UNICEF [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

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Selected press release and news notes
UNICEF’s U-Report social platform hits 1 million active users
NEW YORK, 16 July 2015 – U-Report, UNICEF’s groundbreaking, text-message based innovation that amplifies the voices and views of young people in developing countries, has reached 1 million active users.

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Brazil: Homicides of children and teenagers double in 20 years – UNICEF report
BRASÍLIA, Brazil, 16 July 2015 – The number of children and teenagers murdered in Brazil has more than doubled in 20 years, according to a new UNICEF report marking 25 years since the introduction of the Child and Adolescent Statute.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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Selected Press Releases
IOM Advocates for Safe and Voluntary Movement of People in High Risk Areas in Nepal
07/14/15
Nepal – IOM is actively involved in supporting the government’s decision to temporarily relocate people living in areas at risk from landslides.

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IOM, UN-Habitat Cooperate on the New Urban Agenda in Latin America and Caribbean
07/14/15
Buenos Aires – IOM and UN-Habitat have agreed to work together to identify opportunities and create synergies to promote sustainable urban development initiatives aimed at urban populations including migrants, in Latin American and Caribbean.

WHO & Regionals [to 18 July 2015]
The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 17 July 2015, vol. 90, 29 (pp. 365–372) includes:
:: Global Advisory Committee on Vaccine Safety, 10–11 June 2015

WHO’s new guidelines on HIV testing services
17 July 2015 — Globally only 51% of people living with HIV know of their status. The new guidelines provide a recommendation to support HIV testing services by trained lay providers and considers the potential of HIV self-testing to increase access to and coverage of HIV testing. The guidelines also address issues and elements for effective delivery of HIV testing services that are common in a variety of settings, contexts and diverse populations.
Read the new guideline

Deworming campaign improves child health, school attendance in Rwanda
17 July 2015 — Soil-transmitted helminth is one of the most common infections worldwide, with roughly 2 billion people affected, mostly in poor and deprived communities. WHO supported the Ministry of Health in Rwanda to launch a deworming campaign, which has lowered the prominence of Soil-transmitted helminth by nearly 20% in the Musanze region. WHO aims to achieve 75% coverage, of all children, by 2020 against soil-transmitted helminth in the 10 most populous countries…

Global health workforce, finances remain low for mental health
14 July 2015 — Worldwide, nearly 1 in 10 people have a mental health disorder, but only 1% of the global health workforce is working in mental health. This means, for example, that nearly half of the world’s population lives in a country where there is less than one psychiatrist per 100 000 people.
:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Delegation from MERCK pays courtesy call to WHO Regional Office for Africa
Brazzaville, 16 July 2015 – A high level delegation from MERCK, a drug pharmaceutical company has paid a courtesy call to the World Health Organization Regional Office in Djoue, Brazzaville where they were received by Dr Matshidiso Moeti, Regional Director for Africa.Dr. Frank Stangenberg-Haverkamp, Chairman of the Board of partners of Merck KG was accompanied by Dr. Karim Bendhaou, President of Merck North West Africa Group, Mr. Frank Gotthardt, Head of public affairs, and the WHO Representative to Congo Dr Fatoumata Diallo. The purpose of the visit was to discuss the ongoing partnership between WHO and Merck, specifically the scaling up of deworming of school age children in the Region, and the control of schistosomiasis in the Republic of Congo…

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified.

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Timor-Leste launches campaign to protect 500 000 children against Measles, Rubella and Polio
13 July 2015
H.E. Prime Minster of Timor-Leste, Dr Rui Maria de Araújo and H.E. Minister of Health, Dr Maria do Céu Sarmento Pina da Costa launched a National Measles, Rubella and Polio Immunization Campaign on July 13th 2015, supported by Measles and Rubella Initiative, WHO, UNICEF and global immunization partners. This campaign targets 500 000 children throughout the country.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Uzbekistan strengthens the safety and resilience of its hospitals 14-07-2015
:: New report: Investing in public health offers large gains in health, the economy and other sectors 14-07-2015
:: Building capacity for laboratory services 14-07-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO delivers urgently needed health supplies to Aden as part of United Nations convoy
13 July 2015, Sana’a, Yemen — WHO has delivered 46.4 tonnes of medicines, medical supplies, and water and sanitation supplies to Aden in Yemen. Access to health care in Aden is extremely limited due to fighting and most of the governorate’s 31 health facilities are non-functional due to critical shortages in medical supplies and fuel needed for generators. To date, WHO has distributed more than 175 tonnes of medicines and medical supplies in Yemen, reaching a total of almost 5 million people.
Read more about the shipment

