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Articles
How Effective Are Cash Transfers in Reducing Poverty, Compared to Remittances?
Jessica Hagen-Zankera1 and Carmen Leon Himmelstinea2
a1 Overseas Development Institute, London
a2 School of Global Studies, University of Sussex
DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1017/S1474746415000019 (About DOI)
14 pages. Published online: 16 February 2015
Abstract
Using a rigorous, evidence-focused review method, this literature review found eleven relevant studies that directly compare the impacts of cash transfers and remittances on a range indicators of poverty at the household level. The evidence base is small and highly context specific. The external and internal validity of most studies are limited, so the conclusions that can be drawn from this review are tentative. However, in the majority of studies both cash transfers and remittances are shown to have positive impacts on reducing poverty. Overall, remittances seem to have stronger poverty-reducing impacts. There are a number of factors that seem to explain why remittances have a greater effect. In the studies reviewed here, remittances appear to reach both a greater share of the overall population than cash transfers and a greater share of poorer households. Furthermore, remittances were higher in value in the majority of studies reviewed. Further high-quality research is needed.

American Economic Journal: Applied Economics
Vol. 7 No. 1 (January 2015)
https://www.aeaweb.org/articles.php?doi=10.1257/app.7.1

Articles
Six Randomized Evaluations of Microcredit: Introduction and Further Steps (pp. 1-21)
Abhijit Banerjee, Dean Karlan and Jonathan Zinman

The Miracle of Microfinance? Evidence from a Randomized Evaluation (pp. 22-53)
Abhijit Banerjee, Esther Duflo, Rachel Glennerster and Cynthia Kinnan

The Impacts of Microcredit: Evidence from Ethiopia (pp. 54-89)
Alessandro Tarozzi, Jaikishan Desai and Kristin Johnson

The Impacts of Microfinance: Evidence from Joint-Liability Lending in Mongolia (pp. 90-122)
Orazio Attanasio, Britta Augsburg, Ralph De Haas, Emla Fitzsimons and Heike Harmgart

Estimating the Impact of Microcredit on Those Who Take It Up: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment in Morocco (pp. 123-50)
Bruno Crépon, Florencia Devoto, Esther Duflo and William Parienté

Microcredit Impacts: Evidence from a Randomized Microcredit Program Placement Experiment by Compartamos Banco (pp. 151-82)
Manuela Angelucci, Dean Karlan and Jonathan Zinman

The Impacts of Microcredit: Evidence from Bosnia and Herzegovina (pp. 183-203)
Britta Augsburg, Ralph De Haas, Heike Harmgart and Costas Meghir

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
(2015) 15:40
STUDY PROTOCOL – Open Access
Designs of two randomized, community-based trials to assess the impact of influenza immunization during pregnancy on respiratory illness among pregnant women and their infants and reproductive outcomes in rural Nepal
James M Tielsch1*, Mark Steinhoff2, Joanne Katz3, Janet A Englund4, Jane Kuypers5, Subarna K Khatry6, Laxman Shrestha7 and Steven C LeClerq3
Author details
1 Department of Global Health, Milken Institute School of Public Health, George Washington University, Washington, DC, USA.
2 Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children’s Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA.
3 Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health,
Baltimore, MD, USA.
4 Seattle Children’s Hospital and Research Foundation, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
5 School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
6 Nepal Nutrition Intervention Project – Sarlahi, Kathmandu, Nepal.
7 Department of Pediatrics and Child Health, Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu, Nepal
Abstract
Background:
Among the most important causes of illness and death in both pregnant women and their newborn infants are respiratory infections including influenza. Pregnant women in North America have a 4 to 5 fold excess rate of hospitalization compared to non-pregnant women. Rates of infant hospitalization associated with influenza are much higher than in their mothers. Fully half of children hospitalized for influenza in the US are in the age group 0–5 months, a group where no vaccine is licensed. Data on influenza are much fewer in low income countries where the risks of serious morbidity and mortality are much higher. A recent trial in Bangladesh suggested that influenza immunization in pregnant women could have important protective effects against influenza in both mothers and their infants. These trials were designed to provide additional evidence about the effect of influenza vaccination in pregnancy in settings where influenza may circulate for up to ten months/year.
Methods/Design:
We conducted a consecutive pair of community-based, placebo-controlled, randomized trials
of influenza vaccination of pregnant women in a rural district in southern Nepal. Two trials were conducted to insure, as much as possible, the match of circulating strains with those included in the vaccine. Eligible women included all who were or became pregnant over a one year period. Each trial included a one year cohort of pregnant women who were individually randomized to the influenza vaccine available at the time of their enrollment or placebo. Exclusions included a history of allergy to vaccine components, prior influenza vaccine receipt, and for the second trial, participation in the first trial. Morbidity was assessed on a weekly basis for women throughout pregnancy and through 180 days post-partum. Infants were followed weekly through 180 days. Primary outcomes included: 1) incidence of influenza like illness in women, 2) incidence of laboratory confirmed influenza illness in infants, and 3) birthweight among newborn infants.
Discussion:
We have presented the design and methods of two randomized trials of influenza immunization
of pregnant women.
Trial registration:
Clinicaltrials.gov: (NCT01034254)

