International Financial Institutions Announce $400 Billion to Achieve Sustainable Development Goals
PRESS RELEASE
WASHINGTON, July 10, 2015—The multilateral development banks (MDBs) and IMF today signaled plans to extend more than $400 billion in financing over the next three years and vowed to work more closely with private and public sector partners to help mobilize the resources needed to meet the historic challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The institutions—the African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, World Bank Group (referred to as the MDBs), and the International Monetary Fund—announced their plans in the lead-up to the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, July 13-16.

The SDGs are ambitious and demand equal ambition in using the “billions” of dollars in current flows of official development assistance (ODA) and all available resources to attract, leverage and mobilize “trillions” in investments of all kinds—public and private, national and global.

ODA, estimated at $135 billion a year, provides a fundamental source of financing, especially in the poorest and most fragile countries. But more is needed. Investment needs in infrastructure alone reach up to $1.5 trillion a year in emerging and developing countries. Meeting the staggering but achievable needs of the SDG agenda requires everyone to make the best use of each dollar from every source, and draw in and increase public and private investment. The MDBs—the engines of development finance—are looking to a range of options for scaling up.

MDB development finance has grown from $50 billion in 2001 to $127 billion in 2015. For each dollar invested by its shareholders, MDBs are able to commit $2-5 in new financing each year. The MDBs’ own direct private sector investments have increased fourfold over this period. They mobilize an additional $2-5 in private investment for every dollar they invest directly in private sector operations. The vow to increase their contribution to more than $400 billion over the next three years reflects in part efforts to make even better use of their balance sheets.

Additional steps to leverage more resources include the development of new approaches and tools to help developing countries play a stronger role in harnessing national resources. The MDBs and the IMF are partnering with countries on, for example, the introduction of a new toolkit to assess and improve tax policies and expanding instruments such as e-procurement to achieve better government spending.

Increasing external resource flows to developing countries for investment is essential to achieving the SDGs—but these flows can be expected to materialize only in circumstances where countries have coherent development strategies consistent with maintaining macroeconomic stability while also ensuring the delivery of key public sector services and a business environment supportive of growth.

Through their policy advice and technical assistance, the MDBs and IMF support countries in designing economic policies to achieve these objectives; through MDB policy support loans and IMF-supported programs, these institutions provide general financial support towards meeting budgetary and balance of payments needs.

The private sector is playing an increasing role in financing goods, services and infrastructure. The MDBs are committed to engaging differently with private sector partners on a wide range of interventions, including connecting investors with opportunities, helping countries make investments more attractive, and building local financial markets.

The MDBs are also partnering with others to develop innovative financing approaches to support global needs, such as health and climate, building on extensive work already underway.

Achieving Zero Hunger: The critical role of investments in social protection and agriculture
FAO, IFAD and WFP
ROME, FAO 2015 :: 56 pages
PDF: http://www.fao.org/3/a-i4777e.pdf

Press Release
Achieving Zero Hunger: Combining social protection with pro-poor investments
An additional $160 per year for each person living in extreme poverty will end chronic hunger new UN estimates show
10 July 2015, Rome – Eradicating world hunger sustainably by 2030 will require an estimated additional $267 billion per year on average for investments in rural and urban areas and in social protection, so poor people have access to food and can improve their livelihoods, a new UN report says. This would average $160 annually for each person living in extreme poverty over the 15 year period.

Prepared by FAO, the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), the report, which was presented in Rome today, comes ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on 13 – 16 July 2015.

The report notes that despite the progress made in recent decades, today nearly 800 million people, most of them in rural areas, still do not have enough food to eat.

Eliminating chronic undernourishment by 2030 is a key element of the proposed Sustainable Development Goal 2 of the new post-2015 agenda to be adopted by the international community later this year and is also at the heart of the Zero Hunger Challenge promoted by the UN Secretary-General.

“The message of the report is clear: if we adopt a “business as usual” approach, by 2030, we would still have more than 650 million people suffering from hunger. This is why we are championing an approach that combines social protection with additional targeted investments in rural development, agriculture and urban areas that will chiefly benefit the poor,” said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva.

“Our report estimates that this will require a total investment of some US$267 billion per year over the next 15 years. Given that this is more or less equivalent to 0.3 percent of the global GDP, I personally think it is a relatively small price to pay to end hunger,” Graziano da Silva added.

“This report helps us to see the magnitude of the challenge ahead of us, but we believe that we won’t see gains in reducing poverty and hunger unless we seriously invest in rural people,” said IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze.

“Given the right kind of tools and resources, small-scale agricultural producers and rural entrepreneurs can transform struggling communities into thriving places,” the IFAD President added.

