Foundations Partner to Build a Stronger Digital Society
February 10, 2015
[Excerpt from announcement]
Five foundations will jointly address the challenges and opportunities of the digital age, including committing to help keep the Internet open, secure, accessible and affordable to all. The foundations “will together seek to strengthen digital society, guided by a set of shared principles (below) on the role of the Internet and technology in advancing the public interest.” The initiative also launches a series of new, aligned commitments by the five foundations—in addition to their ongoing grant making in the field—to realize the potential of a digital society. The “NetGain Challenges,” will support novel ideas and finance new research for the development of cutting-edge innovations and digital technologies to improve lives.

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Declaration – The Internet, Philanthropy, and Progress: Principles for Future Work
Ford Foundation, Knight Foundation, Macarthur Foundation Mozilla, and Open Society Foundation

The rapid growth of the Internet creates challenges and opportunities in every area of contemporary life, from health and education to economic development, political engagement, civic life, and more. This change is enormous in scale and touches virtually every area of concern to philanthropy.

The Internet is not inherently good or bad. It can be used to foster enlightenment and learning, and promote justice. It can make information of all types available and commerce more efficient; open government to new voices and views; and connect people in ways that create understanding and encourage common cause. It can also be used to incite, manipulate, and humiliate; to facilitate new security threats and reinforce existing ones; exert control; stifle legitimate discourse and weaken society; concentrate power in the hands of a few; and leave
many people and communities on the sidelines.

Along with the time-honored ways people communicate and engage with each other, people now connect in a networked public sphere: a digital commons where debate unfolds and communities are created. In this space, the flow of information, influence, and ideas is fundamentally different from that with non-digital counterparts, sometimes in surprising ways. This new public sphere can include and amplify more voices and opinions; or it can reinforce existing abuses of power.

Philanthropy has a unique role to play in helping to shape a better world. Foundations often come together for greater impact to tackle complex issues such as poverty, climate change, human rights, public health, and urbanization. The ubiquitous nature and power of the Internet demands that we come together again to help ensure that it is used for the common good.

Working together, we commit to influencing policy, markets, norms, and the design and use of the Internet and information technologies to make the world a better place. As leaders in the field of philanthropy, we aim to:

:: Work to make the Internet an open, secure, and equitable space for free expression, economic opportunity, knowledge exchange, and civic engagement that everyone can access and afford.

:: Support the opportunities created by the networked public sphere: new modes of civic and social participation, lowered barriers to engagement, and innovative ways to organize for positive change and social justice; and guard against potential harm: censorship, self-segregation, the spread of misinformation, and polarization.

:: Transform learning and ensure that young people have the skills they need to succeed in a connected, complex world: digital literacy, critical thinking, problem solving, curiosity, empathy, understanding, persistence, and more.

:: Cultivate leaders in business, government, and civil society to understand and fulfill the promise of the Internet, and support cross-sector alliances to ensure technology and data are used to advance the public good.

:: Contribute to the design of Internet and information technology policies, practices, and products that enhance data security and protection of individual privacy.

:: Ensure that philanthropy leads in digital security and data ethics in its own practices.
As leaders in philanthropy, we will work to ensure that the Internet continues to be built, used, and governed in ways that create opportunity for all.

These principles will guide how we use the Internet every day in our work and with our partners.

We invite others to join us.

MOBILES FOR HUMAN DEVELOPMENT – 2014 Trends and Gaps
United Nations Development Programme & Motorola Solutions
February 2015 :: 44 pages
[Excerpts]

Executive Summary
The rapid diffusion of mobile technologies around the globe has triggered new opportunities to enhance human development. Indeed, mobiles can bring basic services and information to billions of people at the bottom of the pyramid, foster democratic governance by giving people a voice in key decision-making processes that affect their lives, and promote transparency and accountability in both the public and private sectors…

…In this light, this report aims to contribute to the existing body of knowledge by first, focusing on development and developing countries, second, taking a closer look at local innovators, and third, linking social innovation to development priorities. In doing so, the report builds on the data we have collected from both primary and secondary sources to provide evidence-based suggestions on how we can better harness mobile technologies to confront critical development issues in concrete fashion.