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: The Western Pacific Region scales up response to antimicrobial resistance
MANILA, 14 July 2015 – The World Health Organization (WHO) in the Western Pacific Region continues to scale-up efforts in the fight against antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Left unaddressed, antimicrobial resistance has the potential to increase the cost of health care, hamper the control of infectious diseases and damage trade and economies…

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Selected Press Releases
Helen Clark: Statement on the outcome of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development
Jul 16, 2015 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

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Toward landmark elections in Haiti: International partners reaffirm strong commitment
Jul 16, 2015
Starting 9 August, almost six million Haitians will choose 1,280 local administrations, 140 municipal administrations and 139 Parliamentarians in an electoral process with several rounds that could last until the end of the year.

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New UNDP reports put spotlight on development finance needs and challenges for Small Island Developing States
Jul 15, 2015
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – Small Island Developing States (SIDS) share a number of common challenges—from exposure to natural hazards and economic shocks, to slow economic growth, limited capacities to raise domestic resources and high debt—and urgently need increases in all forms of financing if they are to meet the post 2015 development goals, according to two new UN Development Programme (UNDP) reports launched today, during the Third International Conference on Financing for Development.

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Powered by environmental finance, Africa’s largest gene bank helps to bolster biodiversity, food security
Jul 15, 2015
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – On the occasion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark and the Global Environment Facility’s (GEF) Chief Executive Officer Naoko Ishii visited today Africa’s largest gene bank, an initiative that links scientists with small-scale farmers to collectively revive and conserve traditional, indigenous seeds in the face of drought, climate change, and progressive erosion of traditional agricultural varieties that will prove vital for the future of food security in Africa.

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

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

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European Union and FAO launch new programmes to boost food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience
The European Union and FAO have launched a new partnership agreement to boost food and nutrition security, sustainable agriculture and resilience in at least 35 countries
16-07-2015

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Initiative with Ethiopia aims to boost opportunities for rural youth
The improved evidence on rural migration trends and impacts will help policy-makers, improve agricultural and rural development policies in order to increase employment opportunities, and make rural areas more attractive to young people.
16-07-2015

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Investing in a future free from hunger
Highlighting the historic opportunity to become the “Zero Hunger generation”, FAO Director-General José Graziano Da Silva called for additional investment in social protection and rural development at the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, today.
15-07-2015

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New partnership between European Investment Bank and FAO to bolster private sector investment in agriculture
Highlighting a renewed global interest in agriculture, the European Investment Bank and FAO signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to promote collaboration in expanding and deepening investment in agriculture in countries outside of the European Union.
14-07-2015

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.unido.org/en/news-centre/news.html

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UNIDO and Volvo Group to collaborate on developing industrial skills of young people in Africa
Wednesday, 15 July 2015
ADDIS ABABA, 15 July 2015 – The United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Volvo Group will collaborate on expanding the access of youth in developing countries to job-oriented and demand-driven skills…

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Partnerships key for implementation of post-2015 development agenda and financing inclusive and sustainable industrialization, say participants at Addis event
Tuesday, 14 July 2015
ADDIS ABABA, 14 July 2015 – Multi-stakeholder partnerships for mobilizing financing for industrial infrastructure and industrial projects, ranging from small and medium-sized enterprises to international large-scale investments, were the focus of an international event that took place in the Ethiopian capital today…

UNWTO World Tourism Organization [to 18 July 2015]
http://media.unwto.org/news

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UNWTO calls for higher financing for tourism in development cooperation
15 July 2015
Despite its wide-reaching socio-economic impacts, tourism still receives limited attention as a tool for development. On the occasion of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 13-16 July), UNWTO calls for higher support for tourism in international financing for development flows to maximize the sector´s contribution to sustainable development across the globe.

ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

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New edition of ITU’s flagship global ICT regulatory report
Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015 tracks increasingly complex ICT ecosystem of traditional and new-generation players
Geneva, 17 July, 2015 – The latest edition of ITU’s comprehensive report on global ICT regulatory developments, Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015, reveals a fast-evolving ICT landscape, as devices and services proliferate, broadband connectivity becomes increasingly pervasive, and the hyper-connected world of the ‘Internet of Everything’ starts to become a reality.
The world’s most comprehensive overview of the policy trends and challenges facing today’s ICT regulators, ITU’s Trends in Telecommunication Reform 2015 provides a host of data and analysis to help regulators, ICT analysts and tech journalists navigate the issues surrounding so-called ‘fourth-generation’ ICT regulation…

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

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New report demonstrates that we are jeopardizing the planet’s capacity to sustain a healthy future
Montreal, 16 July 2015 – Though there have been rapid advances in human health, the continuing degradation of our planetary systems does not bode well for its future. Today, The Rockefeller Foundation–Lancet Commission on Planetary Health launched a comprehensive report entitled “Safeguarding human health in the Anthropocene epoch” in New York City. This innovative report demonstrates the extent to which human activity is pushing the safe boundaries of our natural systems beyond thresholds required for humanity to continue to thrive and flourish.

DFID [to 18 July 2015]
https://www.gov.uk/government/latest?departments%5B%5D=department-for-international-development

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Greening: FFD outcome is historic
Published 15 July 2015 News story DFID
Speaking at the UN Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Secretary of State Justine Greening said:
:: This is a historic international deal that takes us beyond aid. It is the first ever agreement that allows us to harness private sector investment and developing countries’ domestic resources, including tax revenues, to turbo charge development.
:: The significance of today’s unique agreement cannot be underestimated. This deal would have been unthinkable just a few years ago and is a major step towards getting the resource levels we need if we are to fast track economic growth in the developing world and eradicate extreme poverty.
:: On top of this historic agreement, the UK’s launch of the ground-breaking Addis Tax Initiative alongside the Netherlands, Germany, Ethiopia, Kenya and others, combined with key agreements on extra private sector finance, now put us firmly on the path towards ending aid dependency.’

ECHO [to 18 July 2015]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

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EU assists Greece in fighting forest fires
17/07/2015
In an immediate response to a request for assistance from Greece, the EU provided firefighting planes to help stop the spread of forest fires in several parts of the country, including in the outskirts of Athens, Greece has activated the EU Civil…

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EU boosts humanitarian aid for Sudan by €4 million
17/07/2015
The European Commission has announced additional humanitarian aid of €4 million for Sudan, bringing the total of the Commission’s assistance to the country in 2015 to €32 million.The new funding follows an increase in refugees from neighbouring…

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EU releases further €64 million for worsening Syrian crisis
16/07/2015
Faced with a worsening humanitarian situation, the EU has increased its humanitarian funding for the Syria crisis by €64 million. The funding comes at a time when there are new displacements inside Syria, and a growing concern over the…

African Union [to 18 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]

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Third International Conference on Financing for Development, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Jul.13.2015 – Jul.16.2015
Health financing takes centre stage at Financing for Development Meeting
Addis Ababa, 14 July 2015- Leaders meeting in Addis Ababa Monday urged concerted continental and global efforts to accelerate efforts for accelerated domestic financing for health. The meeting also emphasised the continued importance of international support to Africa’s disease responses in the spirit of shared responsibility and global solidarity.
“The transformation of our economies and our countries will never be complete without claiming victory over diseases, particularly, the three big epidemics of our time – HIV, tuberculosis and malaria” said Prime Minister Hailemariam Desalegn, the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia. “Our founders urged us to unite. To defeat these diseases, we must unite not only amongst ourselves but also with our international development partners in order to raise enough resources for the final push against these diseases”…

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Jul.13.2015
Statement by HE Dr Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, Chairperson of the Africa Union Commission Malaria Financing for a New Era: An Exceptional Case For Investment A High Level Luncheon at the 3rd International Financing for Development Conference

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Jul.13.2015
Leaders call for Increased Investment in Nutrition as key to Africa’s Development
Joint Press Release
High Level Panel on “Harnessing Innovative Financing for Nutrition in Africa”
Third International Conference on Financing for Development
Leaders call for Increased Investment in Nutrition as key to Africa’s Development

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia –13 July 2015: The African Union Commission in collaboration with the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), held a high level advocacy side event to advocate for increased investment in nutrition in order to “end all forms of malnutrition” as articulated in the post 2015 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The event was held on the margins of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, which aimed at securing appropriate global action for implementing the SDGs.

