PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 25 July 2015]

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Research Article
School-Age Children Are a Reservoir of Malaria Infection in Malawi
Jenny A. Walldorf, Lauren M. Cohee, Jenna E. Coalson, Andy Bauleni, Kondwani Nkanaunena,
Atupele Kapito-Tembo, Karl B. Seydel, Doreen Ali, Don Mathanga, Terrie E. Taylor, Clarissa alim, Miriam K. Laufer
Published: July 24, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0134061
Abstract
Malaria surveillance and interventions in endemic countries often target young children at highest risk of malaria morbidity and mortality. We aimed to determine whether school-age children and adults not captured in surveillance serve as a reservoir for malaria infection and may contribute to malaria transmission. Cross-sectional surveys were conducted in one rainy and one dry season in southern Malawi. Demographic and health information was collected for all household members. Blood samples were obtained for microscopic and PCR identification of Plasmodium falciparum. Among 5796 individuals aged greater than six months, PCR prevalence of malaria infection was 5%, 10%, and 20% in dry, and 9%, 15%, and 32% in rainy seasons in Blantyre, Thyolo, and Chikhwawa, respectively. Over 88% of those infected were asymptomatic. Participants aged 6–15 years were at higher risk of infection (OR=4.8; 95%CI, 4.0–5.8) and asymptomatic infection (OR=4.2; 95%CI, 2.7–6.6) than younger children in all settings. School-age children used bednets less frequently than other age groups. Compared to young children, school-age children were brought less often for treatment and more often to unreliable treatment sources. Conclusion: School-age children represent an underappreciated reservoir of malaria infection and have less exposure to antimalarial interventions. Malaria control and elimination strategies may need to expand to include this age group.

Investigation of a Measles Outbreak in China to Identify Gaps in Vaccination Coverage, Routes of Transmission, and Interventions
Xiang Zheng, Ningjing Zhang, Xiaoshu Zhang, Lixin Hao, Qiru Su, Haijun Wang, Kongyan Meng, Binglin Zhang, Jianfeng Liu, Huaqing Wang, Huiming Luo, Li Li, Hui Li, Chao Ma
Research Article | published 24 Jul 2015 | PLOS ONE 10.1371/journal.pone.0133983

Effect of Restricting Access to Health Care on Health Expenditures among Asylum-Seekers and Refugees: A Quasi-Experimental Study in Germany, 1994–2013
Kayvan Bozorgmehr, Oliver Razum
Research Article | published 22 Jul 2015 | PLOS ONE 10.1371/journal.pone.0131483

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
(Accessed 25 July 2015)

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Global trends in infectious diseases at the wildlife–livestock interface
Anke K. Wiethoeltera, Daniel Beltrán-Alcrudob, Richard Kockc, and Siobhan M. Mora,d,1
Author Affiliations
Significance
Infectious diseases at the wildlife–livestock interface threaten the health and well-being of wildlife, livestock, and human populations, and contribute to significant economic losses to each sector. No studies have sought to characterize the diseases and animals involved on a global level. Using a scoping review framework we show that 10 diseases—mostly zoonoses—have accounted for half of the published research in this area over the past century. We show that relatively few interfaces can be considered important from a disease ecology perspective. These findings suggest that surveillance and research strategies that target specific wildlife–livestock interfaces may yield the greatest return in investment.
Abstract
The role and significance of wildlife–livestock interfaces in disease ecology has largely been neglected, despite recent interest in animals as origins of emerging diseases in humans. Scoping review methods were applied to objectively assess the relative interest by the scientific community in infectious diseases at interfaces between wildlife and livestock, to characterize animal species and regions involved, as well as to identify trends over time. An extensive literature search combining wildlife, livestock, disease, and geographical search terms yielded 78,861 publications, of which 15,998 were included in the analysis. Publications dated from 1912 to 2013 and showed a continuous increasing trend, including a shift from parasitic to viral diseases over time. In particular there was a significant increase in publications on the artiodactyls–cattle and bird–poultry interface after 2002 and 2003, respectively. These trends could be traced to key disease events that stimulated public interest and research funding. Among the top 10 diseases identified by this review, the majority were zoonoses. Prominent wildlife–livestock interfaces resulted largely from interaction between phylogenetically closely related and/or sympatric species. The bird–poultry interface was the most frequently cited wildlife–livestock interface worldwide with other interfaces reflecting regional circumstances. This review provides the most comprehensive overview of research on infectious diseases at the wildlife–livestock interface to date.

Reproductive Health
http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/supplements/12/S1
[Accessed 25 July 2015]

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Research
Exposure to family planning messages and modern contraceptive use among men in urban Kenya, Nigeria, and Senegal: a cross-sectional study
Chinelo Okigbo, Ilene Speizer, Meghan Corroon, Abdou Gueye
Reproductive Health 2015, 12:63 (22 July 2015)

Study protocol
How women are treated during facility-based childbirth: development and validation of measurement tools in four countries – phase 1 formative research study protocol
Joshua Vogel, Meghan Bohren, Özge Tunçalp, Olufemi Oladapo, Richard Adanu, Mamadou Baldé, Thae Maung, Bukola Fawole, Kwame Adu-Bonsaffoh, Phyllis Dako-Gyeke, Ernest Maya, Mohamed Camara, Alfa Diallo, Safiatou Diallo, Khin Wai, Theingi Myint, Lanre Olutayo, Musibau Titiloye, Frank Alu, Hadiza Idris, Metin Gülmezoglu, On behalf of the WHO Research Group on the Treatment of Women During Childbirth
Reproductive Health 2015, 12:60 (22 July 2015)

Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
June 2015 Vol. 37, No. 6
http://www.paho.org/journal/

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Estratégias de desenvolvimento, acompanhamento e avaliação do atendimento da gestante no ciclo gravídico-puerperal [Strategies for development, follow-up, and assessment of care provided to women in the pregnancy-postnatal cycle]
Cristyanne Samara Miranda de Holanda, João Carlos Alchieri, Fátima Raquel Rosado Morais e Técia Maria de Oliveira Maranhão

Moving toward universal access to health and universal health coverage: a review of comprehensive primary health care in Suriname [Avanzando hacia el acceso universal a la salud y la cobertura universal de salud: un análisis de la atención primaria de salud integral en Suriname]
Stephanie Laryea, Hedwig Goede, and Francoise Barten

Regulatory transparency: social, technical, and ethical aspects of clinical trial data access [Transparencia reglamentaria: aspectos sociales, técnicos y éticos del acceso a los datos de los ensayos clínicos]
Varley Dias Sousa and Dâmaris Silveira

