African Union [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.au.int/en
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

.
Jul.24.2015 U.S. President on historic visit to the African Union

Jul.20.2015 – Jul.21.2015 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON AFRICA’S FIGHT AGAINST EBOLA “Africa helping Africans in the Ebola Recovery and Reconstruction”

Jul.21.2015 Ministerial meeting adopts Statute of the Africa CDC Urges fast tracking of the establishment of the continental mechanism on disease control and prevention

Jul.20.2015 14 lessons to prepare for future health emergencies from AU Support to the Ebola Outbreak in West Africa

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

.
Selected Press Releases
OIC Condemns Terrorist Attack in The Northern Cameroon
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), has condemned the terrorist attack that targeted a market and a residential neighborhood in Maroau, Northern Cameroon on Wednesday, 22 July 2015. About 20 people lost their lives and many more got injured when two female suicide bombers blew themselves causing the death of many innocent people…
23/07/2015

OIC Condemns Approval to Build 886 New Settlement Units
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) condemned the approval by the Israeli occupation authorities for the building of 886 new settlement units. It said that the continuation of the policy of building and expanding Israeli settlements on occupied Palestinian lands are an ongoing violation of the rights of the Palestinian people and a flagrant violation of international law and United Nations resolutions…
23/07/2015

OIC Criticizes Nuri Al-Maliki’s Statement on Saudi Arabia
The General Secretariat of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) has criticized the statement made by Mr. Nuri Al-Maliki, Vice President of the Republic of Iraq, to Afaq Wisal Television on 17 July 2015. Malki claimed that the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is a sponsor and supporter of terrorism and called for it to be placed under international trusteeship…
22/07/2015

The OIC Concludes its Ramadan and Eid El-Fitr Campaign in CAR
The OIC has concluded its 2015 Ramadan and Eid El-Fitr Campaign, which was launched on 10 July 2015 to express solidarity and support to the needy and vulnerable people of the Central African Republic (CAR) particularly during the last ten days of Ramadan…
21/07/2015

OIC Condemns the Terrorist Attack in Turkish City of Suruc
The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) expressed its strong condemnation of the terrorist suicide bombing that occurred today, Monday, 20 July 2015 in Suruc, the Turkish border town with Syria, leaving at least 28 people dead and wounding 100 others….
20/07/2015

Group of 77 [to 25 July 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 a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, Chair of the Group of 77, at the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) on the agenda item on International Cooperation in Tax Matters (New York, 23 July 2015)

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, on the occasion of the seventh session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Follow-up and Review (New York, 23 July 2015)

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, on the occasion of the seventh session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Means of Implementation (New York, 23 July 2015)

Statement by a South African Representative on behalf of the Group of 77 and China during the consideration of the outcomes of the Eleventh Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests at the coordination and management meeting of the Economic and Social Council (New York, 22 July 2015)

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, on the occasion of the seventh session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Goals and Targets (New York, 22 July 2015)

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, on the occasion of the seventh session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Goals and Targets (New York, 22 July 2015)

Introductory remarks by a representative of the Republic of South Africa to the United Nations, Chair of the Group of 77, on the Draft Resolution under Agenda Item 16: “Economic and social repercussions of the Israeli occupation on the living conditions of the Palestinian people in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and the Arab population in the occupied Syrian Golan”, Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Coordination and Management Meeting, (New York, 20 July 2015)

Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by a representative of the Permanent Mission of South Africa to the United Nations, on the occasion of the seventh session of the Post-2015 Development Agenda – Opening Statement and Declaration (New York, 20 July 2015)

UNCTAD [to 25 July 2015]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/AllPressRelease.aspx

.
UNCTAD opens first regional office in Africa to ‘make trade work’ for the continent
Français | Español
UNCTAD/PRESS/PR/2015/025
Geneva, Switzerland, (23 July 2015)
To directly deliver on-the-spot authoritative advice on trade and development issues to policymakers and all stakeholders in Africa, UNCTAD has opened a regional office in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. The Regional Office for Africa will be headed by Ms. Joy Kategekwa, a Ugandan former official with the World Trade Organization. The inauguration of the office was marked by an official ceremony at the Hilton Addis Ababa hotel on 22 July.

