Value in Health
December 2015 Volume 18, Issue 8, p941-1162
http://www.valueinhealthjournal.com/current

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Impact and Cost-Effectiveness of Hypothetical Strategies to Enhance Retention in Care within HIV Treatment Programs in East Africa
Jason Kessler, Kimberly Nucifora, Lingfeng Li, Lauren Uhler, Scott Braithwaite
p946–955
Published online: November 16 2015
Preview
Attrition from care among HIV infected patients can lead to poor clinical outcomes. Our objective was to evaluate hypothetical interventions seeking to improve retention-in-care (RIC) for HIV-infected patients in East Africa, asking whether they could offer favorable value compared to earlier ART initiation.

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
__________________________________________________
Week ending 5 December 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 5 December 2015

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries  posted below on 6 December 2015

The Emissions Gap Report 2015
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
November 2015 :: 98 pages ISBN: 978-92-807-3491-1
Full Report pdf: http://uneplive.unep.org/media/docs/theme/13/EGR_2015_301115_lores.pdf

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Overview
The sixth UNEP Emissions Gap Report provides a scientific assessment of the impacts of the submitted Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs) on anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Like in the previous reports, this year’s report then compares the resulting emission level in 2030 with what science tells us is required to be on track towards the agreed political target of a temperature increase no more than 2°C by the end of the century. The report also provides data for the aspirational target of an increase below 1.5°C. In addition the report analyzes selected areas where enhanced action can be taken and how these actions can be accelerated and scaled up to close the ‘gap’.

The following key questions are addressed:
:: What are the latest estimates of long-term emissions consistent with the target of holding the global temperature rise within 2°C/1.5°C above pre-industrial levels?
:: What is the progress on implementation of the ‘Copenhagen Pledges’ and other national commitments
:: Will the combined INDCs for 2030 (if fully implemented) be enough to stay within the emission range required to be consistent with the temperature target?
:: What are possible contributions in some of the key areas where action can be accelerated to enhance the ambition of national pledges both in the period before 2020 and after 2020?

This year, International Cooperative Initiatives (ICIs) and reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) have been in the focus of the assessment. In addition an update is provided on the areas assessed in the earlier reports.

Executive Summary (English)

World Bank [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all

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World Bank Group unveils $16 Billion Africa Climate Business Plan to Tackle Urgent Climate Challenges
One third of funds expected to come from Bank’s fund for the poorest countries
WASHINGTON, November 24, 2015—The World Bank Group today unveiled a new plan that calls for $16 billion in funding to help African people and countries adapt to climate change and build up the continent’s resilience to climate shocks.

Titled Accelerating Climate-Resilient and Low-Carbon Development, the Africa Climate Business Plan will be presented at COP21, the global climate talks in Paris, on November 30. It lays out measures to boost the resilience of the continent’s assets – its people, land, water, and cities – as well as other moves including boosting renewable energy and strengthening early warning systems.

“Sub-Saharan Africa is highly vulnerable to climate shocks, and our research shows that could have far-ranging impact — on everything from child stunting and malaria to food price increases and droughts,” said World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim. “This plan identifies concrete steps that African governments can take to ensure that their countries will not lose hard-won gains in economic growth and poverty reduction, and they can offer some protection from climate change.”

Per current estimates, the plan says that the region requires $5-10 billion per year to adapt to global warming of 2°C.

The World Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme estimate that the cost of managing climate resilience will continue to rise to $20-50 billion by mid-century, and closer to $100 billion in the event of a 4°C warming.

Of the $16.1 billion that the ambitious plan proposes for fast-tracking climate adaptation, some $5.7 billion is expected from the International Development Association (IDA), the arm of the World Bank Group that supports the poorest countries. About $2.2 billion is expected from various climate finance instruments, $2.0 billion from others in the development community, $3.5 billion from the private sector, and $0.7 billion from domestic sources, with an additional $2.0 billion needed to deliver on the plan.

“The Africa Climate Business Plan spells out a clear path to invest in the continent’s urgent climate needs and to fast-track the required climate finance to ensure millions of people are protected from sliding into extreme poverty,” explains Makhtar Diop, World Bank Group Vice President for Africa. “While adapting to climate change and mobilizing the necessary resources remain an enormous challenge, the plan represents a critical opportunity to support a priority set of climate-resilient initiatives in Africa.”

The plan will boost the region’s ability to adapt to a changing climate while reducing greenhouse emissions, focusing on a number of concrete actions. It identifies a dozen priority areas for action that will enhance Africa’s capacity to adapt to the adverse consequences of climate variation and change.