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 14 March 2015

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortiums and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor &
Founding Managing Director
GE2P2 – Center for Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

pdf verion: The Sentinel_ week ending 14 March 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 15 March 2015

Editor’s Note:
The unhappy anniversary of the Syrian conflict grounded a number of statements as well as new analysis of the associated humanitarian crisis. We selected a composite presented below. Additional commentary by agencies, NGOs and in the literature is available throughout this edition.

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Joint statement – As Syria conflict enters a fifth year, what does it take to end the crisis and end the suffering?
NEW YORK/GENEVA/ROME/AMMAN, 13 March 2015 –

“The appalling crisis in Syria is entering a fifth year. A crisis that continues to exact an unconscionable human cost. A crisis that the international community has failed to stop.
“More than 200,000 people have been killed. Children and young people are subject to and surrounded by violence, despair and deprivation. Women and girls, and men and boys in detention, are at particular risk of sexual violence. More than 12.2 million people in Syria need life-saving aid and 3.9 million refugees have fled across borders seeking safety and security.

“We have expressed our horror, our outrage, our frustration as we have watched the tragedy unfold. As humanitarian leaders we are committed to continuing to do our best to help all those caught in the middle of this war. People who are vulnerable. Besieged. With nowhere to go.

“We need world leaders to put aside their differences and use their influence to bring about meaningful change in Syria: to press the parties to end indiscriminate attacks on civilians; to secure the lifting of sieges where more than 212,000 people have been trapped without food for months; to enable delivery of vital surgical and other medical supplies; to end the collective punishment of civilians by cutting off of water and power supplies; and to avoid the complete collapse of the education system.

“The people of Syria – and people around the world – want the suffering to end.

“We ask ‘what does it take’ to end this crisis? The future of a generation is at stake. The credibility of the international community is at stake.”

– Valerie Amos, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
– Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict
– Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization
– Ertharin Cousin, Executive Director, World Food Programme
– Antonio Guterres, High Commissioner for Refugees
– Pierre Krähenbühl, Commissioner-General, UNRWA
– Anthony Lake, Executive Director, UNICEF
– Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative on Children and Armed Conflict

:::::::

Refugees endure worsening conditions as Syria’s conflict enters 5th year
UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
Press Releases, 12 March 2015
Geneva, 12 March 2015 – As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, millions of refugees in neighbouring countries and those displaced within the country are caught in alarmingly deteriorating conditions, facing an even bleaker future without more international support, UNHCR warned today.

With no political solution to the conflict in sight, most of the 3.9 million Syrian refugees in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt see no prospect of returning home in the near future, and have scant opportunity to restart their lives in exile. Well over half of all Syrian refugees in Lebanon live in insecure dwellings – up from a third last year – posing a constant challenge to keep them safe and warm. A survey of 40,000 Syrian families in Jordan’s urban areas found that two-thirds were living below the absolute poverty line.

UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres reiterated that much, much more needed to be done to pull Syrians out of their nightmare of suffering. “After years in exile, refugees’ savings are long depleted and growing numbers are resorting to begging, survival sex and child labour. Middle-class families with children are barely surviving on the streets: one father said life as a refugee was like being stuck in quicksand – every time you move, you sink down further,” he said.

“This worst humanitarian crisis of our era should be galvanizing a global outcry of support, but instead help is dwindling. With humanitarian appeals systematically underfunded, there just isn’t enough aid to meet the colossal needs – nor enough development support to the hosting countries creaking under the strain of so many refugees,” Guterres added. He pointed out that with the massive influx of Syrian refugees over the past four years, Turkey had now become the world’s biggest refugee hosting country and had spent over US$ 6 billion on direct assistance to refugees…

:::::::

12 March 2015
SG/SM/16588
International Community Must Not Shirk from Collective Responsibility to Syria, Secretary-General Warns, Urging Support for Syrian-Led Political Transition
Secretary-General
The following statement by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was issued today:
The Syrian people feel increasingly abandoned by the world as they enter the fifth year of the war that has torn their country apart. They and their neighbours continue to suffer under the eyes of an international community, still divided and incapable of taking collective action to stop the killing and destruction.