The occasion was also used to launch the African Regional Nutrition Strategy (ARNS) for the the period 2016 – 2025, an AU Roadmap to enhance and promote nutrition in Africa. The ARNS (2016 – 2025) incorporates emerging nutrition concerns and sets clear targets, which includes the attainment of a 40 per cent reduction in stunting and a 5 per cent reduction in wasting among children under five years by 2025.

Delivering the keynote statement, the African Nutrition Champion, His Majesty King Letsie III, observed that Africa is the only region in the world where the number of stunted children has increased over the past 20 years, hence, providing the urgent need for increasing resources to improve nutrition as a vital ingredient to social development…

European Union [to 18 July 2015]
http://europa.eu/newsroom/index_en.htm
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]

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EU boosts humanitarian aid for Sudan by €4 million
17/07/2015 12:00 | European Commission

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EU boosts humanitarian support for Syria crisis by €64 million
16/07/2015 12:00 | European Commission

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Statement by the Spokesperson on the Law on Associations and NGOs in Cambodia
External relations and foreign affairs | 15/07/2015 17:42 | European External Action Service (EEAS)

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Statement by the Spokesperson on recent developments in the human rights situation in China
External relations and foreign affairs | 15/07/2015 16:52 | European External Action Service (EEAS)

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Statement by the spokesperson on the implementation of the law on “undesirable organization in Russia
External relations and foreign affairs | 15/07/2015 | European External Action Service (EEAS)

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EU leads in mobilising resources for sustainable development
External relations and foreign affairs | 13/07/2015 12:00 | European Commission

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

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Countries should address disruptive effects of the digital economy
13-July-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.

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Tax Inspectors Without Borders: OECD and UNDP to work with developing countries to make tax audits more effective
13-July-2015
The OECD and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have launched a new initiative to help developing countries bolster domestic revenues by strengthening their tax audit capacities.

Organization of American States (OAS) [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_releases.asp

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OAS Deploys Mission to Assess Situation of Haitian Migrants
E-205
July 9, 2015
The Organization of American States (OAS) sent this Thursday a special mission to the Dominican Republic and Haiti in order to gather information on the situation of Haitian migrants in the field and, following its analysis, to prepare a report for the Secretary General of the hemispheric institution, Luis Almagro.

The mission, headed by the OAS Secretary for Political Affairs, the Mexican Francisco Guerrero, will initiate its work in Santo Domingo this Friday and will end its activities in Haiti on July 14.

Deployed at the invitation of the Dominican and Haitian governments, the special mission of a technical and impartial nature is guided, according to Guerrero, “by the will to build bridges between the two countries in order to find a lasting solution to the dispute.”…

World Bank [to 18 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]

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PRESS RELEASE
China Launches First World Bank Trust Fund to End Poverty and Promote Development
July 16, 2015
WBG and China also agree on AIIB collaboration
BEIJING, July 16, 2015— World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today praised China for its growing role in global development in meetings with Premier Li Keqiang and other senior leaders including Finance Minister Lou Jiwei and Governor Zhou Xiaochuan of the People’s Bank of China.

On the first day of his two day visit, President Kim had a far reaching discussion with Premier Li Keqiang on the global economy, development finance and China’s health reforms.
In a separate meeting today, President Kim and Finance Minister Lou Jiwei signed an agreement to establish a $50 million fund to help reduce poverty. The World Bank President also met with leaders of the Multilateral Interim Secretariat for Establishing the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to discuss closer collaboration.

These initiatives reinforce the growing partnership with China, which already is the Bank’s third-largest shareholder and an important contributor to IDA, the institution’s fund for the poorest, as well as the Global Infrastructure Facility.

“China is a strong partner in development and a strong partner for the World Bank Group, and we share the commitment to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity,” said President Kim. “I look forward to a continued strong, cooperative, and productive relationship, which will benefit developing countries around the world.”