A comprehensive protocol to evaluate the use of blood and its components in Latin America and the Caribbean [Un protocolo integral para evaluar el uso de la sangre y sus componentes en América Latina y el Caribe]
Ana E. del Pozo, Maria D. Pérez-Rosales, Cesar de Almeida-Neto, Mirta C. Remesar, Armando D. Cortes, Raquel Baumgratz Delgado, Alfredo Mendrone Jr., and Ester Sabino

Science
24 July 2015 vol 349, issue 6246, pages 341-448
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

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Policy Forum
Public Health
Toward an HIV vaccine: A scientific journey
Anthony S. Fauci1,*, Hilary D. Marston2
Author Affiliations
1Anthony S. Fauci M.D. is the Director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
2Hilary D. Marston M.D., M.P.H. is a Medical Officer and Policy Advisor for Global Health at the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases at the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD 20892, USA.
Summary
In the face of a global pandemic, the search for an effective vaccine against the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains an urgent priority. From the first HIV vaccine trials in the 1980s to the present, a tension has existed between the desire to move quickly to clinical trials to stem the spread of the epidemic and the view that research into HIV pathogenesis and host immunity were necessary predicates to and informative of vaccine design. Those advocating the first strategy—an empirical (or inductive) approach—argued that in vitro and animal studies were poorly predictive of the human response to HIV infection and that the only way to gauge vaccine efficacy was to test candidates in humans. Those advocating the second strategy—a theoretical (or deductive) approach—hoped to establish an understanding of the immune response to natural infection and to find ways to recapitulate and enhance that response through vaccination. Today, these approaches are coalescing into concomitant paths toward a safe and effective HIV vaccine.

Stability: International Journal of Security & Development
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/articles
[accessed 25 July 2015]

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Research Article
The Geography of Justice: Assessing Local Justice in Colombia’s Post-Conflict Phase
Mauricio García-Villegas, Jose Espinosa
Abstract
This article combines descriptive empirical research with theoretical reflections to offer policy guidelines on what the role of local justice institutions in Colombia’s post-conflict phase should be. The article is divided into two parts. In the first, we present empirical evidence to illustrate the ways in which justice operates differently across the territory. In addition to illustrating these disparities, we also demonstrate the connection between these disparities and some phenomena relevant to understanding the Colombian conflict. Based on these findings, the second part of this article defines the state-building challenge confronted by the Colombian State during the post-conflict phase. Following this part, we propose a solution to this state-building challenge: the State must adopt a combination of efficacy and justice, and we provide guidelines on how a post-conflict justice system can operate to achieve that combination.

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 25 July 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, consortia 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 version: The Sentinel_ week ending 25 July 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 26 July 2015

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 18 July 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, consortia 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 version: The Sentinel_ week ending 18 July 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 19 July 2015

Editor’s Note:
Another key milestone was reached in the SDG process last week with the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa. We provide the text of selected key documents below.

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Outcome Document: Addis Ababa Action Agenda
16 July 2015 :: 39 pages

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Press Release
Countries reach historic agreement to generate financing for new sustainable development agenda
16 July 2015, Addis Ababa
Countries today agreed on a series of bold measures to overhaul global finance practices and generate investments for tackling a range of economic, social and environmental challenges at the United Nations Third International Conference on Financing for Development, being held in Addis Ababa.

The groundbreaking agreement, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, provides a foundation for implementing the global sustainable development agenda that world leaders are expected to adopt this September. The agreement was reached by the 193 UN Member States attending the Conference, following negotiations under the leadership of Ethiopian Foreign Minister Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

The agreement, adopted after months of negotiations between countries, marks a milestone in forging an enhanced global partnership that aims to foster universal, inclusive economic prosperity and improve people’s well-being while protecting the environment.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “This agreement is a critical step forward in building a sustainable future for all. It provides a global framework for financing sustainable development.” He added, “The results here in Addis Ababa give us the foundation of a revitalized global partnership for sustainable development that will leave no one behind.”

The Conference is the first of three crucial events this year that can set the world on an unprecedented path to a prosperous and sustainable future. Its outcome provides a strong foundation for countries to finance and adopt the proposed sustainable development agenda in New York in September, and to reach a binding agreement at the UN climate negotiations in Paris in December that will reduce global carbon emissions.

Financing is considered the linchpin for the success of the new sustainable development agenda, which will be driven by the implementation of 17 sustainable development goals.
Close to 150 world leaders will adopt the new goals at the Sustainable Development Summit in New York this September. The goals address global priorities including ending poverty and hunger, reducing social inequality, tackling climate change, and preserving the planet’s natural resources.

In support of implementation of the sustainable development goals, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda contains more than 100 concrete measures. It addresses all sources of finance, and covers cooperation on a range of issues including technology, science, innovation, trade and capacity building.

The Action Agenda builds on the outcomes of two previous Financing for Development conferences, in Monterrey, Mexico, and in Doha, Qatar.

Wu Hongbo, the Secretary-General of the Conference, said, “This historic agreement marks a turning point in international cooperation that will result in the necessary investments for the new and transformative sustainable development agenda that will improve the lives of people everywhere.”

Domestic resource mobilization is central to the agenda. In the outcome document, countries agreed to an array of measures aimed at widening the revenue base, improving tax collection, and combatting tax evasion and illicit financial flows. Countries also reaffirmed their commitment to official development assistance, particularly for the least developed countries, and pledged to increase South-South cooperation.

The outcome document also underscores the importance of aligning private investment with sustainable development, along with public policies and regulatory frameworks to set the right incentives. A new mechanism that will facilitate financing for new technologies for developing countries was also agreed upon.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda includes important policy commitments and key deliverables in critical areas for sustainable development, including infrastructure, social protection and technology. There were agreements for international cooperation for financing of specific areas where significant investments are needed, such as in infrastructure for energy, transport, water and sanitation, and other areas to help realize the proposed sustainable development goals.

Countries also stressed the importance of nationally owned sustainable development strategies, supported by integrated national financing frameworks.
“We reiterate that each country has primary responsibility for its own economic and social development and that the role of national policies and development strategies cannot be overemphasized,” the agreement states.

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The Addis Ababa Action Agenda
To achieve these goals, countries also agreed to new initiatives, including on:

Technology—Countries agreed to establish a Technology Facilitation Mechanism at the Sustainable Development Summit in September to boost collaboration among governments, civil society, private sector, the scientific community, United Nations entities and other stakeholders to support the sustainable development goals.

Infrastructure—Countries agreed to establish a Global Infrastructure Forum to identify and address infrastructure gaps, highlight opportunities for investment and cooperation, and work to ensure that projects are environmentally, socially and economically sustainable.

