Norwegian Refugee Council [to 12 December 2015]

Norwegian Refugee Council [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.nrc.no/

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Climate Change – COP21
NRC in Paris
Ane Høyem (10.12.2015)
NRC will advocate towards negotiators at COP21 to ensure that displacement and human mobility is included in the agreement. NRC will also play a role by organizing or presenting at 11 different events in Paris over the next two weeks.

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Kampala Convention
Tool to protect
Tuva Raanes Bogsnes (10.12.2015)
Internal displacement continues to impose hardship upon millions of people in Africa. The Kampala Convention continues to provide a solid hope and the collective resolve in alleviating continued suffering.

The African Union Convention on the Protection and Assistance of Internally Displaced Persons in Africa – more commonly known as The Kampala Convention obliges African governments to protect the rights of people who are forced to flee their homes by armed conflict, violence, human rights violations and disasters…

Pact [to 12 December 2015]

Pact [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.pactworld.org/press-releases
Selected Press Releases, Blog Posts

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December 10, 2015
Helping vulnerable people exercise their voice, access their rights
“Our Rights. Our Freedoms. Always.” That’s the theme for this year’s Human Rights Day. At Pact, we believe all individuals are entitled to fair treatment under the law and protection from harm. That’s why, across Africa, Asia and Latin America, we help people understand and seize their rights. In South Sudan, the world’s newest country, more than…

Partners In Health [to 12 December 2015]

Partners In Health [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.pih.org/blog

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Dec 10, 2015
House Calls Help Mother Continue Treatment in Russia
PIH ensures women who are HIV-positive receive daily medication and food at home in Russia.

Dec 07, 2015
Meet University Hospital’s OB-GYN Residents
Zanmi Lasante, as Partners In Health is known in Haiti, began training obstetrics and gynecology residents at University Hospital in 2014. Read about the first class here.

Dec 07, 2015
Addressing the Root Cause of Illness
PIH fights illness and the poverty that causes it.

PATH [to 12 December 2015]

PATH [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.path.org/news/index.php

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Press release
Leading global health innovator celebrates 35 years in Vietnam
US Deputy Chief of Mission attends PATH anniversary event

Hanoi, December 8, 2015—A leading US-based global health organization, PATH, celebrated 35 years of partnership and innovation in Vietnam. US Deputy Chief of Mission Susan Sutton joined the anniversary event to celebrate the milestone and highlight achievements of PATH partnerships. The event follows the recent 20th anniversary of US-Vietnam health cooperation and normalized bilateral relations.

“PATH’s work in Vietnam continues to represent the best in global health innovation. Our collaboration with the government and many development and private-sector partners has saved and protected many lives,” said PATH president and CEO Steve Davis. “Moving into a new era of health and development goals, PATH is committed to continue working with current and new partners to accelerate health innovation in Vietnam.”…

Plan International [to 12 December 2015]

Plan International [to 12 December 2015]
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre

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Publications & Research
Plan International Nepal Annual Highlights 2015
11 December 2015
Plan International Nepal works in Health, Water, sanitation and hygiene, Basic Education, Household Economic Security, Child protection and Child Centred Disaster Risk Management and has been working in Nepal since 1978. This report is a summary of progress made between July 2014 and June 2015.

The report covers Plan International’s response to the earthquake, and to-date we have reached 196,000 individuals including 82,000 children.

It also highlights the achievements made across all programmes, the Because I am a Girl campaign, sponsorship, partnerships and finances.

Save The Children [to 12 December 2015]

Save The Children [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150563/k.D0E9/Newsroom.htm

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Save the Children Condemns Fatal School Bombing in Northern Syria
December 11, 2015

The Noerr Programs Surpasses $1 Million in Donations for Save the Children’s U.S. Programs
December 11, 2015

Ethiopia Drought: Save the Children Urges International Community to Heed Early Warnings of Looming Hunger Crisis
December 7, 2015

Tostan [to 12 December 2015]

Tostan [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.tostan.org/latest-news

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December 10, 2015
On Human Rights Day: A Look Back at How the Universal Declaration of Human Rights Fundamentally Changed Tostan’s Program
Tostan describes its work as a “nonformal, human rights-based educational program.” But what does that actually mean, and how important is the human rights aspect? As it …

December 8, 2015
Senegalese Youth Use Radio in Efforts To End FGC
Emerging from the group is the voice of a woman. She tells her story—that of a girl who was married at the age of 15 and became the mother of a baby girl by the time she was …

Women for Women International [to 12 December 2015]

Women for Women International [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.womenforwomen.org/press-releases

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In Solidarity With Women, For Women
December 10, 2015 | Huffington Post
Model and humanitarian Philomena Kwao marks Human Rights Day by sharing how women are often denied their rights during conflict, and how Women for Women International’s model of investing in women leads to inspiring renewal and hope for survivors.

