CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.cbd.int/press-releases/

Announcements
The Government of Peru has announced that they have achieved the highest level of implementation and management of Protected Natural Areas, according to the first performance audit by the Comptroller General of the Republic to the National Service of Protected Natural Areas (SERNANP) as part of a coordinated audit with 11 other public institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, through the INDIMAPA tool and INDOSAI
2015-04-14

USAID [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases

New Global Health Approach to Reach Millions More People with Lifesaving Medicines
April 17, 2015
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today a new approach to purchasing and distributing life-saving medicine and health supplies. USAID will use data analytics and innovative tools to drive-down the price of medicines and increase delivery speed. As funding for global health has remained relatively stable over the past several years, this new approach will enable USAID to reach millions more patients with the same amount of resources.

African Union [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.au.int/en/

Apr.17.2015 Statement by the South African Embassy to the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia and the Permanent Mission to the African Union and UNECA, on the recent Xenophobic incidents in Durban

Apr.17.2015 MEDIA ANNOUNCEMENT/ 25th AU SUMMIT
The 25th African Union Summit is scheduled to take place from 7 to 15 June 2015 in the Republic of South Africa. Theme: The theme of the Summit is: “Year of Women Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”

Apr.16.2015 Xenophobic attacks on foreign nationals in South Africa

The African Development Bank Group [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

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Burkina Faso receives new support to monitor forest sustainability results
17/04/2015 – The Forest Investment Program (FIP) approved on Thursday, April 16 in Washington, DC $101,000 for Burkina Faso to ramp up its monitoring and reporting on its Gazetted Forests Participatory Management Project for REDD+ , and Decentralized Forest and Woodland Management Project. As the leading implementation support to the country for its FIP program, the African Development Bank (AfDB) is working with the country to ensure that an effective and adequately funded plan is in place for monitoring the projects’ outcomes.

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$300 million top-up from AfDB to support countries’ Post-Ebola Recovery Programs
17/04/2015 – African Development Bank President Donald Kaberuka announced $300 million to support the national Post-Ebola Recovery program of Ebola-affected countries during the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings in Washington.

OECD [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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OECD’s Gurría welcomes call for ‘Social Compact for Digital Privacy and Security’ as critical first step for trust and economic prosperity
15-April-2015
On the occasion of the Global Conference on Cyberspace meeting today in The Hague, the Global Commission on Internet Governance (GCIG) issued a statement calling on ‘the global community to build a new social compact between citizens and their elected representatives, the judiciary, law enforcement and intelligence agencies, business, civil society and the Internet technical community..

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Cities need new finance options and better governance to tackle future water risks
13/04/2015 – Rapid population growth, ageing infrastructure and new weather risks are straining the ability of cities in OECD countries to provide clean water and to protect against floods and droughts, according to a new OECD report. Cities will need large-scale investment and more effective tariffs and taxes to pay for upgrades to water systems.

Water and Cities: Ensuring Sustainable Futures finds that city water systems in OECD countries will increasingly struggle with deteriorating plants and pipelines, pollution, and changing weather patterns. It also recognises that rapid urbanisation, with 86% of the OECD population set to be living in cities by 2050, means that urban users, farmers and energy firms will increasingly be draining the same water basins.

The report finds that the need to fit new hardware into decades-old infrastructure so that it can cope with future demands could greatly inflate running expenses and capital spending.

“OECD Cities are entering a new era of uncertainty in terms of water services and security,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, launching the report at the 7th World Water Forum in Korea. “We need new ways of financing and managing water. Planning ahead will mean a much lower bill than if we carry on as we are today.” (Read the full speech)…

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC)  [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

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OIC SECRETARY GENERAL CONDEMNS SUICIDE ATTACK ON UN PEACE KEEPERS IN MALI
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr Iyad Ameen Madani condemned the suicide attack on 15th April 2015 on a UN peace keepers camp of MINUSMA in Ansongo, northern Mali, resulting in the death of three civilians and the injuring of over a dozen people including nine peace keepers from the Republic of Niger…
16/04/2015

