UNICEF [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_71508.html

Media Releases [selected]
New Zealand Rugby and UNICEF announce new international partnership for children
AUCKLAND, 20 June 2014 – New Zealand Rugby (NZR) and UNICEF today announced an international partnership which will see the All Blacks, and all other New Zealand Rugby teams, support UNICEF’s work in improving the lives of children and communities around the world.

Campaign by UNICEF and Save the Dream calls on people to report violence against children
BRASILIA/RIO DE JANEIRO, 20 June 2014 – The campaign “It’s in your hands to protect” invites people to call “Disque 100” and other organizations that specialize in child protection to report incidents of violence against children and adolescents

UNICEF STATEMENT ON WORLD REFUGEE DAY: On the run and at risk
NEW YORK, 20 June 2014 – “As violence plagues Syria and other countries across the region, record numbers of displaced children are seeking sanctuary in Europe, putting them at increased risk – both from the perils of the Mediterranean crossing and the uncertainty of what awaits them in host countries. Many more child refugees are expected as ‘boat season’ increases the number of people attempting to make their desperate journey.

UNICEF to roll out mass vaccination campaign in Kurdistan region of Iraq
ERBIL, Iraq, 19 June 2014 – UNICEF and Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) authorities have agreed to urgent measures to prevent the spread of polio and other diseases among the large number of children displaced by continuing violence into the Kurdish Region of Iraq.

UNICEF statement on Tweet by National Ambassador of the Dutch National Committee for UNICEF
NEW YORK, 19 June 2014 – The football related tweet issued yesterday in her private capacity by Nicolette Van Dam, who is also a national ambassador for the Dutch National Committee for UNICEF, was inappropriate and highly offensive. UNICEF condemns its content.

UNICEF airlifts humanitarian supplies for displaced, conflict-affected children in Iraq
ERBIL, Iraq, 18 June 2014 – A cargo plane carrying emergency supplies for children affected by the conflict in Iraq arrived in Erbil on Tuesday.

UNICEF steps up lifesaving interventions in north-eastern Nigeria
BAUCHI, Nigeria, 18 June 2014 – UNICEF is scaling up its support to conflict-affected communities in north-eastern Nigeria to improve health, nutrition, and water and sanitation services.

New Yemen report shows girls lagging behind
SANA’A, Yemen, 17 June 2014 – Girls in Yemen continue to lag behind boys, with fewer chances to go to school and reach their potential and increased vulnerability to early marriage and maternal mortality, according to new research by UNICEF and the Government of Yemen launched today.

UNICEF and partners vaccinating over 1.1 million people in Guinea to halt meningitis outbreak
CONAKRY, Guinea, 16 June 2014 – This weekend, the Government of Guinea, the World Health Organization, and UNICEF completed a vaccination campaign in the country’s Eastern Region where a recent meningitis outbreak has already caused at least 52 deaths since the beginning of the year.

UNHCR [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/hom

20 June 2014
Resolve conflicts or face surge in life-long refugees worldwide, warns UNHCR Special Envoy

20 June 2014
Global forced displacement tops 50 million for first time since World War II – UNHCR Report
[see treatment in Week in Review above]

19 June 2014
UNHCR opens a new office in southern Syria and transfers humanitarian assistance convoys across the Jordanian border to Syria

18 June 2014
Ending gender discrimination in nationality laws

18 June 2014
UN High Commissioner for Refugees lauds Africa Refugee Convention, at 40, for saving millions of lives

16 June 2014
New manual to check immigration detention conditions launched
[see treatment in Week in Review above]

UNOCHA [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.unocha.org/

Press Releases
21 Jun 2014
World: World Humanitarian Summit Consultation in Africa helps shape Future of Humanitarian Aid: Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Côte d’Ivoire, World
(Abidjan, 20 June 2014): Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos, today wrapped up a two-day regional consultation on the future of humanitarian aid, held in Abidjan, saying that West and Central Africa’s experiences will be crucial in the global effort at reforming humanitarian aid…

