Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
February 2015 Vol. 37, No. 2
http://www.paho.org/journal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=151&Itemid=266&lang=en

.
ARTÍCULOS DE INVESTIGACIÓN ORIGINAL / ORIGINAL RESEARCH ARTICLES
An adequacy evaluation of a maternal health intervention in rural Honduras: the impact of women [Evaluación de la suficiencia de una intervención de salud materna en un entorno rural de Honduras: repercusión de la participación de los hombres y el empoderamiento de las mujeres]
Peter R. Berti, Salim Sohani, Edith da Costa, Naomi Klaas, Luis Amendola, and Joel Duron

.
TEMAS DE ACTUALIDAD / CURRENT TOPIC
Trends in research involving human beings in Brazil [Tendencias en la investigación con seres humanos en el Brasil]
Ricardo Eccard da Silva, Maria Rita Carvalho Novaes, Elza Martínez Pastor, Elena Barragan, and Angélica Amorim Amato

Science
10 April 2015 vol 348, issue 6231, pages 153-256
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

.
Editorial
NIH research: Think globally
Anthony S. Fauci1, Francis S. Collins2,
1Anthony S. Fauci is director of the U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.
2Francis S. Collins is director of the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD.

The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has for more than 60 years supported research to improve the health and prolong the lives of people in the United States and around the world. Mean life expectancy worldwide has doubled to more than 70 years, due in large part to medical and public health interventions developed with NIH funding. Now, in the face of serious fiscal constraints, the idea has reemerged from some congressional leaders and disease constituency groups to more closely align NIH funding for disease research with disease burden in the United States. Although the nation must maintain robust research support for diseases that cause illness and death among large numbers of Americans, it would be unwise to deemphasize diseases that exact their largest toll elsewhere in the world. The United States has a vital interest in the health of people around the globe, rooted in an enduring tradition of humanitarian concern as well as in enlightened self-interest. Engagement in global health protects the nation’s citizens, enhances the economy, and advances U.S. interests abroad.

People from all walks of life understand and appreciate the moral imperative to alleviate human suffering, regardless of where it occurs. Polls show that Americans support efforts to improve health in developing countries, both for the sake of those individuals and for the sake of Americans exposed to infectious diseases that transcend national boundaries. The recent outbreak of Ebola virus disease in West Africa, which quickly found its way to the United States, is one more reminder of how global health challenges can become domestic. The concept of medical diplomacy—winning the hearts and minds of people in poor countries by exporting medical interventions, expertise, and personnel to improve their health—also resonates with many Americans, as does reducing instability in places where the United States has substantial economic and political interests.

The U.S. government, the largest funder of global health research and development, has played a central role in developing medical interventions that have saved countless lives in the world’s poorest countries. Smallpox has been eradicated, polio nearly eliminated, and important infectious diseases of childhood controlled with vaccines. An extraordinary 7.6 million AIDS deaths were averted in low- and middle-income countries between 2003 and 2013 by the development and distribution of antiretroviral drugs to treat HIV infection. Future products, including improved drugs for tuberculosis, treatments for parasitic diseases, vaccines for malaria, and new strategies to prevent and treat HIV infection could save millions more lives. Also, studying such complex diseases provides new insights that can advance how we diagnose, treat, and prevent other health challenges, including many commonly seen in the United States. For example, the treatment of hepatitis B virus infection has been revolutionized by antiviral drugs originally developed to treat HIV infection.

History shows that the tools of modern biology offer the opportunity to practically elimate major diseases that sap human health and exacerbate instability in areas where the United States has substantial interests. It is imperative that the nation sustain momentum and work with its global partners to deliver the fruits of global research to the people who need them most, both at home and abroad. Without such a commitment, we may miss opportunities to curtail or even eliminate important diseases such as AIDS and also risk the resurgence of major global health threats such as drug-resistant bacteria, tuberculosis, and malaria, for which new interventions are badly needed.

In 1940, President Franklin D. Roosevelt noted that “NIH speaks the universal language of humanitarianism… [it] has recognized no limitations imposed by international boundaries and has recognized no distinctions of race, of creed, or of color.” The NIH—and the United States—must continue to live by these words.

Tropical Medicine & International Health
May 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5 Pages 553–680
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tmi.2015.20.issue-5/issuetoc

.

Systematic Review
Rehabilitation experiences after obstetric fistula repair: systematic review of qualitative studies
Ladeisha Lombard1,*, Jenna de St. Jorre1, Rosemary Geddes1,2, Alison M. El Ayadi3 and
Liz Grant1
Article first published online: 18 FEB 2015
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.12469
Free access Pdf: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tmi.12469/epdf
Abstract
Objectives
To synthesise evidence on women’s experiences surrounding rehabilitation and reintegration after obstetric fistula repair in sub-Saharan Africa and explore recommendations from women and health service providers.
Method
Systematic literature review of qualitative studies surrounding rehabilitation experiences of women in sub-Saharan Africa who have undergone obstetric fistula repair. Using a pre-defined search strategy, seven databases, relevant source publications and grey literature were searched for primary qualitative studies. Data from ten studies were collected, and thematic analysis based on the framework approach was used to analyse the findings.
Results
The most important rehabilitating factor for women was fulfilment of social roles. Health service perspectives were more frequent than women’s perspectives. Counselling and health education were the most common recommendations from both perspectives.
Conclusion
Little qualitative evidence is available on rehabilitation after obstetric fistula repair in sub-Saharan Africa. Counselling services and community health education are priorities. Further research should emphasise women’s perspectives to better inform interventions aimed at addressing the physical and social consequences of obstetric fistula.