In March 2011, thousands of Syrian civilians went to the streets peacefully calling for political reform. This legitimate demand was met with a violent response from the Syrian authorities. Over time, civilians took up arms in response, regional Powers became involved, and radical groups gained a foothold.

Today over 220,000 Syrians have been killed. Almost half of the country’s men, women and children have been forced to flee their homes. More than 4 million people have sought refuge in neighbouring countries, while a further 7.6 million are displaced within Syria. Every day brings more death, displacement and destruction, raising the fearsome prospect of the total collapse of this country and even more serious consequences in the region.

While global attention is rightfully focused on the threat to regional and international peace and security, which terrorist groups such as Da’esh pose, our focus must continue to be with the Syrian people. Bringing the deadly Syrian conflict to an end is imperative if we are to extinguish the fires of violent extremism and sectarianism that burn throughout the entire region.

The United Nations continues to provide daily life-saving assistance to the Syrian people. In Aleppo, Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura is tirelessly working to bring about a suspension on the use of heavy weapons so that the United Nations can deliver additional humanitarian assistance to the city’s beleaguered population. Later this month, I will chair an International Pledging Conference in Kuwait to raise funds to help the Syrian people and countries throughout the region that are bearing the heavy burden of hosting millions of Syrian refugees. I hope that the response at the conference will be extremely generous. I thank the Government of Kuwait for hosting the event for the third time.

Humanitarian assistance can only alleviate Syria’s suffering, not stop the war. For this, a political solution to this senseless conflict is necessary. I call upon the international community to unite and lend its full support to United Nations efforts to forge an inclusive, Syrian-led political transition based on the Geneva Communiqué and which meets the aspirations of the Syrian people for freedom, dignity and justice. It is also incumbent upon the Syrian parties themselves, including especially President Bashar al-Assad, to take decisive steps to end the bloodshed and to start a political process. Governments or movements that aspire to legitimacy do not massacre their own people.

The lack of accountability in Syria has led to an exponential rise in war crimes, crimes against humanity and other human rights violations. Each day brings reports of fresh horrors: executions, widespread arbitrary arrests, abductions and disappearances, as well as systematic torture in detention; indiscriminate bombardment of civilian areas, including with barrel bombs; siege and starvation tactics; use of chemical weapons, and atrocities committed by Da’esh and other extremist groups.

We have an obligation to the Syrian people to help ensure that serious crimes committed over the past four years do not go unpunished. The Security Council has in the past shown its ability to act against the use of chemical weapons in Syria and to compel the delivery of humanitarian assistance to vulnerable Syrians. I call upon the Security Council to take determined measures to resolve this crisis and on the way forward.

Let us work together now to build a better future for the people of Syria and the region. We cannot shirk this collective responsibility.

Report: FAILING SYRIA – ASSESSING THE IMPACT OF UN SECURITY COUNCIL RESOLUTIONS IN PROTECTING AND ASSISTING CIVILIANS IN SYRIA
Written by Martin Hartberg, with Dominic Bowen and Daniel Gorevan, Camilla Jelbart Mosse, David Andres Vinas, Karl Schembri, Tiril Skarstein, Joelle Bassoul, Misty Buswell and Nina Nepesova assisted in its production.
March 2015 :: 30 pages  Download Report
Agency Sponsors
ACTED
Alkarama Foundation
American Friends Service Committee
ChildrenPlus
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Hand in Hand For Syria
Handicap International
Human Rights and Democracy Media Center (SHAMS)
International Rescue Committee
Medecins Du Monde
Norwegian Church Aid
Norwegian Refugee Council
NuDay Syria
Oxfam
Pax Christi International
Save the Children
Syria Relief Network
Syrian American Medical Society
Tulip for Syria Relief
Un Ponte Per
World Vision International

.
[Excerpt]
CONCLUSION
It is over a year since UNSC Resolution 2139 was adopted, and four years since the start of the crisis. While subsequent resolutions have been passed by the UNSC, humanitarian access in Syria has decreased, and millions more people have been displaced and are in need of assistance. The number of people killed has risen by thousands.

The primary responsibility for the implementation of the resolutions, and the failure to do so, lies with the parties to the conflict. The conflict itself, however, is increasingly international and regional in character and the members of the UNSC and member states of the United Nations must change tack.

The UNSC has the legal authority to require action, and now its members must use their influence with the warring parties and their financial resources to put an end to the suffering of Syrian civilians. They must listen to the silent majority of Syrians who wish to see an end to the violence, and a sustainable and just peace in their country.

Practical steps must be taken as a matter of urgency. Deliberate obstruction of aid must halt immediately, as must the use of indiscriminate weapons in built-up areas, the targeting of civilians, and their arbitrary detention, kidnapping and torture. The impunity which characterizes
the conflict must be brought to an end. Real backing for the UN Peace Envoy’s plans must be matched by a push to reconvene talks in line with the 2012 Geneva Communiqué, and redoubled efforts to end the violence engulfing the country and region.