OIC SECRETARY GENERAL CONDEMNS ATTACK ON THE MINISTRY OF EDUCATION AND CULTURE IN MOGADISHU
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr. Iyad Ameen Madani has condemned the terrorist attack on 14th April 2015 on the Ministry of Higher Education and Culture in Mogadishu that resulted in the death of at least fourteen innocent people and the wounding of many more others…
15/04/2015

OIC Secretary General expresses satisfaction at UNSC’s adoption of Resolution 2216 on the Situation in Yemen under Chapter VII
The Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Iyad Ameen Madani, expressed satisfaction at the content of resolution 2216 (2015) on the Situation in Yemen adopted by the UN Security Council on 14 April 2015. The resolution is an embodiment of the international community’s will to restore constitutional legitimacy in Yemen and preserve the country’s unity, security, stability and territorial integrity…
15/04/2015

OIC CALLS FOR CALM AND RESTRAINT IN GUINEA
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which has been following the political development in the Republic of Guinea, has voiced its concern at the violent turn of events in the country…
15/04/2015

OIC Secretary General Urges Member States and Civil Society Organisations to Assist the Yemeni People
The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Mr Iyad Ameen Madani, stated that the General Secretariat is consulting with several civil society organizations that have consultative status at the OIC and with other humanitarian organizations to provide medical, food and humanitarian aid for the Yemeni people to enable them overcome the current challenges. The General Secretariat is also consulting with United Nations agencies and the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent to take urgent steps to alleviate the plight of the Yemeni people and to consider the steps to be taken in the medium term….
13/04/2015

Group of 77  [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.g77.org/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by H.E. Ambassador Kingsley J.N. Mamabolo, Permanent Representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, Chair of the Group of 77, at the second drafting session on the zero draft in preparation of the Third International Confererence on Financing for Development to take place in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia (New York, 13 April 2015)

IMF [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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April 17, 2015
Remarks of IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde–High-Level Ebola Meeting: The Road to Recovery

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April 15, 2015
Transcript of a Press Briefing on the Global Financial Stability Report

IMF – Global Financial Stability Report (GFSR) —
Navigating Monetary Policy Challenges and Managing Risks
IMF April 2015 :: 162 pages
Pdf: http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/gfsr/2015/01/pdf/text.pdf
Overview
Global financial stability risks have risen since October.

Chapter 1 finds that these risks have also been pivoting away from banks to shadow banks, from solvency to market liquidity risks, and from advanced economies to emerging markets. In advanced economies, the key challenge is to enhance the traction of accommodative monetary policies, ensure a smooth normalization of monetary policy in the United States, and manage the undesirable side effects of low interest rates. Emerging markets must address their own domestic financial vulnerabilities from weaker growth, lower commodity prices, and a stronger dollar, while strengthening their resilience to the changing global environment.

Chapters 2 and 3 examine developments in international banking and the potential risks stemming from the financial management industry. Analyzing developments since the global financial crisis, Chapter 2 highlights a shift from direct cross-border lending to local lending by foreign banks’ affiliates. The decline in cross-border lending can be explained by a combination of regulatory changes, weaknesses in bank balance sheets, and macroeconomic factors. This change can positively affect the financial stability of host countries. Cross-border lending tends to compound adverse domestic and global shocks; in contrast, foreign-owned subsidiaries behave less procyclically than domestic banks during domestic crises.

Chapter 3 shifts the focus to the asset management industry, particularly “plain-vanilla” products, such as mutual funds. Even these vehicles may pose financial stability risks due to incentive problems between portfolio managers and end investors (which may lead to herding) and due to run risk stemming from liquidity mismatches. The empirical analysis finds evidence for many of these risk-creating mechanisms, although their importance varies across markets. Oversight of the industry should be strengthened.