20 Jun 2014
World: OCHA: ‘Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow’, NEW interactive website
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: World
Today OCHA launched an online interactive advocacy campaign on its new policy report, Saving Lives Today and Tomorrow: Managing the Risk of Humanitarian Crises, with the aim of encouraging a paradigm shift towards a more preventative and anticipatory approach to humanitarian crises. The campaign is available at: http://www.unocha.org/saving-lives
in English and French – http://www.unocha.org/saving-lives/fr.html

20 Jun 2014
Yemen: Humanitarian Coordinator calls for full humanitarian access in Amran Governorate
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen
Country: Yemen
New York, 20 June 2014 – The Humanitarian Coordinator in Yemen, Mr. Johannes Van Der Klaauw, has called on parties to the conflict in Amran Governorate to ensure that aid organisations have full access to all civilians in need of assistance wherever they are in the governorate. He also stressed that roads must be open to movement of humanitarian assistance…
and that…

20 Jun 2014
Iraq: Statement on the humanitarian situation in Iraq
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq
Country: Iraq
Jacqueline Badcock, United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq
20 June 2014 I am deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation for hundreds of thousands of women, children and men in Iraq who have been forced from their homes by the recent upsurge in violent conflict. The United Nations estimate that half a million people have fled Mosul and…

20 Jun 2014
World: “A New Direction for Regional ‘Disaster Management’ Capacity Building – Keeping Step with Changing Times” – 20th Regional Disaster Managers Meeting
Source: Secretariat of the Pacific Community, UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: World Annual Meeting of the Heads of National Disaster Management Offices of Pacific Island Countries and Territories 5th – 6th June 2014, Novotel Hotel, Suva, Fiji
KEY OUTCOMES The 20th Regional Disaster Managers Meeting was convened jointly by the Secretariat of the Pacific Community and the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs at the Novotel Hotel,…

19 Jun 2014
Mali: Major humanitarian needs remain in Mali – more must be done to make peace a reality, says OCHA Operations Director
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Country: Mali
(New York, 19 June 2014): John Ging, Operations Director for the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, told media after a three-day visit to Mali that life- saving assistance is still urgently needed across the country and more must be done to build a lasting peace. “Humanitarian needs will continue to grow in Mali if there isn’t a full commitment by all to peace and stability,”…

19 Jun 2014
Philippines: Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda) Consolidated Cluster Briefs 19 June 2014

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction
http://www.unisdr.org/

19 Jun 2014
Statements & speeches
Safer climate disasters
Too often, participants in the climate-change debate make an erroneous distinction between protecting ourselves from the longer-term impact of global warming and better preparing ourselves against today’s extreme weather events. Recent reports from the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) have sought to break down this artificial divide. While seeking to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions, we must work toward more effective disaster-risk management. Read more at http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/kristalina-georgieva-and-margareta-wahlstr-m-issue-a-call-for-greater-efforts-to-reduce-the-risks-associated-with-extreme-weather-events#hI8kyUIVDU0bCluj.99

18 Jun 2014
News briefs
The Tacloban Declaration
As Typhoon Haiyan recovery efforts continue and the country prepares for a new typhoon season, President Benigno Aquino of the Philippines has stressed the importance of mounting “a focused international effort to address the threats posed by climate change, and to build communities that are resilient in the face of disaster.”

16 Jun 2014
News briefs
Top developer makes case for DRR
The head of one of the world’s leading property developers today called on business enterprises to take advantage of new market opportunities in products and services that address disaster risk reduction.