The first UNCTAD office of its kind, the Africa branch will, in the words of UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi, help “make trade work for Africa”.

World Bank [to 25 July 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]

.
PRESS RELEASE
Poll: Most Not Convinced World is Prepared for Next Epidemic
July 23, 2015
Publics in France, Germany, Japan, UK, and US Strongly Support Investing in Health in Developing Countries to Reduce Threat
Washington, DC, July 23, 2015 – Citizens in France, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, and the United States are not convinced that the world is prepared for another global epidemic like Ebola, and they strongly support investments in developing countries to reduce the threat of infectious diseases, according to a new opinion research survey with 4,000 respondents among the general public and opinion elites across the five nations.
As new cases of Ebola continue to emerge in West Africa, twice as many respondents think the world will experience another global epidemic in the next decade as will not, and fewer than half are convinced that their own country is prepared. Nearly 8 in 10 people believe that investing in doctors, nurses and clinics in poor and developing countries helps prevent epidemics from breaking out in their own countries, while nearly 7 in 10 people say that doctors and nurses in their own countries should be encouraged to work in areas with disease outbreaks, outweighing risks of carrying diseases back to their own countries.
The poll, Preparing for the Next Outbreak: Public Views on Global Infectious Diseases, found that nearly 6 in 10 people support investments and policy changes in developing countries that will help protect their own country from global epidemics, while 7 in 10 believe strengthening health care in developing countries will save the world money…To view the presentation of the survey findings, please click here.

Latin America: New ways to strengthen social advances
July 21, 2015
The goal of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group is to end extreme poverty by 2030 in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The Latin American and Caribbean region will make history again this year. For the first time in nearly 50 years, the region will become the site of the international discussion on development. It will open its doors to thousands of representatives from around the world to discuss a future without extreme poverty and with more opportunities for all. The Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group are held every year in October. This year, the discussions will be held in Lima, Peru. It will be an appropriate scenario for highlighting the achievements and advances made in the region during this century, and for defining the challenges for continuing to reduce inequality and for reaching the goal of ending extreme poverty by 2030. The meeting will take place at a time when the region is facing challenges that are shaking the foundations of the recent economic growth and swelled the ranks of the middle class to nearly 100 million people.

PRESS RELEASE
World Bank Group Welcomes Launch of New Development Bank
July 20, 2015
WASHINGTON, July 20, 2015 –The World Bank Group today issued the following statement by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim on the launch of the New Development Bank:
“We would like to congratulate Mr. K.V. Kamath, President of the New Development Bank, and the founding members — Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa — on this important occasion.
The New Development Bank joins a growing number of multilateral institutions — including the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank — that are working to address the world’s huge infrastructure needs. Emerging markets and low-income countries face an annual gap of $1 trillion to $1.5 trillion in infrastructure spending.
We are committed to working closely with the New Development Bank and other multilateral institutions, offering to share our knowledge and to co-finance infrastructure projects. These types of partnerships will be essential to reach our common goals to end extreme poverty by 2030, boost shared prosperity, and to reduce inequalities.”

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

.
Countdown to global Speakers’ Conference
23 JULY 2015
Preparations are in full swing for the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament at United Nations Headquarters in New York from 31 August-2 September. The Conference, which will focus on placing democracy at the service of peace and sustainable development and building the world the people want, is part of a series of high-level meetings leading up to the UN Summit in September and the adoption of the new Sustainable Development Goals…

Major research project on parliamentary oversight set to start
23 JULY 2015
The vital role parliaments play in holding governments to account will be the focus of the second Global Parliamentary Report, a major research project led by IPU and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The report will explore the many different forms the role of parliamentary oversight takes, and whether parliaments have access to the information, tools and strategies they need to carry it out effectively. It will also investigate the central role of MPs, and ways to ensure they are fully engaged in the process, as well as the relationship which effective oversight has with gender equality and the representation of minorities in parliament…

World’s women Speakers seek gender balance progress
23 JULY 2015
Female Speakers from around the world will discuss how parliaments can empower and support women and promote gender equality, when they gather for the 10th Meeting of Women Speakers of Parliament. Delegates at the meeting in New York on 29-30 August will search for innovative ways to speed up the process of achieving gender equality.