“We need a dramatic shift in thinking to help the world’s poorest break the cycle of hunger and poverty by 2030. We cannot allow them to be left behind,” said WFP Executive Director Ertharin Cousin. “We must invest in the most vulnerable and ensure that they have the tools they need not only to overcome hunger, but to enhance their resources and capabilities.”

The report noted how the international community needs to build on the successful experiences of some countries that have effectively used a combination of investment and social protection to combat hunger and poverty in rural and urban areas.

In an advocacy note accompanying the report, the FAO, IFAD and WFP chiefs also noted that the Addis Ababa conference seeks to ensure that all countries, especially developing countries, have the means to implement national policies and programmes to achieve their development objectives, including the post-2015 Sustainable Development Goals.

Lifting people from below the poverty line and making this sustainable
According to the report, a “business as usual” approach would still leave some 650 million people hungry in 2030.

It contrasts this with a combined social protection and investment scenario whereby public funded transfers will be used to lift people out of chronic hunger by ensuring that they reach a US$1.25/day income which corresponds to the World Bank-determined poverty line level.

This social protection measure would cost an additional $116 billion per year – $75 billion for rural areas and $41 billion for urban areas. Some $151 billion in additional pro-poor investments – $105 billion for rural development and agriculture and $46 billion for urban areas – would also be required to stimulate income generation to the advantage of those living in poverty. The combination of social protection and investments brings the total to $267 billion.

Most of the investment would normally come from the private sector, especially farmers. However, private investments need to be complemented by additional public sector investments in rural infrastructure, transport, health and education.

In rural areas, pro-poor public investments could target small-scale irrigation and other infrastructure benefitting small holders. They could include measures such as food processing to reduce post-harvest waste and losses, as well as stronger institutional arrangements for land and water tenure, credit facilities, labour legislation, and other areas, to make farm and off-farm activities and markets accessible to marginalized groups, including women and young people.

In urban areas, the additional investments should ensure that people living in extreme poverty will eventually be able to provide for themselves. The investments could, for example, target capacity building to impart entrepreneurial and other skills, including craftsmanship, and ensure fair labour contracts, provide credit facilities, housing as well as nutrition-related services.

From social protection to production
Social protection in the form of cash transfers will eliminate hunger immediately, and will improve nutrition by allowing the poor to afford more diverse and thus healthier diets and also fight “hidden hunger” – micronutrient deficiencies, including the inadequate intake of vitamins, iron and other minerals.

Given their meagre means and assets, people living in extreme poverty are initially not expected to be able to invest much in productive activities. However, as they become more productive through investments, they will earn more, and also save and invest more, and thus further increase their earnings.

OECD Employment Outlook 2015
Published on July 09, 2015 :: 296 pages
The 2015 edition of the OECD Employment Outlook provides an in-depth review of recent labour market trends and short-term prospects in OECD countries.
Pdf: http://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/deliver/8115141e.pdf?itemId=/content/book/empl_outlook-2015-en&mimeType=application/pdf

Press Release
Jobs outlook improving slowly but millions risk being trapped at bottom of economic ladder
9/7/2015 – The jobs recovery is slowly gathering pace, but employment will remain well below pre-crisis levels in many countries, especially in Europe, through to the end of 2016, according to a new OECD report.

The OECD Employment Outlook 2015 says that around 42 million people are currently without work across the OECD, down from 45 million in 2014 but still 10 million more than just before the crisis.

Unemployment in the 34 OECD countries is projected to continue declining over the next 18 months to reach 6.5% in the last quarter of 2016. It will remain above 20% in Greece and Spain.

“Time is running out to prevent the scars of the crisis becoming permanent, with millions of workers trapped at the bottom of the economic ladder,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, launching the report in Paris. “If that happens, the long-run legacy of the crisis would be to ratchet inequality up yet another notch from levels that were already far too high.

Governments need to act now to avoid a permanent increase in the number of workers stuck in chronic joblessness or moving between unemployment and low-paid precarious jobs.”

The Outlook finds that long-term unemployment remains unacceptably high. More than one in three jobseekers in the OECD have been out of work for 12 months or more, equivalent to 15.7 million people. This is an increase of 77.2% since the end of 2007. More than half of these people have been without work for two years or more, and their chances of finding work again are shrinking.

The high and persistent youth joblessness level also remains a major concern. While levels have peaked in the worst hit countries of Southern Europe, youth unemployment remains above pre-crisis level in nearly every OECD country. The share of young people neither employed nor in education or training, the so-called NEETs, is still higher than in 2007 in more than three quarters of OECD countries among 20-24 year-olds and nearly two thirds of countries among 25-29 year-olds.

Moreover, the Outlook finds evidence that a person’s long-term career prospects are largely determined in the first ten years of working life. This suggests that many of the youth who finished school during the crisis and have struggled to find work since may find their future career opportunities limited.