WHO & Regionals [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.who.int/en/

WHO responds to deteriorating humanitarian situation in Iraq
16 June, 2014
Excerpt
WHO is working with local and international partners in Iraq to meet the urgent health needs of populations affected by the ongoing crisis.
The humanitarian situation in Iraq has deteriorated dramatically in the last few days, especially in the regions of Ninewa, Salaheddin and Diyala provinces. More than 500 000 people are estimated to have fled their homes in Mosul and surrounding areas. An estimated 100 000 have entered Erbil and 200 000 have fled to Dohuk. Almost 25 000 are seeking shelter in schools and mosques in Mosul City, many with no access to drinking- water, as the main water station for the area was destroyed by bombing, and food shortages are being reported. As the fighting continues, hundreds of thousands more are stranded at checkpoints with no belongings or money for housing, food, water or medical care. Accurate figures of casualties are unavailable but stand in the hundreds.
WHO is concerned about the health situation, which is expected to deteriorate given increasing numbers of people requiring humanitarian assistance and the difficulties faced in channelling human resources and logistics from Baghdad to affected areas.
Immediate and critical health risks of concern to WHO include the spread of measles, which is endemic in Mosul and could potentially lead to outbreaks, especially in overcrowded areas where internally-displaced persons are located. The spread of polio is also a high risk as new cases were reported in the country earlier this year as a result of the Syria crisis.
To monitor disease outbreaks, WHO has strengthened its disease early warning alert and response system in Kurdistan and Mosul. WHO is also launching emergency polio and measles vaccination activities for internally-displaced persons with the directorates of health in Dohuk and Erbil….

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

19 Jun 2014
Helen Clark: Opening Statement at the Conference on International Development Co-operation: Trends and Emerging Opportunities -Perspectives of the New Actors co-hosted by UNDP and the Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA)
Istanbul, Turkey

18 Jun 2014
Spatial disparity between the capital and the atolls contribute to Human Development gap
The last decade has seen the Maldives achieve remarkable progress on the developmental front. It has gained significant economic growth, confirmed by its graduation to a middle-income country in 2011, and is the first MDG plus country in South Asia having met five out of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

18 Jun 2014
New hub to bring investment and innovation in clean energy to Asia and the Pacific
A new regional hub launched here today will help mobilize investment and innovative solutions to bring clean, modern energy to those who do not have it in Asia and the Pacific.

17 Jun 2014
In Paris, donors pledge USD 11 billion to boost the economy of Benin
Meeting in Paris, the international community promised to contribute USD 11 billion to support the economic recovery of Benin, exceeding the small West African nation’s fundraising goals.

16 Jun 2014
UNDP and JICA Workshop in Addis Ababa to Support Local Government/Local Governance in Conflict-affected States
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) today opened a two-day joint workshop on Supporting Local Government/Local Governance in Conflict-affected States.

UN Women [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/

‘Ending all forms of discrimination and violence against women by 2030 is the mission of our time’ – Executive Director
Posted on June 19, 2014
Closing remarks of UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the Executive Board Annual Session, 19 June 2014, New York.

UN organizations call for an end to forced, coercive and involuntary sterilization
Posted on June 18, 2014
The World Health Organization (WHO), along with OHCHR, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women, have issued a statement on “Eliminating forced, coercive and otherwise involuntary sterilization”.

“It is not mission impossible; it is a mission of our time” – UN Women Executive Director
Posted on June 17, 2014
Opening Statement of UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the Annual Session of the UN Women Executive Board, 17 June 2014, New York.

Gender Equality and Women’s Human Rights: Unfinished Business
Posted on June 16, 2014
In her speech at the first global event as part of UN Women’s Beijing+20 campaign, held as a side event to the Nordic Forum in Sweden, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka states that now is the time to transform gender relations.

Placing women’s human rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality at the centre of the global agenda
Posted on June 16, 2014
In her key note speech at the Nordic Forum in Sweden, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka says women’s collective action plays a critical role in holding decision-makers to account and advancing women’s rights.

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

UNFPA News
19 June 2014 – Dispatch
Mobile teams resume reproductive health care in Rakhine, Myanmar
SITTWE, Myanmar – UNFPA-supported mobile medical teams have resumed providing life-saving reproductive health services in 15 camps for displaced people in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Four teams have been deployed, including 10 UNFPA-sponsored midwives, five of whom recently received hands-on training in Yangon. The teams, which also include doctors and health assistants, will provide much-needed health services to around 90,000 people from both Rohingya and Rakhine communities.