Kenya team proposes women’s quotas
23 JULY 2015
An IPU mission to Kenya has recommended the introduction of formal mechanisms to ensure the country meets the constitutional requirement for at least one third of its MPs to be women. Current figures are only 19 per cent in the lower house and 26 per cent in the upper house…

IPU President urges parliamentary reforms to enable SDG implementation
23 JULY 2015
IPU President Saber Chowdhury has highlighted the need for parliamentary reforms to enable the future Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and targets to be integrated into a coherent policy framework in each country as well as globally…

Malaysia’s Anwar receives hospital care after IPU call
23 JULY 2015
IPU has welcomed the news that jailed former Malaysian opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim has been sent for hospital treatment, less than a week after an IPU human rights team called for him to receive prompt medical care as and when needed…

Parliamentary support principles online in four languages
23 JULY 2015
Guidelines setting out how to provide support to national parliaments have been published online in Arabic, adding to the English, French and Spanish online versions. The Common Principles for Support to Parliament were adopted by IPU members last October, distilling more than 40 years of experience into a single, accessible document. The principles stress that parliaments must play a central role in their own development, and set out examples of good practice and ways to ensure more effective cooperation between parliaments and their partners, including those from the UN system. A total of 64 national parliaments, three parliamentary assemblies and 14 partner organizations have already formally endorsed (PDF) the Common Principles…

Rwanda agreement will improve sexual and reproductive health services
23 JULY 2015
An agreement between Rwanda and IPU has opened the way for new measures and activities to promote sexual and reproductive health, especially among adolescents. The agreement focuses on making parliament better equipped to pass relevant legislation, developing strategies for it to engage fully in the budget process to ensure funding is in place, and promoting statistics systems to accurately measure ongoing progress on maternal, newborn and child health…

Amref Health Africa [to 25 July 2015]
http://amref.org/news/news/

.
Amref Health Africa CEO Speaks Out on Global Development Financing Meeting
20 July 2015
The 3rd International Conference on Financing for Development held in Addis Ababa last week discussed policies and actions that will generate resources for achievement of the new sustainable development agenda. Tax avoidance and illicit financial flows were identified as factors undermining efforts to boost domestic revenue for development. Amref Health Africa CEO Dr Githinji Gitahi was interviewed about the outcome of the conference on CCTV’s Global Business segment.

See a recording of the live interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QB0L8zFcNGg

CARE International [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases.aspx

.
Nepal Earthquake Three Months On: Monsoon Rains Bring New Threats to Survivors
NEPAL
23 JULY 2015
CARE warns that landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains are bringing new challenges to the earthquake relief effort in Nepal and have already claimed lives.

Danish Refugee Council [to 25 July 2015]
http://drc.dk/news/archive/

.
Potential of devolution in Kenya for transitional solutions for refugees (24.07.15)
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) in partnership with the Regional Durable Solutions Secretariat (ReDSS) has launched its latest study titled “Devolution in Kenya: Opportunity for Transitional Solutions for Refugees.”

The research conducted by Samuel Hall was commissioned to analyse the potential opportunities opened by the devolution process in Kenya for interim solutions for refugees which can contribute to building their self-reliance and to local economies.

“This report examines the case studies of Kakuma and Dadaab refugee camps while taking stock of the political and security context framing refugee affairs in Kenya. It intends to assist policy makers to increase the potential of refugees to contribute to the development of counties and communities where they are hosted. It also aims to assess the role of the county governments in supporting improved quality of asylum and transitional solutions for refugees,” said Gemma Davies, ReDSS Coordinator…

Casa Alianza [to 25 July 2015]
Covenant House [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/news
https://www.covenanthouse.org/

.
“We Need To Enforce This Law”
Friday, July 24, 2015
Following the tragic death of a young woman, Covenant House Executive Director Jim Kelly makes a passionate plea to the New York City Council to enforce laws protecting young girls from the dangers of dancing in adult clubs.

Heifer International [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.heifer.org/about-heifer/press/press-releases.html

.
July 21, 2015
Heifer International CEO Pierre Ferrari Joins Fair Trade USA’s Board of Directors
Oakland, CA
Today Fair Trade USA, the leading third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in North America, announced that Pierre Ferrari, Chief Executive Officer of Heifer International, has been elected to the nonprofit organization’s Board of Directors.