The first area for action aims to boost the resilience of the continent’s assets. These comprise natural capital (landscapes, forests, agricultural land, inland water bodies, oceans); physical capital (cities, transport infrastructure, physical assets in coastal areas); and human and social capital (where efforts should include improving social protection for the people most vulnerable to climate shocks, and addressing climate-related drivers of migration)…

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World Bank Statement of Support for ‘State of City Climate Finance’ report launched at COP21
PARIS, December 4, 2015 — The World Bank supports the ‘The State of City Climate Finance’ report launched today by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and international partners at the Climate Summit…
Date: December 4, 2015 Type: Press Release

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Joint Statement by the Multilateral Development Banks on Sustainable Transport and Climate Change
MDBs Join Forces to Ramp up Climate Action in Transport
…We recognize the importance of improving the climate resilience of transport systems. We commit to building awareness of the need to protect transport services so that they can continue to deliver social and economic benefits under current and future climate change scenarios. We will work towards building a more systematic approach to mainstreaming climate resilience in transport policies, plans and investments through developing improved tools and methodologies, capacity building and project financing. To this end, we have been working with other international financial institutions to screen potential climate risks in our project pipelines…
Date: December 2, 2015 Type: Press Release
[1] African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, CAF–Development Bank of Latin America, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and the World Bank.

AfDB to support electricity access for all by 2030 with African Renewable Energy Initiative
02/12/2015 – African Development Bank Group
Africa has launched an ambitious African Renewable Energy Initiative (AREI) as the continent’s a major contribution to Conference of Parties (COP21) taking place in Paris, France.
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The launch of the initiative which aims to produce 300 gigawatts (GW) of electricity for the continent by 2030 is a demonstration of Africa’s leadership in the UN climate negotiations.

The initiative’s goals are to help achieve sustainable development, enhance well-being and sound economic development by ensuring universal access to sufficient amounts of clean, appropriate and affordable energy.

The project also aims to help African countries leapfrog towards renewable energy systems that support their low-carbon development strategies while enhancing economic and energy security.

The initiative is expected to deliver 10 GW of new and additional renewable energy generation capacity by 2020 and mobilize the African potential to generate at least 300 GW by 2030.

AREI is an outcome of African leadership in Workstream II of the Durban Platform including their May 2014 proposal for a global renewable energy support programme.
The initiative has been endorsed by African Heads of State (AU Assembly and Committee of African Heads of State and Government on Climate Change) and Ministers of Environment (AMCEN) the G7 (Elmau Summit) the G20 (Energy Summit)…

Speaking during the launch of the project at the Africa Pavillion in Paris, Akinwumi Adesina, the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), one of the major sponsors of the initiative, said the institution will triple its financing to climate change initiatives by 2020 dedicating 40 percent of the Bank’s resources to such efforts.

He regretted that Africa is often referred to as a dark continent because majority of the residents have no access to electricity. “Africa has 640 million of its people who don’t have access to electricity. A total of 7 million Africans have no access to clean energy and majority use charcoal and kerosene. This always leads to deaths. We must stop this,” Adesina said.

He added, “The initiative is a game-changer as Africa loses 4 per cent of its GDP due to lack of clean energy. Sunshine should do more than just nourish our crops. It must light our homes. Our massive water resources should do more than water our farms, it should power our industries. Potential is important, but homes and industries cannot be powered by potential. Africa must unlock its renewable energy potentials.”…

…The African Development Bank is working to put in place all necessary arrangements to host AREI Delivery Unit as well as serve as the Trustee as requested by the AREI Partners and ensure the immediate implementation of the initiative. It fits well with the Bank’s New Deal on Energy for Africa that has an ambitious target of universal access by 2025 (which entails 100% urban access and 95% rural access).

Child-centred adaptation: Realising children’s rights in a changing climate
Children in a Changing Climate Coalition – ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF, World Vision International
December 2015 :: 28 pages
Pdf: https://plan-international.org/realising-childrens-rights-changing-climate#download-options

Overview
This Children in a Changing Climate coalition report argues that children should be a focus of efforts to address climate change and play an active part in the decisions that shape their present and future.

In developing countries, climate change is projected to exacerbate the top 5 causes of death for children under 5. Children are the least responsible for creating climate change but will bear the brunt of its impacts.

The report calls on governments to commit to 6 priority actions in the implementation of their climate change commitments and highlights child-centred case studies on tackling climate change from across the world.

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Our recommendations [Excerpt from report]
The analysis that follows shows that children should be a focus of efforts to address climate change, and play an active part in the decisions that shape their present and future. Members of the Children in a Changing Climate coalition call on governments to commit to six priority actions in the implementation of their climate change commitments.

1 Recognise the unique needs and capacities of children
Child-centred approaches to adaptation are effective and should be included prominently in local and national climate change and development planning processes. existing adaptation policies, guidelines and strategies should be reviewed to ensure that children are visible, that their rights are being respected, and that the root causes of girls’ and boys’ vulnerability are addressed. Newly developed plans, including national adaptation Plans, should include child-centred approaches and ensure that children’s rights are integrated into policy implementation.

2 Engage children in adaptation decision-making, implementation and monitoring
Children are capable of developing and implementing innovative solutions to complex problems. local and national decision makers should provide the space and resources for children to contribute to adaptation actions as well as to develop their own solutions to the specific local climate change impacts that affect them. children’s views and ideas, and their right to participate in decisions that affect them, must be respected.

