UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Sweden continues commitment to support UNDP by pledging $58.6m for 2015
Sep 3, 2015
The Swedish Government announced its continued commitment to the United Nations Development Programme by making a 2015 core contribution of $58.6m, or 495m Swedish Kroner, to help UNDP support the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and fulfill its coordination role for the UN system.

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Youth project provides jobs to displaced people in Yemen
Sep 2, 2015
A community based project in Yemen provides jobs to displaced young people to help create awareness around water and sanitation.

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Satellite images show scale of destruction in Yemen
Sep 2, 2015
Satellite images released by UNDP and UNOSAT-UNITAR show the recent destruction of markets, buildings, roads and bridges, as well as private homes and businesses, as a result of the ongoing fighting in Yemen.

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Eight countries to sharpen long-term climate change adaptation strategies
Sep 1, 2015
FAO and UNDP join forces under German-funded initiative to raise profile of agriculture in climate change planning

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“UNDP deeply involved in visionary agenda for sustainable development” – UN Development Chief
Sep 1, 2015
The new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will guide global development for a generation after they are formally adopted by Heads of States and Governments at the end of this month, the UN Development Programme’s (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark told the Organization’s governing body today at UN Headquarters.

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Faith leaders and senior UN officials to discuss working together to improve lives of millions of people worldwide
Sep 1, 2015

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Helen Clark: Statement to the Second Regular Session of the UNDP Executive Board
Sep 1, 2015United Nations – New York, USA

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Helen Clark: Speech to the Fourth World Conference of Speakers of Parliament
Aug 31, 2015United Nations – New York, USA

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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Selected Press Releases
Government Subsidies for Agriculture May Exacerbate Deforestation, says new UN report
Outdated and incoherent fiscal incentives are often the key underlying drivers of forest loss worldwide.
Nairobi, 3 September 2015 – An estimated 80 per cent of global deforestation occurs as a direct result of agricultural practices. Government subsidies, estimated at $200 billion annually, are often the key underlying drivers of forest loss worldwide, with policy makers rarely recognizing their impact, says a new United Nations brief.

The report, entitled ‘Fiscal incentives for agricultural commodity production: Options to forge compatibility with REDD+’, explores ways of aligning government subsidies and other fiscal instruments with the objectives of REDD+ (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries).

Achim Steiner, Executive Director of the UN Environment Programme said, “The negative impact of subsidies on forest cover is often caused by outdated and incoherent policies. Any government-led effort to bolster agricultural productivity should account for the broader implications of such schemes. This report demonstrates that policy that decouples economic growth from deforestation and land degradation is the clearest pathway toward an agricultural sector that realizes both sustainable land use and sustainable inclusive economic growth. I encourage policy makers to consider the case studies in this report as they work to orient agricultural policy toward green economy fundamentals.”
Download Full Report in English
Download Full Report in Spanish

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UNEP Announces European Winner of 24th International Children`s Painting Competition
Evdokia Bogacheva, aged 12 from Ukraine, wins first prize for the European Region.
01/09/2015

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Low-Cost Device Can Revolutionize Air Quality Monitoring and Help Countries Prevent Deaths from Outdoor Pollution
31/08/2015

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

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Cameroon dedicates $20 million to support national agricultural development
Cameroon and FAO have agreed signed two new agreements: one creating a $20 million, five-year Partnership Programme aimed at promoting agricultural development in the Central African nation, the other establishing an expanded Partnership and Liaison office in the capital.
4-09-2015

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Myanmar floods deal major blow to country’s agriculture
Heavy storms, floods and landslides across nearly all provinces in Myanmar have dealt a major blow to the country’s agriculture and are expected to severely limit the availability of food if aid is not provided to farmers swiftly, FAO warned today.
3-09-2015

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FAO and MasterCard announce new partnership
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and MasterCard are joining forces to create an innovative new alliance against hunger. A new partnership agreement, signed by FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva and Walt MacNee, Vice Chairman of MasterCard Worldwide, at FAO headquarters, paves the way for a collaborative effort that will develop inclusive payment systems to support small-scale farmers and poor families.
2-09-2015