The trust fund, which is expected to start later this year, aims to enhance the cooperation between China and the World Bank Group and leverage financial and knowledge-based resources to help developing countries achieve inclusive and sustainable development. It will finance investment projects, operations, knowledge development and human-resource cooperation at both global and regional levels…

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Speeches & Transcripts
Financing for Gender Equality – Results and Good Practices
July 14, 2015
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
As Prepared for Delivery
Mr. Secretary-General, Ministers, and friends. It’s wonderful to see you.
Twenty years ago, the landmark Fourth World Conference on Women put forward a Platform for Action that made a powerful case for gender equality. Among other things, it recognized two important principles: (1) “that equality between women and men is a matter of human rights and a condition for social justice;” and (2) that “broad-based and sustained economic growth in the context of sustainable development is necessary to sustain social development and social justice.”

Two decades later, we are in the middle of a watershed year for our work to advance gender equality and end extreme poverty. We know based on evidence that gender equality is not only a condition for social justice but a powerful driver of the economic growth that can help deliver it—the inclusive growth that benefits all. And we now have data to prove that the world cannot achieve its potential—or secure its future—unless all its people can achieve and secure theirs…

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PRESS RELEASE
Global Conference on Religion and Sustainable Development: Strengthening Partnerships to End Extreme Poverty
July 12, 2015
WASHINGTON, July 12, 2015 – A highly significant conference brought together 130 attendees to discuss Religion and Sustainable Development this week.

The “Religion & Sustainable Development: Building Partnerships to End Extreme Poverty” conference was convened and co-hosted by the World Bank Group, the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (implemented by GIZ), U.S. Agency for International Development, UK Department For International Development, GHR Foundation, World Vision and the Joint Learning Initiative on Faith and Local Communities, a coalition of faith-based organisations and academic institutions.

Co-sponsors included the Catholic Medical Mission Board, Catholic Relief Services, Islamic Relief USA, Tearfund, American Jewish World Service, IMA World Health and McKinsey & Company…

Amref Health Africa [to 18 July 2015]
http://amref.org/news/news/

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Unilever partners with Amref Health Africa in the fight against cholera
14 July 2015
As Kenya continues to battle the cholera outbreak that has affected 16 counties so far, Unilever East Africa and Amref Health Africa have joined forces to boost government efforts in stopping the spread of the disease.

The cholera response will be the first activity under a one-year extendable partnership outlined in a Memorandum of Understanding that was signed this morning by Dr Githinji Gitahi, Amref Health Africa’s CEO, and Marc Engel, Unilever’s CEO for East Africa and Emerging Markets.

Dr Gitahi noted that since the current outbreak was reported last December, close to 100 people had died and almost 5,000 had been affected…

ECPAT [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.ecpat.net/news

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ECPAT’s Latest Journal Now Available
Posted on 07/15/2015, 11:45
ECPAT International’s latest Journal edition Researching the Sexual Exploitation of Children: Challenges and Methodologies of Data Collection is now available on our website.

HelpAge International [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.helpage.org/newsroom/press-room/press-releases/

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Older people call for a convention on the rights of older people
UN Open Ended Working Group on Ageing, New York, meeting from 14-16 July
This week, (14-16 July), older people around the world are calling for a convention on the rights of older people, as their governments convene at the UN.
Posted: 13 July 2015

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 18 July 2015]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index

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International Rescue Committee Deploying Emergency Response Team to Lesbos, Greece
14 Jul 2015
:: IRC teams will develop infrastructure to provide access to water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for refugees on Lesbos with focus on local hiring and sourcing
:: IRC CEO: “Europe setting example of the wrong kind.”
:: European Countries Should Provide Aid to Support Refugees

New York, July 13, 2015 – The International Rescue Committee (IRC), a leading crisis-focused humanitarian relief and resettlement organization, is deploying a team to the Greek island of Lesbos to provide refugees there with urgently needed access to water and sanitation. The organization is also calling on European countries to support refugee relief efforts.

The 1,000 refugees arriving on the shores of Lesbos daily – sixty percent of whom are fleeing the Syrian crisis – have often had to walk approximately 40 miles to the nearest “transit” camp. However, neither the camp, nor communities along the route, have adequate water or sanitation facilities to accommodate the refugees. As a result, public health risks are high, most notably in Kara Tepe Camp where many toilets are inoperable…