The development categories used for our analysis include poverty reduction, education, health and governance, all of which are key areas of development. In turn, each development category was further subcategorized to further refine insights about actual trends and potential gaps in these areas. The subclassifications are based on the work that UNDP, UNESCO and WHO, among others, undertake on the ground in developing countries

The key findings of the report can be summarized as follows:
:: A wide disparity of activities among the four core development categories. Poverty reduction activities are pervasive, representing half of all sampled work, while health and governance lag behind. Education falls in between and represents one out of every four interventions.
:: Each region under analysis prioritizes a particular category of activity thus suggesting key regional differences per development category. While Africa drives poverty reduction activities, Latin America leads in governance, and education-related activities are a priority in industrialized countries.
:: Private sector development (poverty), lifelong learning and ICTs in education (both in
education), HIV and development (health), and access to information and e-governance (governance) represent the most prominent activities in each respective development category.
:: Specific regions are key drivers for these subcategories: Africa for private sector development, lifelong learning (excluding industrialized countries) and HIV and development, and Latin America for ICTs in education and access to information and e-governance.
:: In terms of gaps, activities on e-business (which includes m-business), m-learning and m-health seem to be lagging vis-a-vis other subcategories.
:: There is an overall gap in gender equality and women’s empowerment activities in all
regions and subregions.
:: In the era of social media, crowdsourcing and e-democracy, it is surprising that governance activities are at the bottom of our development category structure…

Motorola Solutions Foundation and UNDP release new research report: Increasing the potential of mobile technologies to advance human development
Press Release – 09 Feb 2015
The UNDP Mobiles for Human Development 2014: Trends and Gaps report compiled and analysed almost 2,500 cases worldwide of practitioners (government institutions, private sector or civil society organisations, and individuals) using mobile technologies to improve the delivery of basic services and information, foster transparency and accountability in both public and private sectors, and enhance human development.
Patrick Keuleers, Director of Governance and Peacebuilding, UNDP Bureau for Policy and Programme Support (BPPS) stated, “The research has highlighted critical gaps that need to be addressed by development practitioners, social innovators and application developers at the global, national and local levels. One gap we could address together is how to link innovations in mobile apps with development efforts. This research report helps to frame our thinking on how to support further mobile engagement in the implementation and monitoring of the new Sustainable Development Goals which will be part of the UN post-2015 development agenda.”
Research findings note that the use of mobile technologies for development (M4D) is pervasive. Half of M4D activities sampled for this study focus on poverty reduction, while the rest focus on education, followed by health and governance.. When it comes to M4D activities in health, half takes place in Africa, with Eastern Africa leading in the efforts to address HIV and to strengthen health systems.

Illicit Financial Flow: Report of the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa
Commissioned by the AU/ECA Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development
February 2015 :: 126 pages
Report pdf: Illicit Financial Flow
[Excerpts from Overview and Report]

The 4th Joint African Union Commission/United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (AUC/ECA) Conference of African Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development was held in 2011. This Conference mandated ECA to establish the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows from Africa. Underlying this decision was the determination to ensure Africa’s accelerated and sustained development, relying as much as possible on its own resources.
This Report reflects the work that the High Level Panel on Illicit Financial Flows has carried out since it was established in February 2012, particularly to:
:: Develop a realistic and accurate assessment of the volumes and sources of these outflows;
:: Gain concrete understanding of how these outflows occur in Africa, based on case studies of a sample of African countries and;
:: Ensure that we make specific recommendations of practical, realistic, short- to medium-term actions that should be taken both by Africa and by the rest of the world to