The Side of War That We Can’t Afford to Overlook Anymore
December 10, 2015 | Huffington Post
During an interview with Oprah Winfrey, WfWI Founder Zainab Salbi shares how women are key to keeping life going during war. “Peace is not the ending of fighting only,” Salbi says. “Peace is actually the building of life.”

“I Thought Only Men Had Rights”
December 9, 2015 | Huffington Post
Knowing their rights is the foundation of women’s economic, political, and social empowerment, but too many women worldwide don’t even know they have basic human rights. For Human Rights Day, WfWI CEO Jennifer L. Windsor shares the transformative stories of three women who learned their rights for the first time, and the changes they were able to bring to their lives.

ChildFund Alliance [to 12 December 2015]

ChildFund Alliance [to 12 December 2015]
http://childfundalliance.org/news/

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ChildFund is providing food and support for families in Ethiopia
Author Child Fund Alliance
[Undated]
Drought has struck East Africa and an estimated 8.2 million children and families in Ethiopia are suffering from a food shortage that is escalating by the day.
After two seasons of poor rains, crop growth has stalled, seeds are not germinating, vegetation is drying up and livestock are dying.

The drought has affected more than 211,421 people across ChildFund’s program areas, including 73,997 children, and is expected to get worse and continue well into 2016.
Our Members are providing support including the provision of protein-rich supplementary food to children under five and pregnant and breastfeeding mothers…

The Elders [to 12 December 2015]

The Elders [to 12 December 2015]
http://theelders.org/news-media

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9 December 2015
Do you actually know your human rights?
In 1950 the UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day, to bring attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard for all peoples and all nations. But do you know them? The Elders challenge you to find out.
Take the quiz

Press release 8 December 2015
Venezuelans to be congratulated for their deep commitment to democratic practice
The Elders congratulate the Venezuelan people on the recent election result and calls on all parties to address challenges that arise through appropriate legal channels.

Opinion Hina Jilani 8 December 2015
A stronger UN means empowered human rights defenders
To mark Human Rights Day on 10 December, Hina Jilani argues that a stronger UN would deliver more universally implemented human rights. And this year, both are needed more than ever.

Global Fund [to 12 December 2015]

Global Fund [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/

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Global Fund Encourages People to Speak Out against Fraud and Corruption
08 December 2015
GENEVA – On International Anti-Corruption day, 9 December, the Global Fund’s Office of the Inspector General is launching a campaign to raise awareness about fraud and abuse. Called ‘I Speak Out Now!’, the campaign is designed to encourage people to denounce any wrongdoing that prevents the medicines, health products and services from reaching those who need them.

By the end of 2015, the Office of the Inspector General, the Global Fund’s independent assurance structure, estimates it will have received around 200 allegations of fraud and abuse. This represents an increase of 30 percent compared to last year, largely attributable to better visibility of its whistle-blowing channels. On average, over a third of allegations become investigations, which result in recommendations to recover misspent funds and actions to strengthen the Global Fund’s impact in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The objective of the campaign is to improve the quality and timeliness of allegations that the Office of the Inspector General receives so that the Global Fund can intervene earlier to prevent small scale irregularities from becoming systemic cases of wrongdoing. Targeted audiences include Global Fund staff and grant implementers. Anti-fraud and corruption materials will also be piloted in three countries representative of the Global Fund portfolio: Ukraine, Côte d’Ivoire and Malawi. The Office of the Inspector General plans to extend the campaign to other countries in 2016…

CHS International Alliance [to 12 December 2015]

CHS International Alliance [to 12 December 2015]
http://chsalliance.org/news-events/news

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11/12/2015
Core Humanitarian Standard Training Handbook now available in English and French
The handbook used by trainers in our two-day Introduction to the CHS workshop is now available to download for those who want to design and/or deliver training on the CHS.

