PLoS Currents: Outbreaks
http://currents.plos.org/outbreaks/
(Accessed 22 August 2015)

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Rapid Assessment of Ebola-Related Implications for Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Service Delivery and Utilization in Guinea
August 4, 2015 · Research
Introduction: Since March 2014, Guinea has been in the midst of the largest, longest, and deadliest outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease ever recorded. Due to sub-optimal health conditions prior to the outbreak, Guinean women and children may have been especially vulnerable to worsening health care conditions. A rapid assessment was conducted to better understand how the delivery and utilization of routine RMNCH services may have been affected by the extraordinary strain placed on the health system and its client population by the Ebola outbreak in Guinea.
Methods: Data were collected January-February 2015 in a convenience sample of public and private facilities in areas of the country that were Ebola active, calm and inactive. Monthly data on a number of RMNCH services were collected by facility record abstraction for the period from October 1, 2013 through December 31, 2014. Structured interviews were also held with facility directors and RMNCH service providers.
Results: Data on RMNCH services from forty five public facilities were obtained. A statistically significant decline of 31% was seen in outpatient visits between October-December 2013 (before the Ebola outbreak) and October-December 2014 (the advanced stage of the Ebola outbreak). Service declines appeared to be greater in hospitals compared to health centers. Child health services were more affected by the Ebola epidemic than other assessed health areas. For example, the number of children under five seen for diarrhea and Acute Respiratory Infection (ARI) showed a large decrease over the one-year period in both hospitals (60% for diarrhea and 58% for ARI) and health centers (25% and 23%, respectively). Results also suggest that the negative effects on service availability (such as reduced hours, closures, and service suspensions) are likely to be regional and/or facility-specific. Providers reported a number of improved infection control behaviors as a result of the Ebola outbreak, including more frequent hand-washing and the use of disinfectants. Nevertheless, 30% of interviewed staff had not received any training on Ebola infection control.
Discussion: Although there may be differences in RMNCH service delivery and availability in selected versus non-selected facilities, a large number of indicators were assessed in order to provide needed information on the effects of the Ebola crisis on routine RMNCH service delivery and uptake in Guinea. This information is an important and timely contribution to ongoing efforts to understand and respond to the adverse effects of the Ebola crisis on essential RMNCH services in Guinea.

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 22 August 2015)
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Viewpoints
Responsible Use of Pop Culture and Communication in the Face of Ebola Virus
Brandon Brown, Melissa Nasiruddin, Alexander Dao, Monique Halabi
Published: August 6, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0003890
.
…Current Use of Pop Culture in the Ebola Epidemic
The CDC, the World Health Organization (WHO), and other public health agencies have leveraged popular social media to distribute up-to-date and accurate information on Ebola [7,8], while social websites such as Reddit, to which users can submit content organized by areas of interest, allow for the assimilation of unverified information [9]. A literature review on the use of social networking sites for influencing health behavior demonstrated a particularly valuable aspect of social media: its cost-effective ability to reach hard-to-reach underserved and minority populations [10]. Health information reaches consumers at various levels that differ based on demographic and socioeconomic factors. For example, data from the Health Information National Trends Survey found that individuals who sought out health information tended to have regular health care access and were more likely to earn over US$50,000 in income; conversely, males, people older than 65 years of age, and people identifying as Hispanic were less likely to seek out that information [11]. Because of differences in how these groups receive, trust, and process health information, mechanisms by which pertinent health information is disseminated must be diversified in order to maximize the audience reached. This can be done through media accessed by members of multiple socioeconomic and cultural strata. Examples of useful media include film, books, pamphlets, the Internet, and crowdsource mapping, among others. Smart phone apps and health reminders through text messages are some ways that technology has been used to help raise awareness about the epidemic [12,13], but there are still other ways that social media and popular culture can be used to further spread vital public health information. The public is eager for this information, as clearly demonstrated with the success of television programs such as the Dr. Oz show in promoting information-seeking behavior [14]…

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 22 August 2015]

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Towards a Science of Community Stakeholder Engagement in Biomedical HIV Prevention Trials: An Embedded Four-Country Case Study
Peter A. Newman, Clara Rubincam, Catherine Slack, Zaynab Essack, Venkatesan Chakrapani, Deng-Min Chuang, Suchon Tepjan, Murali Shunmugam, Surachet Roungprakhon, Carmen Logie, Jennifer Koen, Graham Lindegger
Research Article | published 21 Aug 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0135937

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Research Article
Measuring Health Utilities in Children and Adolescents: A Systematic Review of the Literature
Dominic Thorrington, Ken Eames
Published: August 14, 2015
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0135672
Abstract
Background
The objective of this review was to evaluate the use of all direct and indirect methods used to estimate health utilities in both children and adolescents. Utilities measured pre- and post-intervention are combined with the time over which health states are experienced to calculate quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). Cost-utility analyses (CUAs) estimate the cost-effectiveness of health technologies based on their costs and benefits using QALYs as a measure of benefit. The accurate measurement of QALYs is dependent on using appropriate methods to elicit health utilities.
Objective
We sought studies that measured health utilities directly from patients or their proxies. We did not exclude those studies that also included adults in the analysis, but excluded those studies focused only on adults.
Methods and Findings
We evaluated 90 studies from a total of 1,780 selected from the databases. 47 (52%) studies were CUAs incorporated into randomised clinical trials; 23 (26%) were health-state utility assessments; 8 (9%) validated methods and 12 (13%) compared existing or new methods. 22 unique direct or indirect calculation methods were used a total of 137 times. Direct calculation through standard gamble, time trade-off and visual analogue scale was used 32 times. The EuroQol EQ-5D was the most frequently-used single method, selected for 41 studies. 15 of the methods used were generic methods and the remaining 7 were disease-specific. 48 of the 90 studies (53%) used some form of proxy, with 26 (29%) using proxies exclusively to estimate health utilities.
Conclusions
Several child- and adolescent-specific methods are still being developed and validated, leaving many studies using methods that have not been designed or validated for use in children or adolescents. Several studies failed to justify using proxy respondents rather than administering the methods directly to the patients. Only two studies examined missing responses to the methods administered with respect to the patients’ ages.

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Knowledge on HPV Vaccine and Cervical Cancer Facilitates Vaccine Acceptability among School Teachers in Kitui County, Kenya
Moses Muia Masika, Javier Gordon Ogembo, Sophie Vusha Chabeda, Richard G. Wamai, Nelly Mugo
Research Article | published 12 Aug 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0135563
Abstract
Background
Vaccines against human papillomavirus (HPV) infection have the potential to reduce the burden of cervical cancer. School-based delivery of HPV vaccines is cost-effective and successful uptake depends on school teachers’ knowledge and acceptability of the vaccine. The aim of this study is to assess primary school teachers’ knowledge and acceptability of HPV vaccine and to explore facilitators and barriers of an ongoing Gavi Alliance-supported vaccination program in Kitui County, Kenya.
Methods
This was a cross-sectional, mixed methods study in Central Division of Kitui County where the Ministry of Health is offering the quadrivalent HPV vaccine to grade four girls. Data on primary school teachers’ awareness, knowledge and acceptability of HPV vaccine as well as facilitators and barriers to the project was collected through self-administered questionnaires and two focus group discussions.
Results
339 teachers (60% female) completed the survey (62% response rate) and 13 participated in 2 focus group discussions. Vaccine awareness among teachers was high (90%), the level of knowledge about HPV and cervical cancer among teachers was moderate (48%, SD = 10.9) and females scored higher than males (50% vs. 46%, p = 0.002). Most teachers (89%) would recommend the vaccine to their daughter or close relatives. Those who would recommend the vaccine had more knowledge than those who would not (p = <0.001). The main barriers were insufficient information about the vaccine, poor accessibility of schools, absenteeism of girls on vaccine days, and fear of side effects.
Conclusions
Despite low to moderate levels of knowledge about HPV vaccine among school teachers, vaccine acceptability is high. Teachers with little knowledge on HPV vaccine are less likely to accept the vaccine than those who know more; this may affect uptake if not addressed. Empowering teachers to be vaccine champions in their community may be a feasible way of disseminating information about HPV vaccine and cervical cancer.