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Eight countries to sharpen long-term climate change adaptation strategies
FAO and UNDP will work with ministries of agriculture in Nepal, Kenya, the Philippines, Thailand, Uganda, Uruguay, Viet Nam and Zambia to incorporate agricultural sectors into National Adaptation Plans (NAPs) in order to safeguard livelihoods, raise agricultural production and boost food security.
1-09-2015

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Sweden’s We Effect and FAO to support small-scale forest and farm producers
FAO and the Swedish-based development cooperation organization We Effect have agreed to work together to strengthen small-scale forest and farm producers’ organizations in developing countries so they can access land and markets and improve the livelihoods of their members.
31-08-2015

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In Somalia some 855,000 people face acute food insecurity
The number of acutely and severely malnourished children is likely to increase to 343,400 and 63,400, respectively, through the end of the year. The severely malnourished face a high risk of morbidity and death.
31-08-2015

ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

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03.09.2015
ITU deploys emergency telecommunication equipment in Dominica
Relief coordination underway in aftermath of Tropical Storm Erika
Geneva, 3 September 2015 – ITU has deployed emergency telecommunication equipment in Dominica, which was hit by Tropical Storm Erika on 27 August. Heavy rains, severe flooding and landslides wreaked widespread damage across the island in the Lesser Antilles region of the Caribbean Sea.
The emergency telecommunication equipment includes satellite phones, Broadband Global Area Networks, solar chargers, laptops and accessories, which are being used to support relief and coordination efforts…

ECHO [to 5 September 2015]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

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‘EUsaveLIVES/You save Lives’ at Expo Milan 2015
04/09/2015
Christos Stylianides, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Management and Winnie Byanyima, Executive Director of Oxfam International, will open a series of events dedicated to raising awareness about refugees this weekend at Expo Milan….

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EU humanitarian relief to victims of Tropical Storm Erika in Dominica
02/09/2015
The European Commission is providing €300 000 in emergency humanitarian funding to assist people most affected by Tropical Storm Erika – one of the major storms of this year’s Atlantic hurricane season.Dominica, a small island nation in the…

African Union [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.au.int/en/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Sep.03.2015 African Ministers on Communication and ICT pledge for a vibrant internet Ecosystem and innovative information technologies for sustainable development

Sep.01.2015 Report: Africa is projected to have just one low income country by 2050

Organization of American States (OAS) [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_releases.asp

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OAS, PAHO and ECLAC Leaders Call for Implementation of the Inter-American Convention on the Rights of Older Persons
E-227 September 3, 2015
…The Secretary General of the OAS said that “now we must move from words to action and follow-up on the commitments made and promote the effective implementation of this convention, which represents a strong instrument to raise awareness and combat prevailing stereotypes and to create positive and realistic images about the aging process, particularly at the national level. Every age limit set in any competition brings with it discrimination.”…

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

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Selected Press Releases
Appeal to the international community by the OIC Secretary General to counter the Syrian refugee crisis
Date: 05/09/2015

The little Aylan’s motionless body washed up to the shore leaves in fact no need to yet another lengthy statement, or even to another word, to remind us of the great humanitarian tragedy, which he and hundreds of thousands of Syrian children, men and women, youth and elderly have suffered and continue to suffer from. Like their many other compatriots, they were forced to embark on extremely difficult journeys, chasing a hope to live safe and in dignity with their families and loved ones. Treatment of the refugees in any way other than to be qualified as dignified and compassionate, hurts the conscious of the humanity.

Those Syrian refugees who drowned in the Mediterranean, or suffocated in a human trafficker’s truck in Austria, none of them are responsible for starting the Syrian crisis or for the failure to stop it. Yet, they are and continue to be the direct victims of both that crisis as well as the failure of the international community, particularly of the Members of the UN Security Council, and the countries of the region, to find a solution to it. This must not, and cannot continue to be so.