Social protection—Countries adopted a new social compact in favour of the poor and vulnerable groups, through the provision of social protection systems and measures for all, including social protection floors.

Health—Countries agreed to consider taxing harmful substances to deter consumption and to increase domestic resources. They agreed that taxes on tobacco reduce consumption and could represent an untapped revenue stream for many countries.

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises—Countries committed to promote affordable and stable access to credit for smaller enterprises. They also pledged to develop and operationalize a global strategy for youth employment and implement the International Labour Organization Global Jobs Pact by 2020.

Foreign aid—Countries recommitted to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of gross national income for official development assistance, and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent for least developed countries.

A package of measures for the poorest countries—Developed countries commit to reverse the decline in aid to the poorest countries, with the European Union committing to increase its aid to least developed countries to 0.2 per cent of gross national income by 2030. They also agree to adopt or strengthen least developed countries investment promotion regimes, including with financial and technical support. Governments also aim to operationalize the technology bank for this group of countries by 2017.

Taxation—The Agenda calls for strengthening support for the work of the UN Committee of Experts on International Cooperation in Tax Matters to improve its effectiveness and operational capacity, and the engagement with the Economic and Social Council. It emphasizes the importance of inclusive cooperation and dialogue among national tax authorities.

Climate Change—The Action Agenda calls on developed countries to implement their commitment to a goal of jointly mobilizing USD100 billion per year by 2020 from a wide variety of sources to address the needs of developing countries. Countries also committed to phase out inefficient fossil fuel subsidies that lead to wasteful consumption.

In addition, there were about 200 side events, where governments and other stakeholders announced additional commitments. These included additional aid for capacity building in the area of taxation; financing through development banks, including $400 billion from the World Bank Group, as well as establishment of new international development banks; and increased aid and philanthropic funding for social needs.

CSO FfD Forum Declaration (12 July 2015) [Civil Society]
Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, July 13-16 2015)
12 July 2015 :: 22 pages
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[Introduction excerpt]
We, members of more than 600 civil society organizations and networks from around the world that have been engaged in the process leading up to and including the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, July 13-16 2015), convened a CSO Forum in advance of the conference. We have the following reflections and recommendations to convey to the Member States of the United Nations and the international community. We want to express appreciation for the participation and access civil society was accorded in the preparatory process so far.

As the first in three important UN Summits on sustainable development this year, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (“Addis Agenda”) has the opportunity to set the tone for an ambitious and transformative agenda that will tackle the structural injustices in the current global economic system, as well as ensuring that all development finance is people-centred and protects the environment. The world faces challenges in the form of historic levels of inequality within and among countries, the confluence of financial, food and environmental crises, the under-provision of essential services and pronounced employment deficits. However, the draft outcome document does not yet rise to the challenges that the world currently faces, nor does it contain the leadership, ambition and practical actions that are necessary.

In what follows, we highlight our overarching concerns about the Addis Ababa Action Agenda (“Addis Agenda”), followed by our reflections and suggestions on its different aspects.

The Addis Agenda as it stands undermines agreements in the Monterrey Consensus of 2002 and the Doha Declaration of 2008. It is also hardly suited to function as the operational Means of Implementation (MoI) for the post-2015 development agenda, which is one of the goals of this conference, and to inspire the hope of reaching a successful agreement towards COP 21 in Paris.

The Third Financing for Development (FFD) conference must unequivocally assert that development processes should be led by countries under the ultimate responsibility of the States through participatory processes to include all right-holders. The principles of democratic ownership and leadership have been affirmed in many global forums since Monterrey and it is now time to place it at the heart of the whole financing framework as a fundamental qualification of countries’ policy space, which the draft Addis Agenda itself recalls. An enabling environment for civil society agency is essential.

Likewise, if the Third FFD conference is to contribute to the means of implementation for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Rio principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities (CBDR) should be taken into account. This principle is, above all other Rio Principles, indispensable for the political legitimacy and real world impact of the FFD agenda. If appropriately applied CBDR can also serve to reinforce all countries’ abilities to fulfill commitments in areas of human rights, labor and environment.

We regret that the negotiations, rather than gearing towards a meaningful outcome, have been bogged down by political disputes which have diminished the FFD mandate to progressively address international systemic issues in macroeconomic, financial, trade, tax, and monetary policies. We strongly believe that the FFD process, underpinned by the normative function and ethos of the United Nations, enjoys the participation of its universal membership and, therefore, a legitimacy to address those issues that no other forum can boast.

It is hard to look upon the next decade and a half with great optimism based upon the Addis Agenda. Rather we fear adverse consequences across the sustainable development agenda. The FFD text has incrementally shed any ambition over the course of negotiations and international solidarity seems to have become a distant concept. Those countries that historically, and with good reason, have taken on a large part of the responsibility to lead in delivering MoI, have gone to great lengths to shed this responsibility. At the same time, the text neglects normative and systemic reforms that would enable developing countries to mobilize their own available resources. This combination makes it impossible for countries to generate the requisite resources to deliver a sustainable agenda.

We express disappointment that the Addis Agenda is almost entirely devoid of actionable deliverables. While not a pledging conference it is deplorable that a conference on financing has so far failed to scale up existing sources and commit new financial resources. This calls into question governments’ commitment to realize a development agenda as expansive and multi-dimensional as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). We note in particular the opposition seen so far to a global tax body under the auspices of the UN, which would create significant sustainable financing for development through, for example, combating corporate tax dodging in developing countries.

We note with deep preoccupation the lack of ambition in undertaking responsibilities and firm commitments to foster sustainable industrialization paths based on decent work and employment opportunities. We strongly regret that the role of social dialogue is neglected when it is actually a key element to address inequalities and to contribute to overall developmental processes. Special measures are needed to address caste and analogous systems of inherited status that perpetuate exclusion and inequalities in the access to economic resources and the benefits of growth.

Concrete commitments to integrated social protection systems, including floors, which would establish universal access to public services, granting redistribution, are completely missing when addressing domestic resource mobilization. We strongly reaffirm the need for the implementation of national social protection schemes and decent work, as enshrined in the provisions of the ILO Convention 102 and Recommendation 202.

The additional steps we see in terms of addressing gender equality and women’s empowerment seem to speak more to “Gender Equality as Smart Economics” than to women and girls’ entitlement to social and economic rights. The Addis Agenda “reiterates the need for gender mainstreaming, including targeted actions and investments in the formulation and implementation of all financial, economic, environmental and social policies.” Yet, the document shows a strong tendency towards the instrumentalization of women when it states that women’s empowerment, and women and girls’ full and equal participation and leadership in the economy are vital to significantly enhance economic growth and productivity.