3. Provide children access to the global stage – and listen to them
As countries implement commitments under the UNFCCC, children should be closely engaged in the design, implementation and monitoring of actions. children’s monitoring role should include a facility through which they are able to report back to future conferences of the Parties to help the UnFccc track progress and promote cross-learning between nations.

4 Build a climate change and adaptation literate generation
Under article 6 of the UNFCCC, governments have agreed that educating, empowering and engaging all stakeholders, including children and young people, is an essential part of the response to climate change. climate change and risk reduction education helps increase the adaptive capacity of children and their communities, fosters environmental stewardship and contributes to effective adaptation actions. increasing children’s understanding of the risks of climate change empowers them to influence decisions that affect their safety and wellbeing. governments should work to integrate climate change and adaptation into school curricula and ensure teacher training programmes include up-to-date and locally-relevant climate change information..

5 Focus on the most vulnerable
Adaptation efforts should focus on the most vulnerable groups, including children. actions should be based on meaningful, gender-sensitive and inclusive consultations and participatory design processes that result in programmes that fully address the needs of the most vulnerable. adaptation funding allocations should be based on need, with more funding flowing to local level actions in particularly vulnerable communities and high-risk areas.

6 Prioritise community-based adaptation
Governments should prioritise local-level adaptation actions when framing and implementing national adaptation Plans. Adaptation needs are greatest at the local level, where vulnerable people will be most affected. to date, the majority of adaptation funding has flowed to national-level projects. it is critical that funding for community-based adaptation is significantly scaled up to address priority needs and start closing the adaptation deficit. the specific needs, rights…

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About Children in a Changing Climate Coalition
The Children in a Changing Climate (CCC) coalition is a partnership of five leading child-centred development and humanitarian organisations: ChildFund Alliance, Plan International, Save the Children, UNICEF and World Vision International. We have a commitment to share knowledge, coordinate and work with children as agents of change, in full recognition of their capacity to prepare for and respond to shocks and stressors. The mandate of the CCC coalition is to advocate for and promote the rights of children in global agreements.

As child-centred organisations, CCC coalition members believe that addressing climate change is fundamental to safeguarding children’s rights. Strong and urgent action is required if we are to ensure our children inherit a world with greater opportunities for prosperity and wellbeing. And, with serious impacts now unavoidable, we believe that child-centred adaptation should be a key component of the global response to climate change.

While many governments and development partners, including the United Nations, have worked to address climate change, children have been under-represented in multilateral and national discussions to date. This must change if we are

to enact the words contained in the post-2015 agreements and empower children to create a better world. Members of the CCC coalition will continue to work with and for children to ensure their voices are heard, their needs met and their rights and capacities to act strengthened as the world strives to address the threat of climate change.

Refugee Crisis: Greece activates EU Civil protection mechanism, agrees Frontex operation at border with former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and triggers RABIT mechanism
Date: 03/12/2015
Greece has today taken three actions to address the refugee crisis, activating EU mechanisms designed to assist in crisis situations.

Greece has today activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to benefit from material support to help cope with the influx of refugees and asylum seekers in the country. Greece has requested items such as tents, generators, beds, sanitary equipment and emergency first aid kits. This voluntary delivery of aid is coordinated by the European Commission’s Emergency Response Coordination Centre (ERCC) which is working closely with the Greek authorities and the other participating states in the Mechanism for a swift response to the request.

Greece has also today agreed an operational plan with Frontex for a new operation at the Greek border with the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, where the agency will assist with the registration of migrants. The deployment of additional officers will begin next week.

Greece has also today put in a formal request for the deployment a Rapid Border Intervention Team operation to provide immediate border guard support at its external border in the Aegean islands. Frontex will now process the request as a matter of priority.

Over 50,000 people have arrived in Greece since 1 November. The scale is immense and the Commission is working very closely with the Greek authorities to assist them in this challenge…

Syrian refugee crisis: EU Trust Fund launches single biggest EU response package ever for €350 million, helping up to 1.5 million refugees and their host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq
Brussels, 1 December 2015
Today’s € 350 million aid package under the EU Trust Fund is the single biggest EU measure in response to the Syrian refugee crisis to date.

Today, the EU Regional Trust Fund in Response to the Syrian crisis adopted a package of programmes totalling €350 million, the single biggest EU measure in response to the Syrian refugee crisis to date. The programmes will in the coming months help up to 1.5 million Syrian refugees and overstretched host communities in Lebanon, Turkey, Jordan and Iraq through the provision of basic education and child protection, better access to healthcare, improved water and waste-water infrastructure, as well as support to resilience, economic opportunities and social inclusion

Federica Mogherini, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy/Vice-President of the European Commission stated that: “Today’s decision is concrete evidence of EU solidarity with Jordan, Lebanon, Turkey, those countries hosting the largest number of Syrian refugees who flee violence and persecutions. The war in Syria is the biggest humanitarian crisis we have been facing for decades, we have a duty to provide support to refugees and the communities that are hosting them.