1.1.1 Illicit financial flows as a development challenge for Africa
Over the last 50 years, Africa is estimated to have lost in excess of $1 trillion in illicit financial flows (IFFs) (Kar and Cartwright-Smith 2010; Kar and Leblanc 2013). This sum is roughly equivalent to all of the official development assistance received by Africa during the same timeframe.2 Currently, Africa is estimated to be losing more than $50 billion annually in IFFs.
But these estimates may well fall short of reality because accurate data do not exist for all African countries, and these estimates often exclude some forms of IFFs that by nature are secret and cannot be properly estimated, such as proceeds of bribery and trafficking of drugs, people and firearms. The amount lost annually by Africa through IFFs is therefore likely to exceed $50 billion by a significant amount…
…The resource needs of African countries for social services, infrastructure and investment also underscore the importance of stemming IFFs from the continent. At current population trends, Africa is set to have the largest youth population in the world. By 2050 the median age for Africa will be 25 years, while the average for the world as whole will be about 36 years (United Nations Population Division, 2012). Infrastructure constraints also act as a brake on growth, just as do the low savings and investment rates of the continent. In 2012 gross capital formation rates in Nigeria and South Africa were 13 per cent and 19 per cent, respectively, as compared to a rate of 49 per cent in China and 35 per cent in India (United Nations Statistics Division, 2014; World Bank, 2014). Yet Africa is estimated to need an additional $30–$50 billion annually to fund infrastructure projects (Foster and Briceño-Garmendia, 2010; African Development Bank, 2014).

Findings of the HLP Report on IFFs
:: Finding 1: Illicit financial flows from Africa are large and increasing
:: Finding 2: Ending illicit financial flows is a political issue
:: Finding 3: Transparency is key across all aspects of illicit financial flows
:: Finding 4: Commercial routes of illicit financial flows need closer monitoring
:: Finding 5: The dependence of African countries on natural resources extraction makes them vulnerable to illicit financial flows
:: Finding 6: New and innovative means of generating illicit financial flows are emerging
:: Finding 7: Tax incentives are not usually guided by cost-benefit analyses
:: Finding 8: Corruption and abuse of entrusted power remains a continuing concern
:: Finding 9: More effort needed in asset recovery and repatriation
:: Finding 10: Money laundering continues to require attention
:: Finding 11: Weak national and regional capacities impede efforts to curb illicit financial flows
:: Finding 12: Incomplete global architecture for tackling illicit financial flows
:: Finding 13: Financial secrecy jurisdictions must come under closer scrutiny
:: Finding 14: Development partners have an important role in curbing illicit financial flows from Africa
:: Finding 15: Illicit financial flow issues should be incorporated and better coordinated across United Nations processes and frameworks

EBOLA/EVD [to 14 February 2015]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC); “Threat to international peace and security” (UN Security Council)

WHO: Ebola Situation Report – 11 February 2015
[Excerpt; Editor’s text bolding]
SUMMARY
Total weekly case incidence increased for the second consecutive week, with 144 new confirmed cases reported in the week to 8 February. Guinea reported a sharp increase in incidence, with 65 new confirmed cases compared with 39 the week before. Transmission remains widespread in Sierra Leone, which reported 76 new confirmed cases, while the resurgence in cases in the western district of Port Loko continued for a second week. Liberia continues to report a low number of new confirmed cases.

Despite improvements in case finding and management, burial practices, and community engagement, the decline in case incidence has stalled. The spike in cases in Guinea and continued widespread transmission in Sierra Leone underline the considerable challenges that must still be overcome to get to zero cases. The infrastructure, systems, and people needed to end the epidemic are now in place; response measures must now be fully implemented.

The surge of new confirmed cases reported by Guinea was driven primarily by transmission in the capital, Conakry (21 confirmed cases) and the western prefecture of Forecariah (26 confirmed cases). Community engagement continues to be a challenge in Conakry and Forecariah, and in Guinea more widely. Almost one-third of the country’s EVD-affected prefectures reported at least one security incident in the week to 8 February. Effective contact tracing, which relies on the cooperation of communities, has also proved challenging. In the week to 1 February, just 7 of 42 cases arose among registered contacts. A total of 34 unsafe burials were reported, with 21 EVD-positive deaths reported in the community.