Controversial initiatives in micro-fields such as financial inclusion or women’s entrepreneurship should not displace attention from structural barriers for women´s economic rights and full and equal access to and control over economic resources that are not present in the Addis Agenda: i.e. the unequal distribution of unpaid care work, the lack of access to care services, the persistent gender discrimination in the labor market (through vertical and horizontal segregation, over-representation of women in precarious and low-paid jobs, and inadequate and insufficient social protection).

We caution that the optimism towards private finance to deliver a broad sustainable development agenda, which is about the social and environmental dimensions as much as it is about the economic, is misplaced. Civil society along with a number of Member States have consistently raised serious concern on the unconditional support for Public Private Partnerships and blended financing instruments. Without a parallel recognition of the developmental role of the state and commitments which safeguard the ability of the state to regulate in the public interest, there is a great risk that the private sector undermines rather than supports sustainable development. The very same risk persists, without the recognition of social partners (workers and employers organizations) as players on an equal stand. The right of social partners to freely negotiate and conclude collective agreements is essential to strengthen democracy, as well as, to enhance transparency and realize sustainable development. States have an obligation to enforce universal standards in the areas of human rights, gender equality, labor and environment, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women and the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet the Addis Agenda fails to demand compliance by the private sector with these standards. Financial, social and environmental accountability of the private sector is non-negotiable.

Inclusive development requires access for persons with disabilities to social and disability support services and micro finance. Investments should have safeguards to prevent the creation or perpetuation of legal, institutional, attitudinal, physical and ICT barriers to the inclusion and participation of persons with disabilities and other marginalized groups….

Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance
Report of the Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance
June 2015 :: 158 pages
Full report pdfs:
[A4] Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance
[Letter] Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance
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From the Preface
…This Report targets international policymakers and a concerned global public. The project’s
main partner institutions, The Hague Institute for Global Justice and the Stimson Center, are
committed to tracking progress toward implementation of the Commission’s reform agenda and to encouraging broad-based coalitions of international actors to rally support, including for far-sighted and potentially controversial proposals. The Report and follow-on activities are complemented by background papers elaborating on particular themes addressed in the Report (and found on the Commission’s website), which will be compiled into a companion volume.

The Report has four parts:
:: Part I presents its underlying conceptual framework, defines key terms, and highlights the growing range of nonstate, substate, and regional actors that increasingly influence and participate in key elements of global governance.
:: Part II delves into the three substantive focus areas—state fragility and violent conflict, climate and people, and the hyperconnected global economy—noting challenges and opportunities and offering recommendations to fill gaps in policy or practice using innovative approaches to critical emerging issues.
:: Part III turns to the reform of existing global governance institutions. It draws on the needs and problems identified in Part II and how they might be better addressed. Part III also examines how new forms of collaboration with and among nonstate, substate, and regional actors may produce better governance results for all concerned.
:: Part IV turns to questions of follow-on work and the building of coalitions and partnerships to advocate for the implementation of the Report’s recommendations. Simply presenting the Commission’s proposals to world leaders and informed communities worldwide is not enough. They must be taken up in practice. The Report therefore concludes with a call to action to mobilize support and implement the recommended reform program on or before the seventy-fifth anniversary of the United Nations…

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Press Release
NY, DC & Berlin launches of the Commission Report
July 17, 2015 – The Hague
On Tuesday, July 14 in the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the United Nations, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright keynoted the New York launch of the report of the Commission on Global Security, Justice & Governance, followed by a response by Mr. Steve Lamony, Senior Advisor for UN, AU and Africa Situations, Coalition for the International Criminal Court. Chaired by the Permanent Representative of The Netherlands to the United Nations, Ambassador Karel van Oosterom, the session began with opening remarks by UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson, Ambassador Nikola Dimitrov, Distinguished Fellow at The Hague Institute, and Ms. Ellen Laipson, President of the Stimson Center.

In his opening remarks, Deputy Secretary-General Eliasson spoke about the importance of the report’s focus on both conflict prevention and post-conflict peacebuilding. In particular, he highlighted the attention given in Confronting the Crisis of Global Governance to functioning institutions and good governance, arguing that they are key for addressing the critical 21st century challenges, such as fragile states, climate change, and governing the world’s interconnected economy.

Eliasson lent support to the Commission’s call for a World Conference on Global Institutions in 2020, expressing his hope to the over 200-strong audience, which included many diplomats, civil society representatives, and UN system staff, that the conference would ideally happen before 2020 – ensuring that the UN could move into the next decade with a concrete vision and roadmap for reform…

Helen Clark: Speech at High-Level Event on “Building a New Vision to Address Long-term and Recurrent Humanitarian Crisis”
UNDP
14 Jul 2015

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I thank the UK Government and the High Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing for convening this discussion.

Humanitarian relief budgets are under tremendous strain. New and intractable conflicts, political instability leading to displacement of peoples, volatile markets, citizen insecurity, and more frequent extreme weather events have lifted demand for humanitarian support to new heights.

The Ebola outbreak in West Africa reminds us of the deep seated vulnerabilities which can persist in countries years after conflict and political upheaval subside. The devastation of the disasters which recently struck Nepal, Vanuatu and Tuvalu, and the Philippines with super Typhoon Haiyan are painful reminders that poor communities and people are the most vulnerable when disasters strike. From 1970 to 2008, over 95 per cent of disaster-related deaths occurred in developing countries. Our changing climate exacerbates these vulnerabilities.

Against this backdrop, it is hardly surprising that humanitarian spending has tripled in the last ten years – yet still can’t keep pace with the growing needs.
Thus, this is the time to be asking some more fundamental questions. Humanitarian needs need not be ever-increasing. How could we collectively act to stem the tide and reverse this current trends?

This is intrinsically a development question. Humanitarian needs will shrink when and where we succeed in achieving long-term sustainable development. Peace and stability is part of that.

It’s noteworthy that the emerging global development agenda recognizes the interrelationship between peace and development. Proposed SDG 16 promotes peaceful and inclusive societies, with access to justice for all, and inclusive and effective institutions at all levels. If that goal were universally achieved, the conflicts we see destroying lives and hopes and driving so many desperate and dangerous journeys to other lands could become a thing of the past.

The Addis Ababa Action Agenda is taking the right steps in its references to financing to avert crises. It calls for underlying vulnerabilities to be addressed, for risk reduction to be a priority, and for coherence of financing when tackling crises.

