound of Silence”, a book of photographs that portrays the lives of women survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Bosnia and Herzegovina.
FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/
Audio
2nd International Day of Forests 2014
21 March 2014, Rome – Today marks the second annual International Day of Forests. FAO Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, gave his address earlier today FAO headquarters in Rome, remarking on the importance of forests and the dangers of neglecting them and those who sustain them. Often those who benefit from the forestry sector are removed from the impact these natural resources have on our lives. From their role in maintaining global climatic equilibrium, protecting our soils, regulating the water cycle, preserving biodiversity, providing livelihoods and providing food for forest-dependent peoples, forests serve as a source for valuable, renewable (…)
Central African Republic: avoiding food crisis
19 March 2014, Rome – The World Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the Central African Republic (CAR) government are joining forces to help prevent a full-scale food and nutrition crisis in the conflict-stricken nation. The World Bank is funding the $8 million agreement with FAO as part of a comprehensive $20 million program that includes support to agriculture and food aid assistance. Most communities have reported to FAO that they do not have enough seeds to plant after widespread fighting in the country has resulted in the plunder and destruction of seed stocks (…)
Global view of planetary land cover
17 March 2014, Rome- A new FAO database collects previously scattered and unharmonized land cover information from around the globe into one centralized database. This marks a major improvement in information regarding the physical characteristics of the Earth’s surface. Getting a good global overview of land cover – such as, how much land is covered by croplands, tree covered areas, bare soils, etc. – has been a great challenge of experts in the field, until now. Generally speaking, different countries and organizations go about identifying, measuring and recording such data in diverse ways. For FAO’s new Global Land Cover SHARE (…)
UNESCO [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/for-the-press/all-news//
23 March 2013
The Director-General Opens the 9th Meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Dublin
23 March 2013
South Sudanese youth document community voices on conflict and peace
20 March 2013
United Nations report warns rising energy demand will stress fresh water resources
20 March 2013
UNESCO and Uruguay Establish a Regional Centre for Groundwater Management for Latin America and the Caribbean
20 March 2013
Namibia developing national programme for research, science, technology and innovation
17 March 2013
UNESCO Director-General urges greater mobilization for girls’ education at Dubai Global Education and Skills Forum
16 March 2013
UNESCO and Samsung announce partnership
WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization) [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.wipo.int/portal/en/index.html
Expansion of Domain Name Space May Shift Trademark Protection Strategies
The unprecedented expansion of the Internet domain name space, until now dominated by .com and a handful of other generic top-level domains (gTLDs), is likely to disrupt existing strategies for trademark protection on the web.
Mar 17, 2014 PR/2014/756
USAID [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press Releases
USAID Announces Water Desalination Prize Competition
Friday, March 21, 2014
Today the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Swedish International Development Agency, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of The Netherlands announced the launch of the Desal Prize for innovations in brackish water desalination. The Desal Prize is part of the $32 million Securing Water for Food: A Grand Challenge for Development. The U.S. Bureau for Reclamation is providing support in the design and implementation of the prize.
Impact Blog
Meeting Water, Food and Health Needs in Kenya
by Chris Holmes, Global Water Coordinator and Deputy Assistant Administrator on 21st March 2014
On this World Water Day 2014, I am encouraged by how USAID’s water programs around the world contribute to integrated
Read more »
Registering for Democracy in Yemen
by Elisabeth Kvitashvili, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Middle East on 20th March 2014
Yemen is poised to launch a high-tech Biometric Voter Registry (BVR) system representing a significant step forward in the development of a credible voter registry in that country.
Improving Agriculture to Help Lift Nigerian Families Out of Poverty
by Alex Thier, Assistant to the Administrator, Bureau for Policy Planning and Learning on 19th March 2014
USAID/Nigeria has been investing in several agriculture activities such as Thai Farms to support local farmers. In fact, Maximizing Agricultural Revenue and Key Enterprises in Targeted Sites (MARKETS II) is the Nigeria Mission’s flagship agriculture activity. This project seeks to connect local farmers to markets, introduce new technology and partnerships, and provide training to farmers to improve production capacity.
Building Skills and Promoting Collaboration among the Middle East and North Africa’s Budding Journalists
by Wafaa El Adawy on 19th March 2014
The success of the democratic transitions underway around the Middle East and North Africa will depend on well-informed voters educated by a professional and objective media.
Experts and Practitioners Discuss Global Trends in Civil Society
by Pamela Nwaoko and Kellie Burk, USAID Africa Bureau on 18th March 2014
USAID relies on local civil society organizations (CSOs) to play important roles in the development and humanitarian efforts that we support worldwide. However, current trends of governments placing restrictions on CSOs are requiring donors to find new and better ways to support civil society in difficult circumstances.