18 June 2014 – Dispatch
Filipino police officer credits UNFPA training for helping her uncover human trafficking case
TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines – A female police officer who intercepted four people suspected of trafficking five girls from an area affected by Typhoon Haiyan attributes her alertness to the training on human trafficking she received from UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund.

17 June 2014 – Dispatch
Schools for Husbands gaining ground in rural Niger
NIAMEY, Niger – In the courtyard of a health centre in Maiki Village, in Niger’s Maradi Region, men are gathered under the shade of a makeshift shelter. Sitting on colourful carpets, they are deep in conversation about a topic that once would have been hard to discuss: their wives’ reproductive health. This is the village’s School for Husbands, part of a programme started in 2008.

UNESCO [to 21 June 2014]
http://en.unesco.org/

22 June 2014
:: World Heritage List reaches 1000 sites with inscription of Okavango Delta in Botswana
:: Myanmar’s first site inscribed on World Heritage List
:: Singapore names an orchid in honor of UNESCO

20 June 2014
:: Palestine: Land of Olives and Vines – Cultural Landscape of Southern Jerusalem, Battir, inscribed on World Heritage List and on List of World Heritage in Danger
:: World Heritage is a beacon for sustainable development
:: Ethics and bioethics across the globe discussed in Mexico
:: World War I Underwater heritage UNESCO scientific conference and commemoration, Bruges (Belgium)
:: Raising support for peacebuilding in South Sudan
:: UNESCO calls for proposals to produce gender programming guidelines for community radio

19 June 2014
:: New Policy brief on Sustainable Management of Marginal Drylands
:: UNESCO teams up with key media actors to call for a media goal in the post-2015 agenda
:: Communities of South Sudan build their National Museum
:: Biosphere reserves located in the Volga River Basin publish new posters
:: Director-General condemns killing of Reporters Igor Kornelyuk and Anton Voloshin in Ukraine

18 June 2014
:: Hutchison medal awarded for Ocean fertilization for geoengineering publication
:: UNESCO launches landmark study to assist media development in Palestine
:: Poaching puts Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve on List of World Heritage in Danger
:: Second WSIS+10 Review: Multistakeholder negotiations again successful — Freedom of Expression at the heart of the negotiations
:: Decision on status of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef deferred until 2015
:: Normative, strategic and operational contexts of Openness and Inclusiveness stressed to achieve universal access to information and knowledge

17 June 2014
:: UNESCO Memory of the World Nominations
:: Huangshan Declaration on UNESCO Sites, Sustainable Development and the Role of Space Technologies
:: City of Potosi (Plurinational State of Bolivia) added to List of World Heritage in Danger
:: Enhancing language ability: outcomes of the International Conference on language
:: UNESCO and Seabourn partnership for World Heritage protection and sustainable tourism
:: Tanzania’s Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani and Ruins of Songo Mnara removed from UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger
:: Global Partnership for Education Conference: UNESCO pledges to support better data and planning
:: The Director-General of UNESCO Irina Bokova calls on Iraqis to stand united around their cultural heritage

15 June 2014
:: World Heritage Committee meeting opens in Doha

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/

World Water Council and FAO step up their partnership
The World Water Council (WWC) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) have agreed to intensify their collaboration in a bid to strengthen global water and food security.
18-06-2014

Chile, China and Morocco join others in moving closer to eradicating hunger
During a ceremony at FAO headquarters, the Organization’s Director-General, José Graziano da Silva, awarded diplomas to China and Morocco for obtaining the Millennium Development Goal 1 (MDG-1). Chile, which had already reached its MDG-1 target, received the diploma for achieving the 1996 World Food Summit (WFS) target.
16-06-2014

UNCTAD [to 21 June 2014]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/Home.aspx

