Heifer International [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.heifer.org/about-heifer/press/press-releases.html

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April 25, 2015
Earthquake Impacts Area of Heifer Projects in Nepal
LITTLE ROCK, Ark.
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake that struck Nepal Saturday has impacted an area of Heifer International projects near the capital Kathmandu, Heifer officials said Saturday. Heifer staff are working to assess safety of families as well as determine damage to homes and any loss of animals. All Heifer Nepal staff are reported safe, said Padma Singh, senior director of Heifer’s Asia Programs. Telephone lines have disrupted communication.

ICRC [to 25 April 2015]
https://www.icrc.org/en

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Migration: ICRC calls for expanded search and rescue, monitoring of humanitarian impact
News release
24 April 2015
Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross has said it is vital that plans to boost funding for rescue operations aimed at curbing migrant deaths in the Mediterranean cover an expanded area and that other policy proposals be scrutinised for their humanitarian impact.

Meeting of states on strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law
News release
24 April 2015
Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and Switzerland are hosting the fourth and final meeting of states in Geneva on 23-24 April 2015 as part of their joint initiative on strengthening compliance with international humanitarian law.

Zimbabwe: Improved water supply for over 10,000 people at prison complex
News release
24 April 2015
Harare (ICRC) – Over 10,000 people at Chikurubi Prison Complex in the outskirts of Harare are now benefitting from an improved supply of clean water following the commissioning of repairs and upgrades to water infrastructure there.
“Addressing the needs of inmates by upgrading critical infrastructure in prisons run by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS), such as the water supply system at Chikurubi Prison Complex, has been one of our top priorities since we began working with the ZPCS in 2009,” said Thomas Merkelbach, head of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Zimbabwe. “We are privileged to have implemented this phase of a longer-term effort together with the authorities and the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA).”

Weapons: ICRC marks Ypres chlorine gas anniversary with WMD call
News release
22 April 2015
Geneva (ICRC) – The International Committee of the Red Cross has marked the 100th anniversary of a World War I battle, where deadly chlorine gas was used on thousands of troops, by underlining the urgent need for more progress towards ridding the world of all types of weapons of mass destruction.

Turkish and Syrian Red Crescent deliver food to Syria with ICRC support
News release
21 April 2015
Geneva (ICRC) – Humanitarian aid has today been successfully delivered into north-east Syria, in an operation jointly organized by the Turkish Red Crescent Society (TRCS), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society (SARC) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). Two thousand food parcels were brought into Syria to be distributed to displaced people and civilians in Al-Hassake Governorate. Carried in two trucks, they were delivered to the border between the Turkish city of Nusaybin and the city of Qamishli in Syria. Before proceeding into Syria, the parcels were transferred from the TRCS’s trucks to trucks provided by the SARC.

IRCT [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.irct.org/
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News
African NGO Forum: IRCT members promote the right to rehabilitation at the 56th session of African Commission for Human and People’s Rights
24 April 2015

IRCT congratulates RCTV Memoria on 15th anniversary
22 April 2015

To properly address forced migration, eradicating torture is an indispensable task
21 April 2015
The latest capsizing in the Mediterranean in which at least 700 people lost their lives at sea south of the Italian island of Lampedusa, is a human tragedy that reinforces the urgent need to address the issue of forced migration in the EU, which will only be achieved by tackling the root causes that force people to flee.
“Every day in torture treatment centres across Africa and the Middle East our members respond to the needs of torture survivors. We know that torture persists in these countries and that for some victims the only choice is to flee – even if it means taking risks like those who boarded a small fishing vessel setting out to sea. This disaster shows that these people are not receiving the help they so desperately need at home. European leaders, and the European electorate, need to recognise this and do everything in their power to put an end to torture and where it persists, to ensure that its victims get the protection and assistance they need and have a right to,” says Victor Madrigal-Borloz, Secretary-General of the IRCT…
…“We call on the EU to acknowledge its responsibility to protect forced migrants who are risking their lives in search for safety. There is an urgent need to reintroduce proper rescue-at-sea operations, but the EU must also address the causes leading to these terrible tragedies and provide people in need with the proper legal framework so they can have adequate alternatives in line with international human rights standards” concluded Mr. Madrigal-Borloz.