Maintaining Women’s Potential in Yemen
by Elisabeth Kvitashvili, Deputy Assistant Administrator, Bureau for Middle East on 18th March 2014
ECHO [to 22 March 2014]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
World Water Day, 2014: 2.5 billion people lack adequate access to sanitation
22/3/2014 – Water is an essential component for life, yet some 2.5 billion people around the world are still lacking sufficient access to it. Put in proportion, that is five times as many as the entire population of the EU.
Central African Republic: European Union airlifts emergency aid relief
17/03/2014 – For the third time, the European Commission is transporting urgently needed humanitarian assistance directly into the conflict-stricken Central African Republic (CAR). The aid is needed as the humanitarian situation in the country remains dramatic.
ODI [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.odi.org.uk/
Humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors: key lessons from Afghanistan, Sudan and Somalia
Publication – Briefing papers – 18 March 2014
HPG Policy Briefs
Ashley Jackson
Drawn from over 500 interviews with aid workers, members of armed groups (including the Taliban, Al-Shabaab and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North) and others, this policy brief highlights key lessons from a two-year research project on humanitarian negotiations with armed non-state actors in Afghanistan, Somalia and Sudan.
Report: http://www.odi.org.uk/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/8847.pdf
Building natural capital: how REDD+ can support a Green Economy
Publication – Research reports and studies – 21 March 2014
UNEP
This report, on the current status and future potential of REDD+, describes the many benefits of forests and other ecosystems as a way of demonstrating that forests have multiple values beyond carbon sequestration and indeed are a foundation for sustainable societies. In doing so it provides a summary of the elements necessary for integrating REDD+ into a green economy, providing policymakers with innovative ideas for supporting economic development while maintaining or increasing forest cover.
Publication
Adaptation to Climate Change in Water, Sanitation and Hygiene – assessing risks, appraising options in Africa
21 Mar 2014
Publication
Food prices update March 2014
21 Mar 2014
Publication
Building natural capital: how REDD+ can support a Green Economy
21 Mar 2014
Publication
The economics of climate change adaptation in Africa’s water sector: a review and a way forward
21 Mar 2014
OECD [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.oecd.org/
REPORT | WELLBEING AND POLICY – 2014
OECD Guidelines on Measuring Subjective Well-being
Gus O’Donnell (Chair) and Angus Deaton, Martine Durand, David Halpern, Richard Layard
Commissioned by the Legatum Institute
PROLOGUE
The Legatum Institute established the Commission on Wellbeing and Policy to advance the policy debate on social wellbeing. This report aims to give policy makers a greater understanding of how wellbeing data can be used to improve public policy and advance prosperity.
The Legatum Institute is founded upon the principle that prosperity is a more capacious idea than can be expressed by a purely material measure such as Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Consequently the Institute’s own Prosperity Index is based on both wealth and wellbeing.
The Legatum Institute has sponsored the Commission on Wellbeing and Policy in order to help stimulate a debate as to if and how wellbeing analysis should influence government policy.
The Commission operated independently of the Legatum Institute and its views do not necessarily reflect those of the Institute.
CONCLUSION
This report reflects a widespread wish to reappraise the goals of our society. Organisations such as the EU and the OECD have for some years been discussing issues such as ‘What is progress?’ or ‘Beyond GDP’. We hope our report contributes to this debate, and shows how the lens of wellbeing can lead to concrete changes of direction. These changes include new ways of policy analysis and new policy priorities. Worldwide, people long for a more satisfying life. If leaders focus more on that objective, we could indeed have a better world.
IMF [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
Speech: China’s Youth: Global Leaders, Global Citizen, by Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
Tsinghua University, Beijing, March 23, 2014
Opening Remarks at the China Development Forum
March 23, 2014
World Bank [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
New Field Guide Explores Open Data Innovations in Disaster Risk and Resilience
From Indonesia to Bangladesh to Nepal, community members armed with smartphones and GPS systems are contributing to some of the most extensive and versatile maps ever created, helping inform policy and better prepare their communities for disaster risk.In Jakarta, more than 500 community members have been trained to collect data on thousands of hospitals, schools, private buildings, and critical infrastructure. In Sri Lanka, government and academic volunteers mapped over 30,000 buildings and 450 km of roadways using a collaborative online resource called OpenStreetMaps.These are just a few of the projects that have been catalyzed by the Open Data for Resilience Initiative (OpenDRI), developed by the World Bank’s Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). Launched in 2011, OpenDRI is active in more than 20 countries today, mapping tens of thousands of buildings and urban infrastructure, providing more than 1,000 geospatial datasets to the public, and developing innovations…
The Sphere Project [to 22 March 2014]
http://www.sphereproject.org/news/
Alistair Dutton appointed Sphere Project Interim Manager
21 March 2014 | Sphere Project
The Sphere Project Board has appointed Alistair Dutton as the Project’s Interim Manager. Dutton will take over the position on April 1. Dutton brings over 15 years of experience managing and coordinating relief and development programmes in more than 50 countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America to the Sphere Project.