The jobs mix has also shifted towards more part-time work, says the report. The share of workers employed part-time has risen from 18.6% before the crisis to 20.6% currently. It is highest in The Netherlands (51.7%), Switzerland (36.8%) and is more than 25% in Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom. In many countries, people have chosen to work part-time, but in countries, such as Greece, Italy and Spain, many part-timers are looking for full-time jobs.

At the same time, the share of temporary employment has changed little since the start of the crisis. It fell sharply in the recession but has increased again during the recovery when many employers prefer to expand their workforce through temporary contracts.

Wage growth has slowed, falling from an annual 1.8% between 2000 and 2007 to 0.5% since. Wage restraint helped limit job losses during the recession and encourage a rebound in employment after, but slower wage growth and real declines in some countries has also reduced the incomes of many households, further contributing to economic hardship.

Policy makers should scale up efforts to assist jobseekers and, in particular, get the long-term unemployed and youth back into work, says the OECD. In some countries, re-employment and retraining programmes have borne too large a share of fiscal consolidation and more resources are required. Real expenditure on active labour market programmes per unemployed person fell between 2007 and 2013 by more than 50% in Ireland, Italy, Spain and the United Kingdom, and by over 40% in Australia.

Effective and efficient labour market institutions and policies, including effective public-private partnerships in the placement and training of job seekers, are essential to help motivate job-seekers, especially the long-term unemployed, improve their employability and expand their opportunities to be placed and retained in appropriate jobs.

Evidence presented in the Outlook shows that, when set at an appropriate level, minimum wages tend to have only a small adverse effect on employment and help raise living standards for low-earners. But minimum wages should be closely coordinated with the tax/benefit system to ensure that it results in higher disposable income for those that need it most.

EBOLA/EVD [to 11 July 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

Editor’s Note:
A number of key reports, recommendations, meetings and actions marked the past week in Ebola/EVD. In summary:
:: The weekly Ebola Situation Report – 8 July 2015 reported 30 new confirmed cases across the three affected countries, noting that “…significant challenges remain. A residual lack of trust in the response among some affected communities means that some cases still evade detection for too long, increasing the risk of further hidden transmission. The exportation of cases to densely populated urban areas such as Freetown and Conakry remains a risk, whilst the origin of the new cluster of cases in Liberia is not yet well understood…”

:: The IHR Emergency Committee held its sixth meeting, assessing the outbreak response and current status. The key result was that Committee recommended that the EVD outbreak “continues to constitute a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.”

:: The WHO-convened Ebola Interim Assessment Panel issued its report on the overall Ebola response, noting that it “… believes that this is a defining moment for the health of the global community. WHO must re-establish its pre-eminence as the guardian of global public health; this will require significant changes throughout WHO with the understanding that this includes both the Secretariat and the Member States [and] …The Ebola crisis not only exposed organizational failings in the functioning of WHO, but it also demonstrated shortcomings in the International Health Regulations (2005)…” The WHO issued a response to the report outlining a number of action items responding to the report and its recommendations.

:: The UN convened an International Ebola Recovery Conference in New York which ran 9-10 July 2015. The Conference was organized as a series of technical sessions focused on the continuing EVD response and post-outbreak recovery planning, with a concluding pledging meeting which generated commitments of several billion dollars.

:: GAVI announced support for rebuilding of immunisation programmes in Ebola-affected countries which were largely dormant during the Ebola response period, leaving “hundreds of thousands of children who either missed out or are at risk of missing out will now receive their vaccinations…”
Ebola Situation Report – 8 July 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: There were 30 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the week to 5 July: 18 in Guinea, 3 in Liberia, and 9 in Sierra Leone. Although this is the highest weekly total since mid-May, improvements to case investigation and contact tracing, together with enhanced incentives to encourage case reporting and compliance with quarantine measures have led to a better understanding of chains of transmission than was the case a month ago. This, in turn, has resulted in a decreasing proportion of cases arising from as-yet unknown sources of infection (5 of 30 cases in the week to 5 July), particularly in previously problematic areas such as Boke and Forecariah in Guinea, and Kambia and Port Loko in Sierra Leone. However, significant challenges remain. A residual lack of trust in the response among some affected communities means that some cases still evade detection for too long, increasing the risk of further hidden transmission. The exportation of cases to densely populated urban areas such as Freetown and Conakry remains a risk, whilst the origin of the new cluster of cases in Liberia is not yet well understood…

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 27,573 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (figure 1, table 1) up to 5 July, with 11,246 reported deaths (this total includes reported deaths among probable and suspected cases, although outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 18 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 3 in Liberia, and 9 in Sierra Leone in the week to 5 July…
International community pledges more than five billion dollars to help recovery of Ebola-affected countries
10 Jul 2015
New York – The international community has pledged more than five billion dollars to support Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in their efforts to recover from the devastating effects of Ebola, at a high level United Nations Conference in New York today (Friday).