Torture treatment outcomes, the DSM 5 and virginity testing in focus on the latest issue of Torture Journal
21 April 2015

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases

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Press releases
Doctors Without Borders Launches Ad Campaign to Highlight Health Dangers of TPP Trade Deal
April 23, 2015

MSF Kicks off Global Campaign to Reduce the Price of Pneumonia Vaccine to $5 in Developing Countries
April 22, 2015
NEW YORK—Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) today launched a global campaign—”A FAIR SHOT”— to call on pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer to slash the price of the pneumococcal vaccine in developing countries to US$5 per child, so more children can be protected from this childhood killer, and to disclose what they currently charge countries for the vaccine.

MSF Calls for Large-Scale Search and Rescue Operation in the Mediterranean
April 19, 2015
Figures from a war zone in the Mediterranean: a mass grave created by European policies

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Field News
Q&A: A Fair Shot
April 23, 2015
On April 23, 2015, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) launched a global campaign—”A FAIR SHOT”— to call on pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and Pfizer to slash the price of the pneumococcal vaccine in developing countries to US$5 per child, so more children can be protected from this childhood killer, and to disclose what they currently charge countries for the vaccine.

South Sudan: More Displaced by Ongoing Fighting in Upper Nile State
April 22, 2015
New fighting over the past 24 hours in the town of Malakal, in South Sudan’s Upper Nile state, has killed two people, injured many more, and displaced some 900 people, who were forced to seek sanctuary at a designated Protection of Civilians (PoC) site.
Tension in the area remains very high. MSF, which is working in the hospital at the PoC, is currently preparing for a possible influx of wounded people.

South Africa: MSF Assists People Displaced by Xenophobic Violence
April 21, 2015
For the past week, a medical team from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been responding to the health needs of people displaced by violent xenophobic attacks in South Africa’s KwaZulu Natal (KZN) province.
The team began its work on April 14. After conducting assessments at the Isipingo, Chatsworth and Phoenix displacement camps, which collectively house more than 5,000 people near the coastal city of Durban, the team began providing basic medical care. A second team will soon conduct similar assessments in the Ekurhuleni region near Johannesburg.

In Ukraine, Providing Assistance Across the Front Line
April 21, 2015
Medical needs remain urgent for both residents and people displaced by conflict on both sides of the front line in Ukraine. Many Ukrainian health workers have left rebel-held areas, leaving thousands of people in remote villages without access to adequate health care. Many medical facilities have been damaged or destroyed, and there are critical shortages of both basic and specialized medicines and supplies.

Mercy Corps [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases

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Mercy Corps: Investing in Adolescent Girls Critical to Building Drought Resilience
Kenya, April 22, 2015
New report details the role of girls in improving food security in Kenya’s pastoralist communities
Washington, DC — A new report by global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps examines the role of adolescent girls in Kenya’s pastoralist communities, finding that their contribution to household and community food security is critical and grows during times of crisis. With Kenya facing reoccurring drought and hunger, Mercy Corps advises the development community to evaluate the role adolescent girls play in strengthening their communities and adjust programming to meet the needs of this key demographic.

“Adolescent girls have long been overlooked as potential agents of change in pastoralist communities,” says Lynn Renken, Kenya Country Director for Mercy Corps. “To help these communities prepare for and adapt to reoccurring crises such as drought, we must identify the barriers and opportunities adolescent girls face as care takers, income providers and future wives and mothers.”

The Mercy Corps report is based on focus group discussions and interviews conducted in more than 20 communities in Turkana County, Kenya, in April 2014. The study draws a comparison between pastoralist girls and girls living in communities transitioning out of pastoralism, complementing Mercy Corps’ 2014 research in the Sahel that illustrates the powerful influence gender dynamics have on household and community resilience…

The report makes several recommendations for additional research and program adjustment, including reinforcing pastoralist girls’ capacities to diversify their sources of food and income during crisis and addressing the social and economic drivers of early marriage. Read or download the full report, Wealth and Warriors: Adolescents in the Face of Drought in Turkana, Kenya. 22Apr2015_NR_Wealth&Warriors.pdf

OXFAM [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

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South Sudanese families being pushed to the brink
21 April 2015
Skyrocketing inflation, conflict and collapsed markets are pushing people in South Sudan to breaking point as the political deadlock enters its 16th month and families face a second ‘lean season’ since fighting began.