Tropical Medicine & International Health
May 2015 Volume 20, Issue 5 Pages 553–680
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/tmi.2015.20.issue-5/issuetoc
Original Article
Using multi-country household surveys to understand who provides reproductive and maternal health services in low- and middle-income countries: a critical appraisal of the Demographic and Health Surveys
K. Footman1,*, L. Benova1, C. Goodman2, D. Macleod1, C. A. Lynch1, L. Penn-Kekana1 and
O. M. R. Campbell1Article first published online: 5 MAR 2015
DOI: 10.1111/tmi.12471 You have full text access to this OnlineOpen article
Abstract
Objective
The Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) are a vital data resource for cross-country comparative analyses. This study is part of a set of analyses assessing the types of providers being used for reproductive and maternal health care across 57 countries. Here, we examine some of the challenges encountered using DHS data for this purpose, present the provider classification we used, and provide recommendations to enable more detailed and accurate cross-country comparisons of healthcare provision.
Methods
We used the most recent DHS surveys between 2000 and 2012; 57 countries had data on family planning and delivery care providers and 47 countries had data on antenatal care. Every possible response option across the 57 countries was listed and categorised. We then developed a classification to group provider response options according to two key dimensions: clinical nature and profit motive.
Results
We classified the different types of maternal and reproductive healthcare providers, and the individuals providing care. Documented challenges encountered during this process were limitations inherent in household survey data based on respondents’ self-report; conflation of response options in the questionnaire or at the data processing stage; category errors of the place vs. professional for delivery; inability to determine whether care received at home is from the public or private sector; a large number of negligible response options; inconsistencies in coding and analysis of data sets; and the use of inconsistent headings.
Conclusions
To improve clarity, we recommend addressing issues such as conflation of response options, data on public vs. private provider, inconsistent coding and obtaining metadata. More systematic and standardised collection of data would aid international comparisons of progress towards improved financial protection, and allow us to better characterise the incentives and commercial nature of different providers.

Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies
An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Research, Policy and Care
Volume 10, Issue 2, 2015
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rvch20/current#.Uzg2bFcWNdc

.
Training and capacity development: the foundation of interventions to support young children affected by HIV and AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa
Linda Richterab*, Julia Louwa & Sara Naickera
DOI:10.1080/17450128.2015.1029035
pages 105-117
Received: 23 Sep 2014
Accepted: 10 Mar 2015
Published online: 07 Apr 2015
Abstract
Many programs to support young children and families affected by HIV and AIDS depend substantially on a model of cascaded training from international nongovernmental organizations, through in-country groups and organizations to services on the ground. In this paper, we describe the training and capacity building – as described in proposals, progress reports, and individualized questionnaires – offered by 10 international organizations funded by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to provide supportive services for young children and their families in five southern and eastern African countries. We related the findings to effective features of training described in the literature. Training and capacity development were found to be the most substantial activities in rendering services to children and families, both in terms of effort and human and financial resources. A total of 67 trainings were conducted over a period of 18 months. Almost all trainings combine lecture-based instruction, group work/discussions, and role play, but only half of the trainings report some form of mentoring, supervision or coaching following the training. Drawing on the literature, it is likely that more purposeful planning is required in terms of the selection of trainees, local adaptation and development of materials, participatory training approaches, and techniques to develop and sustain skills as well as knowledge. Demonstration and mentorship in the field together with quality assurance procedures, pre-and post-assessment to evaluate training, processes to transfer learning into subsequent practice, as well as certification, are all fundamental steps to ensure that training plays a supportive role in the behavior changes necessary to support young children affected by HIV and AIDS and their families.

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 4 April 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 4 April 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 5 April 2015

Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Panel on Global Response to Health Crises
2 April 2015
SG/A/1558
Press Release
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of a High-level Panel on the Global Response to Health Crises.

The Secretary-General has appointed Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, as Chair. A full list of Panel members appears below. The Secretary-General has asked the Panel to make recommendations to strengthen national and international systems to prevent and manage future health crises, taking into account lessons learned from the response to the outbreak of Ebola virus disease.

In carrying out its work, the Panel will undertake a wide range of consultations, including with representatives from the affected countries and communities, the United Nations system, multilateral and bilateral financial institutions and regional development banks, non-governmental organizations, countries supporting the response effort, other Member States, health-care providers, academic and research institutions, the private sector and other experts. The Panel will be supported by a Resource Group of leading experts which is to provide advice to the Panel on technical and other issues.