For the past five years, Dutton has been the Humanitarian Director of Caritas Internationalis. Previously, he was Head of the Humanitarian Programmes Unit for Africa at Christian Aid. He also held humanitarian posts with CAFOD, Catholic Relief Services and the Jesuit Refugee Service. As Interim Manager, Dutton will be based at the Sphere Project office, which is hosted by the International Council of Voluntary Agencies (ICVA) in Geneva, Switzerland…
BMC Health Services Research
(Accessed 22 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
Research article
The long walk to universal health coverage: patterns of inequities in the use of primary healthcare services in Enugu, Southeast Nigeria
Ijeoma L Okoronkwo, Obinna E Onwujekwe, Francis O Ani BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:132 (21 March 2014)
Abstract | Provisional PDF
Background
Knowledge and understanding of health service usage are necessary for health resource allocation, planning and monitoring the achievement of universal coverage (UHC). There is limited information on patterns of utilization among adult users of primary health care (PHC) services. Lack of understanding of current and past utilization patterns of health services often hinders the improvement of future Primary Health Care (PHC) delivery in the remote areas of developing countries. This paper presents new knowledge on the patterns of utilization of PHC services among adults in Enugu metropolis southeast Nigeria.
Methods
A cross-sectional study was conducted in 15 PHC facilities of Enugu North Local Government Area (LGA) from June to July 2012. A total of 360 consenting adult users aged 18 years and above were consecutively recruited as they attended the health facilities. An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from the respondents. A modified Likert scale questionnaire was used to analyze data on patterns of utilization. Utilization of PHC services was compared by gender, socio-economic status (SES) and level of education.
Results
Out of the 360 respondents, (46.9%) utilized PHC services regularly. The components of PHC mostly utilized by respondents were immunization with a mean score of 3.05, treatment of common ailments (2.99) and maternal and child health (2.64). The least poor SES group utilized PHC services the most while the very poor and poor SES groups used PHC services least. There were statistically significant relationships between utilization of PHC services and gender (p = 0.0084), level of education (p = 0.0366) and income (p = 0.0001).
Conclusions
Most adult users in this study did not utilize the health facilities regularly and there were gender, educational and SES inequities in the use of PHC services. These inequities will negate the achievement of universal health coverage with PHC services and should be remedied using appropriate interventions.
BMC Health Services Research
(Accessed 22 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
Research article
Community participation to design rural primary healthcare services
Jane Farmer, Amy Nimegeer BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:130 (21 March 2014)
Abstract | Provisional PDF
Background
This paper explores how community participation can be used in designing rural primary healthcare services by describing a study of Scottish communities. Community participation is extolled in healthcare policy as useful in planning services and is understood as particularly relevant in rural settings, partly due to high social capital. Literature describes many community participation methods, but lacks discussion of outcomes relevant to health system reconfiguration. There is a spectrum of ideas in the literature on how to design services, from top-down standard models to contextual plans arising from population health planning that incorporates community participation. This paper addresses an evidence gap about the outcomes of using community participation in (re)designing rural community health services.
Methods
Community-based participatory action research was applied in four Scottish case study communities in 2008-10. Data were collected from four workshops held in each community (total 16) and attended by community members. Workshops were intended to produce hypothetical designs for future service provision. Themes, rankings and selections from workshops are presented.
Results
Community members identified consistent health priorities, including local practitioners, emergency triage, anticipatory care, wellbeing improvement and health volunteering. Communities designed different service models to address health priorities. One community did not design a service model and another replicated the current model despite initial enthusiasm for innovation.
Conclusions
Communities differ in their receptiveness to engaging in innovative service design, but some will create new models that fit in a given budget. Design diversity indicates that context influences local healthcare planning, suggesting community participation impacts on design outcomes, but standard service models maybe useful as part of the evidence in community participation discussions.
BMC Public Health
(Accessed 22 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content
Study protocol
Effectiveness of a smart phone app on improving immunization of children in rural Sichuan Province, China: study protocol for a paired cluster randomized controlled trial
Li Chen, Wei Wang, Xiaozhen Du, Xiuqin Rao, Michelle van Velthoven, Ruikan Yang, Lin Zhang, Jeanne Koepsell, Ye Li, Qiong Wu, Yanfeng Zhang BMC Public Health 2014, 14:262 (20 March 2014)
Abstract |
Background
Although good progress has been achieved in expanding immunization of children in China, disparities exist across different provinces. Information gaps both from the service supply and demand sides hinder timely vaccination of children in rural areas. The rapid development of mobile health technology (mHealth) provides unprecedented opportunities for improving health services and reaching underserved populations. However, there is a lack of literature that rigorously evaluates the impact of mHealth interventions on immunization coverage as well as the usability and feasibility of smart phone applications (apps). This study aims to assess the effectiveness of a smart phone-based app (Expanded Program on Immunization app, or EPI app) on improving the coverage of children’s immunization.