10/12/2015
New resources: key tools for people management free to members
Three key tools for people management have been revised in line with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) to support human resources (HR) practitioners in development and humanitarian organisations.

08/12/2015
New online resource centre launches
Our new resource centre has launched with over 1000 quality, accountability, and people management resources to support humanitarian and development practitioners. The centre brings together the extensive HAP International and People In Aid online libraries following their merger, as well as new resources aligned to the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).

EHLRA/R2HC [to 12 December 2015]

EHLRA/R2HC [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.elrha.org/resource-hub/news/

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3D Printing Part of Sustainable Humanitarian Aid to Refugees
07.12.2015
According to leading authority Kilian Kleinschmidt refugee camps need to be reconceptualised and new approaches for aid must be explored.

For Killian the fact that refugee camps are conceptualised as a temporary resettlements is problematic “The average stay today in a camp is 17 years. That’s a generation”. The ability to empower refugees and enable them to meet their needs.

3D printing is one key aspect due to the capacity it hold for low cost production. In recent years he has been working to set up the Fab Lab in a Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in order to enable refugees to produce the items they need, generate their own energy and much more. But it’s a slow process. [See the full article by Hannah Rose Mendoza on 3D Print]

Center for Global Development [to 12 December 2015]

Center for Global Development [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Selected Press Releases, Blog Posts, Publications

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Focus on FY2016: Which Countries Will MCC Select This Year?
12/8/15
Sarah Rose
The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC’s) board of directors is scheduled to meet on December 16. When it does, the members will vote on which countries will be eligible for MCC assistance for fiscal year (FY) 2016. As always, the board is faced with some hard decisions.

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Doing Business Differently with Subnationals: Recommendations for Global Health Donors in Highly Decentralized Countries
12/8/15
Amanda Glassman and Anit Mukherjee
In the big decentralized countries where global disease burden is concentrated, such as India and Indonesia, most public money for health isn’t spent by the national ministry of health, the traditional counterpart for global health funders and technical agencies. Instead, most money is programmed and spent subnationally.
Greater subnational public spending reflects growing democratization, power-sharing, and local self-determination. It also responds to the conviction that local decision-makers understand local realities better than a bureaucrat sitting in the capital city. Yet evidence on the effectiveness of subnational spending on health care and outcomes is mixed at best, and incentives for greater spending and better performance can be weak.

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MCC Testimony: Lessons Learned after a Decade and Outlook for the Future
12/8/15
Nancy Birdsall
On December 8, 2015, CGD President Nancy Birdsall testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing about the Millennium Challenge Corporation: Lessons Learned after a Decade and Outlook for the Future.

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Modernizing US Security and Development Assistance in the Middle East
12/7/15
Nazanin Ash and Allison Grossman
US strategy in the Middle East and North Africa has not changed in the past 40 years, favoring security approaches over political and economic development, narrow partnerships with select regime elements over broader engagement with governments and people, and short-term responses and interventions over long-term vision. Symptomatic of this strategy is the fact that US security assistance vastly outstrips economic assistance.

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Power to the States: Making Fiscal Transfers Work for Better Health
12/7/15
Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers for Health Working Group
Most money and responsibility for health in large federal countries like India rests with subnational governments — states, provinces, districts, and municipalities. The policies and spending at the subnational level affect the pace, scale, and equity of health improvements in countries that account for much of the world’s disease burden: India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

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Global Public Goods That Matter for Development: A Path for US Leadership
12/6/15
Nancy Birdsall and Anna Diofasi
The United States has been at the forefront of providing several development-related global public goods, including peace and security via its contributions to international peacekeeping, the monitoring of international sea trade routes, its engagement in forums such as the Financial Action Task Force to stem flows of funding to terrorist organizations, and more. Yet it has not fully capitalized on its comparative advantage in research and development at home that matters especially for the world’s poor, or on its opportunities for globally transformative investments abroad in such areas as clean power and disease surveillance. We propose two areas where the United States should lead on providing even more transformative global public goods.

ODI [to 12 December 2015]

ODI [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Carbon capture and storage provides no justification for new coal-fired electricity, says ODI
News | 9 December 2015
Analysis published by the ODI warns the added cost of CCS will simply push up electricity prices at a time when new coal-fired power is already struggling to compete with cleaner technologies.