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Use of Mobile Information Technology during Planning, Implementation and Evaluation of a Polio Campaign in South Sudan
John Haskew, Veronica Kenyi, Juma William, Rebecca Alum, Anu Puri, Yehia Mostafa, Robert Davis
Research Article | published 07 Aug 2015 | PLOS ONE
10.1371/journal.pone.0135362
Abstract
Background
Use of mobile information technology may aid collection of real-time, standardised data to inform and improve decision-making for polio programming and response. We utilised Android-based smartphones to collect data electronically from more than 8,000 households during a national round of polio immunisation in South Sudan. The results of the household surveys are presented here, together with discussion of the application of mobile information technology for polio campaign planning, implementation and evaluation in a real-time setting.
Methods
Electronic questionnaires were programmed onto Android-based smartphones for mapping, supervision and survey activities during a national round of polio immunisation. National census data were used to determine the sampling frame for each activity and select the payam (district). Individual supervisors, in consultation with the local district health team, selected villages and households within each payam. Data visualisation tools were utilised for analysis and reporting.
Results
Implementation of mobile information technology and local management was feasible during a national round of polio immunisation in South Sudan. Red Cross visits during the polio campaign were equitable according to household wealth index and households who received a Red Cross visit had significantly higher odds of being aware of the polio campaign than those who did not. Nearly 95% of children under five were reported to have received polio immunisation (according to maternal recall) during the immunisation round, which varied by state, county and payam. A total of 11 payams surveyed were identified with less than 90% reported immunisation coverage and the least poor households had significantly higher odds of being vaccinated than the most poor. More than 95% of households were aware of the immunisation round and households had significantly higher odds of being vaccinated if they had prior awareness of the campaign taking place.
Conclusion
Pre-campaign community education and household awareness of polio is important to increase campaign participation and subsequent immunisation coverage in South Sudan. More emphasis should be placed on ensuring immunisation is equitable according to geographic area and household socio-economic index in future rounds. We demonstrate the utility of mobile information technology for household mapping, supervision and survey activities during a national round of polio immunisation and encourage future studies to compare the effectiveness of electronic data collection and its application in polio planning and programming.

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
(Accessed 22 August 2015)

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The collaborative roots of corruption
Ori Weisela,1 and Shaul Shalvib,2
Author Affiliations
Edited by Susan T. Fiske, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, and approved July 10, 2015 (received for review December 16, 2014)
Significance
Recent financial scandals highlight the devastating consequences of corruption. While much is known about individual immoral behavior, little is known about the collaborative roots of curruption. In a novel experimental paradigm, people could adhere to one of two competing moral norms: collaborate vs. be honest. Whereas collaborative settings may boost honesty due to increased observability, accountability, and reluctance to force others to become accomplices, we show that collaboration, particularly on equal terms, is inductive to the emergence of corruption. When partners’ profits are not aligned, or when individuals complete a comparable task alone, corruption levels drop. These findings reveal a dark side of collaboration, suggesting that human cooperative tendencies, and not merely greed, take part in shaping corruption.
Abstract
Cooperation is essential for completing tasks that individuals cannot accomplish alone. Whereas the benefits of cooperation are clear, little is known about its possible negative aspects. Introducing a novel sequential dyadic die-rolling paradigm, we show that collaborative settings provide fertile ground for the emergence of corruption. In the main experimental treatment the outcomes of the two players are perfectly aligned. Player A privately rolls a die, reports the result to player B, who then privately rolls and reports the result as well. Both players are paid the value of the reports if, and only if, they are identical (e.g., if both report 6, each earns €6). Because rolls are truly private, players can inflate their profit by misreporting the actual outcomes. Indeed, the proportion of reported doubles was 489% higher than the expected proportion assuming honesty, 48% higher than when individuals rolled and reported alone, and 96% higher than when lies only benefited the other player. Breaking the alignment in payoffs between player A and player B reduced the extent of brazen lying. Despite player B’s central role in determining whether a double was reported, modifying the incentive structure of either player A or player B had nearly identical effects on the frequency of reported doubles. Our results highlight the role of collaboration—particularly on equal terms—in shaping corruption. These findings fit a functional perspective on morality. When facing opposing moral sentiments—to be honest vs. to join forces in collaboration—people often opt for engaging in corrupt collaboration.

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Production diversity and dietary diversity in smallholder farm households
Kibrom T. Sibhatu, Vijesh V. Krishna, and Matin Qaim1
Author Affiliations
Edited by B. L. Turner, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, and approved July 15, 2015
Significance
Given that hunger and malnutrition are still widespread problems in many developing countries, the question of how to make agriculture and food systems more nutrition-sensitive is of high relevance for research and policy. Many of the undernourished people in Africa and Asia are small-scale subsistence farmers. Diversifying production on these farms is often perceived as a promising strategy to improve dietary quality and diversity. This hypothesis is tested with data from smallholder farm households in Indonesia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malawi. Higher farm production diversity significantly contributes to dietary diversity in some situations, but not in all. Improving small farmers’ access to markets seems to be a more effective strategy to improve nutrition than promoting production diversity on subsistence farms.
Abstract
Undernutrition and micronutrient malnutrition remain problems of significant magnitude in large parts of the developing world. Improved nutrition requires not only better access to food for poor population segments, but also higher dietary quality and diversity. Because many of the poor and undernourished people are smallholder farmers, diversifying production on these smallholder farms is widely perceived as a useful approach to improve dietary diversity. However, empirical evidence on the link between production and consumption diversity is scarce. Here, this issue is addressed with household-level data from Indonesia, Kenya, Ethiopia, and Malawi. Regression models show that on-farm production diversity is positively associated with dietary diversity in some situations, but not in all. When production diversity is already high, the association is not significant or even turns negative, because of foregone income benefits from specialization. Analysis of other factors reveals that market access has positive effects on dietary diversity, which are larger than those of increased production diversity. Market transactions also tend to reduce the role of farm diversity for household nutrition. These results suggest that increasing on-farm diversity is not always the most effective way to improve dietary diversity in smallholder households and should not be considered a goal in itself. Additional research is needed to better understand how agriculture and food systems can be made more nutrition-sensitive in particular situations.

Science
21 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6250, pages 761-896
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl

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Forest Health
Forest health in a changing world
Andrew Sugden, Julia Fahrenkamp-Uppenbrink, David Malakoff, and Sacha Vignieri
Science 21 August 2015: 800-801.

EDITORIAL:
Forestry in the Anthropocene
Ariel E. Lugo
Science 21 August 2015: 771.

Reviews
Forest health and global change
S. Trumbore, P. Brando, and H. Hartmann
Science 21 August 2015: 814-818.

Boreal forest health and global change
S. Gauthier, P. Bernier, T. Kuuluvainen, A. Z. Shvidenko, and D. G. Schepaschenko
Science 21 August 2015: 819-822.

Temperate forest health in an era of emerging megadisturbance
Constance I. Millar and Nathan L. Stephenson
Science 21 August 2015: 823-826.

Increasing human dominance of tropical forests
Simon L. Lewis, David P. Edwards, and David Galbraith
Science 21 August 2015: 827-832.

Planted forest health: The need for a global strategy
M. J. Wingfield, E. G. Brockerhoff, B. D. Wingfield, and B. Slippers
Science 21 August 2015: 832-836.

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Perspective – Medicine
Global control of hepatitis C virus
Andrea L. Cox
Author Affiliations
Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA.
Summary
Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a blood-borne disease that infects ~185 million people (~3% of the world’s population) worldwide (1). It can result in severe liver disease and is the leading cause of liver cancer in many countries. Although directly acting antivirals (DAAs) that target the viral life cycle have created enormous optimism about controlling HCV infection, achieving that goal remains a substantial challenge. Both acute and chronic infections are largely asymptomatic, infection incidence is rising in the United States (2), and comprehensive screening programs are rare in the most highly endemic regions of the world. As a result, less than 5% of the world’s HCV-infected population, and only 50% of the United States’ HCV-infected population, are aware that they are infected (3, 4) (see the figure). Most of these individuals will not receive treatment and will remain at risk for transmitting the infection to others. Successful control of HCV infection will most likely require a combination of mass global screening to identify those with infection, treatment, and prevention. Prophylactic HCV vaccination would also go a long way to reducing harm for uninfected people who are at risk.

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14 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6249, pages 665-760
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6249.toc
Vaccines
Ebola virus vaccines—preparing for the unexpected
Hans-Dieter Klenk and Stephan Becker
Science 14 August 2015: 693-694.
Many lives might have been saved if clinical studies of Ebola virus vaccines had been done earlier [Also see Report by Marzi et al.]
Summary
The still ongoing Ebola outbreak in West Africa, which began in 2013, and with more than 27,000 cases and 11,000 deaths so far, highlights the need for a vaccine against the disease (1). Hopes to have a vaccine have been nourished in recent years by studies with recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) expressing the Ebola virus glycoprotein (VSV-EBOV). VSV-EBOV efficiently protects rodents and nonhuman primates against EBOV from viral strains (Kikwit strain in 1995, for example) that caused past outbreaks, but it was not known if it is also efficacious against the Makona strain responsible for the West African outbreak. On page 739 of this issue, Marzi et al. (2) demonstrate that the recombinant vaccine provides protective immunity in macaques against the Makona strain. Complete protection was achieved within 7 days after vaccination, suggesting that the vaccine will provide an ideal countermeasure for protecting health care workers and other persons at risk in an outbreak situation.