The Panel will hold its first meeting in early May 2015 and is expected to submit its final report to the Secretary-General at the end of December 2015. The Secretary-General will make the report available to the General Assembly and undertake further action as appropriate.

Panel Members
– Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete (United Republic of Tanzania)
– Celso Amorim (Brazil)
– Micheline Calmy-Rey (Switzerland)
– Marty Natalegawa (Indonesia)
– Joy Phumaphi (Botswana)
– Rajiv Shah (United States)

[Full press release including bios here: http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1558.doc.htm]

Donors pledge US$ 3.8 billion to help people affected by the constantly deteriorating Syria crisis
31 March 2015
In an expression of continued solidarity with the millions of children, women and men affected by the devastating crisis in Syria, now in its fifth year, international donors today pledged US$3.8 billion at a conference hosted by the Amir of Kuwait, His Highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

.
Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria. Remarks by António Guterres, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Kuwait City, 31 March 2015
UNHCR – Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
31 March 2015 [Excerpt]
…The Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan (or 3RP) aims to stop this downward spiral, to ensure we can meet refugees’ basic needs and prevent them from sliding into abject poverty in increasing numbers. We are requesting continued humanitarian support for core protection and life-saving activities, also to prevent some of the terrible protection risks facing refugees – such as child labor, child recruitment, sexual exploitation and abuse, or early marriages. The appeal also provides for shelter, water and sanitation, minimum health care requirements, and for bringing more children into school.

But this appeal is different from previous ones, in that it recognizes both the immediate and the longer-term imperatives of responding to the crisis by combining a humanitarian and a resilience component. This solid and innovative document was developed in close collaboration with over 200 partners and the host governments. The UNDP Administrator will speak in a few minutes about our common efforts to assist host communities, and to strengthen the ability of refugees and local families to cope with the crisis.

Let me just stress one thing – it is essential that immediate humanitarian needs and longer-term resilience programmes are supported from the totality of resources available to donors. Humanitarian assistance budgets are vastly insufficient to meet even the most basic needs, and development actors must step forward to support the longer-term efforts.
The programmes we are appealing for today have been designed with great emphasis on innovative responses and cost effectiveness. We increasingly use biometric registration and iris scan technology to make targeted assistance to the most vulnerable more effective. Food vouchers and cash grants for very vulnerable families not only allow them the dignity of choice, but we are starting to see that cash grants help to improve overall quality of life. But thousands of needy families are on a waiting list and cannot receive this support unless more funding is made available.

One of the risks that worry me most continues to be the growing threat of a lost generation of Syrian children. With half of all school-aged refugee children and another 2 million in Syria out of school, the number of young people at risk is staggering. They have already lost their childhoods to a terrible war and are now also facing lost futures. Even though humanitarian agencies have made some progress in reinforcing national and community systems to give refugee children better access to education and protection, increasing poverty risks reversing those gains when it forces parents to take their children out of school. With only about 40% of the identified needs funded in 2014, the No Lost Generation initiative needs considerably more support.

…As I said at the beginning, this is a dangerous tipping point. If we fail to provide adequate support to refugees and their hosts, and to build up their resilience to cope with the long-term pressures of this increasingly protracted refugee situation, we risk a further destabilization of the entire region. It is true that humanitarian action can only be a palliative. As the Secretary-General has said, without a political solution to the conflict, we will only find ourselves with greater and greater humanitarian needs. It is our duty to do everything we can to protect and assist those who face the very worst impact of this violent war – the people of Syria.

Livelihoods Development Critical to Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Economic Recovery – New Study
UNEP United Nations Environment Programme

WASHINGTON, DC/GENEVA, April 3, 2015 ‒ In the wake of armed conflict, rebuilding livelihoods is critical to peacebuilding and economic redevelopment, according to a new study launched today by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Tokyo, McGill University, and Tufts University.

According to the study, entitled Livelihoods, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, reestablishing natural resource-based livelihoods following conflict can strengthen food security, provide employment, help reintegrate ex-combatants and other vulnerable groups, and offer opportunities for cooperation between formerly warring groups.

Edited by Helen Young, a professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy at Tufts University, and Lisa Goldman, a senior attorney at ELI, the book combines the expertise and field experience of practitioners, researchers, civil society advocates, and others active in livelihoods and post-conflict peacebuilding from around the world. The publication includes 18 cases studies on livelihoods in 16 conflict-affected countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Europe, the Americas, and the Middle East. Together, these case studies illustrate a theory of change that underlies post-conflict livelihood interventions based on sustainable natural resource management.