Let me suggest five ways in which we could move such an agenda forward.
1. Think and act consistently in more integrated ways across the humanitarian and development silos – as I suggest we are now doing in response to the Syrian crisis with the integrated Regional Refugee and Resilience Plan.
The Government of Switzerland and UNDP recently brought together twenty experts to discuss issues around financing risk and resilience. Risks of disaster, conflict and disease outbreaks are the norm, not the exception; these risks need to be understood, planned for, and financed.

2. If development isn’t risk-informed, it isn’t sustainable development.
UNDP carried that simple message to the World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) in Sendai. It is a basic premise of all our work. Risks must be identified, addressed, planned for, and financed long-before the first shovel hits the ground or the first brick is laid.

Integrating risk reduction into development not only improves development practice, but also encourages a culture of resilience building. ‘Risk-pricing’, the extra investment needed to ensure risk-informed development, is essential for this, as is the mainstreaming of risk into the very workings of society, across all sectors and at all levels.

For every US$100 spent on development aid, just forty cents is estimated to go into protecting that development from disaster . With trillions to be spent on infrastructure between now and 2030 it’s vital to build resilience into development.

3. Use crisis as an opportunity.
The transition out of crisis as a unique opportunity to address underlying vulnerabilities. Yet, such work remains severely underfunded. Rather, conflict and disaster affected countries get trapped in a cycle of humanitarian appeals and weak recovery. Countries need adequate resources for recovery at the earliest point to secure their long-term transition out of crisis.

4. Much of the world’s humanitarian need is driven by conflict, with on average of eight out of every ten humanitarian dollars spent per year being spent in conflict-affected contexts. We need to get serious about what it takes to help countries in conflict achieve peace and development and to help countries which are candidates for conflict to avoid it. Hard as it is, complex as it is, we need more financing for building the foundations of peace and stability, good governance, and inclusive and sustainable development in these most challenging of contexts.

5. We need to work beyond the divides and silos created by existing systems.
Emergency response must continue to be a government responsibility backed by international support where needed. All financing – development and humanitarian, international and national, public and private – must work together to jointly address risks and vulnerability.

In conclusion, and in essence, resilience must be at the center of a systematic and joined up approach. Sustainable development will remain elusive, and humanitarian costs will continue to grow, as long as we continue to ignore the risks around us. We cannot continue to plan business as usual in development – these are not normal times. We must acknowledge the realities of the world we live in, and look at how we can invest earlier, proactively, and pre-emptively to reduce the risks of disaster and conflict. It we are prepared to do that, then there’s a chance of achieving sustainable development.

Creation of the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative
07/07/2015
The Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative (the Initiative) is a new organisation which has been set up today following the launch of the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) to promote quality and accountable support to vulnerable communities affected by crisis or at risk of crisis, through the provision of accessible, high-quality verification and certification services to NGOs worldwide.

The creation of the Initiative is grounded in a vision of humanitarian organisations consistently progressing in the delivery of quality accountable humanitarian action, based on a system that includes:
:: the Core Humanitarian Standard which defines good practice in terms of principled, accountable and effective humanitarian action;
:: a common self-assessment framework for organisations to report on how they apply the CHS;
:: a voluntary third-party verification and certification mechanism to assess and validate evidence that an organisation reflects the CHS requirements in its policy, procedures, and practices.

The main aim of the Initiative is to promote quality and accountable support to vulnerable communities affected by or at risk of crisis. More specifically, its purpose is to:
:: provide independent verification of practices and/or grant certification of aid providers against agreed upon standards;
:: develop and administer quality and accountability verification methodologies applicable to different aid providers in different contexts;
:: monitor and report on the impact of verification and certification against the CHS and other :: relevant standards on the quality of assistance and protection provided to populations affected by or at risk of crisis;
:: promote the CHS and other humanitarian standards verification and certification schemes to encourage demand and support for the services of the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative;

This will enable NGOs to:
:: get an independent and professional review of where they stand in their application of the CHS;
:: set objectives to continuously learn and improve in their delivery of quality and accountable humanitarian action;
:: show transparency and communicate on where they stand in terms of meeting their commitments to quality and accountability;
:: demonstrate that they are giving affected populations the means to hold them accountable for their action.
The Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative is to be headquartered in Geneva, so as to be in close proximity to the newly created CHS Alliance , which is responsible for managing the Core Humanitarian Standard and its verification framework. It is essential that both organisations develop a close working relation from the onset.

The Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative has been constituted as an independent, non-profit organisation under Swiss law. Its Articles of Association state that the General Assembly, which is its supreme power, is composed of up to 25 Members, thus giving space to different stakeholders, including representatives of affected people, to join in the organisation’s governance. Members appoint between five and 10 Board Directors, who are responsible for the Initiative and support the Secretariat’s Executive Director in realising its objects.

The Founding Members and Board Directors are the following:
:: President: Professor Jacques Forster, Former Chairman of the Graduate Institute’s Foundation Board and ex-member of the Assembly of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) until 2010 as well as its Vice President from 1999 until 2007 – based in Switzerland
:: Vice President: Dr Sue-Anne Wallace, Chair of Code of Conduct Committee, Australian Council for International Development – based in Australia
:: Treasurer: Mr Gerrit Marais, Global Accreditation Manager, Forestry and Forest Products, SGS Systems and Services Certification, Woodmead, South Africa – based in South Africa
:: Ms Judith Greenwood, in-coming Executive Director of the CHS Alliance – based in Switzerland
:: Ms Kate Halff, Executive Secretary, SCHR – based in Switzerland
:: Ms Sawako Matsuo, Secretary General, Quality & Accountability Network (J-QAN) and Manager of the Japan NGO Center for International Cooperation (JANIC) – based in Japan
:: Ms Jyotsna (Jo) Puri, 3ie Deputy Director and Head of Evaluation, Previously Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University and adjunct faculty at the School of International and Public Affairs – based in India
:: Mr Ed Schenkenberg van Mierop, Executive Director, HERE-Geneva – based in Switzerland
External financing is being sought to set the Initiative up and give it the means to start operations and demonstrate the value of its services to NGOs. The Initiative’s business plan aims at self-sustainability by 2021, with 200 organisations using its services.

In addition, a fund is being set up, under the administration of the CHS Alliance, to subsidise the costs of verification and certification for smaller organisations who want to access these services, but may not have the resources to afford their full costs. A total of 1.3 Million CHF has been budgeted for the Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative’s operations until the end of 2017, while 200,000 CHF are required to start up the subsidy Fund.

The Humanitarian Quality Assurance Initiative is currently advertising for an Executive Director. Download the full vacancy description here.