Opening the International Ebola Recovery Conference United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said: “Together, let us jumpstart a robust recovery process over the next two years, and usher in a better future for generations to come.”

The Secretary-General was joined by the Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, and the Secretary-General of the Mano River Union, who were seeking international support as well as financial commitments for their national and regional recovery strategies over the next two years.

Helen Clark, UNDP Administrator, who chaired the Conference, said: “We have seen a very encouraging response today. The preliminary figure for funds announced today amount to $3.4 billion, taking the total resources pledged for the recovery of the Ebola-affected countries to around five billion dollars. The whole spirit of optimism around the conference and the willingness of partners to see this as a long-term endeavor is hugely encouraging.”

Dr. David Nabarro, the Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Ebola, said: “This is a very promising moment. The amount pledged represents a tremendous springboard for recovery. Everyone today has stressed that the partnership we have for the response to the outbreak must be sustained in to the period of recovery. The world is going to stand by these countries as they recover and help them get back on the track of equitable economic and social development.”

The United Nations organized the International Ebola Recovery Conference in partnership with the African Union, European Union, the World Bank and the African Development Bank. A day of technical consultation on the recovery strategies on Thursday 9 July was followed by the high level event on 10 July, convened by the Secretary-General, and attended by the Chairperson of the African Union, the Presidents of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone and the Secretary-General of the Mano River Union.

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

.
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
10 July 2015
SG/SM/16928
At Ebola Recovery Conference, Secretary-General Thanks Stakeholders, Urges Continued Action to Ensure Cases “Stay at Zero”
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the International Ebola Recovery Conference, in New York.

10 July 2015
ECOSOC/6714
At Closing of Economic and Social Council High-level Segment, Secretary-General Urges Stakeholders to End Poverty, Build Sustainable World for All
The 2015 high-level segment of the Economic and Social Council concluded today with interactive national voluntary presentations and a thematic discussion on ways of strengthening and building institutions for policy integration in the post-2015 sustainable development agenda, capping week-long deliberations that Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said had helped to outline how the forum could organize its work, keep track of progress and bolster implementation.

8 July 2015
ECOSOC/6712
Concluding Session, High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development Adopts Declaration of Commitment to Ambitious, People-centred Post-2015 Agenda
The High-level Political Forum for Sustainable Development closed its eight-day annual session today with the adoption of a declaration that committed ministers from around the world to establishing a “strong, universal, ambitious, inclusive and people-centred” post-2015 development agenda that completed the unfinished business of the Millennium Development Goals and responded to new challenges.

8 July 2015
SC/11961
At Meeting Commemorating Twentieth Anniversary of Srebrenica Killings, Security Council Fails to Adopt Resolution
During a meeting held to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the massacres in Srebrenica, the Security Council today failed to adopt a resolution that would have emphasized acceptance of those tragic events as genocide as a prerequisite for national reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

6 July 2015
GA/11661
Need to Eradicate Hunger, Not Associate Violent Extremism with Religion, Nationality, among Texts Adopted by General Assembly
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution reaffirming that violent extremism “cannot and should not” be associated with any religion, nationality, civilization or ethnic group, and underlining the importance of moderation as a value within societies for fostering tolerance and understanding.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

.
UN human rights chief says China’s new security law is too broad, too vague
GENEVA (7 July 2015) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein on Tuesday expressed deep concern about the human rights implications of a new Law on National Security adopted by China on 1 July.

The new security law covers a large spectrum of issues, including environment, defence, finance, information technology, culture, ideology, education and religion. It also defines the meaning of national security extremely broadly: it is described as the condition in which the country’s government, sovereignty, unification, territorial integrity, well-being of its people, sustainable development of its economy and society and other major interests are relatively safe and not subject to internal and external threats.

“This law raises many concerns due to its extraordinarily broad scope coupled with the vagueness of its terminology and definitions,” High Commissioner Zeid said. “As a result, it leaves the door wide open to further restrictions of the rights and freedoms of Chinese citizens, and to even tighter control of civil society by the Chinese authorities than there is already.”

National security laws need to be sufficiently precise to enable individuals to foresee the consequences of their conduct as well as to safeguard against arbitrary or discriminatory enforcement by authorities. “The law should clearly and narrowly define what constitutes a threat to national security, and identify proper mechanisms to address such threats in a proportionate manner,” Zeid said…

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

.
UNHCR: Total number of Syrian refugees exceeds four million for first time
9 July 2015
The number of refugees fleeing the conflict in Syria to neighbouring countries has now passed four million, confirming that crisis as the world’s single largest refugee crisis for almost a quarter of a century under UNHCR’s mandate.