The book examines post-conflict initiatives spanning a broad range of natural resource‒based livelihoods, including agricultural development, land tenure, pastoralism, fisheries and coastal management, forest governance, protected area management and ecotourism, and disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR). These case studies illustrate some of the challenges inherent in post-conflict livelihoods programming: how to balance trade-offs, how to prioritize and sequence livelihoods interventions, how to undertake institutional reform, and the advantages and disadvantages of a market-based approach. At the same time, there is no uniform approach that can work in every case. Theoretical approaches must be informed by best practices that are rooted in messy, complex local realities.

“Rebuilding livelihoods in post conflict countries is a critical component of peacebuilding and economic recovery. Where conflict-affected communities rely on natural resources for livelihood security, peacebuilding solutions must address the livelihood needs of poor and vulnerable populations to ensure the sustainable management of these resources in the context of future national development planning and encourage the equitable distribution of development assistance,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner.

“This publication is a valuable contribution to our understanding of the role of livelihoods and natural resources in post-conflict peacebuilding,” noted Jan Egeland, Secretary-General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “If we are to build robust and peaceful societies, nothing is more important than creating and sustaining livelihoods.”

Book: Livelihoods, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding
Edited by Helen Young, Lisa Goldman
Routledge – 2015 – 544 pages
Overview
Sustaining and strengthening local livelihoods is one of the most fundamental challenges faced by post-conflict countries. By degrading the natural resources that are essential to livelihoods and by significantly hindering access to those resources, conflict can wreak havoc on the ability of war-torn populations to survive and recover. This book explores how natural resource management initiatives in more than twenty countries and territories have supported livelihoods and facilitated post-conflict peacebuilding.

Case studies and analyses identify lessons and opportunities for the more effective design of interventions to support the livelihoods that depend on natural resources – from land to agriculture, forestry, fisheries, and protected areas. The book also explores larger questions about how to structure livelihoods assistance as part of a coherent, integrated approach to post-conflict redevelopment.

Livelihoods and Natural Resources in Post-Conflict Peacebuilding is part of a global initiative to identify and analyze lessons in post-conflict peacebuilding and natural resource management. The project has generated six books of case studies and analyses, with contributions from practitioners, policy makers, and researchers. Other books in this series address high value resources, land, water, assessing and restoring natural resources, and governance

New competition aims to find creative solutions to education challenges in conflict zones
UNICEF-UNHCR Joint press release
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 31 March 2015 – UNICEF and the UN Refugee Agency UNHCR today announced the launch of a new Amplify challenge – a call for ideas and innovations that could improve the delivery and quality of education for children and adults displaced by violent conflict.

“For children whose lives have been devastated by conflicts, education offers hope, stability and – increasingly – a means of delivering life-saving information. It is also an essential investment in the lives of individual children and future generations,” said Josephine Bourne, UNICEF Chief of Education.

“Less than 2 per cent of global humanitarian funding is allocated to education in emergency contexts, leaving an estimated annual gap of $247 million. Our challenge to designers and innovators is: How can we best preserve education – a basic human right – in difficult circumstances, using cost-effective methods without compromising the quality of learning?”

Through a collaborative process including research, brainstorming and refinement, Amplify hopes to find new economical, human-centred solutions to education in emergency situations, designed with input from the affected communities themselves and tailored to their unique needs. The Amplify programme is hosted by IDEO.org and OpenIDEO, and funded by the UK Department for International Development. The new challenge also includes expert guidance from UNICEF and the Innovation and Education units of UNHCR.

This is the third in a series of 10 challenges that aim to bring about positive change for people living in extreme poverty around the world. The first challenge focused on solutions that enable women to feel safe and empowered in low-income urban areas, the second sought to help parents and caregivers provide their children with the skills, competencies, health and habits crucial to early childhood development.

“The fact that half of the world’s 50 million refugees and displaced people are under the age of 18 is extremely sobering,” said Olivier Delarue, Lead of UNHCR Innovation. “This is why UNHCR is committed to providing access to quality education at the very onset of an emergency. Achieving this in the face of today’s increasingly complex humanitarian crises requires innovative approaches. We need to find creative solutions that are sustainable and, most importantly, place the needs of those who are forcibly displaced at the heart of the design process.”

For more information and to take part in the challenge, visit: http://ideo.pn/refugeeeducation

Securing Livelihoods For All: Foresight for Action
OECD – Development Centre Studies
March 31, 2015 :: 164 pages :: DOI:10.1787/9789264231894-en
Online version: http://www.oecd.org/dev/securing-livelihoods-for-all-9789264231894-en.htm

Press Release
Action is needed to secure future livelihoods in developed and emerging economies, says the OECD Development Centre
This report uses a foresight approach to develop five possible livelihood landscapes for the world in 2030, shows that vulnerability and the risk of falling back into extreme poverty remain high in the face of a changing global context.

In most developing regions, 80% of people feel they are struggling or even suffering in their daily lives, rather than thriving. Furthermore, emerging trends in the economy, technology, demography, environment and security could negatively impact livelihoods – defined as the ability to support oneself and thrive now and in the future – in the next decades.