.
Research Articles
Diversion of HIV-1 vaccine–induced immunity by gp41-microbiota cross-reactive antibodies
Wilton B. Williams, Hua-Xin Liao, M. Anthony Moody, Thomas B. Kepler, S. Munir Alam, Feng Gao, Kevin Wiehe, Ashley M. Trama, Kathryn Jones, Ruijun Zhang, Hongshuo Song, Dawn J. Marshall, John F. Whitesides, Kaitlin Sawatzki, Axin Hua, Pinghuang Liu, Matthew Z. Tay,
Xiaoying Shen, Andrew Foulger, Krissey E. Lloyd, Robert Parks, Justin Pollara, Guido Ferrari,
Jae-Sung Yu, Nathan Vandergrift, David C. Montefiori, Magdalena E. Sobieszczyk, Scott Hammer, Shelly Karuna, Peter Gilbert, Doug Grove, Nicole Grunenberg, M. Juliana McElrath, John R. Mascola, Richard A. Koup, Lawrence Corey, Gary J. Nabel, Cecilia Morgan, Gavin Churchyard, Janine Maenza, Michael Keefer, Barney S. Graham, Lindsey R. Baden, Georgia D. Tomaras, and Barton F. Haynes
Science 14 August 2015: aab1253
Published online 30 July 2015 [DOI:10.1126/science.aab1253]
The antibody response to an HIV-1 vaccine is dominated by preexisting immunity to microbiota.
Abstract

.
Report
VSV-EBOV rapidly protects macaques against infection with the 2014/15 Ebola virus outbreak strain
Andrea Marzi1, Shelly J. Robertson1, Elaine Haddock1, Friederike Feldmann2, Patrick W. Hanley2, Dana P. Scott2, James E. Strong3, Gary Kobinger3, Sonja M. Best1, Heinz Feldmann1,*
Author Affiliations
1Laboratory of Virology, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
2Rocky Mountain Veterinary Branch, Division of Intramural Research, National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health, Hamilton, MT 59840, USA.
3Special Pathogens Program, National Microbiology Laboratory, Public Health Agency of Canada, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada.
Abstract
The latest Ebola virus (EBOV) epidemic spread rapidly through Guinea, Sierra Leone, and Liberia, creating a global public health crisis and accelerating the assessment of experimental therapeutics and vaccines in clinical trials. One of those vaccines is based on recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus expressing the EBOV glycoprotein (VSV-EBOV), a live-attenuated vector with marked preclinical efficacy. Here, we provide the preclinical proof that VSV-EBOV completely protects macaques against lethal challenge with the West African EBOV-Makona strain. Complete and partial protection was achieved with a single dose given as late as 7 and 3 days before challenge, respectively. This indicates that VSV-EBOV may protect humans against EBOV infections in West Africa with relatively short time to immunity, promoting its use for immediate public health responses.

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7 August 2015 vol 349, issue 6248, pages 557-664
http://www.sciencemag.org/content/349/6248.toc
[No new relevant content identified]

Stability: International Journal of Security & Development
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/articles
[accessed 22 August 2015]

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Research Article
‘It’s Not a Gift When It Comes with Price’: A Qualitative Study of Transactional Sex between UN Peacekeepers and Haitian Citizens
Athena Kolbe 20 Aug 2015
Volume: 4 (1) :Art. 44
Abstract
Sexual exploitation of civilians by peacekeepers undermines the fragile stability established in post-conflict settings. Despite this, it continues to be an ongoing problem for peacekeeping missions worldwide. Efforts to respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) have focused on the establishment of rules prohibiting this behavior, condom distribution, and the training of peacekeepers before and during deployment. In an effort to further our understanding of the dynamics that surround SEA by peacekeepers, 231 Haitian citizens who have engaged in transactional sex with peacekeepers were interviewed about their opinions and experiences. Themes which emerged from these interviews included the triggering events or situations which facilitated engagement in transactional sex, the individual’s understandings of their own experiences in relationship to cultural and social factors, sex as a strategy for filling unmet economic needs, and the differences between the relationships with peacekeepers and normal romantic relationships. Experiences with condom use, pregnancy, abuse, and barriers to reporting assault and harassment were also discussed.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/sta.gf

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Research Article
Courts, Clans and Companies: Mobile Money and Dispute Resolution in Somaliland
Nicole Stremlau, Ridwan Osman
19 Aug 2015
Volume: 4 (1) :Art. 43
Abstract
One of the world’s most ambitious experiments in mobile money is underway in the Somali territories. In the absence of a strong central government and internationally recognized banking institutions, remittance companies and the telecoms industry have been innovating to provide services unique to the Somali context, which is making the economy increasingly ‘cashless’. Mobile money has posed new regulatory and legal challenges, particularly when disputes involving consumers are involved. This article focuses on a case study from Somaliland (the northern, self-declared independent region of Somalia) and examines Zaad, the dominant mobile money platform. Given the weak state institutions, there are a variety of actors, including private companies, government police and courts, sharia courts and traditional elders that play an active role in resolving conflicts that result from mobile money transactions, forging a hybrid judicial approach. We examine how these different actors intervene and create an enabling environment to allow innovation and foster trust in a region of the world that is frequently characterized as violent and lawless.
DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/sta.gh

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Period ending 22 August 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_ period ending 22 August 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 23 August 2015

The Sentinel

__________________________________________________

Special Edition – 2 August 2015

Sustainable Development Goals [SDGs] – Major Milestone Reached:
Intergovernmental Negotiations Lead to Consensus on SDG Goals/Targets/Declaration Text for full UN Action in September

_____________________________________________

Editor’s Note:
Another major milestone in the SDG process was reached late Sunday, 2 August 2015, at the United Nations in New York as the Post-2015 Intergovernmental Negotiations on the Outcome Document [20 July – 2 August] achieved consensus on text for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.

The Outcome Document (excerpts and pdf below) includes the continuing core 17 SDG Goals, along with 169 Targets supporting the Goals, and a Declaration of 91 articles outlining the vision, shared principles and commitments, means of implementation, and follow-up and review mechanisms.

This Outcome Document will be the basis for full General Assembly action and adoption in September, and, while that process may result in some minor changes, the General Assembly yesterday is expected to adopt the SDGs in this form.

A critical milestone will remain after General Assembly action in September.

Performance against the commitments of the SDG Goals and Targets will be measured by an indicator framework and specific indicators now in development by the UN Statistical Commission and its member-state statistical bodies. This work is scheduled to be completed in March 2016, and will then undergo additional review, refinement and eventual General Assembly action, probably later in 2016. With this indicator framework in place, the 2030 Agenda will be complete (structurally) and full implementation can proceed.

Our view is that the 2030 Agenda will become the unifying framework for global action across almost every sphere of endeavor involving member-states, governments at all levels, UN agencies, civil society (CSOs), industry and commercial entities, academia, and individuals.

We recommend that you invest the time to read the Outcome Document.

As we reflect on its text, we are asking this question: how might our work – and the work of colleagues, organizations and stakeholders we serve – contribute materially to realizing the SDG Goals and Targets, helping realize their overarching intent to “…end poverty and hunger, in all its forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfill their potential in dignity and equality, and in a healthy environment…leaving no one behind” ?

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:::::::

TRANSFORMING OUR WORLD:
THE 2030 AGENDA FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
2 August 2015

Outcome Document from Intergovernmental Negotiations Process
Pdf [29 pages]: Transforming our world – Finalised text for adoption (1 August) ]

[Excerpts and Structure Notes]

Preamble
This Agenda is a plan of action for people, planet and prosperity. It also seeks to strengthen universal peace in larger freedom. We recognise that eradicating poverty in all its forms and dimensions, including extreme poverty, is the greatest global challenge and an indispensable requirement for sustainable development.

All countries and all stakeholders, acting in collaborative partnership, will implement this plan. We are resolved to free the human race from the tyranny of poverty and want and to heal and secure our planet. We are determined to take the bold and transformative steps which are urgently needed to shift the world onto a sustainable and resilient path. As we embark on this collective journey, we pledge that no one will be left behind.