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon hails UNCTAD’s vital role in delivering the post-2015 sustainable development agenda
Fiftieth anniversary meeting reaffirms UNCTAD’s commitment to multilateral approach to trade and development
UNCTAD/PRESS/PR/2014/027
Geneva, Switzerland, (17 June 2014)
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon hailed UNCTAD’s contribution to the UN’s development work as “vital” in an address to a special session of UNCTAD’s Trade and Development Board convened to mark the organization’s fiftieth anniversary.
“With the creation of UNCTAD, all members of the United Nations Organization explicitly adopted a development perspective,” Mr. Ban, speaking in the Assembly Hall of the Palais des Nations at the UN office in Geneva, said. “Over the past half century, the entire United Nations family has strengthened its commitment to fair and inclusive socioeconomic development.”
“Our task today is in some senses more difficult than it was 50 years ago,” Mr. Ban said. “If we are to succeed in our quest for sustainable development, we will have to strengthen multilateral cooperation and global partnerships. In preparation for post-2015 [when new development targets will be in place], we in the United Nations system are working on making ourselves ‘fit for purpose’. As an anchor in the UN’s development pillar, UNCTAD has a vital role to play in helping to deliver the post-2015 agenda.”…

CBD (Convention of Biological Diversity) [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.cbd.int/

Governments recommend actions for enhancing implementation of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020
2014-06-20
Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) wrapped up a weeklong meeting on implementation with recommendations on, among others, resource mobilization, technical and scientific cooperation, poverty eradication and sustainable development, enhancements to the structures and processes under the CBD and engagement with business, local governments and other stakeholders.

USAID [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.usaid.gov/

Broad Coalition of Celebrities, Athletes, Non-Profits Join with USAID to ‘Let Girls Learn’
June 20, 2014
VIDEO
In a major show of support for girls’ education and empowerment around the world, nearly 30 artists and athletes, as well as a host of global non-profits and businesses have joined with the U.S. government to launch Let Girls Learn. The new effort aims to elevate a conversation about the need to support all girls in their pursuit of a quality education.

USAID, Keurig Green Mountain, Cooperative Coffees, Starbucks and Root Capital Launch $23 Million Resilience Fund to Help Farms Fighting Coffee Rust Crisis
June 19, 2014
Affected Latin American and Caribbean farmers to receive financial support and training to stabilize coffee industry
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), in partnership with Keurig Green Mountain, Inc., Cooperative Coffees, Starbucks, and Root Capital, today launched the Coffee Farmer Resilience Fund to leverage $23 million in financial assistance for more than 40,000 coffee farmers combating the devastating coffee rust outbreak in Latin America and the Caribbean. Since 2012, coffee rust has affected more than two million people in Latin America, causing an estimated $1 billion in economic damages which could lead to 500,000 job losses.

USAID Invests $10 Million to Help Fight Corruption in Ukraine
June 18, 2014
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah today announced $10 million in additional U.S. support for Ukraine, largely for corruption fighting measures. The support furthers the U.S. Government’s commitment to fighting corruption, especially with stakeholders and in areas not previously addressed, by helping Ukrainians develop institutions and mechanisms to better monitor how their government is working for them.

USAID Airlifts Urgent Relief Supplies to Central African Republic
June 17, 2014
STATEMENT BY ASSISTANT ADMINISTRATOR NANCY LINDBORG
Today in Bangui, an airlift of vital relief supplies—blankets, kitchen sets, hygiene kits, and water buckets—arrived to help Central Africans in urgent need in Bangui and Ouham-Pendé, an area of northwestern Central African Republic virtually unreached by humanitarian aid since the escalation of violence in December.

USAID Launches New Coastal Programs to Conserve Oceans and Food Sources in Developing Countries
June 17, 2014
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today announced new coastal programs, valued at more than $170 million, to benefit coastal communities, which are among some of the most vulnerable, poor, and marginalized groups. The announcement took place at the “Our Ocean” Conference hosted by Secretary of State John Kerry. These programs will support marine conservation, sustainable fisheries, coastal adaptation and efforts to combat illegal fishing and wildlife trafficking in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Pacific.

DFID [to 21 June 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

Additional UK support for Iraqis in need
18 June 2014 DFID Press release
UK humanitarian support for Iraq now stands at £5 million.
The UK will provide an additional £2 million of emergency humanitarian relief to help tens of thousands of ordinary Iraqis in serious need, Prime Minister David Cameron announced today (18 June 2014).