Methods/Design
This cluster randomized trial will take place in Xuanhan County, Sichuan Province, China. Functionalities of the app include the following: to make appointments automatically, record and update children’s immunization information, generate a list of children who missed their vaccination appointments, and send health education information to village doctors. After pairing, 36 villages will be randomly allocated to the intervention arm (n = 18) and control arm (n = 18). The village doctors in the intervention arm will use the app while the village doctors in the control arm will record and manage immunization in the usual way in their catchment areas. A household survey will be used at baseline and at endline (8 months of implementation). The primary outcome is full-dose coverage and the secondary outcome is immunization coverage of the five vaccines that are included in the national Expanded Program on Immunization program as well as Hib vaccine, Rotavirus vaccine and Pneumococcal conjugate vaccine. Multidimensional evaluation of the app will also be conducted to assess usability and feasibility.
Discussion
This study is the first to evaluate the effectiveness of a smart phone app for child immunization in rural China. This study will contribute to the knowledge about the usability and feasibility of a smart phone app for managing immunization in rural China and to similar populations in different settings.
Global Public Health
Volume 9, Issue 3, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current#.Uq0DgeKy-F9
Political commitment to tuberculosis control in Ghana
Joshua Amo-Adjei
pages 299-311
DOI:10.1080/17441692.2014.880500
Published online: 13 Feb 2014
Abstract
As part of expanding and sustaining tuberculosis (TB) control, the Stop TB Partnership of the World Health Organization initiative has called for strong political commitment to TB control, particularly in developing countries. Framing political commitment within the theoretical imperatives of the political economy of health, this study explores the existing and the expected dimensions of political commitment to TB control in Ghana. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 29 purposively selected staff members of the Ghana Health Service and some political officeholders. In addition, the study analysed laws, policies and regulations relevant to TB control. Four dimensions of political commitment emerged from the interviews: provision of adequate resources (financial, human and infrastructural); political authorities’ participation in advocacy for TB; laws and policies’ promulgation and social protection interventions. Particularly in respect to financial resources, donors such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria presently give more than 60% of the working budget of the programme. The documentary review showed that laws, policies and regulations existed that were relevant to TB control, albeit they were not clearly linked.
Global Public Health
Volume 9, Issue 3, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rgph20/current#.Uq0DgeKy-F9
Old-age pensions and population health: A global and cross-national perspective
Ola Sjöberg
pages 271-285
Abstract
Social security schemes can reduce poverty risk and increase resources available for individuals and families, and these schemes may therefore have an important role to play in population health in both high- and middle-income countries. This article analyses the linkage between effective coverage of old-age pension schemes and life expectancy in a sample of 93 high- and middle-income countries at the end of the twenty-first century. The analyses support the notion that social security schemes, and especially programmes with a universal approach, may have positive effects on population health, even after taking into account the effect of levels of economic development, income inequality and essential characteristics of health care systems. This article also demonstrates that there is no evident relationship between levels of economic development and social security legislation: historically, late industrialisers were often first in introducing major social security schemes, and today there is no clear cross-national relationship between levels of economic development and the proportion of the population covered by old-age pension schemes.
Journal of Immigrant and Minority Health
Volume 16, Issue 2, April 2014
http://link.springer.com/journal/10903/16/2/page/1
Pathways to Understand Help-Seeking Behaviors Among Haitians
Billie Schwartz, Darren Bernal, Lauren Smith, Guerda Nicolas
http://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10903-012-9751-y
Abstract
The earthquake in Haiti led to an outpouring of outreach from groups of the Haitian international community as well as to residents of the island. Thus, an understanding of the help-seeking behavior patterns of this group is necessary to make meaning of their receptivity of assistance in a time of need. This paper summarizes help-seeking behavior patterns of 150 Haitian immigrants residing in the US. The results indicate that, overall, this sample was more likely to go to their family for assistance, regardless of the nature of the problem. In contrast, they were least likely to go to professionals for help, even when in need of emotional assistance. Given the increased rate of Haitians living outside of Haiti and around the world, a more comprehensive understanding of their mental health needs, coping patterns, and barriers to seeking help from mental health professionals is warranted.
GE2P2 Global :: Knowledge Sharing; Ideas; Operations 