The 17 Sustainable Development Goals and 169 targets which we are announcing today demonstrate the scale and ambition of this new universal Agenda. They seek to build on the Millennium Development Goals and complete what these did not achieve. They seek to realize the human rights of all and to achieve gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls. They are integrated and indivisible and balance the three dimensions of sustainable development: the economic, social and environmental.

The Goals and targets will stimulate action over the next fifteen years in areas of critical importance for humanity and the planet:

People
We are determined to end poverty and hunger, in all their forms and dimensions, and to ensure that all human beings can fulfil their potential in dignity and equality and in a healthy environment.

Planet
We are determined to protect the planet from degradation, including through sustainable consumption and production, sustainably managing its natural resources and taking urgent action on climate change, so that it can support the needs of the present and future generations.

Prosperity
We are determined to ensure that all human beings can enjoy prosperous and fulfilling lives and that economic, social and technological progress occurs in harmony with nature.

Peace
We are determined to foster peaceful, just and inclusive societies which are free from fear and violence. There can be no sustainable development without peace and no peace without sustainable development.

Partnership
We are determined to mobilize the means required to implement this Agenda through a revitalised Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, based on a spirit of strengthened global solidarity, focussed in particular on the needs of the poorest and most vulnerable and with the participation of all countries, all stakeholders and all people.

The interlinkages and integrated nature of the Sustainable Development Goals are of crucial importance in ensuring that the purpose of the new Agenda is realised. If we realize our ambitions across the full extent of the Agenda, the lives of all will be profoundly improved and our world will be transformed for the better…

::::::

Declaration [53 articles including excerpts below]

The new Agenda
18. We are announcing today 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 associated targets which are integrated and indivisible. Never before have world leaders pledged common action and endeavour across such a broad and universal policy agenda. We are setting out together on the path towards sustainable development, devoting ourselves collectively to the pursuit of global development and of “win-win” cooperation which can bring huge gains to all countries and all parts of the world. We reaffirm that every State has, and shall freely exercise, full permanent sovereignty over all its wealth, natural resources and economic activity. We will implement the Agenda for the full benefit of all, for today’s generation and for future generations. In doing so, we reaffirm our commitment to international law and emphasize that the Agenda is to be implemented in a manner that is consistent with the rights and obligations of states under international law….

Sustainable Development Goals and targets
54. Following an inclusive process of intergovernmental negotiations, and based on the Proposal of the Open Working Group on Sustainable Development Goals1, which includes a chapeau contextualising the latter, the following are the Goals and targets which we have agreed.

55. The SDGs and targets are integrated and indivisible, global in nature and universally applicable, taking into account different national realities, capacities and levels of development and respecting national policies and priorities. Targets are defined as aspirational and global, with each government setting its own national targets guided by the global level of ambition but taking into account national circumstances. Each government will also decide how these aspirational and global targets should be incorporated in national planning processes, policies and strategies. It is important to recognize the link between sustainable development and other relevant ongoing processes in the economic, social and environmental fields.

56. In deciding upon these Goals and targets, we recognise that each country faces specific challenges to achieve sustainable development, and we underscore the special challenges facing the most vulnerable countries and, in particular, African countries, least developed countries, landlocked developing countries and small island developing States, as well as the specific challenges facing the middle-income countries. Countries in situations of conflict also need special attention.

57. We recognize that baseline data for several of the targets remain unavailable, and we call for increased support for strengthening data collection and capacity building in Member States, to develop national and global baselines where they do not yet exist. We commit to addressing this gap in data collection so as to better inform the measurement of progress, in particular for those targets below which do not have clear numerical targets.

58. We encourage ongoing efforts by states in other fora to address key issues which pose potential challenges to the implementation of our Agenda; and we respect the independent mandates of those processes. We intend that the Agenda and its implementation would support, and be without prejudice to, those other processes and the decisions taken therein.

59. We recognise that there are different approaches, visions, models and tools available to each country, in accordance with its national circumstances and priorities, to achieve sustainable development; and we reaffirm that planet Earth and its ecosystems are our common home and that ‘Mother Earth’ is a common expression in a number of countries and region

Sustainable Development Goals
Goal 1. End poverty in all its forms everywhere

Goal 2. End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture

Goal 3. Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages

Goal 4. Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all

Goal 5. Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls

Goal 6. Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all

Goal 7. Ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all

Goal 8. Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all

Goal 9. Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation

Goal 10. Reduce inequality within and among countries

Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable

Goal 12. Ensure sustainable consumption and production patterns

Goal 13. Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts*

Goal 14. Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development

Goal 15. Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss

Goal 16. Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels

Goal 17. Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development

* Acknowledging that the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is the primary international, intergovernmental forum for negotiating the global response to climate change.

Targets [169 targets articulating the Goals]

Means of implementation and the Global Partnership [21 articles]

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Additional Supporting Documentation of Final Intergovernmental Negotiations
:: Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations, 20-24 July 2015
:: Post-2015 intergovernmental negotiations, 27-31 July 2015
:: Letter on the six themes for the interactive dialogues during the UN Summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda
:: Written Comments on Zero Draft made by Major Groups and other Stakeholders

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 1 August 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 1 August 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries to be posted below on 2 August 2015

Editor’s Note:
The Sentinel will resume publication on 22 August 2015 following annual leave for the editor.

The edition for that date will cover the intervening period from 2 August.

World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – 30 July 2015

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Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 – July 2015
U.S. Department of State
384 pages
Overview
“This year’s Report places a special emphasis on human trafficking in the global marketplace. It highlights the hidden risks that workers may encounter when seeking employment and the steps that governments and businesses can take to prevent trafficking, including a demand for transparency in global supply chains.

“The bottom line is that this is no time for complacency. Right now, across the globe, victims of human trafficking are daring to imagine the possibility of escape, the chance for a life without fear, and the opportunity to earn a living wage. I echo the words of President Obama and say to them: We hear you, and we will do all we can to make that dream come true. In recent decades, we have learned a great deal about how to break up human trafficking networks and help victims recover in safety and dignity. In years to come, we will apply those lessons relentlessly, and we will not rest until modern slavery is ended.”
– John F. Kerry, Secretary of State

PDF Format
-Trafficking in Persons Report 2015 — Complete Report (PDF)

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“Fighting human trafficking is not just about law enforcement” – UN rights expert
World Day Against Trafficking in Persons – Thursday 30 July 2015
GENEVA (28 July 2015) – Speaking ahead of World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, United Nations human rights expert Maria Grazia Giammarinaro calls for sweeping changes in policy and on perception of trafficking. Fighting trafficking is not just about law enforcement, the Special Rapporteur on traffickingg in persons, especially women and children reminds governments across the world.

“After more than a decade of efforts aimed at combatting trafficking in persons, we have to recognize that results are still modest. The vast majority of trafficked persons -not less than 20 million people globally- are not recognized as such, and as a result do not have access to justice and remedies.

Trafficking means extreme exploitation -often in slavery-like conditions- of women, men and children who are socially vulnerable, mostly due to their being undocumented migrants. To tackle these gross human rights violations, a policy shift is needed, and the same perception of trafficking in persons should change.

So far, trafficking has been considered mostly a law enforcement issue. Today, we should look at trafficking as an economic and social issue, linked with global trends including migration. Therefore prevention is key.

To prevent trafficking in persons, national authorities should deal with a broader area of exploitation, in the sex industry, in agriculture, fishery, domestic work, garments, and the tourist industry.

Governments and the private sector must prevent and combat exploitation wherever and whenever it takes place, especially when migrant workers are involved, and tackle the driving factors of exploitation. Among them, one of the most powerful is the lack of regular channels for migration.

In that regard, policy coherence is essential: the fight against trafficking is incompatible with restrictive migration policies that place people in a situation of irregularity and vulnerability to exploitation and trafficking.

Furthermore, within mixed migration flows, an increasing number of people migrate to flee from conflict and crisis areas. Better international cooperation is needed to ensure that people entitled to international protection are offered a viable solution in one of their preferred countries.

However, in the current situation, asylum seekers and refugees are amongst the most vulnerable migrants, often exposed to the risk of trafficking, including children traveling alone, women and girls who are raped during the journey and exploited in prostitution at destination, men, women and children obliged to accept inhuman working conditions to survive.
This is the policy shift which is much needed today: to prevent trafficking and to protect trafficked persons’ rights, it is necessary to protect the rights of all migrants, and of all vulnerable people, be they foreigners or nationals.

Once someone is recognized as being subjected to exploitation and/or trafficking, she/he should have immediate access to legal counseling, healthcare, and tailored forms of assistance, in order to be able to claim their rights.