“The Trust Fund will enable more than 1.5 million Syrians to receive access to education, water, food and health care. In addition, it will help us be ready to ensure that if a ceasefire is in place, we can rapidly deliver on the ground inside Syria. A lasting solution to the refugee crisis will only be achieved through a political process leading to a transition, led by Syrian themselves, to put the country back to stability and peace. The EU will spare no effort to contribute to launch the political process, in parallel to the fight against Daesh and terrorist organisations.”

Background:
The €350 million aid package consists of four different programmes:

€140 million education programme will finance a massive scale-up of support to the Ministries of Education in Turkey, Lebanon and Jordan to enable them to enrol an additional 172,000 refugee children in school, while also providing for accelerated learning programmes, non-formal and early childhood education and child protection activities. It comprises 3 levels of action: (i) a multi-country programme with UNICEF focusing on Lebanon and Turkey, (ii) several multi-country actions by European NGO groupings focusing on retention support, non-formal and early childhood education, and (iii) additional direct support to the Jordanian Ministry of Education. Together, these actions will target up to 587,000 school-age children and adolescents that are currently out-of-school. As a result the EU Trust Fund financing will close the remaining gap to achieve the long pursued goal of bringing 1 million Syrian refugee children into education this school year.

€130 million resilience & local development programme responds to the urgent need of improving economic opportunities for refugees and vulnerable host communities beyond dependency on humanitarian relief. It will be implemented through a mix of single-country and multi-country activities by European NGOs, EU Member States development agencies, and the Red Cross/Red Crescent movement. The programme will target more than 200 communities and 400,000 people across the region and notably in Turkey, addressing basic financial needs of vulnerable families, engaging unemployed and disillusioned youth through work, skills development and community engagement in preparation of a future return to Syria, while also mitigating tensions between host and refugee communities.

€55 million health programme aims to widen and enhance access of refugees across the region to primary, secondary and tertiary health care, psycho-social support, and protection from sexual and gender-based violence. It will reach and benefit at least 700,000 refugees with a focus on Turkey and Lebanon. In addition, specific healthcare support is foreseen in northern Iraq.

€25 million will be used to set-up a water, sanitation and hygiene programme for Syrian refugees and host communities in Jordan and Lebanon, where the needs for supporting municipal water and wastewater services are biggest. It is expected to benefit up to 1 million people…

The State of World Population 2015 :: SHELTER FROM THE STORM – A transformative agenda for women and girls in a crisis-prone world
UNFPA, United Nations Population Fund, 2015 :: 140 pages
ISBN 978-0-89714-987-7
Pdf: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/hjwiCccQzeCTrGfbCidafWBVtjqM

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Foreword
More than 100 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance—more than at any time since the end of the Second World War. Among those displaced by conflict or uprooted by disaster are tens of millions of women and adolescent girls. This report is a call to action to meet their needs and ensure their rights.

While remarkable progress has been achieved during the past decade protecting the health and rights of women and adolescent girls in humanitarian settings, the growth in need has outstripped the growth in funding and services. Yet, these services are of critical importance, especially for very young adolescent girls, who are the most vulnerable and least able to confront the many challenges they face, even in stable times…

…Today about three fifths of all maternal deaths take place in humanitarian and fragile contexts. Every day 507 women and adolescent girls die from complications of pregnancy and childbirth in emergency situations and in fragile States. And gender-based violence continues to
take a brutal toll, shattering lives and prospects for peace and recovery.

Together we must transform humanitarian action by placing the health and rights of women and young people at the centre of our priorities. At the same time, we must invest heavily in institutions and actions that build girls’ and women’s human capital and agency and in the resilience of communities and nations over the long run so that when a new crisis strikes, disruption and dislocation may be minimized and recovery may be accelerated.

For its part, UNFPA remains committed to the full realization of the sexual and reproductive
health and rights of all women and girls, wherever they live, and under all conditions, crisis or otherwise, at all times. The surfeit of conflicts and disasters all around us today means that UNFPA is delivering a larger share of its services in crisis settings.

When women and girls can obtain sexual and reproductive health services, along with a variety of humanitarian programmes that deliberately tackle inequalities, the benefits of interventions grow exponentially and carry over from the acute phase of a crisis well into the future as countries and communities rebuild and people reclaim their lives.

Together we must strive for a world where women and girls are no longer disadvantaged in multiple ways but are equally empowered to realize their full potential, and contribute to the development and stability of their communities and nations—before, during or after a crisis.

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Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin
United Nations Under-Secretary-General and
Executive Director
UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund

Heat, Light and Power for Refugees :: Saving Lives, Reducing Costs
Chatham House Report for the Moving Energy Initiative
Glada Lahn and Owen Grafham
The Royal Institute of International Affairs, November 2015 :: 69 pages
Pdf: http://r.smartbrief.com/resp/hjwiCccQzeCTrGfICidafWBVLwrN

Foreward by Kofi Annan
There are now 60 million forcibly displaced people on our planet – more than the population of Australia and Canada combined. They include refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced persons (IDPs).

This numbing figure is likely to increase further unless concerted action is taken to address the root causes of violent conflict. At a time when the humanitarian system is overstretched and underfunded, nothing could be more urgent.