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index

.
24 Jul 2015
Obama Trip Key Opportunity to Highlight Refugee Crisis

21 Jul 2015
The IRC prepares for latest influx of Burundian refugees in Tanzania, but warns aid groups already fully stretched

20 Jul 2015
Central African Republic: Aid Alone Not the Answer

ICRC [to 25 July 2015]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new

.
Yemen: Intensified ground fighting heightens civilian suffering
News release
24 July 2015
Geneva/Sana’a (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is alarmed by the recent spike in hostilities, including intense ground fighting, which has increased the suffering of civilians.

Faith-based organizations and religious leaders: essential partners in humanitarian action
Article
22 July 2015
Should the ICRC be talking to religious circles and, if so, how can the organization do it without compromising its neutral humanitarian mission? From Iraq to the Vatican, from Mexico to Jerusalem, from the Central African Republic to Bangladesh, the ICRC is engaging with religious leaders and faith-based organizations. The ICRC adviser for global affairs, Ronald Ofteringer, explains why it is essential to further enforce protection and respect for people and communities affected by conflict and violence.

Sudan: Promoting respect for children’s rights during armed conflict
Article
21 July 2015
On 30 June, the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement – North (SPLM-N) signed the ‘Geneva Call’s’ Deed of Commitment for the Protection of Children, which aims to reduce the effects of armed conflict on children, in particular the recruitment and use of children in hostilities.

Syria: ICRC activities in Homs and Hama, January to June 2015
Article
21 July 2015
Since the beginning of 2015 the ICRC and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC), working according to the principles of neutrality and impartiality, have assisted close to two million people, mostly the displaced population and the vulnerable residents in the governorates of Homs and Hama.

Burundi: First aid saves lives
Video
21 July 2015
The Burundi Red Cross and the ICRC have been working together to treat people injured in the violence surrounding upcoming elections. Mobile first aid teams were set up across the capital and have taken nearly 600 people to hospital since the end of April. We take a look back over the past few intense weeks with some first-hand accounts.

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases

.
Press release
TPP Negotiators Must Fix the Most Damaging Trade Agreement Ever for Global Health
July 24, 2015
As U.S. aims to close deal, countries should reject damaging provisions that will block access to affordable medicines.

Press release
As HIV Burden Overwhelmingly Shifts to “Middle-Income” Countries, Access to Affordable Medicines is Under Threat
July 23, 2015
VANCOUVER—At the International AIDS Society (IAS) Conference today, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned that middle-income countries (MICs), which will be home to 70 percent of people living with HIV by 2020, face increasing threats to their ability to access affordable generic medicines, which are crucial to countries’ ability to reach the global UNAIDS 90/90/90* targets.

Press release
South Sudan: Urgent Humanitarian Access Needed in Upper Nile State
July 23, 2015
Tens of thousands of people are cut off from aid and medical care as fighting intensifies in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today, calling on all parties to the conflict to allow unrestricted access to the state capital and surrounding areas.

Press release
MSF Warns Successful Global HIV Response Will Require Bigger Emphasis on Adherence
July 21, 2015
New MSF report surveying lay counselor policies across eight countries highlights major weaknesses for adherence support

Press release
MSF Response to START Trial Data Showing All People with HIV Should Be Treated Immediately
July 20, 2015
Vancouver, July 20, 2015—The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières Borders (MSF) applauded the results of the Strategic Timing of Antiretroviral Treatment (START) trial, released today at the International AIDS Society Conference (IAS) in Vancouver, showing that immediate treatment is beneficial for individuals regardless of the status of their immune system.

Press release
Greece: Thousands of Migrants and Asylum Seekers Stranded in Precarious Conditions
July 20, 2015
MSF urges European leaders, UNHCR, and Greek authorities to urgently address reception system crisis.

Field news
Nepal: Three Months After Earthquakes, MSF Reduces Operations
July 20, 2015
Three months after two earthquakes killed an estimated 8,500 people and injured another 20,000 in Nepal, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is reducing its operations.
The international medical humanitarian organization will nonetheless continue monitoring for disease outbreaks in several remaining camps for displaced people and conducting surgical and post-operative support in hospitals where needs have been identified.