These opportunities should be given without any condition. No legal requirements should be established which actually denies exploited and trafficked persons their right to access justice and remedies.

Trafficking – as in the case of historical slavery – takes place because enormous economic interests lie behind exploitation of the global poor. However, this can be stopped, if people of good will – both powerful people and simple citizens – feel that trafficking is morally and socially unacceptable, and take action against exploitation, injustice, and human rights violations.”

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On World Day against Trafficking in Persons, far more still needs to be done to help victims and end impunity for criminals
PRESS RELEASE: UNODC – UN Office on Drugs and Crime
Vienna, 30 July 2015 – Each year millions of women, men and children are trafficked for profit. They are sexually exploited, made to undertake demanding and often dangerous work in homes, farms and factories across the globe, and find themselves victims of one of the many other forms of abuse such as forced marriage or organ removal. Yet despite the wide-spread recognition that this is one of today’s most exploitative crimes, action is lacking: more needs to be done to dismantle the organized criminal networks behind this, while at the same time it is critical that assistance to victims be stepped up.

Against this background, and with the second annual World Day against Trafficking in Persons being marked today, UNODC is calling for definitive and marked action to both end the impunity of traffickers, and to drastically boost the much-needed support being provided to victims.

UNODC’s most recent biennial Global Report on Trafficking in Persons highlights the true extent of the crime. With at least 152 countries of origin and 124 countries of destination affected by trafficking in persons, and over 510 trafficking flows crisscrossing the world, no country is immune. Coupled with this, society’s most vulnerable appear to be increasingly targeted by those responsible for this crime: 33 per cent of known victims of trafficking are children, a five point increase compared with the 2007-2010 period. Girls make up two out of every three child victims. Together with women, they now account for 70 per cent of trafficked persons worldwide.

The Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children, under the United Nations Convention against Transnational Organized Crime, which came into force a decade ago represents a major step towards tackling this crime. For the first time, this international instrument called for all acts of human trafficking to be criminalized, including trafficking for sexual exploitation, forced labour, organ removal, domestic servitude and other similar practices.

Yet despite this and other encouraging progress, legislation in some countries still does not always comply with the Protocol and fails to cover all forms of trafficking and their victims, leaving billions of people inadequately protected and vulnerable…

Human Trafficking, the Slavery of the 21st Century
By Luis Almagro, Secretary General, Organization of American States
July 30, 2015
(Translation of the Secretary General’s OP-ED published by El País, Le Nouvelliste and Le Devoir)

Human trafficking is a silent crime, hard to identify and roughly as profitable as drug and illegal arms trafficking. No country is untouched by this crime—a sad and challenging 21st century reality.

Today is the day chosen by the United Nations to remind us of the moral precariousness in which we live at an incalculable cost— human dignity.

Human trafficking subjects men, women, and children, many lured by their dreams and hopes for a better life, to exploitation of all types, comparable to slavery.

According to data from the International Labour Organization (ILO), more than 20 million people are subjected to forced labor (including sexual exploitation) around the world. Nearly 2 million of which million are in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The vast majority of these people are exploited by businesses or individuals. Approximately 4.5 million are sexually exploited, while nearly 70 percent are forced to work in areas ranging from agriculture and construction to manufacturing and household jobs.

Women and girls represent the majority of the victims of labor exploitation (11.4 million, 55%), compared with 9.5 million (45%) men and boys, although boys represent 26% of the total (5.5 million child victims).

The figures are shocking and failing to act against this 21st century barbarity implies moral complicity.

Since taking office as Secretary General of the OAS, I have proclaimed that my goal during the next years will be “more rights for more people” in the Americas.

There is nothing more appropriate to guide our common work in the defense and protection of millions of such vulnerable people. To that end, among other things, we will create a Secretariat of Access to Rights and Equality that will work on these and other areas of exclusion.

There is a commitment by the countries of this hemisphere to confront this scourge, with strategies for prevention and the protection of victims and the punishment of those responsible.

This commitment must be translated into continuous action.

In 2000, the Convention against Transnational Organized Crime and its Protocol to Prevent, Suppress and Punish Trafficking in Persons, especially Women and Children was approved.

In much of the hemisphere, human trafficking was not even defined in national laws and the legal frameworks were limited or nearly nonexistent.

Fifteen years later, countries have legal instruments that, in addition to punishing traffickers, protect the rights of victims. We have moved from a restricted vision of exploitation being confined to prostitution to one in which the various forms this crime takes are recognized.

And so, thousands of traffickers are in jail, and thousands of victims have been able to remake their lives. But it is not enough.

We now have a clear Work Plan to Combat Trafficking in Persons in the Western Hemisphere for the 2015-2018 period, approved by all the member countries of the OAS.

Preventing the crime means making potential victims less vulnerable through the creation of economic and social opportunities. If opportunities continue to depend on social condition, gender, race, or where one was born, traffickers will continue to flourish.

Conversely, the crime must be made more evident, and therefore, more often reported; its authors must be held responsible and punished appropriately; and people victimized by criminal networks must be protected, aided and made capable of rebuilding their lives.

Governments cannot do this alone. Civil society, the private sector, unions, and churches must be part of a coalition that defeats this scourge and restores to millions of human beings their violated rights.

Simply put, we cannot accept a world in which dreams, rights and freedom are bought and sold.

DECLARATION OF RELIGIOUS LEADERS AGAINST MODERN SLAVERY
On December 2, 2014, leaders representing Anglican, Buddhist, Catholic, Hindu, Jewish, Orthodox, and Islamic faiths met at the Vatican to sign the historic Declaration of Religious Leaders against Modern Slavery.

We, the undersigned, are gathered here today for a historic initiative to inspire spiritual and practical action by all global faiths and people of good will everywhere to eradicate modern slavery across the world by 2020 and for all time.

In the eyes of God,* each human being is a free person, whether girl, boy, woman or man, and is destined to exist for the good of all in equality and fraternity. Modern slavery, in terms of human trafficking, forced labour and prostitution, organ trafficking, and any relationship that fails to respect the fundamental conviction that all people are equal and have the same freedom and dignity, is a crime against humanity.

We pledge ourselves here today to do all in our power, within our faith communities and beyond, to work together for the freedom of all those who are enslaved and trafficked so that their future may be restored. Today we have the opportunity, awareness, wisdom, innovation and technology to achieve this human and moral imperative.

Signatories
:: His Grace Most Reverend and Right Honourable Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury
:: Venerable Bhikkhuni Thich Nu Chan Khong (representing Zen Master Thích Nhât Hanh)
:: The Most Venerable Datuk K. Sri Dhammaratana, Chief High Priest of Malaysia
:: His Holiness Pope Francis
:: Her Holiness Mata Amritanandamayi (Amma)
:: Dr. Abbas Abdalla Abbas Soliman, Undersecretary of State of Al Azhar Alsharif (representing Mohamed Ahmed El-Tayeb, Grand Imam of Al-Azhar)
:: Grand Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi al-Modarresi
:: Sheikh Naziyah Razzaq Jaafar, Special advisor (representing Grand Ayatollah Sheikh Basheer Hussain al Najafi)
:: Sheikh Omar Abboud
:: Rabbi Dr. Abraham Skorka
:: Rabbi Dr. David Rosen
:: His Eminence Metropolitan Emmanuel of France (representing His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew)

The World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision
Key Findings and Advance Tables
UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs – Population Division
ESA/P/WP.241 – July 2015 :: 66 pages
Pdf: http://esa.un.org/unpd/wpp/Publications/Files/Key_Findings_WPP_2015.pdf

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Press Release
The World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision
29 July 2015, New York
The current world population of 7.3 billion is expected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030, 9.7 billion in 2050 and 11.2 billion in 2100, according to a new UN DESA report, “World Population Prospects: The 2015 Revision”, launched today.

“Understanding the demographic changes that are likely to unfold over the coming years, as well as the challenges and opportunities that they present for achieving sustainable development, is key to the design and implementation of the new development agenda,” said Wu Hongbo, UN Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs.

Most of the projected increase in the world’s population can be attributed to a short list of high-fertility countries, mainly in Africa, or countries with already large populations. During 2015-2050, half of the world’s population growth is expected to be concentrated in nine countries: India, Nigeria, Pakistan, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, United Republic of Tanzania, United States of America (USA), Indonesia and Uganda, listed according to the size of their contribution to the total growth.

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Shifts in the current population rankings
China and India remain the two largest countries in the world, each with more than 1 billion people, representing 19 and 18 % of the world’s population, respectively. But by 2022, the population of India is expected to surpass that of China.