.

Press Release
Aid Agencies Give UN Security Council a “Fail” Grade on Syria
21 Humanitarian and Human Rights Organizations Say Warring Parties and Powerful States Have Failed to Implement UNSC Resolutions Leading to “Worst Year” of Crisis for Civilians in Syria.
Washington, D.C. (March 12, 2015) — The agencies today released a scathing critique of the UN Security Council powers detailing how they have failed to alleviate the suffering of civilians in Syria amid intensifying conflict four years after the start of the crisis.

Despite three Security Council resolutions adopted in 2014 that demanded action to secure protection and assistance for civilians, humanitarian access to large parts of Syria has diminished and more people are being killed, displaced and are in need of help than ever before, according to the report “Failing Syria.”…

In the hard-hitting report agencies present a score card that compares the demands made in the Security Council resolutions last year, with the reality on the ground. The grim statistics reveal how the resolutions have been ignored or undermined by the parties to the conflict, members of the Security Council and other UN member states, leading to the worst year of the crisis for civilians:

:: People are not protected: 2014 has seen reports of 76,000 people killed in the conflict out of a total of at least 220,000 deaths over four years.

:: Aid access has not improved: 4.8 million people reside in areas defined by the UN as “hard to reach,” 2.3 million more than in 2013.

:: Humanitarian needs have increased: 5.6 million children are in need of aid, a 31 percent increase since 2013.

:: Humanitarian funding has decreased compared to needs: In 2013, 71% of the funds needed to support civilians inside Syria and refugees in neighbouring countries were provided. In 2014, this had declined to 57%.

“The bitter reality is that the Security Council has failed to implement its resolutions. Last year was the darkest year yet in this horrific war. Parties to the conflict have acted with impunity and ignored the Security Council’s demands, civilians are not protected and their access to relief has not improved,” said Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland…

Report: International and local/diaspora actors in the Syria response – A diverging set of systems?
Overseas Development Institute – Humanitarian Policy Group – HPG Working Paper Eva Svoboda and Sara Pantuliano
March 2015 :: 31 pages ISBN: 978 1 909464 91 9
Pdf: http://www.odi.org/sites/odi.org.uk/files/odi-assets/publications-opinion-files/9523.pdf

Executive Summary
The conflict in Syria – coming amid a slew of large-scale emergencies in the Central African Republic and South Sudan, alongside the Ebola crisis in West Africa – has posed particular challenges for humanitarian response in its scale and complexity. Five years since the first demonstrations against the government prospects for an end to the fighting seem as elusive as ever. As the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos, put it in December 2014: ‘In many parts of Syria the level of violence has worsened, with civilians continuing to pay heavily with loss of life, serious injuries, psychological trauma, ongoing and recurring displacement and massive damage to property and infrastructure’.1

At the end of 2014 the UN launched its largest appeal yet, asking for $8.4 billion to cover not only urgent humanitarian needs, but also funding for development projects. Securing that funding will be difficult: in 2014 the UN received only half of the amount it had requested from donors, and there is little to suggest that this latest appeal will fare much better.

The formal humanitarian system has struggled with issues of access and protection in a conflict marked by widespread and deliberate disregard for civilians. Violations include unlawful killings, arbitrary arrest and detention, hostage-taking, sexual and gender-based violence and sieges. While the responsibility to protect civilians rests primarily with the warring parties, the belligerents’ only aim seems to be to win the war at any cost. Although humanitarian organisations have a responsibility to remind the parties of their obligations and address the consequences of violations, information on protection is difficult to obtain and is neither centralised nor sufficiently analysed. Protection agencies are geographically separated and dispersed in different countries, and communication and coordination between them is weak.

The lack of physical presence of international aid agencies has shone a spotlight onto what is commonly called the ‘local response’: groups and organisations that do not belong to the formal
or traditional humanitarian sector of the UN, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and international NGOs. This is a diverse category, comprising professional bodies (often medical groups) that existed prior to the conflict, charities, networks of anti-government and community activists, diaspora organisations, coordination networks and fighting groups that also provide relief. These groups have almost inadvertently filled the gap left by the limited international presence, providing both assistance and protection – even if the majority of these groups neither see themselves as protection actors nor use the term.

According to the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), around 600 to 700 ‘local’ groups have been created since the start of the conflict. Much of their work is not necessarily captured by any coordination mechanism within the formal humanitarian sector, and yet they are playing a vital role in responding to needs that would only be met inadequately or not all. Challenges in accessing populations in need by the formal humanitarian system have made partnerships an essential tool in the Syria response. However, the conflict has confirmed what others have shown before: that the formal humanitarian sector finds it extremely difficult to establish genuine, inclusive partnerships.2 Instead, local/diaspora groups are often seen as mere service providers, rather than genuine counterparts. Making genuine partnerships work will require flexibility and adaptability from traditional donors and international aid agencies. This does not mean doing away with all procedures and standards, but rather adapting them as far as possible to the realities on the ground.