It is our humanity getting drowned in the Mediterranean. It is our humanitarian values, principles, and our human dignity, getting suffocated. We must put an immediate end to this tragedy. Acknowledging the positive attitude and efforts made by some European countries, I call on all the Members of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the international community as a whole to put aside their differences, and mobilize all their efforts to help the Syrian people and refugees. This is neither a Syrian, nor Middle Eastern, nor European nor Muslim crisis. This is an international humanitarian crisis, in which precious lives are perishing.

From the very beginning, the OIC has been following with profound concern the escalating human tragedy of the Syrian refugees, fleeing their homes and seeking refuge in neighboring states. Many OIC Member States, most notably Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq, and Egypt have been carrying the extreme burden of the refugee flow out of Syria, and they have all allocated huge amount of resources to host more than four million of them in their respective countries. Similarly, in cooperation with the UN OCHA and other humanitarian partners, the OIC has been striving to help the victims of the conflict in Syria.

Yet, the speedy deterioration of the Syrian refugee crisis and the manner they are stigmatized based on religion by some, or refused entry or ignored all together by others, tell us that we all should do more, and we should do more together.

The world is witnessing a momentous period of instability and conflict that has produced what the United Nations describes as the largest pool of refugees, asylum seekers and internally displaced persons since the ravages of World War II. This is a clear result of the failure of the international community to resolve the Syrian as well as other political crises; and the inability of some of us to address the issues of poverty, marginalization and hopelessness.

Alarmed by the urgency of the matter, I appeal to the international community in its entirety to let no other calculations, but “humanitarianism” and “human dignity”, guide their thinking while responding to the Syrian refugee crisis. I wish to remind all nations of their moral and legal obligations under the international law to help those desperate refugees. In particular, I wish to express the OIC’s readiness to cooperate with the EU and its Member States and other partners in order to facilitate the successful settlement, resettlement and integration of the Syrian refugees in places where they can live in peace and dignity.

In order to stop this greatest humanitarian tragedy of our times, in its manifestation and root causes, we must act now; and we must act together.

UNCTAD [to 5 September 2015]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/AllPressRelease.aspx

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01 Sep 2015 –
Gaza could become uninhabitable in less than five years in wake of 2014 conflict and ongoing de-development, according to new UNCTAD report
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01 Sep 2015 –
Discriminatory policies lie behind new recession in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, UNCTAD report says

IMF [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Lagarde Urges More Global Action to Support Growth and Jobs
Press Release No. 15/403
September 5, 2015
Ms. Christine Lagarde, Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), issued the following statement at the conclusion of the Group of 20 (G20) Finance Minister and Central Bank Governor Meeting in Ankara:

“The G20 meeting took place at a time of renewed uncertainty for the global economy amidst rising financial market volatility, declining commodity prices, depreciating currencies in some countries, and China’s growth transition. Downside risks to the outlook have increased, particularly for emerging market economies. Against this backdrop, policy priorities have taken on even more urgency since we last met in April.

“The major challenge facing the global economy is that growth remains moderate and uneven. For the advanced economies, activity is projected to pick up only modestly this year and next. For the emerging market economies, prospects have weakened in 2015 relative to last year, though some rebound is projected next year. For both the advanced and emerging economies, productivity growth continues to be low.

“A concerted policy effort is needed to address these challenges, including continued accommodative monetary policy in advanced economies; growth-friendly fiscal policies; and structural reforms to boost potential output and productivity.

“It is also critical that the G20 increase their efforts to ensure a timely and effective implementation of their growth strategies. To keep the commitments made in Brisbane, more emphasis on implementation will be required between now and the G20 Summit in November when, along with the OECD, we will provide our assessment of progress toward the goal of achieving an additional two percent of GDP growth by 2018.

“I also welcome the G20’s additional commitment to take steps to promote greater inclusiveness, and to provide an enabling economic environment for developing countries as they pursue their sustainable development goals. I urge the G20 to actively support the positive outcomes of the Addis Ababa Conference on Financing for Development (FFD), as well as the climate change agenda to be further discussed by global leaders in Paris later this year. I also wholeheartedly welcome the G20 Turkish Presidency’s decision to establish the Women 20 (W20) – aimed at reducing the global gender gap – and look forward to addressing their inaugural meeting here in Ankara tomorrow.