In the meantime, the imperative is to find humane, creative and cost-effective ways to respond to the needs of so many individuals, most of whom are women and children.
Improving access to clean, safe and sustainable energy offers a promising way forward.

Everybody needs energy services for light, heat, cooling, communication and mobility. However, as the MEI highlights, the costs of energy access and provision are unnecessarily high, whether measured in terms of finance, the environment, health or security.

Entrepreneurship and amazing advances in technology are not being used systematically to respond to the needs of uprooted people or the communities that host them.
Getting this right could yield significant benefits for humanitarian organizations, host authorities and governments and above all for the livelihoods and ignity of the forcibly displaced.

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Executive Summary [initial text]
Displacement of people as a result of conflict is not a new phenomenon – but today it represents an unprecedented global challenge. The gap between the needs of growing
numbers of displaced people and the resources and political will to meet their needs is widening. For example, voluntary contributions met less than half the $3.05 billion increase in the UNHCR’s funding requirement between 2009 and 2013.

Energy is one critical area which illustrates this problem but also offers potential for practical redress. Energy services are essential for basic human protection and dignity, two of the core ethical aims of humanitarian assistance. Energy services provide cooking, lighting, heating and clean water, and underpin all but the most rudimentary income-earning activities. Yet millions of displaced people lack access to clean, safe and secure energy services, in part because funding for such services is inadequate. The lack of reliable data on energy use in the humanitarian field shows that it is a neglected area. But the evidence amassed in the course of this project reveals a huge opportunity to provide better and more sustainable energy services.

Drawing on open-source data, interviews and field surveys, this report offers the first global overview of the state of energy use among almost 60 million people forcibly displaced by conflict. It considers the mounting financial and human costs of their current methods of obtaining energy, and assesses the economic, environmental and human case for change…

Google and FAO partner to make remote sensing data more efficient and accessible
Partnership enhances ability to assess changing forest and to estimate greenhouse gas emissions

1 December, Paris – Google Maps and FAO have agreed to work closely together to make geospatial tracking and mapping products more accessible, providing a high-technology assist to countries tackling climate change and much greater capacity to experts developing forest and land-use policies.

Digital technology tapping into satellite imagery is revolutionizing the way countries can assess, monitor and plan the use of their natural resources, including monitoring deforestation and desertification…

…The three-year partnership between Google Maps and FAO is designed to foster innovation and expertise and sharply broaden access to easy-to-use digital tools. It ushers in a major ramping up of existing collaboration between the two organizations and will boost the visibility and implementation of efforts to encourage sustainable environmental practices around the world.

“This partnership is powerful because it unites the complementary strengths of UN FAO and Google,” said Rebecca Moore, Director, Google Earth, Earth Engine & Earth Outreach. “FAO has decades of hard-won experience working on the ground in hundreds of countries on thousands of projects. Meanwhile, Google technology is at the cutting edge of big data, cloud computing, and transformatively-simple mapping tools. The FAO Collect Earth application brilliantly builds on top of Google Earth and Earth Engine to provide a simple but powerful global and national forest carbon monitoring tool, empowering countries as diverse as Chile, Panama, Namibia, Papua New Guinea, Tunisia and Bhutan. We look forward to further strengthening this partnership in support of global climate action and sustainable development.”

Concretely, Google Maps will provide 1,200 trusted tester credentials on Google Earth Engine to FAO staff and partners, while also providing training and receiving feedback on users’ needs and experiences.

FAO will train its own staff and technical experts in member countries, upon their requests,, to use free and open source software tools developed within its Open Foris Initiative and using Google technology, for example Earth Engine.

The partnership foresees sharing knowledge and identifying needs that will broaden the kind of satellite data collected, broadening the focus to monitoring drylands and agricultural crop productivity…

Commitment to Development Index 2015
Center for Global Development
Petra Krylováa and Owen Barder
12/4/15
The Commitment to Development Index ranks 27 of the world’s richest countries on policies that affect the more than five billion people living in poorer nations. Those policies extend well beyond giving foreign aid, which is just one of seven components on the CDI: Aid; Finance; Technology; Environment; Trade; Security; Migration

The Index gives credit for generous and high-quality aid, financial transparency and incentives for foreign direct investment, robust support for technological research and development, policies that protect the environment, open and fair trade policies, contributions to global security, and open immigration policies. Scores are reduced for barriers to imports from developing countries, selling arms to poor and undemocratic nations, barriers to sharing technology, and policies that harm shared environmental resources.

Visit cgdev.org/cdi to explore the Commitment to Development Index, view additional publications and background papers, and dive deeper into the CDI methodology, data, and code.

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage

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4 December 2015
SG/SM/17387-HR/5279-OBV/1564
Secretary-General, in Message for Human Rights Day, Urges Concerted Global Action to Protect, Promote Fundamental Freedoms, Birthright of All Peoples

4 December 2015
SG/SM/17388-ENV/DEV/1609
Secretary-General Calls New Report of Climate Finance Leadership Alliance ‘Launch Pad’ for Future Cities’ ‘True Transformation’
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s opening remarks, as prepared for delivery, at the launch of the Cities Climate Finance Leadership Alliance report on “State of City Climate Finance”, in Paris.