There is an assumption that the challenges faced by the formal humanitarian system are fundamentally different from those faced by local/diaspora groups. Yet access, insecurity, funding and the effects of counter-terrorism legislation are issues that all aid agencies are grappling with. Focusing on differences rather than recognising similarities encourages the belief that local and international aid agencies cannot work together, and discourages them from exploring how they could. As needs in Syria far outweigh what each individual organisation can do, it is time to explore how forces can be combined, while also recognising that there will be instances where international aid agencies and local/diaspora groups will operate separately.
1 See https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/15%20December%202014%20USG%20SecCo%20statement%20 on%20Syria.pdf
2 See https://docs.unocha.org/sites/dms/Documents/WHS%20 Concept%20Note.pdf

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Syrian community provides aid where UN struggles to reach – new report
ODI Press Release – 13th March, 2015
Syrian community provides aid where UN struggles to reach – new report
As the Syria conflict enters its fifth year, the growth of 600-700 diaspora and local aid groups has ‘filled the gap’ left by the limited presence of struggling international aid agencies, providing both assistance and protection to Syrians says a new report launched today by UK-based think tank the Overseas Development Institute (ODI).
With funds to the aid response totalling approximately US $4.8 billion since the conflict began, Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis in the world. But these local groups struggle from a lack of money, and inflexible systems which make it hard for donors to fund them directly – despite having access to beleaguered populations.
“Armed groups in Syria are often more willing to negotiate access with local and diaspora groups than international aid agencies as they share personal and tribal contacts and often come from the same communities,” said Eva Svoboda, researcher from the ODI’s Humanitarian Policy Group and author of the report ‘International and local/diaspora actors in the Syria response’…

Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction
Sendai, Japan
14-18 March 2015

Selected Press Releases
Japan launches US$4 billion Sendai Cooperation Initiative as Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction opens
14 March 2015, SENDAI – The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, today pledged $US 4 billion to support implementation of the “Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction” over the next four years.
Speaking at the opening of the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, Mr. Abe said: “Disaster risk reduction is the most important challenge for both developed and developing countries. For developing countries in particular, where 90% of disaster victims are concentrated.”
The package will focus on the development of disaster-proof infrastructure, the promotion of global and regional cooperation and the training of 40,000 government officials and local leaders to play a leading role in national efforts for disaster risk reduction. Japan will make its expertise and knowledge available…

UN Secretary-General calls for massive investment in disaster risk reduction
14 Mar 2015

Disaster Risk and Age Index
HelpAge International
March 2015 :: 28 pages pdf: https://helpage.app.box.com/s/tvysbv0xtp6178ay07xzo9whhlbh0j10/1/3205761453/27057739673/1
Written by Clare Harris and Aleksandr Mihnovits; Edited by Sarah Graham-Brown

Foreward
It is a sign of the world’s resilience that in 2014 approximately 868 million people or nearly 12 per cent of the world’s population are over the age of 60. By 2050 – just over a generation away – there will be 2 billion people over 60, nearly as many as children under 15.

Older people are a precious resource with much to contribute by way of life experience and understanding of risk but they are often left out of key decision making in disaster risk
reduction. UNISDR has been working with HelpAge International and other partners to ensure that older people are included in disaster risk reduction work and that the post-2015 framework for disaster risk reduction is explicit about their needs and how they can become more involved
at community level.

The importance of this is self-evident from the publication…of the Disaster Risk and Age Index which captures the collision of two trends: ageing populations and the acceleration of risk in a world which is increasingly exposed to natural and technological hazards.

This report helps to measure and assess countries’ progress in supporting older populations in respect of disaster risk, highlighting gaps in international and national data sets and pointing to appropriate policies. It demonstrates clearly how leaving out older people in approaches to development, including disaster risk management planning, can lead to bad outcomes for them in disasters. Such planning must take into account the vulnerabilities as well as the capacities of the older generation. Otherwise they will be disproportionately affected by disasters, as we have seen happen all too often in high- and low-income countries.