Currently, among the ten largest countries in the world, one is in Africa (Nigeria), five are in Asia (Bangladesh, China, India, Indonesia, and Pakistan), two are in Latin America (Brazil and Mexico), one is in Northern America (USA), and one is in Europe (Russian Federation). Of these, Nigeria’s population, currently the seventh largest in the world, is growing the most rapidly. Consequently, the population of Nigeria is projected to surpass that of the United States by about 2050, at which point it would become the third largest country in the world. By 2050, six countries are expected to exceed 300 million: China, India, Indonesia, Nigeria, Pakistan, and the USA.

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Growing population in Africa
With the highest rate of population growth, Africa is expected to account for more than half of the world’s population growth between 2015 and 2050.

During this period, the populations of 28 African countries are projected to more than double, and by 2100, ten African countries are projected to have increased by at least a factor of five: Angola, Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Somalia, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania and Zambia.

“The concentration of population growth in the poorest countries presents its own set of challenges, making it more difficult to eradicate poverty and inequality, to combat hunger and malnutrition, and to expand educational enrolment and health systems, all of which are crucial to the success of the new sustainable development agenda,” said John Wilmoth, Director of the Population Division in the UN’s Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

While there is always some degree of uncertainty surrounding any projection, the large number of young people in Africa, who will reach adulthood in the coming years and start having children of their own, ensures that the region will play a central role in shaping the size and distribution of the world’s population over the coming decades.

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Slower world population growth due to lower fertility rates
Future population growth is highly dependent on the path that future fertility will take, as relatively small changes in fertility behaviour, when projected over decades, can generate large differences in total population. In recent years, fertility has declined in virtually all areas of the world, even in Africa where fertility levels remain the highest of any major area.

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Ageing population growing rapidly
The slowdown in population growth, due to the overall reduction in fertility, causes the proportion of older persons to increase over time. Globally the number of persons aged 60 or above is expected to more than double by 2050 and more than triple by 2100.

A significant ageing of the population in the next several decades is projected for most regions of the world, starting with Europe where 34 % of the population is projected to be over 60 years old by 2050. In Latin America and the Caribbean and in Asia, the population will be transformed from having 11% to 12% of people over 60 years old today to more than 25% by 2050. Africa has the youngest age distribution of any major area, but it is also projected to age rapidly, with the population aged 60 years or over rising from 5% today to 9% by 2050…

The World Bank Group and ILO Universal Social Protection Initiative

:: Joint Statement by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and ILO Director General Guy Ryder
June 30, 2015

:: Concept note
[undated :: 5 pages]
Pdf: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/documents/genericdocument/wcms_378996.pdf
[Excerpts]
In the early 21st century, we are proud to endorse the consensus that has emerged – that social protection is a primary development priority. Well-designed and implemented social protection systems can powerfully shape countries, enhance human capital and productivity, eradicate poverty, reduce inequalities and contribute to building social peace. They are an essential part of National Development Strategies to achieve inclusive growth and sustainable development with equitable social outcomes.

Universal coverage and access to social protection are central to ending poverty and boosting shared prosperity, the World Bank’s twin goals by 2030. Universal social protection coverage is at the core of the ILO’s mandate, guided by ILO social security standards including the Social Protection Floors Recommendation, No. 202 , adopted by 185 states in 2012. Many countries have embarked in expanding social protection coverage and are reporting significant progress…

…Universal social protection includes adequate cash transfers for all who need it, especially: children; benefits/support for people of working age in case of maternity, disability, work injury or for those without jobs; and pensions for all older persons. This protection can be provided through social insurance, tax-funded social benefits, social assistance services, public works programs and other schemes guaranteeing basic income security.

Why support universal social protection?
There is considerable rigorous scientific evidence that well-designed and implemented social protection systems can be the foundation for sustained social and economic development – for individuals, communities, nations and societies.
:: It prevents and reduces poverty, promotes social inclusion and dignity of vulnerable populations;
:: It contributes to economic growth: raising incomes increases consumption, savings and , investment at the household level, and raises domestic demand at the macro level;
:: It promotes human development: cash transfers facilitate access to nutrition and education, thus resulting in better health outcomes, higher school enrolment rates, reduced school drop-out rates, and a decline in child labor;
:: It increases productivity and employability by enhancing human capital and productive assets;
:: It protects individuals and families against the losses due to shocks, whether they be pandemics, natural disasters, or economic downturns;
:: It builds political stability and social peace, reducing inequalities, social tensions and violent conflict; social protection ensure greater social cohesion and participation;
:: It is a human right that everyone, as a member of society, should enjoy, including children, mothers, persons with disabilities, workers, older persons, migrants, indigenous peoples and minorities….

The Vision: Universal social protection to ensure that no one is left behind
The World Bank and the ILO share a vision of a world where anyone who needs social protection can access it at any time.

The vision states that both institutions recognize that universal social protection is a goal that we strive to help countries deliver. Achieving universality would facilitate the delivery of the World Bank’s corporate goals of reducing poverty and increasing shared prosperity and the ILO’s mandate of promoting decent work and social protection for all. This shared mission would drive the development agenda to ensure lasting peace, prosperity and progress.

The Objective: Increase the number of countries adopting Universal Social Protection
The ILO and the World Bank’s shared objective is: “To increase the number of countries that can provide universal social protection, supporting countries to design and implement universal and sustainable social protection systems.”

The objective recognizes the aspirational elements of the ILO and the World Bank’s shared vision, and that the means of achieving the vision is through either the progressive or immediate realization of social protection, as well as through ensuring that there is no retrogression on progress achieved.

The objective recognizes that if countries develop comprehensive systems providing universal protection across the life cycle, and there is sufficient evidence that social protection systems are affordable, efficient, effective and equitable, then more countries will adopt these systems as part of their national development strategies. It also recognizes that there are large synergies and advantages if the ILO and World Bank collectively support the development of universal social protection systems in countries, with a focus on sustainable domestic financing…

Timebound Actions
The World Bank and the ILO declare that they will work together to achieve this shared vision until the Sustainable Development Goals are realized.

In the short term, the ILO and the World Bank will:
:: Launch the initiative (June 30) with a high-level statement calling the attention of world leaders to the importance of universal social protection policies, as well as financing mechanisms. This statement will also articulate the shared vision of the two organizations, and outline tangible activities to advance universal social protection both in the lead-up to and following adoption of the post-2015 development agenda.

:: Document country experiences on universal social protection coverage: Succinct case studies presenting how countries achieved universal social protection coverage, and extracting good practices relevant for other countries.

:: Financing universal social protection: Analyze the financing implications of universal social protection together with the generation of evidence about ways this can be innovatively resourced and other topics important to generate political will such as the investment case and socio-economic benefits of providing universal social protection.

:: Monitoring framework for universal social protection in the post-2015 agenda: as part of the ongoing collaboration on social protection statistics (meeting of experts scheduled for October 2015).

:: Global conference on universal social protection for inclusive and sustainable growth: High-level public event (2016), presenting the country case studies, the joint framework for monitoring progress, and launching a Global Observatory for Universal Social Protection for public monitoring and reporting on agreed targets.

In the medium term (1-15 years), the World Bank and the ILO will use their individual and collective resources and influence to support countries in their move towards providing universal coverage. This will include joint support to countries in their efforts to harmonize social protection policies, programs and administration systems, expanding fiscal space for universal social protection, addressing bottlenecks and adequately integrating universal social protection into their national development strategies.

Rockefeller Foundation [to 1 August 2015]
http://www.rockefellerfoundation.org/newsroom

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Human activities are jeopardizing Earth’s natural systems and health of future generations
[undated] NEW YORK—A new report released today by The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health, calls for immediate, global action to protect the health of human civilization and the natural systems on which it depends. The report, Safeguarding Human Health in the Anthropocene Epoch, provides the first ever comprehensive examination of evidence showing how the health and well-being of future generations is being jeopardised by the unprecedented degradation of the planet’s natural resources and ecological systems.

“This Commission aims to put the health of human civilizations, and their special relationship with the larger biosphere, at the centre of concerns for future planetary sustainability. Our civilization may seem strong and resilient, but history tells us that our societies are fragile and vulnerable. We hope to show how we can protect and strengthen all that we hold dear about our world,” says Dr Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet and one of the report authors.
The report was written by a Commission of 15 leading academics and policymakers from institutions in 8 countries, and was chaired by Professor Sir Andy Haines of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, UK. It demonstrates how human activity and development have pushed to near breaking point the boundaries of the natural systems that support and sustain human civilizations.