“The outlook for livelihoods is fragile. Emerging global trends are creating a lot of uncertainty, and we need to find innovative ways to ensure resilience of livelihoods”, said Carl Dahlman, Head of Global Development Research at the Development Centre. “Still, in all middle and low-income countries, people generally think that the future will be better than the past or the present. The greatest optimism is in the East Asia-Pacific region” he added.

Worrying global trends include:
:: Increasing inequality as the benefits of economic growth are not shared equally. The poorest 66% of the world’s population are estimated to receive less than 13% of world income, while the richest 1% receive nearly 15%. And around 70% of the world’s undernourished live in middle-income countries.

:: Jobless growth both in emerging and developing economies. The case of China is striking: between 1991 and 2012, GDP multiplied by a factor of almost nine (adjusted for inflation), while total employment remained almost static, and the workforce participation rate of 24-65 year olds fell from 85% to 77%.

:: Jobs are further challenged by rapid technical change and automation. Even white-collar occupations such as accountancy, legal work and technical writing may eventually be phased out.

:: Persisting financial fragilities. Policy measures taken in recent years to reduce the fragility of the financial and banking systems have been considerable, but more is needed to make the system truly robust. The next major shocks may well come from emerging markets, whose growing corporate sector has benefited from massive lending by the global financial system.

:: The growing youth population in Sub-Saharan Africa – where the labour force is growing by 8 million people a year – and in South Asia – where it is growing by 12 million a year – which will become a source of major stress if they do not have enough jobs.

:: Environmental and resource challenges, particularly the expected increase in severe drought incidence. By 2050, more than 40% of the world’s population will live under severe water stress.

:: New security concerns – such as cybercrime and terrorism –threaten livelihoods in addition to traditional conflicts due to geopolitical unrest.

Despite these challenges, the report is optimistic that livelihoods can be secured if innovative initiatives are taken. It makes a call for action at all relevant levels to seize these opportunities:
:: At the global level, efforts must continue to increase co-ordination and co-operation to create the right conditions for livelihoods in many fields, from financial stability to climate change, from international trade to migration, from water governance to cyber security.

:: National governments can be enablers of vibrant societies and a back-stop in hard times. For example, to address the jobs challenge, governments could enhance opportunities for lifelong learning and promote livelihood portfolios made up of part-time work, paid training, and unemployment benefits.

:: Local initiatives help secure livelihoods, for example, by supporting a vibrant shared local economy in which individuals can survive through a patchwork of entrepreneurial and social initiatives involving exchanges, barters and virtual service marketplaces. The introduction of local currencies (also known as complementary or community currencies) for example, could shelter local communities from the turbulence of volatile global financial markets.

Developing Common Principles for Tracking Climate Finance
World Bank
April 3, 2015
The world’s largest development finance institutions are working together on a common sets of principles for tracking climate finance. They have agreed on the first set for tracking mitigation finance. Similar principles for tracking adaptation finance and leverage are being developed this year.

A key step to reining in climate change is shifting how trillions of dollars are invested, moving finance out of carbon-intensive, business-as-usual investments that can lock in greenhouse gas emissions for decades to come and moving it into low-carbon growth.

Knowing where the money is flowing is critical for reaching areas of opportunity and need, because what gets measured gets managed.
This week, more than two dozen of the world’s largest development finance institutions – including multilateral development banks like the World Bank Group and regional and national development banks like Agence Française de Développment – agreed to a common set of principles that each will use to consistently track financial commitments that help reduce the drivers of climate change.
Tracking climate mitigation finance is the first step. The group is also developing principles for tracking adaptation finance and the ability to leverage finance, with frameworks possible mid-year.
“Common methodologies will build trust that climate finance is flowing,” said World Bank Group Vice President and Special Envoy for Climate Change Rachel Kyte. “Our ability as multilateral, national and bilateral development institutions to tell a shared story will provide an essential piece of the climate finance jigsaw puzzle. That puzzle needs to be solved in the next few weeks. It’s important for the climate conference in Paris, of course, but for Addis Ababa and finance for development, as well.”

Common principles for tracking
The development finance institutions have been tracking climate finance for only a few years, and their methods have varied, making global public finance numbers difficult to compare. Some methods left out segments; others led to double counting of resources.

To help create a more accurate map of climate finance flows and assessment of the volume, the multilateral development banks (MBDs) began jointly reporting on climate finance about four years ago and have been fine-tuning their harmonized framework. Together, the African Development Bank (AfDB), Asian Development Bank (ADB), European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), European Investment Bank (EIB), Inter-American Development Bank (IDB), and the World Bank Group (WBG) reported nearly US$75 billion in climate finance in fiscal years 2011 to 2013.

Separately, the International Development Finance Club (IDFC) developed a process for its 22 national, regional and international development finance institutions, which include Development Bank of Latin America (CAF), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Germany’s KfW. Together, the IDFC members reported US$87 billion in climate finance in 2013.

Over the past year, these two groups have worked together to develop the principles, guidelines and definitions in the Common Principles for Climate Mitigation Finance Tracking that were agreed to at the Climate Finance Forum in Paris this week.