This second package of support will provide emergency medicines, including polio and measles vaccinations, food and basic shelter to women, men and children affected by the crisis. It will also enable aid agencies on the ground to trace and reunite families who have been separated while fleeing from the violence.

An initial £3 million of support was announced last Saturday (14 June 2014) by International Development Secretary Justine Greening. Today’s announcement brings to £5 million the total direct humanitarian support that is being provided by the UK for this crisis…

ECHO [to 21 June 2014]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm

IRAQ: The EU steps up assistance to people fleeing from violence
19/06/2014 – The European Union will increase its humanitarian assistance to Iraq by €5 million in order to respond to the urgent needs of those affected by the recent violence in central and northern Iraq.

OECD [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.oecd.org/

2014 Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct, Paris, 26-27 June 2014
19 June 2014
Responsible business conduct is crucial for open and stable international investment climates. OECD Secretary-General Ángel Gurría will open the 2014 OECD Global Forum on Responsible Business Conduct on 26-27 June 2014, together with Dutch Minister for Foreign Trade and Development Co-operation Lilianne Ploumen and French Minister for Finance and Public Accounts Michel Sapin.

Korea: Implement reforms to develop a creative economy, OECD says
19 June 2014
Korea needs to move away from its current economic model and implement a range of reforms to develop a creative economy that can sustain long-term growth, according to the latest OECD Economic Survey of Korea. The strategy should be accompanied by new measures to reduce income inequality and poverty, particularly among the elderly, the OECD said.

The Sphere Project [to 21 June 2014]
http://www.sphereproject.org/news/

The Core Humanitarian Standard: Second Period of Consultation Launched
17 June 2014 | Sphere Project
The Humanitarian Accountability Partnership (HAP), People In Aid and the Sphere Project, with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) Technical Steering Group, are pleased to present the revised version of the CHS for testing and the second period of consultation.
The CHS is currently available in English and can be downloaded from the CHS website. French, Spanish and Arabic versions will be available online on 27 June 2014 along with further detail on how to test the CHS.

American Journal of Disaster Medicine
Winter 2014, Volume 9, Number 1
http://www.pnpco.com/pn03000.html

Article
Telemedicine for disaster management: Can it transform chaos into an organized, structured care from the distance?
Rifat Latifi, MD, FACS; Elizabeth H. Tilley, PhD
Winter 2014; pages 25-37
Abstract
Background: Telemedicine and advanced technologies that ensure telepresence have become common practice and are an effective way of providing healthcare services.
Materials and methods: The authors conducted a traditional narrative review of English literature through search engines (Medline, Pub Med, Embase, and Science Direct) using mesh terms “telemedicine,” “telepresence,” “earthquake,” “disaster,” “natural disaster,” and “man-made disaster” published between January 1, 1980 and September 30, 2013. For our analysis, only published studies were selected when telemedicine or telepresence was reported for disaster management, both in real life and in mock and simulation situations. Original articles, clinical trials, case presentations, and review articles were considered. Books and book chapters were used as well. Data from the International Disaster Database were included in the review to provide a sense of worldwide disaster occurrence. Symposia and other meetings were searched and used when available.
Results: Between January 1980 and September 2013, 17,565 disasters recorded. During this study period, 878 articles, chapters, books, and presentations were reported. Of these, only 88 articles and books fulfilled our selection criteria. Six articles described the effectiveness of telemedicine in mock simulations and disaster drills, and 63 presented the need and discussed how telemedicine would be beneficial in disaster response. Only 19 articles provided examples of effective use of telemedicine in disaster response. However, these studies demonstrated telemedicine as a valuable tool for communication between front-line humanitarian aid workers and expert physicians at remote locations.
Conclusion: Telemedicine has not been used thus in the management of disasters, despite its great potential. There is an acute need for establishing telemedicine programs in high risk areas for disasters, so that when these disasters strike, existing telemedicine networks can be used, rather than attempting to bring solutions into a chaotic situation postevent.