“The Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Planetary Health Commission has issued a dire warning: Human action is undermining the resilience of the earth’s natural systems, and in so doing we are compromising our own resilience, along with our health and, frankly, our future,” said Dr Judith Rodin, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “We are in a symbiotic relationship with our planet, and we must start to value that in very real ways. Just as Foundation leaders 100 years ago took a holistic view and launched the field of public health, the Commission’s report marks a paradigm shift for a new era of global public health, one that must be integrated with broader policy decisions.”

The Commission warns that a rising population, unsustainable consumption and the over-use of natural resources will exacerbate these health challenges in the future. The world’s poorest communities will be among those at greatest risk, as they live in areas that are most strongly affected and have greater sensitivity to disease and poor health.

“We are on the verge of triggering irreversible, global effects, ranging from ocean acidification to biodiversity loss,” says Professor Haines. “These environmental changes – which include, but extend far beyond climate change – threaten the gains in health that have been achieved over recent decades and increase the risks to health arising from major challenges as diverse as under-nutrition and food insecurity, freshwater shortages, emerging infectious diseases, and extreme weather events.”

Concerns that global environmental change represents a growing threat to human health are underlined by two new research articles being published in conjunction with the report. One article, published in The Lancet, quantifies for the first time the human health implications of declines in animal pollinators (such as bees and other insects). The study, led by one of the report Commissioners, Dr Samuel Myers, from Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health, USA, shows that global declines in animal pollinators could lead to up to 1.4 million excess deaths annually (an increase in global mortality of 2.7%) from a combination of increased vitamin A and folate deficiency and increased incidence of non-communicable diseases like heart disease, stroke, and certain cancers. The research shows that these health effects would be experienced in both developed and developing countries.

The second study, also led by Dr Myers, and published in The Lancet Global Health, quantifies for the first time a major global health threat associated with anthropogenic carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The study shows that reductions in the zinc content of important food crops as a response to rising concentrations of CO2 in the atmosphere will place between 132-180 million people at new risk for zinc deficiency globally by around 2050. In addition, these nutrient reductions will exacerbate existing zinc deficiency for billions around the world. Zinc deficiency leads to hundreds of thousands of premature deaths from infectious disease because of reduced immune function.

Solutions to these clear and potent dangers are within reach, say the Commission authors, but the world needs to take decisive, coordinated action to protect the environment and secure the health of future generations.

The Commission outlines a range of beneficial policies and actions that can be taken by governments, international organizations, researchers, health professionals and citizens that are good for both health and the environment. Examples include benefits from reduced air pollution, healthy diets with more fruit and vegetables, active transport (walking and cycling), reduced urban heat stress from green spaces, and increased resilience to coastal flooding from intact wetlands and mangroves. In addition, the report identifies some major gaps in evidence and the research that is needed. Some of the recommendations include:

:: Integrated social, economic and environmental policies: Policies and initiatives need to be designed to promote more efficient use of current resources to allow for the replenishment of natural systems. They should also spur innovation and make sustainable practices more mainstream, such as reducing waste and developing resilient cities.

:: Better governance: Leaders need to take initiatives to reduce the risks to health and vital ecosystems, and implement policies to reduce subsidies that block sustainable practices, encourage behavioral change, incentivize the private sector, support research, and promote public discourse. To help ensure that Planetary Health is at the center of national policy, governments should give responsibility for monitoring trends and developing policies to a body that answers directly to the Head of State.

:: Improved health systems: Environmental health needs must be integrated into health budgeting and purchasing. In addition, as environmental threats will be characterised by surprise and uncertainty, health systems must be designed for resilience, planning for potential risks and adapting quickly to meet challenges and restore services.

:: A reorganization and expansion of our knowledge on Planetary Health: There are substantial gaps in knowledge that can be closed with the expansion of trans disciplinary research, improved understanding of the links between health and environmental change and potential adaptation strategies, building integrated surveillance systems and reporting on progress nationally and internationally.

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

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Selected Press Releases
Experts & Policymakers Re-Imagine African Agriculture in Face of Climate Change
65% of Africa’s Land Affected by Degradation; New Approach Essential
Nairobi, 31 July 2015 – Over 1,200 experts, policy makers and participants today adopted the Nairobi Action Agenda on Ecosystem based Adaptation for food security and formed the Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Assembly (EBAFOSA), which re-imagines a system of agriculture for the continent that would be beneficial both economically and environmentally.

The formation of EBAFOSA and the adoption of its constitution come as land degradation affects nearly 65 percent of Africa’s land, with some 6 million hectares of productive land lost each year. Part of the Nairobi Action Agenda, the assembly is a result of the ‘Africa Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security (EBAFOSC): Re-imagining Africa Food Security Now and into the Future under a Changing Climate’ conference, the second of its kind.

As the world gears up for the Climate Change conference and the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) later this year, a new approach is urgently needed to build an inclusive food system that is robust enough to create jobs and wealth for all in Africa, including the youth. Ecosystem‐based adaptation (EbA) provides flexible, cost-effective, and broadly applicable alternatives for building robust food systems on fewer inputs while reducing the impacts of climate change.

The participants at the conference converted existing lessons and experiences into common solutions for food security and climate change adaptation on the continent, their objectives being to determine how to protect and restore Africa’s ecosystems, achieve food security, identify scalable inclusive business and finance models, put in place policies that incentivize public and private investment in EbA and increase the likelihood of increased investment from oil earnings back into the Earth’s ecosystems, which underpin the entire food security system.

The adoption of the Nairobi Action Agenda reflects the importance of the issues on a continent where food imports exceed food exports by 30 percent and the agricultural sector uses over 60 percent of Africa’s labour force.

The EBAFOSA replaces the Ecosystem Based Adaptation for Food Security Conference (EBAFOSC) to become the continental body dialoguing and working with the African Union and other partners to help drive the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) agenda in line with the Malabo Declaration as well as the proposed SDGs and Agenda 2063…

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New Lending and Investment Tool Sets Agricultural Supply Chain on Sustainable Path, Reducing Deforestation Threat
New research by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Natural Capital Declaration highlights the critical need to fundamentally strengthen how financial institutions view, address and manage deforestation and degradations risks.

Nairobi, Oxford, 29 July 2015 – A new lending and investment policy tool for financial institutions, unveiled today, aims to reduce the deforestation risk caused by the unsustainable production, trade, processing and retail of soft commodities, especially soy, palm oil and beef.

New research by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Natural Capital Declaration highlights the critical need to fundamentally strengthen how financial institutions view, address and manage deforestation and degradations risks.

Of the 30 financial institutions assessed, the majority did not have policies that explicitly require clients to comply with applicable local, national and ratified international laws and regulations related to forest conservation.

The study, entitled “Bank and Investor Risk Policies for Soft Commodities” highlights policies that banks and investors can adopt to help reduce deforestation and forest degradation risks resulting from unsustainable practices across agricultural supply chains that are major drivers of tropical deforestation.

An accompanying Soft Commodities Forest-risk Assessment Tool provides a framework to evaluate policies adopted by banks and investors to address deforestation and forest degradation risk in the agricultural value chain.

UN Under-Secretary-General and UNEP Executive Director Achim Steiner, said, “Addressing deforestation is high on the twenty-first century policy agenda. The continuing loss of the world’s tropical rainforests represents a significant threat to the security of water, food, energy, health and climate for millions worldwide.”…
:: Download Report and New Tool

EBOLA/EVD [to 1 August 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

Ebola Situation Report – 29 July 2015
[Excerpts]
SUMMARY
:: There were 7 confirmed cases of Ebola virus disease (EVD) reported in the week to 26 July: 4 in Guinea and 3 in Sierra Leone. This is the lowest weekly total for over a year, and comes after 8 consecutive weeks during which case incidence had plateaued at between 20 and 30 cases per week. Although this decline in case incidence is welcome, it is too early to tell whether it will be sustained. There have been several high-risk events in both Guinea and Sierra Leone in the past 14 days, and past experience has shown that it can take a single high-risk case or missed contact to spark a new cluster of cases. In addition, there are over 2000 contacts still within their 21-day follow-up period in Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, representing a substantial residual risk of further cases. Refinements to the response continue to yield improvements, with recent weeks seeing a higher proportion of cases arising from contacts and a lower proportion of cases identified post-mortem than at any time previously, but the continued occurrence of high-risk transmission events means that an increase in case incidence in the near term is a strong possibility…

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
:: There have been a total of 27,748 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (figure 1, table 1) up to 26 July, with 11,279 reported deaths (this total includes reported deaths among probable and suspected cases, although outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 4 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea and 3 in Sierra Leone in the week to 26 July…

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WHO: World on the verge of an effective Ebola vaccine
News release
Geneva ¦ 31 July 2015 – Results from an interim analysis of the Guinea Phase III efficacy vaccine trial show that VSV-EBOV (Merck, Sharp & Dohme) is highly effective against Ebola. The independent body of international experts – the Data and Safety Monitoring Board – that conducted the review, advised that the trial should continue. Preliminary results from analyses of these interim data are published today in the British journal The Lancet.