Partners In Health [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.pih.org/blog

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Apr 22, 2015
What Does It Mean to Heal and Be Healed? #WeHeal

Apr 20, 2015
Haiti: Training a New Generation of Family Physicians
When it launched in 2011, the St. Marc family medicine residency was PIH’s first formal training program for medical specialists in Haiti, made possible through a partnership with sister organization Zanmi Lasante, Haiti’s national medical school, and the Ministry of Health. The first six residents finished their three-year program in December; and five are now working part- or full-time as attending physicians or mentors for residents within the PIH/ZL network. Another 16 family medicine residents are now training at St. Marc’s Hôpital St. Nicolas.

PATH [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.path.org/news/index.php

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Press release | April 23, 2015
Malaria vaccine candidate has demonstrated efficacy over 3-4 years of follow-up
Final results from Phase III trial suggest substantial public health benefits could be provided by the RTS,S malaria vaccine candidate in endemic regions in sub-Saharan Africa; vaccine efficacy enhanced by administration of a booster dose.

Plan International [to 25 April 2015]
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre

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22/04/2015:
Mediterranean crossings: Urgent action required to protect children
…Plan International is extremely concerned about the safety and wellbeing of refugee and migrant children who are making these dangerous crossings, some of them unaccompanied. Children are dying and more will die unless world leaders take action, now…..

SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-sos/press/press-releases

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SOS Children’s Villages: Europe must work to protect child migrants
23.04.2015 – After the latest loss at sea of hundreds of desperate adults and children attempting to migrate to Europe, SOS Children’s Villages International asks European governments to act together to prevent further such tragedies and protect child migrants.

GAVI [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/
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24 April 2015
Next five years vital for childhood immunisation – Gavi CEO
Once-in-a-generation opportunity to improve vaccine access and coverage in developing countries

23 April 2015
Pakistan vaccinators’ salaries
Clarification from Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance

Global Fund [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/mediacenter/newsreleases/
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24 April 2015
Gavi and the Global Fund Welcome Malaria Vaccine Trial Results

22 April 2015
Net Campaign Targets Universal Coverage in Niger

20 April 2015
Global Fund Launches Online Platform for Strategy Development
GENEVA – The Global Fund partnership has launched a consultation as part of a process to engage a wide range of stakeholders in developing its 2017-2021 strategy.
Through a web platform launched today, the Global Fund seeks to involve a broad spectrum of participants from government, civil society, people affected by the diseases, multilaterals, private sector and other interested parties to collectively shape the future of the partnership through contributing to the making of the new strategy.

The e-Forum 2015 will invite participants to discuss and share their thinking on diverse thematic areas that the Global Fund works in while highlighting how the partnership should prepare itself for changing dynamics in global health. The e-Forum will be a multilingual platform and will be hosted on the website http://theglobalfund-eforum.org/consultation .
Through the forum participants will have an opportunity to shape the future of the Global Fund partnership with its mission of ending AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria as epidemics, while building resilient health systems and community responses.

The e-Forum is one strand in a broad consultative process which will also include Global Fund convened meetings across three continents – Africa, Asia and Latin America. Partners will gather in these venues to explore ways of guiding the Global Fund partnership to achieve much greater impact. There will be additional consultation opportunities alongside meetings hosted by WHO, UNAIDS, PMNCH and the StopTB Partnership…

ODI [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Press Releases
Shale gas could make China’s growth cleaner, but concerns exist over level of political ambition to phase out coal and meet environmental standards – new report
News | 21 April 2015
A new report published today by the Overseas Development Institute finds shale gas could help green China’s economic growth, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) and air pollution, if used to phase-out coal and aggressively expand renewables…

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Can fracking green China’s growth?
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Ilmi Granoff; Sam Pickard; Julian Doczi; Roger Calow; Zhenbo Hou; Vanessa D’Alançon
This paper analyses whether shale gas, and by implication other unconventional sources, can materially improve the quality and sustainability of China’s economic growth.

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The role of index-based triggers in social protection shock response
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Francesca Bastagli and Luke Harman
Index-based trigger mechanisms are an innovative instrument used to help ensure timely and adequate social protection response in the event of a shock. This report identifies the potential advantages and limitations of the inclusion of index-based triggers in social…

Do organisational and political models for development cooperation matter for development effectiveness?
Working and discussion papers | April 2015 | Raphaelle Faure, Cathal Long, Annalisa Prizzon
This paper sets out to investigate the relationship between different institutional and political models for development cooperation and aid quantity and quality indicators.