Seven new confirmed cases were reported in the east-Guinean prefecture of Lola. A field team is currently deployed to Côte d’Ivoire to assess the state of preparedness in western areas of the country that border Lola.

Follow-up preparedness missions are planned for Mali and Senegal later this month, culminating in a tri-partite meeting between Guinea, Mali, and Senegal to strengthen cross-border surveillance.

A total of 3 confirmed cases was reported from Liberia. All of the cases originated from the same area of Montserrado county, linked to a single chain of transmission.

Following the steep decline in case incidence in Sierra Leone from December until the end of January, incidence has now stabilized. A total of 76 cases were reported in the week to 8 February, a decrease from the 80 confirmed cases reported in the week to 1 February, but higher than the 65 confirmed cases reported in the week to 25 January. Transmission remains widespread, with 7 districts reporting new confirmed cases. A total of 41 unsafe burials were reported in the week to 8 February.

The case fatality rate among hospitalized cases (calculated from all confirmed and probable hospitalized cases with a reported definitive outcome) remains high, between 53% and 60%.

COUNTRIES WITH WIDESPREAD AND INTENSE TRANSMISSION
There have been almost 23 000 reported confirmed, probable, and suspected cases of EVD in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone (table 1), with almost 9000 reported deaths (outcomes for many cases are unknown). A total of 65 new confirmed cases were reported in Guinea, 3 in Liberia, and 76 in Sierra Leone in the 7 days to 8 February (data missing for 8 February in Liberia). At the start of the epidemic many reported suspected cases were genuine cases of EVD. At this stage, with improved surveillance systems in place, a far smaller proportion of suspected cases are confirmed to have EVD. Consequently, the incidence of new confirmed cases gives a more accurate picture of the epidemic.

A stratified analysis of cumulative confirmed and probable cases indicates that the number of cases in males and females is similar (table 2). Compared with children (people aged 14 years and under), people aged 15 to 44 are approximately three times more likely to be affected. People aged 45 and over are almost four times more likely to be affected than are children.

A total of 830 confirmed health worker infections have been reported in the 3 intense-transmission countries; there have been 488 reported deaths (table 3)…

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U.S. Update on Ebola Response Includes Withdrawal of Almost All U.S. Troops from West Africa
[Excerpt: Text and Video]
Ten months ago, the first U.S. personnel deployed to West Africa to fight the Ebola outbreak on the frontlines in West Africa. This epidemic has grown into the deadliest Ebola outbreak the world has ever seen — and the President is committed to treating and tackling Ebola as both a national security priority, and an example of American leadership.
The U.S. has built, coordinated, and led a worldwide response to the Ebola outbreak while strengthening our preparedness here at home. And thanks to the hard work of our military members, civilian responders, and health care workers, we have dramatically bent the curve of the epidemic. Cases are down 80 percent from peak levels. With this improved outlook, the President is planning to bring virtually all of the troops who deployed to the region home by April 30, while continuing to ramp up our civilian response beyond the 10,000 civilian workers who are already involved in our response effort…
U.S. White House – FACT SHEET: Progress in Our Ebola Response at Home and Abroad – February 11, 2015

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly
Selected Meetings, Press Releases [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

13 February 2015
SOC/4830
Concluding Fifty-third Session, Commission for Social Development Recommends Four Draft Resolutions for Adoption by Economic and Social Council
Concluding its fifty-third session today, the Commission for Social Development approved by consensus four draft resolutions for adoption by the Economic and Social Council that addressed issues of African development, ageing, youth and the rights of persons with disabilities.

10 February 2015
GA/11620
Participants Stress Crucial Role of Public Entities in Implementing Sustainable Development Goals, as General Assembly Concludes Debate on Post-2015 Agenda
Parliaments, cities and local authorities could provide a “rich tapestry of opportunities” in the context of sustainable development, said ministers and other senior officials as the General Assembly concluded its High-level Thematic Debate on Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda today.