Field news
Tanzania: Camp for Burundian Refugees “At Breaking Point”
July 20, 2015
Note: An earlier version of this article erroneously reported that up to 1,000 people were crossing the border between Burundi and Tanzania each day. The article has been updated to reflect the correct figure.

Field news
Yemen: Houthis Indiscriminately Bomb Aden Neighborhood
July 20, 2015
Over the course of just a few hours yesterday, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in the southern Yemeni city of Aden received 150 people wounded in reprisal attacks by Houthi fighters, among them women, children, and the elderly. Of the 150 people, 42 were dead on arrival at MSF’s hospital in Aden.
The Houthis shelled the crowded neighborhood of Dar Saad, where many displaced people live…

OXFAM [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

.
Women living in fear for their safety three months on from Nepal earthquake: Oxfam
25 July 2015
Women in Nepal are living in fear of abuse because of the lack of privacy and security afforded by temporary shelters, Oxfam said today.

.
Global mining companies improve policies on Community Consent, while oil and gas lag
23 July 2015
As conflicts with local communities are a problem for oil, gas and mining companies around the world, a new report by Oxfam finds that the number of mining companies with commitments to “Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC)” has almost tripled since 2012.

Norwegian Refugee Council [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.nrc.no/

.
New Report
19.3 million displaced by disasters but “mother nature not to blame”
IDMC (20.07.2015)
In the last seven years, an estimated one person every second has been displaced by a disaster, with 19.3 million people forced to flee their homes in 2014 alone. Disaster displacement is on the rise, and as policy leaders worldwide advance towards the adoption of a post-2015 global agenda, the time has never been better to address it.
The Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC) of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) released today its global report, The Global Estimates: People displaced by disasters. The report reveals how, in 2014, 17.5 million people were forced to flee their homes by disasters brought on by weather-related hazards such as floods and storms, and 1.7 million by geophysical hazards such as earthquakes…

Partners In Health [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.pih.org/blog

.
Jul 24, 2015
Mexico’s President Honors Chiapas Nurse
Mónica Córdoba received the Lucida Salcido national nursing prize in April for her years of service in the remote, rural community of Capitán in Chiapas. Nadia Sanchez, a social service doctor working with Compaňeros En Salud, Partners In Health’s sister organization in Mexico, nominated her for the prize and says she has learned many lessons from the seasoned nurse since arriving in the community last August.

Save The Children [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150563/k.D0E9/Newsroom.htm

.
New Report: Children Express Fears and Insecurity Following Devastating Nepal Earthquakes
Washington, D.C. (July 24, 2015) — In one of the largest ever child consultations undertaken following a disaster, nearly 2,000 children who survived the earthquakes in Nepal have expressed fear and insecurity at having to live in tents and overcrowded shelters, anxiety about the risks to their health from unsanitary conditions, and worry about their future if they cannot return to school.

The aid organizations that carried out the consultations – Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision – highlight the need to strengthen the resilience of communities against major disasters. They also warn of severe risks to children’s health, well-being and protection during the monsoon season unless urgent humanitarian needs are met.

In the research released today, children shared their top priorities as adequate shelter, to be able to return to school and to have access to safe water supplies, sanitation and health care. After the earthquake: Nepal’s children speak out reveals the deep fears and anxieties of children, who are among the hundreds of thousands of people whose homes were destroyed…

.
Child Malnutrition Levels Soar in Tanzanian Refugee Camp as Burundian Presidential Election Approaches
July 21, 2015

SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-sos/press/press-releases

.
Nearly 100 days after devastating Nepal earthquake, SOS continues to help thousands
22.07.2015 – Almost 100 days after a devastating earthquake struck Nepal, killing thousands and affecting millions, SOS Children’s Villages has reached more than 40,000 children through the various strands of its emergency programme in the country…

Tostan [to 25 July 2015]
http://www.tostan.org/latest-news

.
Prix BNP Paribas de la Philanthropie Individuelle 2015
June 26, 2015 Paris
PRIX SPECIAL DU JURY — MOLLY MELCHING
Fondatrice de Tostan
– En savoir +
– Video overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TXntGf_i740