The principles
The principles set common definitions and guidelines for tracking climate finance, but they leave the implementation, reporting, and quality control to each institution.
An activity is classified as related to climate change mitigation under the common principles if it promotes “efforts to reduce or limit greenhouse gas emissions or enhance greenhouse gas sequestration.”

The guidelines then list activities that can be counted as climate finance in nine categories: renewable energy; lower-carbon and efficient energy generation; energy efficiency; agriculture, forestry and land-use; water and wastewater; transportation; low-carbon technologies; non-energy greenhouse gas reductions such cleaner industrial production and carbon capture and storage; and cross-cutting issues such as support for the development of carbon markets, policies and regulations, and emissions monitoring systems…

.
Common Principles for Climate Mitigation Finance Tracking – 7 pages
Pdf: http://www.worldbank.org/content/dam/Worldbank/document/Climate/common-principles-for-climate-mitigation-finance-tracking.pdf
Introduction
The purpose of these Common Principles for Climate Mitigation Finance Tracking (or the Principles) is to set out agreed climate change mitigation finance tracking principles for development finance. The Principles have been developed by the joint climate finance group of multilateral development banks (MDBs)1 and the International Development Finance Club (IDFC)2 based on their experience on the topic and with the intention to be shared with other institutions that are looking for common approaches for tracking and reporting. The principles consist of a set of common Definitions and Guidelines including the list of activities, but do not cover aspects related to their implementation, including quality control procedures which remain the sole responsibility of each institution and/or group. The Principles, reflect the approach that both groups (MDBs and IDFC) have been following for tracking climate change mitigation activities for the past 4 years, and are based on the application of harmonized terms.

EBOLA/EVD [to 4 April 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

Ebola Situation Report – 1 April 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: A total of 82 new confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) were reported in the week to 29 March, a slight increase compared with 79 cases the previous week. Case incidence in Guinea increased to 57, compared with 45 the previous week. This offset a fourth consecutive weekly fall in case incidence in Sierra Leone, which reported 25 confirmed cases. Liberia reported no confirmed cases over the same period.
:: In addition to an increase in case incidence in Guinea, the geographic area of transmission also increased. A total of 7 Guinean prefectures reported at least one confirmed case in the week to 29 March, compared with 3 the previous week. Two of the 7 prefectures that reported a new confirmed case, Fria and Siguiri, did so for the first time in over 50 days. Siguiri, which borders Mali, is the first prefecture outside the western area of Guinea to report a confirmed case for over 30 days…
:: A 45-day state of health emergency has been declared in the Guinean prefectures of Forecariah, Coyah, Dubreka, Boffa, and Kindia. The capital, Conakry, will also be subject to emergency measures, which include the restriction of movement in areas of transmission, the temporary closure and quarantine of private hospitals and clinics where EVD cases have been detected, and limitation of burial participation to close relatives only. All corpses will be tested for EVD during the 45-day emergency period…

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 25,178 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (table 1), with over 10,000 reported deaths (outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 57 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 0 in Liberia, and 25 in Sierra Leone in the 7 days to 29 March…

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
3 April 2015
SC/11850-AFR/3104
Security Council Press Statement on Al-Shabaab Attack in Garissa, Kenya

2 April 2015
SG/SM/16640-AFR/3102-PKO/476
Receiving Report on Mali Violence, Secretary-General Condemns ‘Excessive Use of Force’ by Formed Police Unit
Secretary-General
Press Release
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon:
The inquiry launched by the Secretary-General to determine the facts surrounding the violent demonstration that took place on 27 January 2015 in Gao, Mali, in front of the United Nations Multidimensional Integrated Stabilization Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) Regional Headquarters has submitted its report.

The inquiry determined that members of a MINUSMA Formed Police Unit used unauthorized and excessive force on civilian protesters during the demonstration, resulting in the death by gunfire of three protesters and the wounding of four others.

The inquiry also established that some protesters and organizers of the demonstration bear responsibility for the violence of the protest, which included Molotov cocktails, stone throwing and attempts to breach the perimeter of the Regional MINUSMA Headquarters in Gao. The inquiry noted that MINUSMA security forces were left to face the protesters on their own in violation of the Status of Forces Agreement with the host country. Five MINUSMA police officers were wounded during the event.

The Secretary-General profoundly regrets the casualties among civilians resulting from the excessive use of force during this event by the MINUSMA personnel concerned. He condemns it as a violation of the MINUSMA Directive on the Use of Force. The Secretary-General is committed to ensuring that the responsible individuals are held fully accountable for their actions.

Steps are being taken in this regard with the authorities of Mali and the relevant police-contributing country. The Secretary-General encourages the Government of Mali to take the appropriate steps to prevent future such incidents. Communications, management and crisis procedures within MINUSMA will also be examined to prevent the recurrence of such acts.