“Finally, I fully share the G20’s deep disappointment with the continued delay in achieving the IMF’s 2010 Quota and Governance reforms. I continue to strongly urge the ratification of these reforms as soon as possible…

World Bank [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Youth Innovation Fund 2015: Empowering young people to translate ideas into jobs
Youth unemployment affects 73 million youth around the world. Each year the World Bank Group Youth Innovation Fund, a Youth-to-Youth flagship program, grants funding up to $10,000 for the implementation…
Date: September 4, 2015 Type: Feature Story

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Learning from West Africa to Build Stability and Security
What do Sierra Leone, Liberia, and Côte d’Ivoire have in common? They are all countries in West Africa that have successfully exited from civil war and large-scale conflicts, offering lessons in building…
Date: September 4, 2015 Type: Feature Story

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

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IPU and Ugandan Parliament continue partnership on maternal and child health
3 SEPTEMBER 2015
A new agreement between IPU and the Ugandan Parliament will build on efforts to improve maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) in the East African country. The agreement, signed by IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong and Speaker of the Ugandan Parliament Rebecca Kadaga in New York during the World Conference of Speakers of Parliament, will continue to strengthen the parliamentary response to a priority issue for the country.

Although progress has been made since 1990 when 780 women out of every 100,000 died giving birth and 178 out of every child under five died, the Millennium Development Goal targets set for maternal and child mortality rates have yet to be achieved.

IPU has been working with Uganda since 2012 when it developed a national strategy with goals and objectives to accelerate the reduction of maternal and child mortality rates. This included drafting and tabling renewed legislation on MNCH, advocacy training for Ugandan MPs, strengthening parliamentary committee capacity on tracking MNCH budgeting and accountability, and working with various other African parliaments on the issue. IPU and the Ugandan Parliament will kick-start this new phase with a review of the national strategy and make recommendations on what actions to take during the 10th Ugandan Parliament (2016-2021).

Amref Health Africa [to 5 September 2015]
http://amref.org/news/news/

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New Country Lead Appointed for Amref Health Africa in Kenya
Published: 03 September 2015
Dr Meshack Ndirangu Amref Health Africa has appointed Dr Meshack Ndirangu as the Country Director for the organisation’s programme in Kenya. Announcing the appointment today, Amref Health Africa CEO…

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Celebration as 1,200 Maasai Girls Escape the Cut
Published: 02 September 2015
A total of 1,200 Maasai girls from Kenya and Tanzania graduated to womanhood without being circumcised at a colourful event held on Friday, August 28, 2015 at Romboi Emanyatta grounds in Loitokitok…

BRAC [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.brac.net/content/stay-informed-news#.VPstwC5nBhV

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Debating for the right cause
30 August, 2015 The finale of BRAC Uganda’s Empowerment and Livelihood for Adolescents (ELA) programme debate competition was held in Metropole hotel in Kampala on 25 August 2015. ELA uses debate as a technique to engage girls in critical thinking and problem solving in their communities. At the beginning of the year, under the ELA programme, debate trainings were conducted where 8,310 girls competed within their clubs.

CARE International [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases.aspx

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CARE Reiterates Calls for Resettlement of Refugees and More Resources for Response in Neighbouring Countries
GLOBAL
4 SEPTEMBER 2015
The deaths of Alan, Ghalib and Rehanna Kurdi in the sea between Turkey and Greece this week is the latest, most visible tragedy of a crisis that has caused millions of individual tragedies over the last four years.

Danish Refugee Council [to 5 September 2015]
http://drc.dk/news/archive/

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DRC’s recommendations to the WHS
(02.09.15)
The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) submitted recommendations to the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS). The submission outlines six key recommendations for the WHS secretariat and the wider humanitarian…

ECPAT [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.ecpat.net/news

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ECPAT International and Arigatou International Co-host Geneva Discussions
Posted on 09/01/2015, 16:52
On 27 August 2015, ECPAT International co-hosted a full day of panel discussions with Arigatou International on the protection of children from all forms of violence.