BMC Health Services Research
(Accessed 21 June 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content

Research article
eHealth and mHealth initiatives in Bangladesh: A scoping study
Tanvir Ahmed, Henry Lucas, Azfar Sadun Khan, Rubana Islam, Abbas Bhuiya, Mohammad Iqbal BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:260 (16 June 2014)
Abstract (provisional)
Background
The health system of Bangladesh is haunted by challenges of accessibility and affordability. Despite impressive gains in many health indicators, recent evidence has raised concerns regarding the utilization, quality and equity of healthcare. In the context of new and unfamiliar public health challenges including high population density and rapid urbanization, eHealth and mHealth are being promoted as a route to cost-effective, equitable and quality healthcare in Bangladesh. The aim of this paper is to understand their true potential.
Methods
This scoping study applies a combination of research tools to explore 26 eHealth and mHealth initiatives in Bangladesh. A screening matrix was developed by modifying the framework of Arksey & O’Malley, further complemented by case study and SWOT analysis to identify common traits among the selected interventions. The WHO health system building blocks approach was then used for thematic analysis of these traits.
Results
Findings suggest that most eHealth and mHealth initiatives have proliferated within the private sector, using mobile phones. The most common initiatives include tele-consultation, prescription and referral. While a minority of projects have a monitoring and evaluation framework, less than a quarter have undertaken evaluation. Most of the initiatives use a health management information system (HMIS) to monitor implementation. However, these do not provide for effective sharing of information and interconnectedness among the various actors. There are extremely few individuals with eHealth training in Bangladesh and there is a strong demand for capacity building and experience sharing, especially for implementation and policy making. There is also a lack of research evidence on how to design interventions to meet the needs of the population and on potential benefits.
Conclusion
This study concludes that Bangladesh needs considerable preparation and planning to sustain eHealth and mHealth initiatives successfully. Additional formative and operational research is essential to explore the true potential of the technology. Frameworks for regulation in regards to eHealth governance should be the aim of future research on the integration of eHealth and mHealth into the Bangladesh health system.

BMC Infectious Diseases
Accessed 21 June 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content

Research article
Cost effectiveness of a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine in Oman
Salah Thabit Al Awaidy, Berhanu G Gebremeskel, Idris Al Obeidani, Said Al Baqlani, Wisam Haddadin and Megan A O’Brien
BMC Infectious Diseases 2014, 14:334 doi:10.1186/1471-2334-14-334
Published: 17 June 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) is the leading cause of diarrhea in young children in Oman, incurring substantial healthcare and economic burden. We propose to formally assess the potential cost effectiveness of implementing universal vaccination with a pentavalent rotavirus vaccine (RV5) on reducing the health care burden and costs associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis (RGE) in Oman
Methods
A Markov model was used to compare two birth cohorts, including children who were administered the RV5 vaccination versus those who were not, in a hypothetical group of 65,500 children followed for their first 5 years of life in Oman. The efficacy of the vaccine in reducing RGE-related hospitalizations, emergency department (ED) and office visits, and days of parental work loss for children receiving the vaccine was based on the results of the Rotavirus Efficacy and Safety Trial (REST). The outcome of interest was cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) gained from health care system and societal perspectives.
Results
A universal RV5 vaccination program is projected to reduce, hospitalizations, ED visits, outpatient visits and parental work days lost due to rotavirus infections by 89%, 80%, 67% and 74%, respectively. In the absence of RV5 vaccination, RGE-related societal costs are projected to be 2,023,038 Omani Rial (OMR) (5,259,899 United States dollars [USD]), including 1,338,977 OMR (3,481,340 USD) in direct medical costs. However, with the introduction of RV5, direct medical costs are projected to be 216,646 OMR (563,280 USD). Costs per QALY saved would be 1,140 OMR (2,964 USD) from the health care payer perspective. An RV5 vaccination program would be considered cost saving, from the societal perspective.
Conclusions
Universal RV5 vaccination in Oman is likely to significantly reduce the health care burden and costs associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis and may be cost-effective from the payer perspective and cost saving from the societal perspective.