World Bank [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Ebola: World Bank Group Provides New Financing to Help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone Recover from Ebola Emergency
New GDP Estimates Show International Support Vital to Speed Recovery
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2015–The World Bank Group (WBG) announced today that it would provide at least US$650 million during the next 12 to 18 months to help Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone recover from the devastating social and economic impact of the Ebola crisis and advance their longer-term development needs. The new WBG pledge brings the organization’s total financing for Ebola response and recovery efforts to date to US$1.62 billion. The additional funding announcement comes as the WBG releases new GDP estimates showing that the Ebola epidemic continues to cripple the economies of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. Estimated GDP losses for the three countries in 2015 rose to US$2.2 billion: US$240 million for Liberia, US$535 million for Guinea and US$1.4 billion for Sierra Leone…
Date: April 17, 2015

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Speeches & Transcripts
Remarks at Press Conference Following High-Level Roundtable on Ebola
President of Guinea Alpha Condé, President of Liberia Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, President of Sierra Leone Ernest Bai Koroma , World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Press Conference Following High-Level Roundtable on Ebola
Washington, D.C., United States
April 17, 2015
Transcript

Arab Monetary Fund and World Bank Group Join Efforts to Support Financial Sector Development in the Arab World
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2015 – The Arab Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group signed today an Enhanced Partnership Framework to support countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region in developing their economies and financial markets. This initiative will include collaboration on joint strategies for promoting the development of financial markets and trade among countries; supporting economic stabilization; and accelerating broad-based and inclusive economic growth and job creation in the Arab region.“ The World Bank and the Arab Monetary Fund have collaborated on a number of initiatives over the years and given our fruitful cooperation in the past, we are here to solidify and strengthen this partnership further,” said Hafez Ghanem, World Bank Vice President for the Middle East and North Africa region.
Date: April 17, 2015

World Bank Group and a Coalition of Partners Make Commitments to Accelerate Universal Financial Access
Access can enable people to better manage risks and escape poverty
WASHINGTON, April 17, 2015 — Today the World Bank Group and a broad coalition of partners – including multilateral agencies, banks, credit unions, card networks, microfinance institutions and telecommunications companies – issued numeric commitments that will help promote financial inclusion and achieve universal financial access by the year 2020.Galvanizing private-sector investment and innovation to accelerate universal financial access, including through enabling policy and regulatory frameworks, was the focus of a flagship event at the World Bank headquarters. It brought together private-sector leaders, government regulators and the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.The 2020 goal calls for adults worldwide to have access to a transaction account or an electronic instrument to store money, send and receive payments, recognizing financial access as a basic building block to managing an individual’s financial life.
Date: April 17, 2015

Future of Food: World Bank Outlines Action Agenda for Food System to Help End Poverty and Hunger
WASHINGTON, DC, April 16, 2015 – With 800 million people going to bed hungry every night, countries combatting hunger must build better food systems that raise agricultural productivity in rural areas, invest in improving nutritional outcomes for young children and pregnant women, and boost climate-smart agriculture that can withstand a warmer planet, says a World Bank Group report released today. The report is titled “Ending Poverty and Hunger by 2030: An Agenda for the Global Food System.” “This report is critically important because it provides an overview of key actions that should be taken to end widespread hunger,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “Countries should ensure farmers have access to markets, receive fair value for crops, and grow foods that will withstand the rigors of a changing climate. They should invest in food, health, and care for young children and pregnant women, and improve access to nutritious food.”
Date: April 16, 2015

New fund targets billion dollars for children’s nutrition
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2015–The Power of Nutrition, a new independent fund launched today, will help millions of children reach their full potential. Backed by leading organisations from private philanthropy and international development, the partnership aims to unlock one billion dollars to tackle child undernutrition in some of the world’s poorest countries. The Power of Nutrition will save lives and help millions of children escape from the effects of malnutrition. It will help countries build healthy and prosperous communities. It launches with arrangements in place to unlock the first $200 million from high profile backers such as the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, UBS Optimus Foundation, the UK’s Department for International Development, UNICEF, and the World Bank Group. It opens to new private and public investors today.
Date: April 16, 2015