The development agency of the future. Fit for protracted crises?
Working and discussion papers | April 2015 | Christina Bennett
This report identifies the numerous conceptual, architectural and political divides that prevent effective linkages between humanitarian and development aid.

The road to reform: Women’s political voice in Morocco
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Clare Castillejo and Helen Tilley
Morocco’s active and effective women’s movement has acquired a progressively greater presence for women in formal politics and the wider civil society. This report explores how excluded and adversely incorporated groups can achieve greater political voice and how this…

The data revolution: finding the missing millions
Research reports and studies | April 2015 | Elizabeth Stuart, Emma Samman, William Avis and Tom Berliner
This report argues that an absence of data is impeding development progress, particularly for the poorest and most marginalised. It sets out the challenges and provides suggested solutions that will allow a data revolution to take place and improve the lives of many of…

Start Network [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.start-network.org/news-blog/#.U9U_O7FR98E
[Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies]
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Start for Change 2015: Building new humanitarian solutions together
April 23, 2015
Posted by Tegan Rogers in News.
The Start Network’s Annual Conference, entitled Start for Change 2015: Building new humanitarian solutions together will take place on 20 May 2015. Our Annual Conference is a unique opportunity for a broad range of staff from our member agencies to meet with other Start Network stakeholders from within and beyond the humanitarian sector, to debate and vote on the future of the collaboration…

BMGF (Gates Foundation) [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases
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Emilio Emini Director of HIV
SEATTLE (April 6, 2015) — The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today announced that Emilio Emini, Ph.D, has been named director of HIV for the Global Health program. He will assume his new position on July 6, 2015.

Dr. Emini is currently the Chief Scientific Officer and Senior Vice President of Vaccine Research at Pfizer Inc. He is also a senior advisor to the Gates Foundation’s HIV team. Previously, Dr. Emini served as Senior Vice President and Head of Vaccine Development at the International AIDS Vaccine Initiative. He was also the founding Executive Director of Merck’s Department of Antiviral Research and the Vice President of Merck’s Vaccine and Biologics Research…

MacArthur Foundation [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.macfound.org/
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April 23, 2015 – Research and Results
Report Examines Nuclear Security and Disarmament Link
Foreign Policy Institute Fellow Deepti Choubey examines how nuclear-armed and non-nuclear-weapon states view the relationship between preventing nuclear terrorism and reducing and eliminating nuclear weapons.

April 23, 2015 – Research and Results
Assessing Views on Open Government Data
Americans are generally optimistic that government initiatives to use open data can make government more accountable, but they are less confident that open data will improve government performance, according to a national survey.

April 19, 2015 – Research and Results
Considering Ethics and Neuroscience in the Justice System
The report addresses the intersection of neuroscience and the legal system and cites 16 works by members of the MacArthur Foundation Research Network on Law and Neuroscience.

Open Society Foundation [to 25 April 2015]
http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/termsearch/8175/listing?f[0]=type%3Anews
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Guatemala Recommits to Battle against Criminal Impunity
April 24, 2015News
Extending the work of a UN-backed commission in Guatemala that fights corruption and organized criminality will reinforce efforts to strengthen the rule of law, the Open Society Justice Initiative said.

American Journal of Public Health
Volume 105, Issue 5 (May 2015)
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/toc/ajph/current

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Ebola Crisis of 2014: Are Current Strategies Enough to Meet the Long-Run Challenges Ahead?
Gilbert Gimm, PhD, and Len M. Nichols, PhD
Abstract
The outbreak of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) in 2014 mobilized international efforts to contain a global health crisis. The emergence of the deadly virus in the United States and Europe among health care workers intensified fears of a worldwide epidemic. Market incentives for pharmaceutical firms to allocate their research and development resources toward Ebola treatments were weak because the limited number of EVD cases were previously confined to rural areas of West Africa. We discuss 3 policy recommendations to address the long-term challenges of EVD in an interconnected world.