3 December 2015
SG/SM/17385-HR/5278-OBV/1563
Secretary-General Stresses Need to Account for ‘Unconsidered and Unheard’ Needs of Persons with ‘Invisible’ Disabilities, at International Day Observance
Following are UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s remarks at the opening ceremony of the observance of the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, in New York.

3 December 2015
SG/A/1616*-BIO/4794*-ENV/DEV/1607
Secretary-General Appoints David Nabarro of United Kingdom Special Adviser on 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of David Nabarro of the United Kingdom as Special Adviser on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. The Special Adviser will work with Member States and other relevant stakeholders to galvanize action on implementation of the Agenda, while also overseeing the Secretary-General’s special initiatives, for example, “Every Woman Every Child”.

3 December 2015
GA/11734
General Assembly Adopts without Vote Two Resolutions Calling for Concerted Global Efforts to Advance Culture of Peace, Non-Violence, Tolerance
Confronting an increasingly polarized world where religious intolerance, discrimination, xenophobia, conflict and the emergence of new extremist ideologies abounded, the General Assembly today adopted, without a vote, two resolutions that stressed the advancement of a culture of peace and non-violence based on education, tolerance, dialogue and cooperation.

1 December 2015
SG/A/1614*-BIO/4792*-HR/5277
Secretary-General Appoints Kate Gilmore of Australia As Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today announced the appointment of Kate Gilmore of Australia as Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights. She will succeed Flavia Pansieri of Italy, to whom the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner for Human Rights are grateful for her dedicated service to the United Nations human rights programme during the past three years, following a long and distinguished career in the United Nations system around the world.

1 December 2015
SG/SM/17379-HR/5276-OBV/1560
Use 2030 Agenda as Road Map to Free World’s Enslaved People, Secretary-General Says, in Message Marking International Day for Abolition of Slavery

SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [to 5 December 2015]
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/virtual-library/press-release-archive/

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02 Dec 2015
Iraq: Report Describes Conflict with Dramatic Consequences for Children
New York – Iraq has been engulfed in a wave of violence with dramatic consequences for children, states the second report of the Secretary-General on children and armed conflict in Iraq, covering the period from 1 January 2011 to 30 June 2015.

Killing and maiming, acts of extreme violence, the abduction of close to 1,400 boys and girls, recurrent attacks on schools and hospitals, the recruitment and use of children and sexual violence used as a tactic of war by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), are a few examples of the grim reality faced by the children of Iraq.

“The lives of boys and girls have been deeply affected by the deteriorating security situation in Iraq. The Government of Iraq faces tremendous challenges to protect the country’s children, who urgently need to be shielded from this brutal conflict,” said Leila Zerrougui, Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict.

High number of child casualties
Despite limited access for monitoring and reporting due to the volatile security situation, the United Nations documented more than 3,000 child casualties, making killing and maiming the violation that affected children the most.

Attacks using tactics of extreme violence, allegedly perpetrated by Al-Qaeda in Iraq, Islamic State in Iraq, ISIL, account for more than half of all documented child casualties. From 2011 to 2013, most child casualties were the result of improvised explosive devices…

UN OCHA [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases
[We generally do not include OCHA Flash Updates on humanitarian crises in this digest]

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04 Dec 2015
Central African Republic: Statement by the Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic, Mr. Aurélien A. Agbénonci, 4 December 2015
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Central African Republic (Bangui, 4 December 2015): The Humanitarian Coordinator in the Central African Republic, Mr. Aurélien A. Agbénonci strongly condemns attack on internally displaced site in Ngakobo, which resulted in the death of 8 civilians. One of the U.N. peacekeepers defending the site was wounded. Armed men attacked the IDP site, 60 km south of Bambari on 3 December…

30 Nov 2015
Iraq: Deputy UN Relief Chief Kyung-Wha Kang Says Iraqi Humanitarian Crisis Deserves Much More Attention
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Iraq (Baghdad/Erbil, 30 November 2015): Kyung-wha Kang, the United Nations Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs visited Baghdad and Erbil to discuss the humanitarian crisis. “The human cost of the crisis is devastating. We are extremely worried that all indicators point to a dramatically worsening situation in the months ahead,” Ms. Kang said. “I spoke with women who had lost virtually everything…

UNICEF [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_78364.html
Selected press releases

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Closing the gaps in Bulgaria: UNICEF urges greater investment in the youngest and most vulnerable children
SOFIA, Bulgaria, 4 December 2015 –At the conclusion of a three-day visit to Bulgaria, UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake commended the government’s commitment to children. He also discussed with the government the importance of prioritizing investments in early childhood development and in reaching the most disadvantaged and marginalized children.

Statement by UNICEF Iraq Representative, Peter Hawkins and UN Special Representative of the Secretary General for Iraq, Ján Kubiš
BAGHDAD, Iraq, 3 December 2015 – The ongoing conflict in Iraq is taking a heavy toll on the country’s most vulnerable citizens – its children.