Massive Drop in Number of Unbanked, says New Report
700 million adults worldwide became account holders between 2011 and 2014;20 percent drop in the number of unbanked, according to 2014 Global Findex
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2015 — From 2011 and 2014, 700 million people became account holders at banks, other financial institutions, or mobile money service providers, and the number of “unbanked” individuals dropped 20 percent to 2 billion adults, says a new report released today.“ Access to financial services can serve as a bridge out of poverty. We have set a hugely ambitious goal – universal financial access by 2020 – and now we have evidence that we’re making major progress,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “This effort will require many partners – credit card companies, banks, microcredit institutions, the United Nations, foundations, and community leaders. But we can do it, and the payoff will be millions of people lifted out of poverty.”
Date: April 15, 2015
[see more extensive treatment in Week in Review above]

BRAC [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.brac.net/content/stay-informed-news#.VPstwC5nBhV

BRAC Recognises media efforts to report on TB
[undated]
…On 24 March 2015, three national media houses and 23 journalists from national and local newspapers have been honoured with BRAC Media Award 2015 for their special reports on tuberculosis issues. The prime news contributors received the award from the honourable minister of the ministry of health and family welfare on World TB Day at BRAC Centre Auditorium. The event was chaired By Dr Ahmed Mushtaque Raza Chowdhury, vice-chairperson and interim executive director of BRAC and chief guests was Mr. Mohammad Nasim, MP, Honourable Minister of Health and Family Welfare; special guests were, Dr. Md. Ahmed Hussain Khan, Director, MBDC & TB-Leprosy; NTP, Dr. Navaratnasamy Paranietharan, Country Representative, WHO and Prof. Dr. Deen Muhammad Nurul Haque, Director General of Health Services, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

The BRAC Media Award has been organised for the 5th time since 2008. This year a three-member jury gave its judgment after a scrutiny of the reports submitted. Senior journalist Md Farid Hossain, former bureau chief of AP, chaired the jury with Shahnaz Munni, news editor, ATN Bangla, and Dr Asif Muztaba Mahmud, associate professor, respiratory medicine, IEDCR as the other members. Dr Mahmud acted as the technical expert for the jury…

…The Daily Ittefaq, The Daily Observer and NTV (International Television Channel Ltd), have been awarded the prize this year in recognition of their involvement in increasing awareness about tuberculosis.

CARE International [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases.aspx

One Month on from Cyclone Pam, Seeds of Resilience being Planted Across Vanuatu
Vanuatu
16 APRIL 2015
One month on from Cyclone Pam CARE has now begun distributing thousands of seeds to Vanuatu’s hardest-hit southern islands.

Danish Refugee Council [to 18 April 2015]
http://drc.dk/news/archive/

DRC call on Kenya to reconsider its planned closure of the Dadaab Refugee Camp (17.04.15)
The Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya has been home to more than 350,000 refugees who have sought refuge for over two decades and have continued to enjoy an accommodative asylum space.

Visit by the UN High Commissioner in South Lebanon (14.04.15)
Visit of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr. Antonio Guterres and United Nations Secretary General Humanitarian Envoy for Kuwait, Dr. Abdullah al-Matouq to DRC’s Women’s Resource Center in South Lebanon.

ICRC [to 18 April 2015]
https://www.icrc.org/en

Lebanon: Special photo exhibition marks key anniversary
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), together with the Lebanese Red Cross (LRC), is organizing a special photo exhibition …
16-04-2015 | News release

Yemen: ICRC prevented from delivering medical assistance to people in Maareb
The ICRC has been denied access to the town of Maareb in central Yemen, where a large number of people are in urgent need of medical …
15-04-2015 | News release

Philippines: Over 5,400 displaced persons in Zamboanga have improved access to health care
Health care has become more accessible for around 5,400 displaced people staying in Masepla transition site, in …
14-04-2015 | News release

United States: ICRC president completes Washington visit
ICRC president of the ICRC, Peter Maurer, has just completed a two-day official visit to Washington. United States: ICRC president completes Washington …
14-04-2015 | News release