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 25 April 2015)

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Research article
HIV service delivery models towards ‘Zero AIDS-related Deaths’: a collaborative case study of 6 Asia and Pacific countries
Masami Fujita, Krishna C Poudel, Kimberly Green, Teodora Wi, Iyanthi Abeyewickreme, Massimo Ghidinelli, Masaya Kato, Mean Vun, Seng Sopheap, Khin San, Phavady Bollen, Krishna Rai, Atul Dahal, Durga Bhandari, Peniel Boas, Jessica Yaipupu, Petchsri Sirinirund, Pairoj Saonuam, Bui Duong, Do Nhan, Nguyen Thu, Masamine Jimba BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:176 (24 April 2015)
Abstract (provisional)
Background
In the Asia-Pacific region, limited systematic assessment has been conducted on HIV service delivery models. Applying an analytical framework of the continuum of prevention and care, this study aimed to assess HIV service deliveries in six Asia and Pacific countries from the perspective of service availability, linking approaches and performance monitoring for maximizing HIV case detection and retention.
Methods
Each country formed a review team that provided published and unpublished information from the national HIV program. Four types of continuum were examined: (i) service linkages between key population outreach and HIV diagnosis (vertical-community continuum); (ii) chronic care provision across HIV diagnosis and treatment (chronological continuum); (iii) linkages between HIV and other health services (horizontal continuum); and (iv) comprehensive care sites coordinating care provision (hub and heart of continuum).
Results
Regarding the vertical-community continuum, all districts had voluntary counselling and testing (VCT) in all countries except for Myanmar and Vietnam. In these two countries, limited VCT availability was a constraint for referring key populations reached. All countries monitored HIV testing coverage among key populations. Concerning the chronological continuum, the proportion of districts/townships having antiretroviral treatment (ART) was less than 70% except in Thailand, posing a barrier for accessing pre-ART/ART care. Mechanisms for providing chronic care and monitoring retention were less developed for VCT/pre-ART process compared to ART process in all countries. On the horizontal continuum, the availability of HIV testing for tuberculosis patients and pregnant women was limited and there were sub-optimal linkages between tuberculosis, antenatal care and HIV services except for Cambodia and Thailand. These two countries indicated higher HIV testing coverage than other countries. Regarding hub and heart of continuum, all countries had comprehensive care sites with different degrees of community involvement.
Conclusions
The analytical framework was useful to identify similarities and considerable variations in service availability and linking approaches across the countries. The study findings would help each country critically adapt and adopt global recommendations on HIV service decentralization, linkages and integration. Especially, the findings would inform cross-fertilization among the countries and national HIV program reviews to determine county-specific measures for maximizing HIV case detection and retention.

BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpregnancychildbirth/content
(Accessed 25 April 2015)

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Research article
Determinants of women’s satisfaction with maternal health care: a review of literature from developing countries
Aradhana Srivastava, Bilal I Avan, Preety Rajbangshi, Sanghita Bhattacharyya BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth 2015, 15:97 (18 April 2015)
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Developing countries account for 99 percent of maternal deaths annually. While increasing service availability and maintaining acceptable quality standards, it is important to assess maternal satisfaction with care in order to make it more responsive and culturally acceptable, ultimately leading to enhanced utilization and improved outcomes. At a time when global efforts to reduce maternal mortality have been stepped up, maternal satisfaction and its determinants also need to be addressed by developing country governments. This review seeks to identify determinants of women’s satisfaction with maternity care in developing countries.
Methods
The review followed the methodology of systematic reviews. Public health and social science databases were searched. English articles covering antenatal, intrapartum or postpartum care, for either home or institutional deliveries, reporting maternal satisfaction from developing countries (World Bank list) were included, with no year limit. Out of 154 shortlisted abstracts, 54 were included and 100 excluded. Studies were extracted onto structured formats and analyzed using the narrative synthesis approach.
Results
Determinants of maternal satisfaction covered all dimensions of care across structure, process and outcome. Structural elements included good physical environment, cleanliness, and availability of adequate human resources, medicines and supplies. Process determinants included interpersonal behavior, privacy, promptness, cognitive care, perceived provider competency and emotional support. Outcome related determinants were health status of the mother and newborn. Access, cost, socio-economic status and reproductive history also influenced perceived maternal satisfaction. Process of care dominated the determinants of maternal satisfaction in developing countries. Interpersonal behavior was the most widely reported determinant, with the largest body of evidence generated around provider behavior in terms of courtesy and non-abuse. Other aspects of interpersonal behavior included therapeutic communication, staff confidence and competence and encouragement to laboring women.
Conclusions
Quality improvement efforts in developing countries could focus on strengthening the process of care. Special attention is needed to improve interpersonal behavior, as evidence from the review points to the importance women attach to being treated respectfully, irrespective of socio-cultural or economic context. Further research on maternal satisfaction is required on home deliveries and relative strength of various determinants in influencing maternal satisfaction.