Germany’s €250 million contribution will reach children in the world’s most volatile conflicts – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 1 December, 2015 – The German Government’s contribution of €250 million this year will reach millions of children caught in conflict, UNICEF said today.

Harsh weather, border restrictions – New blow to children on the move, says UNICEF
GENEVA, 1 December 2015 – Unpredictable border restrictions and harsh weather are compounding the hardships and challenges for refugee and migrant children and women who now account for more than half of all arrivals by sea.

Asia-Pacific region facing a ‘hidden epidemic’ of HIV among adolescents, new report finds
BANGKOK, 30 November – The Asia-Pacific region is facing a ‘hidden epidemic’ of HIV among adolescents. There were an estimated 50,000 new HIV infections among adolescents aged 15-19 in 2014, accounting for 15 per cent of new infections.

Nepal: Serious shortage of essential supplies threatens millions of children this winter – UNICEF
KATHMANDU, Nepal, 30 November 2015 – More than 3 million children under the age of 5 in Nepal are at risk of death or disease during the harsh winter months due to a severe shortage of fuel, food, medicines and vaccines – warns UNICEF

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

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UNHCR: Bay of Bengal boat movements manageable with regional cooperation
4 December 2015

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UNHCR welcomes the Conclusions of the EU Justice and Home Affairs Council on Statelessness
4 December 2015
The UNHCR Director of the Bureau for Europe, Vincent Cochetel, welcomed the adoption of the first EU Council Conclusions on statelessness, on 4 December 2015, which acknowledge the importance of identifying stateless persons and strengthening their protection.

“By adopting the Conclusions, the Council took a significant step forward towards a comprehensive approach to statelessness in the European Union” said Cochetel “Adopting new statelessness determination procedures and improving the existing ones is instrumental to identify and reduce the number of stateless people, strengthen their protection and eliminate the risk of discrimination against them.”

Among other provisions, the Conclusions invite the European Commission to launch exchanges of good practises among Member States and encourage the active coordination of national contact points, through the European Migration Network. In addition, the Council welcomes the UNHCR 10-year #IBELONG campaign to end statelessness by 2024.
UNHCR estimates that there are more than 600,000 stateless people living in Europe, over 400,000 in the European Union. “In particular, conflict and displacement are placing children at greater risk of statelessness.” added Cochetel “This is due to a combination of factors, including difficulties in acquiring birth certificates, increased family separation, gaps and gender discrimination in nationality laws and inadequate civil registration in countries of birth, including in Europe.”

UNHCR calls on Member States to actively identify and protect stateless persons and those at risk of statelessness, and welcomes the active role of the Luxembourg Presidency of the Council of the European Union in putting statelessness on the EU’s agenda. UNHCR looks forward to continuing working with European institutions in this respect.

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UNHCR concerned by violence at Greek border, calls for improved security
3 December 2015

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases
Selected Press Releases

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IOM Begins Canadian Refugee Resettlement Operations in Lebanon
12/04/15
Lebanon – IOM, in collaboration with the Canadian government, UNHCR and partners, today began refugee resettlement operations in Lebanon.

IOM Monitors Greece-FYRoM Border Amid Security Concerns
12/04/15
Greece – The situation at Greece’s border with the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYRoM) is extremely tense.

Better Policies Needed to Help Migrants, IOM Tells Special Meeting in Bangkok
12/04/15
Thailand – “Bad policies are unintentionally subsidizing the smugglers,” says IOM’s Director General William Lacy Swing.

IOM Highlights Needs of Deported Afghan Minors
12/04/15
Afghanistan – Unaccompanied minors make up the largest group of vulnerable Afghans returning from Iran, yet the needs of the children who make this dangerous cross-border journey are often overlooked.

IOM Aids Cyclone-Hit Communities in Socotra, Yemen
12/04/15
Yemen – In the first two weeks of November 2015, two cyclones, Chapala and Megh, made landfall across the southern coast of Yemen. As part of ongoing support to the affected population, IOM provided humanitarian assistance to over 2,000 vulnerable internal displaced families on the island of Socotra.

IOM Helps Stranded Malian Migrants to Leave Libya, Return Home
12/04/15
Mali – On Tuesday (1/12) IOM, in collaboration with the Libyan and Malian authorities, helped 170 stranded Malian migrants, including 20 women and 150 men, to return home from the Libyan capital, Tripoli.

IOM Tanzania Targets Health, Mobility and HIV Prevention on World Aids Day
12/04/15
Tanzania – HIV / AIDS remains a major public health issue around the world and has been responsible for over 35 million deaths to date. Migrants and mobile populations are recognised as being at a high risk of HIV infection as they frequently face marginalisation, exclusion and various barriers to accessing health promotion and care.

IOM Cote d’Ivoire Assesses Counter Trafficking Project on Liberian Border
12/04/15
Côte d’Ivoire – IOM Cote d’Ivoire has led a two-day evaluation mission to the town of San Pedro on the Liberian border as a part of its Akoma counter trafficking project.