“This is an extremely promising development,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization. “The credit goes to the Guinean Government, the people living in the communities and our partners in this project. An effective vaccine will be another very important tool for both current and future Ebola outbreaks.”

While the vaccine up to now shows 100% efficacy in individuals, more conclusive evidence is needed on its capacity to protect populations through what is called “herd immunity”. To that end, the Guinean national regulatory authority and ethics review committee have approved continuation of the trial.

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UNMEER: Statement by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on the transition of UN Ebola emergency response
New York/Geneva, 31 July 2015
As we continue to actively strive to end the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, we have reached an important milestone in the global Ebola response.

The UN Mission for Ebola Emergency Response – UNMEER – will close on 31 July. The Mission has achieved its core objective of scaling up the response on the ground and establishing unity of purpose among responders in support of the nationally led efforts. As of 1 August, oversight of the UN system’s Ebola emergency response will fully be led by the World Health Organization (WHO), under the direct authority of the WHO Director-General. UN agencies, funds and programmes, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the UN Mission in Liberia and national and international partners have undertaken the necessary steps, to enable this seamless transition.

I have determined that, to maintain the high-level, dedicated UN leadership needed to get to zero cases, the Ebola Crisis Managers will remain in the countries under the oversight of WHO and with the support of the UN Resident Coordinators and UN country teams. In Liberia, this high-level UN leadership for the Ebola emergency response will be provided by my Deputy Special Representative and Resident Coordinator, with the support of the UN country team. My Special Envoy on Ebola will continue to provide strategic guidance for the response.

The United Nations remains steadfast in its commitment to supporting the Governments of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in getting to and staying at zero cases. We have made considerable progress, but the crisis is not yet over. At this critical juncture, additional resources are needed by the United Nations and partners to sustain full support to nationally led efforts to end the outbreak and to support recovery activities in affected countries. I therefore urge Member States to sustain the financial and political support necessary to end the outbreak.

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 1 August 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

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Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage
31 July 2015
SG/SM/16982
Secretary-General Announces Closure of Ebola Emergency Response Mission as Core Objective Achieved, Oversight to Be Led By World Health Organization

30 July 2015
SC/11991
Issues Facing Small Island Developing States ‘Global Challenges’ Demanding Collective Responsibility, Secretary-General Tells Security Council
Transnational crime, illicit exploitation of resources, climate change, natural disasters and other factors that threatened small island developing States must be addressed globally and in the context of international stability, speakers today stressed in an all-day open debate in the Security Council.

30 July 2015
GA/11666
Speakers Call for Concerted Action to Crush Multibillion-Dollar Illicit Wildlife Trade as General Assembly Adopts Sweeping Text
Addressing a range of issues, the General Assembly today adopted a decision on the world body’s review of the implementation of outcomes of the World Summit on the Information Society, filled a position in the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions (ACABQ) and adopted a wide-ranging resolution on illicit trafficking in wildlife, taking steps to encourage States to end the “abhorrent” multibillion-dollar trade often associated with organized crime networks, armed groups and terrorist organizations.

29 July 2015
SG/SM/16977-SC/11989
Disappointed at Impotence of Resolutions on Syrian Crisis, Secretary-General Asks Security Council to Support Special Envoy’s Approach to Political Settlement

28 July 2015
SC/11985
Yemen’s ‘Overwhelming’ Humanitarian Need ‘Woefully Under-Resourced’, Emergency Relief Coordinator Tells Security Council, Urging Pause in Fighting
The conflict in Yemen had brought “appalling damage” on an already suffering people, the top United Nations humanitarian official told the Security Council today, emphasizing the need to secure a pause in fighting that all parties would honour.

27 July 2015
SG/SM/16967-GA/11665-DEV/3193
Secretary-General Welcomes General Assembly’s Endorsement of Addis Ababa Action Agenda as ‘Major Step’ on Path Towards Sustainable Development

27 July 2015
GA/11663
Secretary-General Hails Launch of ‘New Era’ for Global Partnership as General Assembly Endorses Framework for Development Financing
The General Assembly today adopted a resolution endorsing the Addis Ababa Action Agenda of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, a “new global framework” that many said would strengthen cooperation in technology, infrastructure and social protections that were key to realizing inclusive sustainable development.

UNICEF [to 1 August 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html

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Selected press release and news notes
UNICEF condemns killing of infant in West Bank attack
NEW YORK, 31 July 2015 – “The death of an 18-month old Palestinian baby in an arson attack on his home in the West Bank is a tragedy – and an outrage.

Better workplace policies needed for breastfeeding
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 1 August, 2015 – Every year, the global community sets aside a week to draw attention to the vital importance of breastfeeding, not only in the lives of the most disadvantaged children but also in the strength of societies. The theme of this year’s World Breastfeeding Week, Breastfeeding and Work — Let’s make it work!, focuses on what we can do to help millions of working mothers give their babies the best possible start in life — by supporting stronger workplace policies that promote breastfeeding.

More than 70,000 children born during the Ebola outbreak in Liberia at risk of exclusion if not registered, warns UNICEF
MONROVIA, Liberia 31 July 2015 – UNICEF is supporting a drive by the Liberian Government to register more than 70,000 children whose births were not recorded during the Ebola crisis, leaving them vulnerable to marginalization and exclusion.

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 1 August 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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Selected Press Releases
IOM, UNHCR Train Libyan Partners on Saving Lives at Sea
07/31/15
Libya – The IOM office in Tripoli, with UNHCR, has organized a two-day technical workshop for Libyan partners on saving lives of migrants off the Libyan coast.

Afghanistan Hit by Multiple Natural Disasters in July
07/31/15
Afghanistan – Afghanistan has been affected by over 30 natural disasters in the past month, causing deaths, injuries and displacement.

Madagascar PM Unveils National Counter Trafficking Awareness Raising Campaign
07/31/15
Madagascar – On the occasion of the World Day against Trafficking in Persons (TiP) 2015 (on 30/7), the Government of Madagascar launched an IOM-backed national awareness raising campaign.

IOM Trains Ghana Border Officials in Ebola Prevention
07/31/15
Ghana – IOM yesterday (30/7) launched a series of trainings to build the capacity of border officials to conduct Ebola Virus Disease (EVD)-related screening and infection control procedures at borders.

IOM Aids Vulnerable, Displaced Sudanese Ahead of Rainy Season
07/31/15
Sudan – IOM has this year provided life-saving emergency shelter and non-food relief items (ES/NFIs) to 16,525 vulnerable internally displaced people (IDPs) across three states in Sudan. It plans to reach 65,000 vulnerable IDPs with ongoing ES/NFI aid distributions funded by multiple donors by year-end.

IOM, Sahel Governments, Promote Coordinated Border Management
07/31/15
Niger – IOM has brought together government representatives from the Sahel G5 countries – Mali, Niger, Mauritania, Burkina Faso and Chad – and key partners for a two-day regional workshop on coordinated border management.

On World Day Against Trafficking in Persons, IOM Calls for Renewed Commitment to Combat Exploitation
07/30/15
Switzerland – Exploitation and trafficking of victims is a growing phenomenon in a world awash in conflict and natural disasters.

Fishermen at Risk of Human Trafficking Rescued from Vessel off Papua New Guinea
07/29/15
Papua New Guinea – Authorities in Papua New Guinea (PNG) are conducting a search and rescue operation in Western Province waters.

IOM Evacuates Somalis from Yemen to Somalia
07/28/15
Somalia – IOM’s second evacuation flight from Yemen to Somalia arrived in Mogadishu at 07.45 on July 27, 2015.

IOM Provides Cash Aid to Displaced Families in Baghdad
07/28/15
Iraq – IOM Iraq is conducting a cash distribution today for over 100 recently displaced families living in Baghdad governorate.

Ice Melt Triggers Tajikistan Flooding, Displacement
07/28/15
Tajikistan – Unusually high summer temperatures in Tajikistan have caused severe glacial melt, resulting in mudflows and flooding.

Travelling Arts Festival Promotes Migrants Rights in Central America
07/28/15
El Salvador – As part of its awareness raising activities in support of migrants, IOM this month organized a Community Festival for the Rights of People who Migrate in El Salvador