Ukraine crisis: A year of conflict leaves many needing urgent help
The ICRC is appealing for extra funds to tackle the severe humanitarian situation following a year of intense conflict in eastern Ukraine …
14-04-2015 | News release

Central African Republic: Eleven children reunited with families
Eleven children from the Central African Republic, who had sought refuge in Chad over a year ago, were reunited with their families on 10 and 11 …
13-04-2015 | News release

IRCT [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.irct.org/

News
IRCT in support of UN Special Rapporteur on Torture, voices concern over Mexico’s criticism of report on torture
17 April 2015

Milestone IP Training in Israel follows successful IRCT and PCATI project
14 April 2015

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases

Press releases
Yemen: MSF Receives 30 Wounded after Airstrikes on Huth
April 16, 2015
SANA’A, YEMEN—The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) treated 30 people who were wounded last night in airstrikes in Huth district.

International Chagas Day: MSF begins work in Monteagudo in Chuquisaca, Bolivia
April 14, 2015
SUCRE, BOLIVIA/NEW YORK—Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is launching a new project to ensure that people can be diagnosed and treated for Chagas disease in the town of Monteagudo, in the Chuquisaca department of southern Bolivia. In partnership with local health care institutions, the international medical humanitarian organization will develop a comprehensive care model for primary and secondary care that will be integrated into the existing health care system.

Greece: Authorities Must Improve Conditions for Refugees in Dodecanese Islands
April 13, 2015
MSF team witnesses unprecedented influx, warns that contingency plan is need for summer peak.

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Field News
Italy: MSF Assists Migrants and Refugees in Sicily
April 17, 2015
A Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) team is offering medical assistance to 301 migrants and refugees who arrived this morning at the first reception center in Pozzallo, Sicily. They are the latest group of arrivals.

Mali: MSF Assists Five Children Injured in Suicide Attack Near Ansongo
April 17, 2015
On Wednesday, a suicide bomber attacked a United Nations Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) camp on the outskirts of Ansongo town. Three civilians—two children and one adult—were killed, and 16 were wounded, most of them UN peacekeepers. An MSF team was immediately deployed to the area, sending five wounded children to the Ansongo referral hospital, where the organization has been working since 2012.

Kenya: Somali Refugees Must Not Be Forcibly Returned from Dadaab
April 16, 2015
NAIROBI/GENEVA—Calls by Kenyan officials to close a sprawling refugee camp in northeastern Kenya housing hundreds of thousands of people from Somalia will have dramatic and life-threatening consequences, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today.

South Sudan: One Year After Mass Killings in Bentiu, Violence and Displacement Continue
April 15, 2015
A year after the mass killings of civilians, including patients in the hospital where Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) was running an HIV/Tuberculosis (TB) project, in Bentiu, South Sudan, violence and displacement have continued, impeding access to basic health care and food.

CAR: MSF Begins Emergency Intervention in Kouango
April 14, 2015
MSF is responding to widespread violence, displacement, and lack of health care in CAR’s southern Kouango region.

OXFAM [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

More than 100,000 Yemenis have fled their homes
17 April 2015
Oxfam warns that the international community should push for an immediate ceasefire and allow aid into the country.

World Bank must lead efforts to raise $1.7 billion to improve Ebola-hit countries’ health care
16 April 2015
The World Bank and international donors must find $1.7 billion to improve dangerously inadequate health systems in Ebola-affected countries said Oxfam.

Three-pronged attack on poverty needed to make this year a historic turning point for development
15 April 2015
The World Bank and the IMF must seize their early chance in what could be a watershed year to end extreme global poverty by putting the battle against inequality, climate change and tax dodging at the very top of its Spring Meetings’ agenda this week.