The Effect of Gender Equality Programming on Humanitarian Outcomes
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women)
2015 :: 248 pages
ISBN: 978-1-63214-014-2
Case Studies – Geographic coverage: Kenya; Nepal; Philippines
Overview
Despite a number of developments in policy and practice aimed at integrating gender equality and women’s empowerment into humanitarian action, what remains missing is a strong evidence base that demonstrates just how gender equality programming is essential to ensuring an effective, inclusive, rights-based humanitarian response.

To address this gap, UN Women—on behalf of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Reference Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action and with co-funding from the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development of Canada—in 2013 commissioned the Institute of Development Studies (IDS) at the University of Sussex to undertake a research study, titled “The Effect of Gender Equality Programming on Humanitarian Outcomes”. Its aim was to assess whether or not such programming has improved humanitarian outcomes and, if so, why.

This report presents the findings of this research, based on interviews with more than 2,000 crisis-affected households gathered for four case studies conducted in Kenya (the Dadaab refugee camps and the county of Turkana), Nepal and The Philippines. Drawing on both the qualitative and quantitative data collected, researchers were able to develop a unique new methodology for assessing the degree to which gender equality and women’s empowerment has been integrated into humanitarian programmes, using inputs from the beneficiaries themselves.

The report presents overall findings, draws comparative conclusions across the four case studies and discusses practical recommendations for integrating gender equality programming in future humanitarian interventions in ways that strengthen effectiveness and inclusiveness.

Leveraging blockchain technology to improve financial mechanisms in the humanitarian sector
START Network
July 17, 2015
Posted by Paul Currion in News.

The humanitarian system faces a range of challenges in ensuring that people affected by crisis receive the most appropriate aid in a timely and efficient manner. Systemic problems include waste (through transaction and administration costs), corruption (both active and passive), lack of responsiveness (due to individual or institutional bottlenecks) and lack of transparency and accountability. The humanitarian sector has seen many initiatives over the past years to address these issues, and the international community has reaffirmed the need for action around them. This has led to two contradictory impulses. On the one hand, there are calls for a more centralised system that is able to make rapid disbursements at scale without losing speed and value due to the intervention of middlemen. On the other hand, there is recognition that disaster-affected communities and people need to be included in responses, which calls for shifting control over financial resources to the local level where they can be used most effectively. These two impulses are presented as being mutually exclusive – but this may not be the case.

A different approach
One key factor in this set of problems is reliance on existing financial mechanisms, which have high overheads and are vulnerable to international, regional and national instability or inadequacy. This vulnerability is due to financial mechanisms having a single point of failure, which means that the resilience of the system is threatened by accidental and purposeful interruptions. To mitigate this vulnerability, both donors and actors in the humanitarian sector currently work in a risk adverse manner and create layers of control mechanisms. This risk averseness, which is in essence due to the lack of trust in the current infrastructure, is severely hampering effective and efficient delivery of humanitarian aid. If we want to address this lack of trust, the humanitarian sector needs to look beyond its current narrow focus on the system as we currently use it, and explore solutions that might be found at a more systemic and abstract level. If it is really a structural problem that is underlying the impossibility of solving the issues that face humanitarian aid, then that means we should look for answers that address this structure.

Examples of such a structural rethink can be found in other sectors facing difficulties. Crises create critiques, and the banking crisis of 2008 caused a rethink of the systems that the global financial system is based on. This critique identified as important culprits those centralising institutions operating in a non-transparent manner – and therefore susceptible to corruption and malpractice. In search of a structure that would not allow for a repeat of such a crisis, the critique has advocated for two goals of decentralisation and transparency.

The task may not be to improve the functioning of central institutions, but rather creating more resilient structures that do not rely on these institutions to function. We suggest that only a new and different structure can really deliver the change that is needed to improve the humanitarian sector.

Technology responds
This structure might come with a set of assumptions different to those normally applied. It may be possible to create systems in which: no one can corrupt, control or sabotage the system; that you don’t have to trust other participants but that this trust is embedded in the system itself; that you can have access to all information that you consider relevant while still retaining anonymity at the appropriate level; and that activity in the system can be held to account through radical transparency.

This is a structure that would change the humanitarian sector for the better, and a set of financial tools which might enable it have recently appeared. The financial crisis created a window of opportunity for cryptocurrencies, and their underlying blockchain structures, which were in effect the result of the 2008 financial crisis. A parallel can be drawn here between the financial and humanitarian sectors; in both, centralised institutions not operating in a transparent manner are widely recognised as hindering efficiency and effectiveness.

In addition the structure of blockchains is much more suitable for decentralised networks and organisations. The Start Network is built on the premise that constant adaptation to a rapidly changing world cannot be driven from the centre. The Start Network strategy therefore sets out a shift towards enabling decentralised initiatives with appropriate governance mechanisms, which requires a constantly evolving organisational form.

These two developments have been followed by another financial tool, the smart contract, all of which fall under the new category of Financial Technology (FinTech) The humanitarian community should explore these in order to address some of these structural problems.

Block chain
Block chains are distributed databases that operate as digital ledgers, in which all transactions are verified by peers in the network. It is resilient, secure and transparent, since information is publicly accessible for everyone who has downloaded the software. While they have not yet been tested at scale, block chains are being investigated by banks (a recent Santander report estimated that it could save bank infrastructure costs by as much as $20bn pa) and governments (including the UK government). Such databases could be established for a range of different humanitarian functions related to humanitarian logistics, but block chain technology also supports two specific functions.

Smart Contracts
Smart contracts are computer-based automated contract processes that implement real-world outcomes, such as payments. Such contracts can be established between multiple parties without requiring third-party involvement (such as a bank), and can deliver gains in efficiency – by lowering transaction costs – and in security – by introducing cryptographic principles. We believe that smart contracts may provide a way of decentralising decision-making processes within the humanitarian system, and are currently in discussions to develop smart contracts to manage the Start Fund as a proof of concept. Transparency will be vital to this project, both in the design and the operationalisation.

Cryptocurrencies
Discussions around cryptocurrency have been dominated by Bitcoin, a virtual currency introduced in 2008 that is both decentralised and transparent. However this is only the most well-known example of the new type of cryptocurrency that combines the management benefits of alternative currencies, the flexibility of digital currencies, and the security provided by computer cryptography. We are exploring the idea of an “AidCoin” cryptocurrency that could be implemented as part of cash-based programming in specific situations. This would allow for transferring humanitarian aid streams in a rapid and transparent manner, tailoring the response to the need identified by affected communities or people. This virtual currency would not disrupt local economies, would protect communities against price volatility, and would prevent some types of corruption.