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 5 September 2015]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index

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International Rescue Committee: US Commitment to Accept Up To 8,000 Syrians Not Enough
02 Sep 2015

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1.8 million affected by flash floods in Pakistan, the IRC providing emergency support for thousands
Posted by The IRC on August 31, 2015
The IRC is providing cash assistance and other support to thousands of displaced people in Pakistan’s Punjab and Sindh after recent flash floods affected nearly 1.8 million people.

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Greek island of Lesbos overwhelmed by 13,000 refugees says the IRC
Posted by The IRC on August 31, 2015

ICRC [to 5 September 2015]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new

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Voices to Action: Local needs to inform global discussions
Article
04 September 2015
How would you face an earthquake, a viral outbreak or a violent event?
Voices to Action, a new initiative from the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, aims to bring attention to the humanitarian crises that millions face every day, and gather insight on how prepared people feel to tackle local and global challenges.
At http://www.voicestoaction.org, visitors can experience real-life scenarios that people face during a natural disaster, health emergency and / or a violent event, and make decisions on how they would respond…

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Cambodia: Improving water systems in prisons
Video
04 September 2015
A meeting on water and infrastructure issues in Cambodian prisons, jointly run by the ICRC and the General Department of Prisons, brought together representatives from the General Department of Prison, the Secretary of State, the Ministry of Interior, and prison Directors nationwide

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South Sudan: Airdropping food into marshes
Article
03 September 2015
The ICRC is currently airdropping and distributing food rations in Toch, South Sudan, a remote area in Jonglei state – accessible only by boat or aircraft – where 1,500 of the 3,500 families registered by the ICRC for assistance are displaced.

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Sudan: ICRC facilitates handover of 18 people in Darfur
News release
03 September 2015
Khartoum/Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has assisted in the transfer of 13 Sudanese Armed Forces personnel, three Policemen and two civilians released by the Sudan Liberation Army – Abdul Wahid (SLA-AW), an armed opposition group in Darfur. They were handed over to the Sudanese authorities in Nyala, South Darfur.

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Nepal: Growing concerns over vandalism of ambulances
Kathmandu (ICRC/Nepal Red Cross Society) – Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have expressed serious concern over the growing incidents of vandalizing of ambulances by protestors in Tarai districts.
03-09-2015 | Article

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Nepal: Nine years into the peace process, relatives still in the dark about the fate of their missing members
The ICRC, Nepal Red Cross Society and National Network of Families of Disappeared and Missing Nepal (NEFAD) will come together to mark the 32nd International Day of the Disappeared, tomorrow 4 September 2015 in Kathmandu
03-09-2015 | News release

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Syria: Water used as weapon of war
The civilian population in the city of Aleppo is undergoing enormous suffering because of deliberate cuts to water and electricity supplies.
02-09-2015 | News release

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Yemen: Two ICRC staff members killed in attack
Two staff members of the ICRC have been shot and killed in Yemen. They were travelling with colleagues in a convoy between Saada and Sana’a when the attack happened earlier today.
02-09-2015 | News release

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Cambodia: Building confidence and camaraderie through wheelchair basketball
Pring Thorn was born with one-sided polio. She cannot walk without help, and has spent her life feeling isolated and alone. But everything changed one day when a friend invited her to watch a local wheelchair basketball game.
02-09-2015 | Video

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Iraq: Health care services in dire need of support
As the conflict spreads in Iraq, provision of health care diminishes due to staff shortages, damaged facilities and lack of resources.
01-09-2015 | Video

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Nigeria: Farmers returning from Cameroon sow future, with ICRC seed
A wide area of northern Nigeria is suffering the effects of fighting between Boko Haram and Nigerian armed forces. More than 40,000 people fled to neighbouring Cameroon. By the time they returned, crops and food stocks had been raided.
01-09-2015 | Photo gallery

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Global initiative seeks local solutions to global problems
International Committee of the Red Cross / International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies joint statement.
31-08-2015 | News release

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Lebanon: Time is running out
Today the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) held events across Lebanon to mark the International Day of the Disappeared.
30-08-2015 | News release