Partners In Health [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.pih.org/blog

Apr 14, 2015
Young Doctors Ensure Continuity of Care in Rural Mexico
Since launching in 2012, Compañeros En Salud has partnered with Mexico’s Ministry of Health to send seven generations of first-year doctors—25 in all—to rural, public clinics at 10 sites throughout Chiapas. Each transition requires a careful passing of the baton from one wave of doctors to the next. While CES staff facilitate this transition through introductions and regular site visits, outgoing doctors smooth the path for their colleagues by remaining in the community for as many as four weeks to bring them up to speed on patients’ cases and help them adjust to life in a remote rural location.

Plan International [to 18 April 2015]
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre

16/04/2015:
Pregnant teenagers banned from school in Sierra Leone
16 April 2015: Pregnant teenage girls are not being allowed back to the classroom as schools reopen this week across Sierra Leone after months of closure due to the Ebola crisis.

The Sierra Leonean government has said statistics prove that pregnant girls always fail when they take their exams.

The authorities managing the school openings also claimed it is not morally right to encourage the sight of pregnant girls in schools.

Both the government and the authorities have said girls can return to school after they have given birth.

Girls have a right to education
Plan International has expressed its concern over this measure, emphasising that girls who are pregnant have a right to education.

Casely Coleman, Country Director of Plan Sierra Leone, said: “Plan expresses its concern over the decision by the Ministry of Education not to allow pregnant girls to return to school and write their exams,” he said.

“Plan urges the government to reconsider that decision, as access to education is a fundamental human right and is also a powerful weapon to address teenage pregnancy and other forms of child abuses.”

Thousands of Sierra Leonean children who have missed out on lessons since July 2014 are now returning to classes to continue their studies.

Plan has joined a consortium of child protection agencies to engage with government to reconsider the decision to ban pregnant girls from school…

Save The Children [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150563/k.D0E9/Newsroom.htm

Save the Children Action Network Applauds Bipartisan Support for Early Childhood Education in ESEA Reauthorization
April 16, 2015
Washington, D.C. (April 16, 2015) — Save the Children Action Network today applauded the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) for including investments in early learning as part of the Every Child Achieves Act of 2015, a reauthorization of the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA). The bipartisan Early Learning Alignment and Improvement Grants Amendment (ELAIG) would create a competitive grant program to provide funding for states that propose to improve coordination, quality and access for early childhood education. States would apply for three-year grants and provide matching funds to support “sustainable improvements and better coordination” of their early learning and care systems…

400 Missing, including Many Children, as Boat Capsizes on Route to Italy
April 14, 2015
Fairfield, Conn. (April 14, 2015) — Rescue operations continue in Italy today after a boat carrying 550 people capsized 24 hours after departing Libya. According to the testimonies collected by Save the Children — who helped survivors at a port in Reggio Calabria — as many as 400 people are still missing, many of whom are thought to be unaccompanied children.
Save the Children warns that more landings are expected as instability continues in Libya, raising concerns that many more children will brave the perilous journey to find safety in Italy.
Save the Children has been responding to the needs of children arriving in Lampedusa, Sicily, Calabria and Apulia and is deeply concerned at the reports of violence experienced and witnessed by children in Libya…

ODI [to 18 April 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

Press Releases
Governments are blind to their poorest citizens – a data revolution will make them see
Embargoed until Monday 20th April 00:01 GMT
Governments are blind to their poorest citizens – a data revolution will make them see
Global estimates of how many people living in extreme poverty could be out by more than a quarter, because of a dearth of reliable data.
In a new report from the Overseas Development Institute, researchers say that oft-quoted hard ‘facts’ about global progress are often little more than educated guess-work.
‘The data revolution: Finding the missing millions’ chronicles how little is actually known about the lives of the poorest. It says more investment, combined with the application of big data analytics to explore data gathered by a variety of technologies, including satellite, mobile phones and drones, is needed if governments are to make informed decisions to help the poor.
Amongst the gaps highlighted:
:: 2 billion people ‘officially’ live in extreme poverty, but surveyors often don’t reach the very poor, so there could actually be 350 million missing from the global total
:: Twice the number of women could be dying in childbirth in Sub-Saharan Africa than the published number
:: 600 nationally representative household surveys containing uniquely detailed data on income poverty and inequality languish in a World Bank private database…

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Research, Publications
Can fracking green China’s growth?
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Ilmi Granoff; Sam Pickard; Julian Doczi; Roger Calow; Zhenbo Hou; Vanessa D’Alançon
This paper analyses whether shale gas, and by implication other unconventional sources, can materially improve the quality and sustainability of China’s economic growth.