This pilot index provides feedback to countries and policy makers on how they are doing globally, and, of equal importance, the data demonstrates the changes needed to improve the disaster resilience of older people, from education and social pensions to age-inclusive disaster
risk management. Proactive initiatives on sex- and age-disaggregated data should be applauded, demonstrating what is possible currently, and also highlighting where we need to build and systematise the collection of sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated data as a priority for disaster risk reduction.
Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction

Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction Sendai, Japan 14 – 18 March 2015, launch of the first Disaster Risk and Age Index
Press Release: 11 March 2015
This week, HelpAge International is launching the first Disaster Risk and Age Index, ranking 190 countries across the world on the disaster risk faced by older people, at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction in Sendai…

…The report has an in-depth focus on the South and East Asia area, as this is the region demonstrating some of the highest disaster and climate change related risks coupled with the fastest ageing populations. For example in Vietnam, there will be a 61.4% increase in the proportion of older people aged 60+, between 2010 and 2030.

Already, 66% of the world’s over 60s live in less developed regions and by 2050 this is projected to rise to 79%. The world’s population of older people is expected to rise to 2.02 billion by 2050.[2]

“It is a sign of resilience that there will be this many older people in the world by 2050. But it is the unprecedented rate at which populations are ageing, alongside the increasing frequency of disasters, that presents policy makers with a challenge,” said Toby Porter, Chief Executive for HelpAge International.

“We need to collect data disaggregated by sex, age and disability to demonstrate the impact of disasters on older people. This will help us to develop appropriate strategies in order to save lives,” said Porter…

Addressing Dementia – The OECD Response
OECD Health Policy Studies
March 13, 2015 :: 126 pages
Online version: http://www.keepeek.com/Digital-Asset-Management/oecd/social-issues-migration-health/addressing-dementia_9789264231726-en#page1

The large and growing human and financial cost of dementia provides an imperative for policy action. It is already the second largest cause of disability for the over-70s and it costs $645bn per year globally, and ageing populations mean that these costs will grow. There is no cure or effective treatment for dementia, and too often people do not get appropriate health and care services, leading to a poor quality of life. Our failure to tackle these issues provides a compelling illustration of some of today’s most pressing policy challenges. We need to rethink our research an innovation model, since progress on dementia has stalled and investment is just a fraction of what it is for other diseases of similar importance and profile. But even then a cure will be decades away, so we need better policies to improve the lives of people living with dementia now. Communities need to adjust to become more accommodating of people with dementia and families who provide informal care must be better supported. Formal care services and care institutions need to promote dignity and independence, while coordination of health and care services must be improved. But there is hope: if we can harness big data we may be able to address the gaps in our knowledge around treatment and care.

.

Better dementia care and a future cure require action today, says OECD
Press Release 13/03/2015 – The current policy approach to tackling dementia is socially and economically unsustainable, according to a new OECD report. Countries need to take action now to improve the lives of people living with dementia and their carers, prioritise public research on dementia, and improve the incentives for private investment in dementia innovation.

Addressing Dementia: The OECD Response says that the human and financial costs of this incurable disease are huge. Nearly 50 million people are living with dementia worldwide, costing societies over half a trillion US dollars each year, roughly equal to the GDP of Switzerland.

With people living longer, more people are becoming dependent on others for support in living with dementia. But a family carer or a friend looking after a person with dementia is 20% more likely to have mental health problems and more likely to be out of work. Counselling, respite care and flexible work arrangements needs to be strengthened. Low pay, poor working conditions and the poor image of long-term care work must be tackled if professional care is to improve.

Progress in developing a cure for dementia has stalled as the complexity of dementia means that the risk of failure is too high and the rewards for success uncertain, says the report.

More and better basic research to improve understanding of the disease, together with stronger collaboration and a suitably adapted regulatory process, can reduce the risks and increase private sector investment. Increased public funding, including a global research fund, and public-private shared funding mechanisms can also leverage more investment.

There are major opportunities in sharing research data on dementia and in strengthening cooperation across existing data resources, but there needs to be a major shift in the research culture and incentives for collaboration. The OECD is making progress in bringing together key global players in dementia research, helping advance understanding of the causes of dementia.

The OECD also recommends that countries:
:: continue to prioritise timely diagnosis;
:: implement models of care that promote greater control and social interaction;
:: improve access to palliative care outside of hospital, so that more people with dementia can die with dignity in a place of their choosing;
:: address the important ethical questions surrounding the involvement of people with pre-:: symptomatic dementia in clinical trials; and
:: establish new models of consent that address privacy concerns.

Humanitarian Agencies Join Forces with Private Sector to Improve Electronic Cash Transfers in Aid Response
March 11, 2015
Mercy Corps to lead network that will share knowledge and best practices for e-transfer implementation

Portland, Ore – Leaders in the humanitarian, financial services, and technology sectors have joined forces in a newly launched effort, the Electronic Cash Transfer Learning Action Network. Founded and led by the global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps, with the support of the MasterCard Center for Inclusive Growth, the network is intended to improve how electronic cash and vouchers are used to assist survivors of natural disasters and conflict globally.