IOM, Canada Open Processing Center in Amman, Jordan for Canada-bound Refugees
12/01/15
Jordan – IOM, together with its partners, began the process of registering Syrian refugees slated for resettlement in Canada from Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey.

Children Account for 20% of Maritime Arrivals to Europe in 2015: IOM and UNICEF
12/01/15
Germany – IOM’s Global Migration Data Analysis Centre and UNICEF shows that children make up at least one in five of the 870,000 arrivals to Europe in 2015.

Migrants Should Not be Left Behind in Fight to Eradicate AIDS
12/01/15
Switzerland – With 15 million people already accessing life-saving HIV treatment, UNAIDS estimates that the world is on the fast track to end AIDS.

UK Backs Lifesaving IOM Operations in South Sudan
12/01/15
South Sudan – The United Kingdom has increased its support of IOM’s lifesaving operations for vulnerable populations across South Sudan. Needs remain immense two years into the crisis, with an estimated 1.7 million people internally displaced and millions more in urgent need of assistance.

Cameroon Internal Displacement Tops 158,000
12/01/15
Cameroon – According to the first round of IOM’s Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), 158,316 people or 27,919 households are now internally displaced in the Far North region of Cameroon.

IOM Senegal, Spain Launch Youth Centre for Entrepreneurship Training
12/01/15
Senegal – A Centre for Training and Assistance to Entrepreneurship was officially launched on Friday 27th November in Guédiawaye, on the outskirts of Dakar, by Senegal’s Director of the National Agency for the Promotion of Youth Employment (ANPEJ).

IOM, Partners Host Workshop to Address Irregular Migration in Southern Africa
12/01/15
South Africa – Following the Migration Dialogue for Southern Africa (MIDSA) Conference held in Zimbabwe in July 2015, IOM, UNHCR, UNODC, UNICEF and Save the Children International yesterday (30/11) jointly launched a regional stakeholder workshop to facilitate technical discussions for the implementation of priority actions identified at the 2015 Ministerial MIDSA.

Singaporean Students Pilot Interactive Counter Trafficking App
12/01/15
Thailand – IOM’s IOM X Campaign, along with its partners USAID, the U.S. Embassy Singapore and Microsoft, yesterday presented the findings from IOM X Connect Singapore – its pilot outreach project aimed at raising public awareness for the issue of human trafficking in Singapore.

UN Women [to 5 December 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories
Selected Press Releases

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“Women and girls are essential climate actors” —Lakshmi Puri in Paris
Date: 04 December 2015
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at GLOBE International’s annual legislators’ summit dubbed “Towards Coherence and Impact” at the Assemblé Nationale of Paris, 4 December 2015.

Empowering and including women and girls with disabilities
Date: 02 December 2015
Women and girls with disabilities remain at the margins of decision-making and work on gender equality. For too long, the specific needs of women with disabilities have been invisible, both to the advocates of women’s rights and those of disability rights

Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for World AIDS Day
Date: 01 December 2015
In her statement for World AIDS day, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka highlights the importance of breaking down barriers that stop women and girls demanding health care services and realizing their rights

UN launches regional programme to eradicate child marriage
Date: 30 November 2015
In Panama City on 24 November, on occasion of the beginning of the 16 days of activism and the commemoration of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, the regional offices of UN Women, UNFPA, UNAIDS, UNICEF and the Pan American Health Organization, presented a new joint programme for the eradication of child marriage.

WHO & Regionals [to 5 December 2015]

Improving the quality of care at birth
4 December 2015 — Worldwide, the majority of maternal and newborn deaths occur around the time of birth, typically within the first 24 hours after childbirth. Most of these deaths are preventable. WHO’s new “Safe Childbirth Checklist and Implementation Guide” targets the major causes of maternal and newborn complications and deaths, including post-partum haemorrhage, infection, obstructed labour, preeclampsia and birth asphyxia.

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First ever global estimates of foodborne diseases
3 December 2015 — Almost one third (30%) of all deaths from foodborne diseases are in children under the age of 5 years, despite the fact that they make up only 9% of the global population. This is among the findings of WHO’s “Estimates of the global burden of foodborne diseases” – the most comprehensive report to date on the impact of contaminated food on health and wellbeing. The report estimates the burden of foodborne diseases caused by 31 agents – bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins and chemicals.
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Global Alert and Response (GAR) – Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: 4 December 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
:: 3 December 2015 Zika virus infection – Venezuela
:: 3 December 2015 Zika virus infection – Mexico
:: 3 December 2015 Zika virus infection – Paraguay
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30 November 2015
:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: The health challenges posed by urbanization must be addressed through cross-sector policies, experts say (12/03/2015)
:: PAHO/WHO and Foreign Medical Teams Examine How to Strengthen Emergency Response to Outbreaks and Disasters (12/01/2015)
:: Data from 17 countries and territories in the Americas point to elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV and syphilis (11/30/2015)

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: More than 23 million people in the WHO European Region fall ill from unsafe food every year 03-12-2015
:: Papers invited for Public Health Panorama 30-11-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
No new digest content identified.

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.