Conclusion
The humanitarian community, while lacking resources for extensive research and development, should partner with specialised organisations to explore the possibilities in this new field of FinTech. This comes with the recognition that the technologies discussed are still in an immature phase, and that further R&D is required. We hope that the High Level Panel will consider this as part of its wider discussions about improving the humanitarian system, and embrace the potential it has for a radically new way of working for and with disaster-affected communities.
Prepared by Paul Currion (humanitarian.info) and Annemarie Poorterman (Start Network) for the Start Network, July 2015

OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2015
Published on July 15, 2015 :: 284 pages
Abstract
The digital economy now permeates countless aspects of the world economy, impacting sectors as varied as banking, retail, energy, transportation, education, publishing, media or health. Information and Communication Technologies are transforming the ways social interactions and personal relationships are conducted, with fixed, mobile and broadcast networks converging, and devices and objects increasingly connected to form the Internet of things.

This report assesses how countries can maximise the potential of the digital economy as a driver for innovation and inclusive growth, and discusses the evolutions in the digital economy that policy makers need to consider as well as the emerging challenges they need to address as a part of national digital strategies. Chapters include an overview of the current status and outlook of the digital economy; the main trends in the ICT sector, and developments in communication and regulation policy; and overviews of ICT demand and adoption, plus the effects of the digital economy on growth and development. This volume also includes a chapter on developments related to trust in the digital economy and on the emerging Internet of things.

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Press Release
Countries should address disruptive effects of the digital economy
15/07/2015 – Countries are making increased efforts to develop their digital economies in a way that will maximise social and economic benefits, but now need to address the risk of disruption in areas like privacy and jobs, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD Digital Economy Outlook 2015 finds that most countries have moved from a narrow focus on communications technology to a broader digital approach that integrates social and economic priorities. Yet no OECD country has a national strategy on online privacy protection or is funding research in this area, which tends to be viewed as a matter for law enforcement authorities to handle.

The report – which covers areas from broadband penetration and industry consolidation to network neutrality and cloud computing in OECD and partner countries like Brazil, Colombia and Egypt – also says more should be done to offer information and communication technology (ICT) skills training to help people transition to new types of digital jobs.

“The digital economy has enormous potential for economic growth and well-being – but only if people trust it enough to fully engage,” said OECD Science, Technology and Innovation Director Andrew Wyckoff. “Things are moving very fast, with the arrival of Big Data analytics and the Internet of Things, and we must make sure we are ready for the impact this will have on digital privacy, security and trust as well as on skills and employment.”

In a 2014 OECD survey, 26 out of 29 countries rated building broadband infrastructure as their top priority and 19 of 28 countries put digital privacy and security second and third. Asked about the future, countries placed skills development as their top objective, followed by public service improvements and digital content creation. (

Other findings in the Digital Economy Outlook:
:: Of 34 countries surveyed, 27 have a national digital strategy. Many were established or updated in 2013 or 2014. Most focus on telecoms infrastructure, broadband capacity and speed. Few cover international issues such as internet governance.
:: Seven of the OECD’s 34 member countries count more than one mobile broadband subscription per person. Around three-quarters of smartphone use in OECD countries occurs on private Wi-Fi access via fixed networks.
:: All OECD countries have at least three mobile operators and most have four. Prices for mobile services fell markedly between 2012 and 2014 with the biggest declines in Italy, New Zealand and Turkey. Prices rose in Austria and Greece, however. (p.118)…
An embeddable version of the Digital Economic Outlook is also available together with information about downloadable and print versions of the report.

IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond to Improve Lives of Half a Million Women
[undated]  SINGAPORE—Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX) has kicked-off a first-of-its-kind Women’s Livelihood Bond due to be launched in early 2016, as part of its commitment to the Clinton Global Initiative.

The Women’s Livelihood Bond is the first among IIX’s Sustainability Bonds—a series of replicable innovative financial instruments that mobilize private capital for development. Designed to transform the lives of over half-a-million women in Asia, IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond is set to raise $20 million in capital for a pool of underlying issuers, consisting of social enterprises and micro-finance institutions, that focus on empowering women.

“Women are critical stakeholders in equitable and sustainable development and yet, current funding channels fall tragically short of supporting women to achieve development goals in a large-scale way,” said Professor Durreen Shahnaz, Founder of IIX and Impact Investment Shujog Limited (Shujog). “IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond represents a bold step in changing this; it is designed to empower over half a million women and their families in the most vulnerable communities in Asia, to shift from subsistence living towards sustainable and resilient livelihoods.”

Supported by key partners that include The Rockefeller Foundation, Japan Research Institute Limited, Center for High Impact Philanthropy of the University of Pennsylvania, and Shearman and Sterling LLP, IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond is en route to becoming listed on the Impact Exchange, the world’s first Social Stock Exchange started by IIX. Structured to unlock capital from impact investors, the funds raised by the Women’s Livelihood Bond will enable high-impact social enterprises and micro-finance institutions to scale their operations and magnify their impact on women across Asia by providing them with increased access to skills, capital, market linkages and natural resources.

Through IIX, a pipeline of potential borrowers with proven track record of positive impact on women’s lives, clear intention to scale, capital requirements, and viable bond-repayment avenues, are currently being lined. Thus, this bond will pool together a group of issuers and diversify the risk-return structure of the bond, in effect ensuring repayment of the bond and the social impact deliverables. Concurrently, IIX’s sister company Shujog, will also be applying its tailored, bottom-up approach in measuring impact to ensure that demonstrable social outcomes are achieved.

With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, Shujog will develop a Blueprint Paper of the Women’s Livelihood Bond, which will capture the entire mechanism of the bond, from design to issuance on the Impact Exchange.

“We believe that IIX’s Women’s Livelihood Bond is a very promising innovation with the potential of unlocking large amounts of new capital for sustainable development, and The Rockefeller Foundation is proud to support this work as part of its Zero Gap effort,” said Saadia Madsbjerg, managing director at The Rockefeller Foundation. “We are excited to share the blueprint paper and look forward to the possibilities that this could open up for mobilizing capital for social good.”

“Scaling up impact is at the core of our business. By sharing the blueprint openly, we want to enable uptake and replication of the instrument, and to open the floodgates of private capital in accelerating the development agenda,” added Professor Durreen Shahnaz.