“Through this network, humanitarian and industry partners alike will be able to share information about new payment technologies, what works and what doesn’t work, as well as receive technical support to improve how we use them in our global aid response,” says Sara Murray, electronic cash transfer program manager for Mercy Corps. “Using e-transfers is one of the fastest ways we have to connect people with the resources they need to survive and to help their communities recover.”

Sara Murray, electronic cash transfer program manager for Mercy Corps, will lead the network advisory group. Founding members include:
:: Cash Learning Partnership
:: International Rescue Committee
:: MasterCard
:: Norwegian Refugee Council
:: Oxfam International

The network is open to all private and non-profit organizations that are committed to improving the reach and quality of electronic cash transfers in humanitarian response efforts.

Pricing the right to education: The cost of reaching new targets by 2030
UNESCO – Education for All Global Monitoring Report
Policy Paper 18
March 2015 :: 8 pages
This paper shows there is an annual financing gap of US$22 billion over 2015-2030 for reaching universal pre-primary, primary and lower secondary education of good quality
in low and lower middle income countries.

EBOLA/EVD [to 14 March 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

WHO: Ebola Situation Report – 11 March 2015
[Excerpt; Editor’s text bolding]
COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been over 24,000 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (table 1), with almost 10,000 reported deaths (outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 58 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 0 in Liberia, and 58 in Sierra Leone in the 7 days to 8 March (4 days to 5 March for Liberia).

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 14 March 2015]
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

13 March 2015
DSG/SM/853-WOM/2030
Deputy Secretary-General, at New York Event, Urges Action to End Discrimination, Inequality by 2030, Stressing Societal Attitudes Still Stacked against Women
Following are the closing remarks of UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, as prepared for delivery, at the Commission on the Status of Women Intergenerational Dialogue on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, held in New York today:

9 March 2015
SG/A/1553-BIO/4702-IHA/1353
Secretary-General Appoints Stephen O’Brien of United Kingdom Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced today the appointment of Stephen O’Brien of the United Kingdom as Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator.

9 March 2015
WOM/2021
‘As Women Thrive, So Will We All,’ Says Secretary-General as Women’s Commission Opens Session, Pointing to ‘Unacceptably Slow’ Progress since Beijing
“As women thrive, so will we all,” said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon as he opened the fifty-ninth session of the Commission on the Status of Women today, marking two decades of progress that he warned had been “unacceptably slow” in achieving gender equality since the historic adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action in 1995.

8 March 2015
SG/SM/16576-IK/702
Secretary-General Outraged by Continued Destruction of Iraqi Cultural Sites, Calls for Swift International Action to Hold Perpetrators Accountable

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

Beijing+20 review: “Older women must not remain invisible” – UN expert urges all Governments
3/12/2015

Detention is inextricably linked with ill-treatment, children must be protected – UN expert
3/10/2015

Human Rights Council discusses the rights of persons with disabilities
3/10/2015

Human Rights Council starts interactive dialogue with Special Rapporteurs on torture and on human rights defenders
3/9/2015

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

Refugees endure worsening conditions as Syria’s conflict enters 5th year
Press Releases, 12 March 2015
Geneva, 12 March 2015 – As the Syrian conflict enters its fifth year, millions of refugees in neighbouring countries and those displaced within the country are caught in alarmingly deteriorating conditions, facing an even bleaker future without more international support, UNHCR warned today…

UNHCR unveils far-reaching proposals for European action in the Mediterranean Sea
Press Releases, 12 March 2015
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has sent a number of concrete proposals to the European Union to deal with the challenges posed by the thousands of refugees and migrants who risk their lives trying to reach Europe every year.

The proposals, made by UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres in a letter to the European Union, are part of UNHCR’s Central Mediterranean Sea Initiative (CMSI), which aims to encourage wide-ranging discussions with the European Commission and among European states and other concerned stakeholders to address the challenges of mixed migration in the Mediterranean Sea and to save lives.

“We are proposing to the European Union and countries in Europe a number of bold and innovative solutions to address the challenges of mixed migration in the Mediterranean and reduce the number of people losing their lives at sea,” said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR’s Director for Europe.

So far this year, around 470 people have died or gone missing in the Mediterranean Sea, compared to 15 in the same period last year.

“To continue with the status quo is not an option,” warned Cochetel, “inaction to address these challenges will only mean more people dying.”

UNHCR’s new proposals include the establishment of a robust European search and rescue operation in the Mediterranean, similar to the Italian Mare Nostrum operation which came to an end last year, and to set up a EU scheme to compensate shipping companies for losses incurred while rescuing people in distress at sea.