10 February 2015
SOC/4829
Decrying Unfulfilled Goals of 1995 World Summit, Delegates in Commission for Social Development Call for New, Transformative Public Policies
Twenty years after the landmark “Copenhagen Summit”, speakers in the Commission for Social Development today called for transformative public policies that supported a rights-based vision of a world which uplifted living standards for society’s most neglected while recognizing the vast differences among countries’ abilities to bring about that worthy goal.

9 February 2015
GA/11618
Turning Sustainable Development Vision into Reality for Millions Worldwide Focus of General Assembly Debate on Implementing Post-2015 Agenda
As the General Assembly opened its two-day high-level meeting aimed at finding ways to turn the new sustainable development vision into reality for millions worldwide, ministers and other senior officials crafted and shared approaches to “connect the dots” of financing the ambitious global agenda.

9 February 2015
SOC/4828
Inclusiveness, Equal Access Critical to Keeping Persons with Disabilities at Heart of Post-2015 Efforts, Special Rapporteur Tells Commission for Social Development
Social protections, inclusive employment and equal access to education were essential for ensuring that people with disabilities remained at the heart of development efforts in the post-2015 era, the Special Rapporteur on Persons with Disabilities told the Commission on Social Development today, outlining priorities for her three-year tenure since the establishment of her mandate by the Human Rights Council last December.

10 February 2015
GA/11620
Participants Stress Crucial Role of Public Entities in Implementing Sustainable Development Goals, as General Assembly Concludes Debate on Post-2015 Agenda
Parliaments, cities and local authorities could provide a “rich tapestry of opportunities” in the context of sustainable development, said ministers and other senior officials as the General Assembly concluded its High-level Thematic Debate on Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda today.

9 February 2015
SOC/4828
Inclusiveness, Equal Access Critical to Keeping Persons with Disabilities at Heart of Post-2015 Efforts, Special Rapporteur Tells Commission for Social Development
Social protections, inclusive employment and equal access to education were essential for ensuring that people with disabilities remained at the heart of development efforts in the post-2015 era, the Special Rapporteur on Persons with Disabilities told the Commission on Social Development today, outlining priorities for her three-year tenure since the establishment of her mandate by the Human Rights Council last December.

12 February 2015
DSG/SM/845-DEV/3165
Migration Challenges Cannot Be Addressed in Isolation, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Annual Meeting, Urging New Ways to Protect Migrants
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks, as delivered, to the thirteenth annual coordination meeting on international migration, in New York today.

9 February 2015
DSG/SM/841-GA/11619-DEV/3164
Deputy Secretary-General Says Achieving Sustainable Development Goals Requires ‘Coherent and Holistic’ Financial, Non-Financial Implementation Means
Following are UN Deputy Secretary-General Jan Eliasson’s remarks at the High-Level Thematic Debate on Means of Implementation for a Transformative Post-2015 Development Agenda, in New York, today.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true

UN human rights expert calls for immediate halt to further executions in Indonesia 2/13/2015

Governments must not delegate responsibility of basic education to private sector, UN expert says 2/12/2015

UN Human Rights Office launches major online database of treaty body case law 2/11/2015

SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [to 14 February 2015]
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/virtual-library/press-release-archive/

12 Feb Joint Press Statement by EU High Representative Federica Mogherini and UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict Leila Zerrougui on the occasion of the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers

12 Feb Joint Press Release OSRSG-CAAC/UNICEF: More brutal & intense conflicts leave children increasingly at risk of recruitment

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/hom

UNHCR urges Europe to recreate a robust search and rescue operation on Mediterranean, as Operation Triton lacks resources and mandate needed for saving lives
12 February 2015

UNOCHA [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.unocha.org/

12 Feb 2015
Mali: UN and Partners call for $2 billion to help Africa’s Sahel Region

12 Feb 2015
Nigeria: UN and Partners call for $2 billion to help Africa’s Sahel Region

12 Feb 2015
occupied Palestinian territory: Fact Sheet: occupied Palestinian territory Strategic Response Plan 2015

12 Feb 2015
occupied Palestinian territory: Aid agencies request $705 million to address humanitarian needs in Palestine during 2015

UNICEF [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_71508.html

Schools to reopen in Liberia after 7-month closure due to Ebola
DAKAR, 13 February 2015 – As children in Liberia prepare to return to their classrooms next week, following seven months of Ebola-related school closures, UNICEF and its partners are putting in place safety measures to minimize the risk of transmission of the virus.