About Impact Investment Exchange Asia (IIX)
IIX is a Singapore-based organization with a mission to provide Social Enterprises (SEs) in Asia greater access to investment capital, allowing them to more rapidly expand the impact of their activities. IIXnow offers three investment platforms—Impact Accelerator™, Impact Partners™ and Impact Exchange™. Impact Accelerator™ provides seed-stage SEs with mentorship and private capital through a structured and customized process. Impact Partners™ connects accredited impact investors to selected growth-stage SEs who are looking to raise investment capital. Impact Exchange™, the world’s first social stock exchange operated by the Stock Exchange of Mauritius in collaboration with IIX, is a regulated stock exchange dedicated to listing and trading securities issued by mature SEs and other socially-driven organizations. Lastly, Shujog, IIX’s not-for-profit sister organization, assists social enterprises through its proprietary impact assessment, research, advocacy and advisory work. To date, IIX has facilitated $11 million of investment impacting more than 8 million people across Asia with nearly $19.5 million in social value created. IIX is based in Singapore.

EBOLA/EVD [to 18 July 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

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Ebola Situation Report – 15 July 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: There were 30 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the week to 12 July: 13 in Guinea, 3 in Liberia, and 14 in Sierra Leone. Although the total number of confirmed cases is the same as the previous week, there has been a shift in the foci of transmission. For the first time in several months, most cases were reported from Conakry and Freetown, the capitals of Guinea and Sierra Leone, respectively. All 9 of the cases reported from Conakry and all 10 of the cases reported from Freetown were either registered contacts of a previous case or have an established epidemiological link to a known chain of transmission. One of the 30 cases reported in the week to 12 July arose from a yet unknown source of infection. However, a substantial proportion of cases (7 of 30: 23%) continue to be identified as EVD-positive only after post-mortem testing. This suggests that although improvements to case investigation are increasing our understanding of chains of transmission, contact tracing, which aims to minimise transmission by identifying symptoms among contacts at the earliest stage of infection, is still a challenge in several areas…

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 27,642 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (figure 1, table 1) up to 12 July, with 11,261 reported deaths (this total includes reported deaths among probable and suspected cases, although outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 13 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 3 in Liberia, and 14 in Sierra Leone in the week to 12 July…

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WHO Stories from Countries
Ebola diaries: Lessons from previous Ebola outbreaks help with the response in Guinea
15 July 2015
Getting back to work: Training health staff for life and work after Ebola
14 July 2015

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

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Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
16 July 2015
SG/SM/16948-DEV/3192
Secretary-General Praises Adoption of Addis Ababa Action Agenda at Development Financing Conference as ‘Major Step Forward’ towards Prosperous World

16 July 2015
DEV/3191
World Conference on Financing for Development Forges ‘New Financial Alliance’ as Global Leaders Conclude Summit with Adoption of Addis Ababa Action Agenda
ADDIS ABABA, 16 July — World leaders agreed that strengthening cooperation in technology, infrastructure and social protections to drive prosperity was key to realizing inclusive, sustainable development, as the Third International Conference on Financing for Development concluded this evening in Addis Ababa with the adoption of an outcome text — described by some as a “new financial alliance”

15 July 2015
DEV/3190
Speakers at Addis Conference Urge ‘Fully Operational’ Development Financing Scheme to Minimize Effects of World’s Crises on Vulnerable States
ADDIS ABABA, 15 July – Ministers of countries that had made strides in the complex task of sustaining social cohesion and growing their economies, nevertheless urged the adoption at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, in Ethiopia, of an effective framework for assistance that would help build the resilience of all States to the multiple crises the world currently faced.

14 July 2015
DEV/3187
As Developing Countries Strive to Enhance Economic Performance, Developed Partners Should Honour or Surpass Aid Pledges, Addis Conference Hears
ADDIS ABABA, 14 July — Developing countries were committed to resolving their development challenges but required “space and autonomy” to mobilize domestic resources, senior officials attending the Third International Conference on Financing for Development said today, pressing partner countries to honour — or surpass — overdue assistance pledges and revitalize cooperation so they could catalyse genuine change in the post-2015 era

14 July 2015
SG/SM/16943
Secretary-General Congratulates P5+1, Iran for Reaching Historic Agreement

14 July 2015
SG/SM/16944-AIDS/198
Secretary-General, at AIDS-Related Millennium Development Goal Report Launch, Says ‘World Has Delivered’ on Halting, Reversing Epidemic Globally

13 July 2015
SG/SM/16938-DEV/3186
Secretary-General Launches New Financing Model Aimed at Improving Health for Women, Children, Adolescents, Ending Preventable Deaths
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the “Every woman, every child” launch of the Global Financing Facility.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

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UN experts: Corporations must contribute to sustainable development by respecting human rights
7/14/2015
Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises
GENEVA (14 July 2015) – The United Nations Working Group on business and human rights today urged Governments across the world to ensure that corporations do not undermine sustainable development, and called for greater transparency and accountability for how businesses address human rights risks and impacts.

“States must set a clear vision for connecting the increasing role of the private sector and businesses in development with accountability and agreed standards for business practices aligned with human rights,” the independent expert group said in a letter* to lead negotiators as they enter the final stages of negotiating the ‘Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda.’…

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Human Rights Committee discusses draft General Comment on the right to life
7/14/2015
Human Rights Committee
The Human Rights Committee this morning held a half-day discussion on a draft General Comment on Article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the right to life, hearing statements from 40 non-governmental organizations and individuals.

Topics discussed included death penalty, abortion, assisted suicide, right to life and international humanitarian law, right to life and economic, social and cultural rights, and right to life and lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender persons.

Article 6 states that every human being has the inherent right to life. This right shall be protected by law. No one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life. In countries which have not abolished the death penalty, sentence of death may be imposed only for the most serious crimes in accordance with the law in force at the time of the commission of the crime. This penalty can only be carried out pursuant to a final judgement rendered by a competent court.

The following non-governmental organizations, individuals and other organizations took the floor during the discussion: Amnesty International, Centre for Global Non-Killing, Penal Reform International, International Commission against the Death Penalty, Quaker United Nations Office, International Commission of Jurists, Redress, Centre for Reproductive Rights, Society for the Protection of Unborn Children, Association of the Catholic Doctors of Bucharest, Mindy Jane Roseman, Centre for Family and Human Rights, Autistic Minority International, Safe Abortion Women’s Right, Priests for Life, Canada Silent No More, Latin American NGOs, Asian-Pacific Resource & Research Centre for Women, Family & Life, WOOMB International, ADF International, European Centre for Law and Justice, Legal representative as guardian of German unborn children regarding abortions, Reproductive Health Matters, National Rights to Life Educational Trust Fund, International Humanist and Ethical Union, Pro Life Campaign, IPAS, TRIAL, Ka Lok Yip, International Fellowship of Reconciliation, Milena Costas Trascasas, ESCR-Net, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, Justice for Girls International and Just Planet, Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, UNAIDS, ILGA and the Coalition for Children and Family in Israel…