UNHCR is also urging the EU to explore solutions to address challenges once refugees arrive in Europe, ensuring adequate support for them and avoiding a few countries having to shoulder the main responsibility for them…

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

Japan launches US$4 billion Sendai Cooperation Initiative as Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction opens
14 Mar 2015
The Japanese Prime Minister, Mr. Shinzo Abe, today pledged $US 4 billion to support implementation of the “Sendai Cooperation Initiative for Disaster Risk Reduction” over the next four years.

ISO standard to disaster-proof cities announced at UN conference
13 March 2015, SENDAI – The UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR) today agreed to help pioneer a new ISO Standard in 45 cities already recognized for their commitment to keeping their citizens safe from a range of natural hazards including floods, storms and earthquakes.
The new ISO standard for resilient and sustainable cities – ISO 37120 – is based on 100 indicators which steer and measure the performance of city services and quality of life. It is being implemented by the Toronto-based World Council on City Data (WCCD). Learn more about ISO 37120

UNICEF [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

At least 54,000 children affected by cyclone Pam in Vanuatu
NEW YORK, 14 March 2015 – It is estimated that at least half the population of Vanuatu has been affected by cyclone Pam. Of these, at least 54,000 are children.

14 million children impacted by conflict in Syria and Iraq: UNICEF
NEW YORK/AMMAN, 12 March 2015 – Some 14 million children across the region are now suffering from the escalating conflict sweeping Syria and much of Iraq, said UNICEF today.

UN Women [to 14 March 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/

Press release: Women’s Empowerment Principles Stakeholders Call for New UN-Business Paradigm
Date : March 12, 2015
(New York, 11 March 2015) – Over 300 participants from business, Government, civil society and the UN who gathered for the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) event, Unlimited Potential: Business Partners for Gender Equality, concluded the annual meeting by making an historic call to companies and Governments everywhere to scale up efforts to achieve gender equality, advance economic prosperity and realize the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Press release: Galvanizing global attention, world leaders, celebrities and activists unveil Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality
Date : March 10, 2015
At a star-studded event today in New York City, high-powered speakers took the stage to put out a clarion call: a firm expiry date of 2030 for gender inequality, with real equality being nothing short of 50-50. The packed Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality event was a UN Women-hosted celebration for the 20th anniversary of the historic Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing. Speakers called for bolder actions from governments and louder mobilization from citizens to move forward the agenda on women’s rights and gender equality, saying progress in the last 20 years has been too slow.

Press release: Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Hillary Clinton and Business Leaders Call for Women’s Economic Empowerment and Rights
Date : March 10, 2015
At the 59th Commission on the Status of Women an unprecedented number of business leaders, UN Member States and civil society organizations gathered for the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) event, Unlimited Potential: Business Partners for Gender Equality, to promote the business case for involving women at every level and the need for all stakeholders, including business, to be strategic partners for gender equality and sustainable development.

WHO & Regionals [to 14 March 2015]
:: WHO issues its first hepatitis B treatment guidelines
12 March 2015 — Today, WHO issued its first-ever guidance for the treatment of chronic hepatitis B, a viral infection which is spread through blood and body fluids, attacking the liver and resulting in an estimated 650 000 deaths each year. Worldwide, some 240 million people have chronic hepatitis B virus and are at increased risk of dying from cirrhosis and liver cancer. Effective medicines exist that can prevent people developing these conditions so they live longer.

:: Global Alert and Response (GAR): Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
– 13 March 2015 Meningococcal disease – Nigeria
– 11 March 2015 Human infection with avian influenza A(H7N9) virus – China
– 11 March 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar
– 11 March 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
– 9 March 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Germany

:: The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 13 March 2015, vol. 90, 11 (pp. 97–108) includes:
– Recommended composition of influenza virus vaccines for use in the 2015–2016 northern hemisphere influenza season

:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: WHO and World Food Programme join forces to reach zero Ebola cases
11 March 2015 ¦ GENEVA – WHO and the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) are combining their forces in a new partnership in the Ebola-affected countries of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The arrangement combines the logistics strength of WFP with WHO’s public health expertise to help get the current Ebola outbreak down to zero cases in West Africa. The platform also establishes an alert and response infrastructure for future crises.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: PAHO and Latin American Society of Nephrology call for increased prevention and better access to treatment for kidney disease (03/09/2015)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
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WHO European Region EURO
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WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO Regional Director inaugurates primary health care centre and hands over urgently needed mobile medical clinics and ambulances to health authorities in Dohuk, Iraq
Erbil, Iraq, 14 March 2015 – WHO’s Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean Dr Ala Alwan visited Dohuk governorate of the Kurdistan region of Iraq to officially hand over 15 ambulances and 2 mobile medical clinics to Dohuk health authorities. The donation will provide health services and medical treatments for more than 60 000 beneficiaries for three months.