Despite deepening political crisis in Yemen, UNICEF to stay and deliver
SANA’A, Yemen/GENEVA, 13 February 2015 – As the political crisis deepens in Yemen, UNICEF reaffirms its commitment to stay and deliver for the children of Yemen.

More brutal and intense conflicts leave children increasingly at risk of recruitment
NEW YORK, 12 February 2015 – Children are increasingly vulnerable to recruitment and use by armed groups as conflicts around the world become more brutal, intense and widespread, UNICEF and the UN Special Representative for Children and Armed Conflict said today to mark the International Day against the Use of Child Soldiers.

More children released from armed group in South Sudan
JUBA/NAIROBI/GENEVA/NEW YORK, 10 February 2015 – UNICEF and partners are overseeing the release of another 300 children from an armed group in South Sudan.

UNICEF and Hungary announce agreement in principle to establish new UNICEF Global Services Centre in Budapest
NEW YORK/BUDAPEST, 10 February 2015 – The Government of Hungary and UNICEF announced today that they have agreed in principle to establish UNICEF’s first-ever Global Shared Services Centre in Budapest. The new centre will conduct a broad range of UNICEF’s financial and human resources operations worldwide, enabling the children’s organization to realize greater efficiencies and cost savings.

WHO & Regionals [to 14 February 2015]
.
:: Global Alert and Response (GAR): Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
– 13 February 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – The Philippines
– 12 February 2015 Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus – China
– 11 February 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
– 11 February 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar
– 11 February 2015 Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – United Arab Emirates
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:: The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 13 February 2015, vol. 90, 7 (pp. 45–56) includes:
:: Maternal and neonatal tetanus elimination: validation surveys in Lao People’s Democratic Republic, December 2013

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WHO Regional Offices

WHO African Region AFRO
:: Cholera prevention measures reduce transmission among displaced people in South Sudan – 09 February 2015

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: New PAHO/WHO publication gives guidance on early diagnosis of childhood cancer (02/12/2015)

:: Recent measles outbreaks point to gaps in elimination efforts in the Americas (02/10/2015)

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

WHO European Region EURO
:: WHO opens office on primary health care in Kazakhstan 11-02-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Mobile clinics bring health services to communities in need in Iraq
7 February 2015 – In December 2014, WHO handed over 12 mobile medical clinics to the Federal Ministry of Health of Iraq and the Ministry of Health of the Kurdistan region to support the provision of primary health care services in underserved areas housing populations in need. Funding for the clinics was provided by Saudi Arabia. Four clinics were deployed to the Dohuk governorate, in which a large influx of large internally displaced people has put enormous pressure on the health system and its ability to deliver health care services…

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

12 February 2015
Top 10 myths about child marriage
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Despite widespread condemnation of child marriage, the practice persists around the world, perpetuated by a toxic mix of poverty and gender inequality. Its effects are devastating, yet the…

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

13 Feb 2015
Ending insecurity in the Sahel requires a regional approach, says the UNDP
We must combine national and transnational interventions to address the situations of extreme vulnerability that the Sahelian populations confront

13 Feb 2015
‘With end in sight, time to redouble efforts to stop Ebola’ – UN Development Chief
Conakry, Guinea – Speaking at a press conference today at the end of a two-day visit to Guinea, UNDP Administrator Helen Clark stressed the need to ‘go the last mile’ in eradicating the outbreak in the country.

09 Feb 2015
UNDP sees public-private partnerships for investments in infrastructure as vital for achieving sustainable development
With populations growing, some estimates suggest annual infrastructure spending in developing countries must increase between US$1.8-2.3 trillion each year by 2020, and more of these resources must come from the private sector through public-private partnerships, according to Magdy Martínez-Solimán, UNDP’s Director of Bureau for Policy and Programme Support.