New arrivals in Turkey and updated data from the Turkish authorities on refugees already in that country have taken the total number of Syrian refugees in neighbouring countries to more than 4,013,000 people.

Furthermore, at least an additional 7.6 million people are displaced inside Syria – many of them in difficult circumstances and in locations that are difficult to reach.
“This is the biggest refugee population from a single conflict in a generation. It is a population that needs the support of the world but is instead living in dire conditions and sinking deeper into poverty,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees António Guterres.

Tragically, and with no end in sight to Syria’s war, now in its fifth year, the crisis is intensifying and the number of refugees are rising. The four million milestone comes barely 10 months since the total of three million was reached. At current rates, UNHCR expects the figure to reach around 4.27 million by the end of 2015.

“Worsening conditions are driving growing numbers towards Europe and further afield, but the overwhelming majority remain in the region,” Guterres added. “We cannot afford to let them and the communities hosting them slide further into desperation.”

.
Kelly T. Clements becomes UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees
6 July 2015

UN OCHA [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases

.
10 Jul 2015
South Sudan: Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Ahmed Warsame, on the occasion of South Sudan’s Fourth Celebration of Independence

09 Jul 2015
Pakistan: Meeting psychosocial needs of older IDPs

09 Jul 2015
Pakistan: ERF addresses shelter needs in communities devastated by monsoon floods

09 Jul 2015
Pakistan: ERF provided healthcare services through strengthened static centres and mobile outreach

09 Jul 2015
Pakistan: ERF prioritizes support for the disabled

09 Jul 2015
Pakistan: Education support to displaced children in Kohat

Pakistan ERF brings NWA displaced children into schools
09 Jul 2015

Pakistan: ERF-funded livestock support provides hope
09 Jul 2015

Syrian Arab Republic | Flash Report: Az-Zabdani – 7 July 2015
09 Jul 2015

Nepal : Customs delays and taxation of aid stall urgent relief efforts in Nepal
08 Jul 2015

UNICEF [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

.
Selected press release and news notes
Amid surging conflict in Yemen, UNICEF mobile teams respond to children’s urgent health needs
ADEN, Yemen, 10 July 2015 – With health services across Yemen disintegrating under the impact of a brutal conflict, UNICEF and its partners are stepping up nutrition screening, vaccinations and other life-saving interventions for millions of children caught up in the ongoing crisis.

Millions of children in Syria at high risk of disease amid water scarcity and summer heat
DAMASCUS, 10 July 2015 – Dwindling supplies of safe drinking water during Syria’s scorching summer months are exposing children to the threat of water-borne diseases, UNICEF warns.

Children’s lives at serious risk if DPR Korea drought continues, UNICEF warns
BANGKOK, 8 July 2015 – Children are already suffering as a result of drought in some parts of DPR Korea and many more may be at serious risk of malnutrition and disease if it continues, UNICEF warned today.

Children make up one fifth of cholera deaths in South Sudan: UNICEF
JUBA, South Sudan/NAIROBI, Kenya, 7 July 2015 – More than 700 cholera cases have been reported in Juba and Bor so far, resulting in 32 deaths – one in five of which are children under five, UNICEF said today. Stressing the role of education in stemming the cholera outbreak in South Sudan, the UN children’s agency is working with children and teachers throughout the country to raise awareness on how to prevent the disease from spreading further.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

.
Selected Press Releases
Migrant Boat Arrivals in Europe Top 150,000 in 2015
07/10/15
Greece – IOM estimates that some 150,000 migrants have reached Europe by sea to date in 2015.

West African Migration Policy Study Launched
07/10/15
Senegal – IOM and ICMPD have launched a study of migration policies and practice in ECOWAS West African States.

Nigerian Civil Society, Government to Collaborate on Migration Policy Implementation
07/10/15
Nigeria – NCFRMI and IOM have awarded grants to four CSOs implementing Nigeria’s national migration policy and action plan.

EU, IOM Back Puntland Counter Trafficking Strategy Review
07/10/15
Somalia – IOM has organized a European Union (EU)-funded workshop with the Puntland Counter Trafficking Board (PCTB) to review an action plan and response strategy to address human trafficking in the Puntland State of Somalia.
The Djibouti meeting, which included representatives from nine ministries, identified key areas and its conclusions will be used to develop a first counter trafficking strategy document that can be replicated in the other regions of Somalia.
The strategic and operational priorities address the prevention of human trafficking, strengthening the capacity of law enforcement in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers under a clear legal framework, and the protection of victims.

IOM Backs Mexican Information Campaign to Protect Migrants
07/10/15
Mexico – IOM is backing Te Acompañamos (We Go With You), a national information campaign to protect and empower migrants transiting through Mexico. The campaign, launched in Mexico City in March, saw State launches on June 29 in Oaxaca, 30 June in Tabasco and 2 July in Chiapas.