The Secretary-General is committed to ensuring justice for the victims and their families according to local customs and appropriate United Nations procedures. MINUSMA is in contact with the local authorities and with the individuals and families concerned in this regard. On behalf of the United Nations, the Secretary-General expresses his deepest apologies to the victims and their families.

The United Nations and MINUSMA in particular remain committed to supporting the stabilization of Mali.

.
SG/A/1558
Secretary-General Appoints High-Level Panel on Global Response to Health Crises

.
SG/SM/16642
Secretary-General Welcomes Iran Nuclear Framework, Looks for Comprehensive, Negotiated Solution by June

.
GA/11632
Adopting Nine Texts, General Assembly Establishes Nelson Mandela Prize Statute, Promotes Cooperation with Regional Organizations, Culture of Accountability
The General Assembly today adopted without a vote eight resolutions and one decision, including one establishing the statute of the United Nations Nelson Mandela Prize and two on promoting cooperation with regional organizations.

1 April 2015
ECOSOC/6680
Inclusive Wealth Creation, Not Just Growth, Vital in Post-2015 Period, Speakers Stress as Economic and Social Council Concludes Integration Session
Speakers at the Economic and Social Council drew attention today to the multidimensional nature of the challenge of generating equitable and inclusive employment opportunities as part of achieving sustainable global development, as that body concluded its 2015 integration segment.

.
31 March 2015
ECOSOC/6679
Economic and Social Council Tackles Challenges to Creating Decent Jobs as Solution for Climate Change, Global Income Inequality, Unemployment in Africa
In three interactive panel discussions today, the Economic and Social Council looked at how climate change challenges could be met through creating decent jobs, how dignity and prosperity could become the norm for working people, and how policies could translate sustained economic growth in Africa into “broad-based and job-rich outcomes” towards inclusive sustainable development.

.
30 March 2015
SC/11846
Security Council Members, in Monthly Wrap-Up, Gravely Concerned about ‘New Brand’ of Terrorism Targeting Ethnic, Religious Groups as Cross-Border Violence Spreads
The situation in the Middle East, protection of children in armed conflict and crises in Africa dominated the Council’s schedule, the Permanent Representative of France, President of the body for March, said in a monthly wrap-up meeting this afternoon.

.
SC/11845
Top United Nations Officials Warn Security Council of Constrained Humanitarian ‘Footprint’ for Victims of Boko Haram’s Attacks in Nigeria, Region
Unless well-targeted humanitarian assistance reached those fleeing Boko Haram’s increasingly brutal attacks, more than 3 million people in northern Nigeria would be unable to meet basic food needs in the coming months and millions more would be affected, top United Nations officials said, briefing the Security Council on threats to international peace and security caused by terrorist acts.

UNOCHA [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases
03 Apr 2015
– Chad: Revue de Presse Humanitaire au Tchad, du 21 mars au 03 avril 2015

– Yemen: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Valerie Amos Statement on Yemen

– Syrian Arab Republic: Syrian Arab Republic: Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) OCHA , March 2015

– South Sudan: Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator: “Freedom of Movement Vital During the Planting Season”

01 Apr 2015
– Lebanon: Lebanon receives $18 million to address the needs of the most vulnerable

– Iraq: The United Nations Brings Relief to al-Baghdadi [EN/AR]

– Yemen: Statement from the Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Johannes Van Der Klaauw

31 Mar 2015
– Syrian Arab Republic: Donors pledge $3.8 billion to help people affected by the constantly deteriorating Syria crisis

– Yemen: Statement of the Yemen Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr. Johannes van Der Klaauw

– Syrian Arab Republic: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator; Valerie Amos, Remarks to the Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria

30 Mar 2015
– Assistant Secretary-General Kyung-Wha Kang: Briefing to the Security Council on Threats to International Peace and Security caused by terrorist acts (Boko Haram), 30 March 2015

– Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos: Remarks to Third Conference of Non-Governmental Organizations Donors to the Syrian People, Kuwait City, 30 March 2015

– Vanuatu: Humanitarian Coordinator Warns of Secondary Emergency

– Third International Humanitarian Pledging Conference for Syria – Concept Note

UNICEF [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

Myanmar peace agreement – UNICEF Statement
NEW YORK, 31 March 2015 – “The successful conclusion of a National Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) between the Government of Myanmar and representatives of 16 ethnic armed groups is welcome news for children in Myanmar, who have suffered from some of the longest-running civil conflicts in the world.

Protect children from escalating violence in Yemen, UNICEF appeals
NEW YORK/AMMAN, 31 March 2015 – At least 62 children have been killed and 30 injured during fighting in Yemen over the past week, according to UNICEF. The fighting is severely damaging basic health services and education, while violence and displacement are leaving children terrified.

UNICEF education assistance to reach 30,000 school-aged children in Vanuatu
PORT VILA, 31 March 2015 – As Vanuatu’s schools officially reopen, UNICEF and its partners are supporting the Government of Vanuatu to provide assistance to 30,000 school-aged children from early childhood to secondary school level who have been affected by Category 5 Tropical Cyclone Pam. Early assessment data suggests that 50 per cent of the schools in Tafea, Torba, Penama, Malampa and Shefa provinces suffered damage to infrastructure, facilities and resources.