Financial Inclusion Policy Guide
Briefing papers | April 2015 | William Smith, Lucy Scott, Andrew Shepherd
The objective of this policy guide is to provide policymakers and programme designers with an up-todate view of what needs to be done to include the poorest people in financial services, and by doing so make a dent in their poverty.

Building resilience and managing risk in fragile and conflict-affected states
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Bill Gray, Courtenay Cabot Venton, Lewis Sida and Simon Levine
This inception report is for a four-year thematic evaluation of DFID’s use of multi-year humanitarian funding (MYHF) to support resilience. It proposes an approach to evaluation based upon establishing and then testing implicit ‘logic models’ behind the claims that…

Financing the future: How international public finance should fund a global social compact to eradicate poverty
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Romilly Greenhill, Chris Hoy, Paddy Carter, Marcus Manuel
The proposed Sustainable Development Goals are achievable, but adopting a business-as-usual approach will leave us far short of the target. This report sets out the case for a strengthened commitment for international public finance to support a new social compact…

Guide to INDCs
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Emelia Holdaway, Chris Dodwell, Kiran Sura and Helen Picot
A new publication from CDKN and Ricardo-AEA – Guide to INDCs – provides practical guidance to Least Developed Countries on how to prepare their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions for the UNFCCC. INDCs are contributions by the Parties to the UNFCCC towards…

Using workshops to develop an evidence strategy: lessons from the UK Food Standards Agency
Working and discussion papers | April 2015 | Louise Shaxson
This case study looks at the UK Food Standard Agency’s nine-month evidence investment strategy. It contains lessons for other organisations working with small government departments or policy teams, with limited resources, to think strategically about the sourcing,…

State of evidence on humanitarian cash transfers
Briefing papers | April 2015 | Sarah Bailey and Paul Harvey
This background note provides a brief summary of the evidence base on humanitarian cash transfer programming. It outlines the types of evidence on cash transfers, findings on key issues and gaps.

Cash transfer programming and the humanitarian system
Briefing papers | April 2015 | Paul Harvey and Sarah Bailey
This background note aims to sketch out some of the key features of current humanitarian action and the role that cash transfers (giving people money) plays as one of the responses to supporting people in the face of disasters and conflict.

Beyond the volcanic crisis: co-governance of risk in Montserrat
Journal articles or issues | April 2015 | Emily Wilkinson
This paper focuses on one aspect of the governance transition in Montserrat: the relationship between the local Montserratian government and the UK government after the volcanic eruption in 1995.

Events
Cartagena Data Festival
There is a central global inequality which hampers progress towards development. At the moment, we know the least about the people who have the least. But these are the people who need the world’s attention the most. Turning global or national aspirations to end poverty into real changes in people’s lives will involve knowing more about how the poorest people live, and improving their ability to access and use data.

The Cartagena Data Festival, a three day festival in Colombia, is being organised by ODI, Africa Gathering, CEPEI, Data-Pop Alliance, PARIS21, UNDP and UNFPA. The event will focus on solving critical gaps in coverage, access and analysis of data, thereby contributing to the global effort to drive progress in the post-2015 agenda.

Conference objectives
:: Drive the changes that are needed to advance a data revolution by bringing together the people and organisations whose innovations, resources, expertise and influence can make them happen
:: Develop concrete solutions and practical tools to produce long term and sustainable progress through a data revolution
:: Build the ideas, innovations and partnerships needed to monitor the sustainable development goals

The Cartagena Data Festival will bring together 300 participants from across the world – including government representatives, civil society organisations, technical innovators, academics and data activists – to join the global conversation and ensure the data revolution is informed by perspectives at every level…