IOM Highlights Migration Health Risks in Central America
07/10/15
El Salvador – IOM this week took part in the Regional Dialogue on the Health of Migrants, hosted by the Ministry of Health of El Salvador (MINSAL), the Central American Council of Health Ministers (COMISCA) and the World Organization Health (PAHO/WHO).

Detained Youth: Study Probes Fate of Young Migrants, Asylum Seekers and Refugees in Libya
07/07/15
Libya – A new study reveals a consistent pattern of young migrants, refugees and asylum seekers held in Libya in arbitrary detention without any form of due process.

IOM Provides Relief Kits to Families in Northwest Pakistan
07/07/15
Pakistan – IOM is providing shelter and household items to vulnerable families affected by the complex emergency in Pakistan.

IOM Receives CAD 1 Million from Canada to Address Sexual, Gender-Based Violence in CAR
07/07/15
Central African Republic – IOM received CAD 1.024 M from the Government of Canada to support ongoing efforts to reduce the incidence of sexual and gender-based violence.

IOM and Uruguay Sign Memorandum of Understanding to Strengthen Migration Policy
07/07/15
Uruguay – Through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), IOM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Eastern Republic of Uruguay agreed to a series of joint activities that contribute to the development of the migration policy in the country.

ECOWAS, with Support from FMM West Africa Project, Holds Technical Meeting on Migration Data Management
07/07/15
Nigeria – IOM, through the European Union-funded project “Support to Free Movement of Persons and Migration in West Africa (FMM West Africa),” provided support to the ECOWAS Commission for a technical meeting on migration data management, from July 2 to July 3, 2015, in Abuja, Nigeria.

IOM Supports Private Sector to Target Irregular Migration Push Factors in Kosovo
07/07/15
Kosovo/UNSCR 1244 – IOM recently awarded nearly 3 million euros to local businesses with the aim of improving their productivity, competitiveness, export capability, innovation and ultimately foster Kosovo’s* overall economic growth.

New Platform Set to Improve Information Sharing on Migrant Smuggling by Sea
07/07/15
Switzerland – A new inter-agency platform for information sharing on migrant smuggling by sea has been launched on 6 July by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in order to better understand unsafe mixed migration by sea.

UN Women [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

.
Selected Press Releases
Making UN Women “fit and funded for purpose”
Date : July 6, 2015
More than 40 governments voiced their support for UN Women and dozens announced new funding commitments during a special pledging event for the organization on 1 July, during the 2015 annual session of its Executive Board at UN Headquarters in New York.

UN Women introduces new discussion paper series featuring cutting-edge papers by leading feminist researchers
Date : July 6, 2015
What does it take to achieve gender equality and make women’s rights real? What kinds of policies are needed to make the economy work for women? How can we ensure that policies and programmes on sustainable development advance rather than constrain gender equality?

WHO & Regionals [to 11 July 2015]

WHO lays out plans for financing new global health goal: to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages
News release
10 JULY 2015 ¦ ADDIS ABABA ¦ GENEVA – WHO is urging countries to move towards universal health coverage and to scale up international investment in catalytic development funding. The call comes as world leaders travel to the Third UN Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa to discuss ways to pay for the new Sustainable Development Goals, to be launched in New York in September 2015.

“The best way to assure meaningful progress towards the new global health goal is for countries to move closer to universal health coverage,” says Dr Margaret Chan, WHO Director-General.

Many countries will need help to generate the funding to do this. This week’s conference will focus on strengthening international cooperation to build developing countries’ capacity to improve domestic tax policy and revenue collection as well as efforts to reduce illicit financial flows and tax avoidance at the international level.

Progress towards the Millennium Development Goals
By the end of this year, if current trends continue, the world will meet Millennium Development Goal targets for turning around the epidemics of HIV, malaria and tuberculosis and increasing access to safe drinking water. It will also have made substantial progress in reducing child under-nutrition, maternal and child deaths, and increasing access to basic sanitation.

But wide gaps remain between and within countries. Much still needs to be done – particularly in the poorest countries and countries affected by conflict. And new health challenges have emerged, as highlighted by the Ebola crisis in West Africa and the rise of noncommunicable diseases. Within this context, countries have agreed a new global health goal with a strong focus on equity – to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages.

A recent WHO and World Bank Group report, Tracking universal health coverage: First global monitoring report, shows that 400 million people do not have access to essential health services and 6% of people in developing countries are tipped into or pushed further into extreme poverty because of health spending.

“No one should risk financial ruin because they need health care,” says Dr Chan. “And no one should be denied health services, because they can’t afford to pay for them. ”

Moving towards universal health coverage
Universal health coverage, a major focus of WHO’s work for the past 5 years, aims to redress those imbalances. As a first step, the Organization recommends reducing the need for people to pay directly for services at the point of delivery – out of their own pockets. In countries that depend heavily on out-of-pocket payments, health bills push 100 million people into poverty each year.