Children killed and injured by landmines and unexploded ordnance in eastern Ukraine – UNICEF
KYIV/GENEVA, 31 March 2015 –At least 109 children are reported to have been injured and 42 killed by landmines and unexploded ordnance in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions of eastern Ukraine since March last year, UNICEF said today.

WHO & Regionals [to 4 April 2015]
:: Conflict in Yemen kills and injures hundreds, places major strain on health system
1 April 2015, Sana’a, Yemen – An escalation in conflict and violence in Yemen has resulted in hundreds dead and thousands injured, and placed immense strain on health facilities and humanitarian health care providers…

…WHO, in support of Yemen’s Ministry of Public Health and Population, is working with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF France and Spain) and other partner organizations to ensure that patients receive the treatment they urgently need and that health facilities are provided with sufficient medicines and medical supplies.

To date, WHO and partners have provided interagency emergency health kits for more than 80 000 beneficiaries, as well as blood bags, oxygen cylinders with regulators, and IV fluids. Urgently required medicines and other supplies that are available in the country are being procured locally. With the closure of all airports and ports to Yemen, WHO is coordinating with the World Food Programme and UN partners to explore alternative solutions for the provision of additional medicines and medical kits from its humanitarian hub in Dubai.

.
:: The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 3 April 2015, vol. 90, 14 (pp. 133–148) includes:
– Planning, requesting medicines and reporting for preventive chemotherapy
– UNICEF and WHO meet to strengthen reporting of anthelminthic treatment for preschool children

.
:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: Experts Discuss Actions to Include Health in All Public Policies in the Countries of the Americas (03/30/2015)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Make food safety a priority: WHO 31 March 2015

WHO European Region EURO
:: Complex food chain increases food safety risks 31-03-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Conflict in Yemen kills and injures hundreds, places major strain on health system
1 April 2015, Sana’a, Yemen – An escalation in conflict and violence in Yemen has resulted in hundreds dead and thousands injured, and placed immense strain on health facilities and humanitarian health care providers

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: Ensuring food in the Region is safe from farm to plate
MANILA, 1 April 2015 – Diseases caused by unsafe food claim an estimated 2 million lives globally each year. The World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region marks World Health Day (7 April) this year by urging governments, the food industry and consumers to observe food safety to save lives and improve global health.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

Selected Press Releases
Livelihoods Development Critical to Post-Conflict Peacebuilding and Economic Recovery – New Study
03/04/2015
WASHINGTON, DC/GENEVA, April 3, 2015 ‒ In the wake of armed conflict, rebuilding livelihoods is critical to peacebuilding and economic redevelopment, according to a new study launched today by the Environmental Law Institute (ELI), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the University of Tokyo, McGill University, and Tufts University.
According to the study, entitled Livelihoods, Natural Resources, and Post-Conflict Peacebuilding, reestablishing natural resource-based livelihoods following conflict can strengthen food security, provide employment, help reintegrate ex-combatants and other vulnerable groups, and offer opportunities for cooperation between formerly warring groups.

.
Renewables Re-energized: Green Energy Investments Worldwide Surge 17% to $270 Billion in 2014
Driven by solar and wind, world investments reverse 2-year dip, brush aside challenge from sharply lower oil price; 103GW capacity added in 2014 is roughly that of all US nuclear plants
31/03/2015

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 4 April 2015]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/press-releases/

Iraqi IDPs to get shelter and basic services, thanks to Japanese funding
Baghdad 30 March 2015 – Through the support of the Government of Japan, UN-Habitat launched a project in Iraq to support internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the country to enhance self-reliance and improve their living conditions through provision of prefabricated durable shelters and basic services in Baghdad, Dohuk and Kerbala Governorates…

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 4 April 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

Countries pledge to wipe out sheep and goat plague globally
High-level authorities from 15 countries pledged on Thursday to collaborate on a global plan to wipe out forever the devasting animal disease known as ‘Peste des petits ruminants’ by 2030, a lethal plague for goats and sheep and the scourge of rural households in vast swathes of the developing world.
2-04-2015

Infographic
Healthy soils are the foundation of the food system. Our soils are the basis for agriculture and the medium in which nearly all food-producing plants grow. Healthy soils produce healthy crops that in turn nourish people and animals. Indeed, soil quality is directly linked to food quality and quantity. With a global population that is projected to exceed 9 billion by 2050, compounded by competition for land and water resources and the impact of climate change, our current and future food security hinges on our ability to increase yields and food quality using the soils that are already under production today.
1-04-2015

FAO and government team up to restore food security in northern Mali
The government of Mali and FAO have launched the implementation phase of a $5 million project aimed at restoring the livelihoods of households affected by the armed conflicts and climate change in the northern part of the country.
1-04-2015