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Rebuilding adolescent girls’ lives: mental health and psychosocial support in conflict-affected Gaza, Liberia and Sri Lanka, synthesis report research tools
Research reports and studies | December 2015 | Fiona Samuels, Nicola Jones, Bassam Abu Hamad, Janice Cooper, Ananda Galappatti
This output details the data collection instruments relating to the ReBUILD synthesis report with the same title.

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Climate extremes and resilient poverty reduction
Research reports and studies | December 2015 | Emily Wilkinson, Katie Peters, Thomas Tanner, Catherine Simonet, Florence Pichon, Roop Kamal Singh, Erin Coughlan de Perez, Janot Mendler de Suarez, Blane Harvey, Amy Kirbyshire, Robert Muir-Wood
This report explores the relationship between climate change and poverty, focusing on climate extreme disasters.

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Imagining a new negotiation strategy for LDCs at the WTO
Briefing papers | December 2015 | Maximiliano Mendez-Parra, Neil Balchin and Linda Calabrese
This brief provides insight into how changes in the world economy and in global trade have affected the negotiation positions of least developed countries (LDCs).

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news

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The Power of Effective Messaging
By Tenille Metti, December 9, 2015
On November 10 and 11, we hosted our third annual Substance Use Prevention grantee and stakeholder convening in Washington, D.C. Grantees and partners came together to learn about progress in advancing screening and early intervention approaches for youth, as well as to discuss emerging issues, and network with practitioners and experts in the field…

MacArthur Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

MacArthur Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.macfound.org/

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Publication
Tracking Cyber Attacks on Journalists, Civil Society
Published December 10, 2015
A number of journalists, activists, politicians, and public figures in Latin America have been targeted by a large-scale hacking campaign since 2008, according to a report from the Citizen Lab, recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The report highlights the threats that journalists and civil society face from determined adversaries. According to the report, the nature and geographic spread of the targets indicates that the responsible party has regional political interests and is focused on political opposition and independent press in these regions.

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
https://www.moore.org/newsroom/press-releases

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Open science finds new home south of Market
By Peter Sand and Ken McGary Manylabs
December 11, 2015
“The Bay Area is overflowing with money and incubators for startups. We want to provide something different — a home for ideas, projects, and people that don’t fit into other places,” says Manylabs founder Peter Sand. The educational non-profit opened their new open science workspace…

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Tacana Indigenous People of Bolivia Win Prestigious Equator Prize
Wildlife Conservation Society
December 10, 2015
Bolivia’s Tacana indigenous council has been awarded the Equator Prize for its efforts to reduce deforestation. For 14 years, the group has worked in the Madidi landscape to implement a community-based land-use vision for their ancestral territory.

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How do agricultural and food production, distribution and consumption offer solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental concerns?
By David Diaz Martin UNEP TEEB ]
December 6, 2015
The UN Environment Programme’s initiative ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) has initiated a project aiming to show how different food systems and practices can impact the environment, health outcomes and culture.

Open Society Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Open Society Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/termsearch/8175/listing?f[0]=type%3Anews

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Engaging the Arab League in Promoting Human Rights
December 8, 2015News
AMMAN—Following the Arab uprisings, the League of Arab States seemed poised to play a much-needed role on many regional issues, including promoting human rights and increasing member states’ compliance with international conventions. However, the League’s approach in this regard has been far from consistent. This, coupled with waning revolutionary euphoria, has dampened civil society’s aspirations that the League could assume such a role. But a closer look at the organization reveals a slow shift in its positioning. Only through deeper understanding of the League can civil society engage with it to advance human rights in the region.

Today, the Open Society Foundations and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) jointly launched The League of Arab States: A Manual for Practioners. This essential guide provides civil society organizations with a solid understanding of the League’s structures, standards, and mechanisms relating to human rights to allow them to engage better with this important organization for a stronger impact on its decision-making mechanisms…

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 12 December 2015]

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases

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Pew: States Should Be Clear on Purpose of Rainy Day Savings
Press Release
December 08, 2015 States’ Fiscal Health
Many states struggle with how much to save because their purpose for doing so is unclear, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Why States Save: Using Evidence to Inform How Large Rainy Day Funds Should Grow examines budget stabilization funds—often called rainy day funds—and offers recommendations to determine optimal savings goals and create enhanced budgetary flexibility over the course of the ups and downs of economic activity.