Public funding is key to reducing out of pocket expenditure. As public spending on health goes up, dependence on out-of-pocket payments declines. Between 1995 to 2013, government spending on health increased from 3.4 to 4.1% of GDP – on average across 190 countries. The increase in low-income countries has been greater, from 1.7 to 2.6% of GDP.

Despite this improvement, there is a long way to go. The challenge for countries is twofold: to mobilize more domestic public resources for health, and to ensure health systems use resources more efficiently. At the Addis Ababa conference, WHO will urge the international community to strengthen cooperation with low- and lower-middle income countries to combine domestic and external funding so they provide sufficient resources to build robust health systems.

The Organization will also emphasize the importance of getting better results from the money spent by putting in place innovative service delivery arrangements, lowering prices of key inputs (e.g. medicines) procured internationally, and reducing fragmentation in aid flows to countries.
“If the world is serious about the health-related SDG targets, it needs to make serious investments – both at domestic and international levels,” adds Dr Chan.

WHO highlights the potential to generate additional public revenues through taxation of tobacco products. A recent report reveals that only 33 countries worldwide have introduced taxes that represent more than 75% of the retail price of a pack of cigarettes. Some have no or very little excise taxes on tobacco products, depriving themselves of a proven measure to improve health and generate funds for stronger health services.

The Organization also supports the push for high income countries to achieve the target of devoting 0.7% of their Gross National Income (GNI) to Official Development Assistance (ODA) and 0.15% to 0.20%of ODA/GNI to the least developed countries. It advocates for more efficient delivery of such aid, exploring, developing, and documenting ways to align behind comprehensive national health plans, in line with IHP+ (International Health Partnership) principles of development effectiveness.
The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 10 July 2015, vol. 90, 28 (pp. 349–364) includes:
:: Human cases of influenza at the human-animal interface, January 2014-April 2015
:: Helping Guinean communities fight Ebola
:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: The World Health Organization (WHO) and the National Department of Health, South Africa host summit to accelerate action towards national and global health security
Cape Town, 10 July 2015 – Public health emergencies of international concern, including the Ebola virus disease (EVD) epidemic in West Africa, have demonstrated the need for countries to be prepared and act quickly in response to outbreaks and emergencies to maintain national and global health security.
:: Sierra Leone: Inspiring confidence and trust in Ebola care – 09 July 2015
:: Ebola recovery is impossible unless resilient health systems are rebuilt in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone – 06 July 2015

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

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Better prepared for health emergencies in Central Europe 08-07-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

.
Selected Press Releases
International community pledges more than five billion dollars to help recovery of Ebola-affected countries
Jul 10, 2015
The international community has pledged more than five billion dollars to support Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in their efforts to recover from the devastating effects of Ebola, at a high level United Nations Conference in New York today (Friday).

UN urges continued solidarity to help the Ebola-affected countries get to zero cases, stay at zero cases, and recover
Jul 10, 2015
New York – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today called upon the international community to show continued solidarity with Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in their efforts to recover from the devastating effects of Ebola.

As Ebola resurfaces, Liberia focuses on staying at zero cases
Jul 10, 2015
When a new Ebola case was confirmed in Liberia, almost two months after the country was declared free from the disease, the country’s active case finders spurred into action.

Mexico-based Contigo joins the Business Call to Action with commitment to improve women’s livelihoods
Jul 9, 2015
Mexico City — Contigo, a major financial services provider in Mexico, joined the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to launch a home improvement loan product aimed at reaching 25,000 under-served families by 2019.

Helen Clark: Opening Speech at the Technical Consultations of the International Ebola Recovery Conference
Jul 9, 2015 New York, USA

Japan and UNDP team up to take small arms off the streets of Côte d’Ivoire
Jul 9, 2015
The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) are extending a vast initiative to curb the proliferation of small arms and light weapons in Côte d’Ivoire, just three months ahead of the country’s presidential election.

Helen Clark: Speech at the Opening Ceremony of the Skills and Technology Accelerating Rapid Transformation (START) Technology for Sustainable Development Programme
Jul 8, 2015 New York, USA

MDGs produced most successful anti-poverty movement in history: UN report
Jul 6, 2015
The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) have produced the most successful anti-poverty movement in history and will serve as a springboard for the new sustainable development agenda to be adopted this year, according to the final MDG report launched today by United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

.
Selected Press Releases
UNEP to Further Help Countries Build Resilience and Low Carbon Economies through Green Climate Fund Support
10/07/2015

UN’S Top Climate Official Welcomes Scientists’ Affirmation of Need for Long Term Emissions Goal
Our Common Future Outcome Underlines Best Bet for 2 Degree Celsius Defense is Zero Emissions by Century End
10/07/2015

Investing in Forestry Sector Can Reverse Estimated US$3.5 Billion Economic Drain of Deforestation, Alleviate Poverty in Tanzania
Loss of forest ecosystem services such as water regulation can have adverse impacts on the value added of other sectors such as agriculture, tourism and energy.
09/07/2015

Investment of $600 Million a Year Required to Maintain Indonesia’s Forest Cover, Critical to National Economy and Local Livelihoods – UN Report
08/07/2015

Prudent Natural Resource Management Prerequisite to Achieving Sustainability Goals – International Resource Panel Cautions
Integrated and simultaneous implementation of the SDGs will enhance benefits across the board, says International Resource Panel
06/07/2015

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

.
Argentina launches new disability-aware DRR plan
9 Jul 2015
Argentina has rolled out a new plan to ensure that the interests of people with disabilities are part of its efforts to tackle disaster risk, an inclusive approach that reflects the goals of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

.
At ECOSOC, ministers commit to ‘people-centred’ post-2015 development agenda
8 July 2015, New York
The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) today committed itself, through a Ministerial Declaration, to establishing a new set of inclusive sustainability goals that build on the successes of and the lessons learned from the landmark Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), which are set to wrap up at the end of 2015.

Development financing conference to agree ‘concrete’ action on social protection, aid delivery
8 July 2015, New York
The senior United Nations official who will act as head of the upcoming Third International Conference of Financing for Development, to be held in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, announced today that among the meeting’s “concrete deliverables” would be a commitment to establish a new technology bank for the least developed countries by 2017.

UNESCO [to 11 July 2015]
http://en.unesco.org/news

.
Culture: Key to a successful transition towards the sustainable development goals
10 July 2015

UNESCO makes case for investing in education at 3rd Financing for Development Conference in Addis Ababa
10 July 2015

UNESCO and UNITAR-UNOSAT team up to protect cultural heritage with geo-spatial technologies
10 July 2015

World Heritage Committee inscribes 24 new sites in Bonn and announces 2016 meeting in Istanbul
09 July 2015

New initiative launched to better understand future learning needs of Syrian refugee youth
07 July 2015

New updates available at the Interactive Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger
06 July 2015

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/pressrelease.aspx

.
ICAO Council Adopts Core Principles on Consumer Protection and New Long-Term Vision for Air Transport Liberalization
MONTRÉAL, 9 July 2015 – The governing Council of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has established new global core principles on air transport consumer protection. The principles cover three phases of a customer’s experience: before, during and after travel, and will now be considered by ICAO’s 191 Member States when they develop or review their applicable national regimes…

IMO International Maritime Organization [to 11 July 2015]
http://www.imo.org/en/MediaCentre/PressBriefings/Pages/Home.aspx

.
New platform set to improve information sharing on migrant smuggling by sea
06/07/2015 IMO/IOM/UNODC
A new inter-agency platform for information sharing on migrant smuggling by sea has been launched today (6 July) by the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), in order to better understand unsafe mixed migration by sea.
It is anticipated that the platform will assist in improved monitoring of incidents associated with unsafe and irregular mixed migration by sea, on a global basis, with a view to better analysis of trends.

The IMO/IOM/UNODC platform will include a joint database on migrant incidents and on suspected smugglers and vessels. A revised reporting format for States, international organizations and relevant non-governmental organizations to submit information to the database was recently agreed at IMO’s Maritime Safety Committee (MSC 95)…

WMO World Meteorological Organization [to 11 July 2015]
https://www.wmo.int/media/?q=news

.
WMO welcomes new generation of meteorological satellites
9 July 2015
The Himawari-8 geostationary meteorological satellite managed by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA) began operation at 02 UTC on 7 July 2015, replacing the previous MTSAT-2 operational satellite. The true-color composite imagery at 02 UTC captured three typhoons in the Pacific.
Himawari-8 was launched using H-IIA Launch Vehicle No. 25 on 7 October 2014 from the Tanegashima Space Center, and JMA subsequently conducted testing and checking of the satellite and related systems. During the commissioning phase, Himawari-8’s capacity for superior earth monitoring with multi-band, high-resolution and high-frequency observation was verified.

“OUR COMMON FUTURE UNDER CLIMATE CHANGE”
7 July 2015
A major scientific conference “Our Common Future under Climate Change” opened on 7 July in Paris at the height of an intense, extensive and long-lasting European heatwave, which is consistent with the expected impacts of global warming.
The four-day conference is the largest scientific forum ahead of the climate change negotiations due to take place in Paris in December 2015. It addresses key issues concerning climate change in the broader context of global change and focusses on moving from present knowledge to future solutions.