UN WTO World Tourism Organization [to 14 February 2015]
http://media.unwto.org/news

Former head of UNICEF to chair the UNWTO World Tourism Network on Child Protection
UNWTO is pleased to announce that Carol Bellamy, former Executive Director of UNICEF (1995-2005), is the new chair of the UNWTO World Tourism Network on Child Protection. Ms. Bellamy starts her tenure at the Network’s 30th meeting in connection with ITB Berlin in March 2015, where the Network’s agenda for the coming year will be established.

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.cbd.int/

13 February 2015
PRESS RELEASE : Report on health and biodiversity demonstrates human health benefits from protecting biodiversity
The newly released Summary of the state of knowledge review, Connecting Global Priorities: Biodiversity and Human Health, was launched at the 14th World Congress on Public Health. Upon the release of the full length volume, the book will be the new flagship publication under the CBD joint work programme on biodiversity and health co-led in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) and numerous other partners. It will be an important source of information to assist Parties in the implementation of the UN-wide Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020, and to inform discussions on the emerging sustainable development goals and post-2015 Development Agenda.

USAID [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.usaid.gov/

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah Reflects on a Half-Decade of Development Leadership
February 12, 2015
[Video] This Thursday, February 12, Dr. Rajiv Shah will deliver his final speech as Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) at an event hosted by the American Enterprise Institute and the Center for American Progress. For the past five years Administrator Shah has led USAID in its mission to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies. During this time Administrator Shah has led key development initiatives, including Feed the Future, Power Africa, the U.S. Global Development Lab, and efforts to end preventable child and maternal deaths. Administrator Shah will discuss his tenure at USAID with John Norris of the Center for American Progress and Danielle Pletka of the American Enterprise Institute.

United States Announces Additional Results in Grand Challenge to Fight Ebola
February 11, 2015
Innovations support current Ebola response and future epidemic preparedness
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today additional nominees for awards in the Fighting Ebola: a Grand Challenge for Development. A collaborative expert review identified 12 innovations that can reinforce the response to current and future Ebola outbreaks.

Statement from USAID Administrator, Rajiv Shah on the Ebola Response Transition
February 10, 2015
Our nation’s life-saving response to the worst Ebola epidemic in history represents an impressive display of American values, commitment, and ingenuity. Even as the headlines have slowed, the tireless work of thousands of frontline health care workers and disasters responders has not. In a year marked by an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises—from South Sudan to Syria— we remain committed to providing help in an emergency, regardless of danger or difficulty. It is one of the most profound expressions of who we are as the American people.

Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development Announces Round 5 Call for Innovative Solutions to Prevent Infant & Maternal Deaths
February 9, 2015
Today, the Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development partners launched their fifth call for groundbreaking, sustainable innovations to save the lives of mothers and newborns in the hardest to reach corners of the world. The latest round is part of a $50 million program expansion to build upon and accelerate Saving Lives at Birth’s investment in innovative prevention and treatment ideas and approaches that aim to reduce infant and maternal mortality and prevent stillbirth around the time of birth.

African Union [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.au.int/en/

Feb.09.2015
African Experts on Statistics and Civil Registration Converge in Yamoussoukro to brainstorm on promotion of data revolution for good governance

The African Development Bank Group [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

African Development Bank appoints three High-Level Advisors on Fragility
12/02/2015 – The African Development Bank’s new Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience for the period 2014–2019 aims to place the Bank at the centre of Africa’s efforts to pave the way for a more resilient and inclusive development trajectory. Enhancing the Bank’s leadership role in policy dialogue, partnerships and advocacy around issues of fragility is critical in this process. Strategic partnerships in areas that are essential to overcoming fragility but that are outside its core mandate, such as justice and security, will enable the Bank access important information and share its knowledge in such matters.
For the Bank to deliver on addressing fragility there is a need to systematically and continuously engage with the Regional Member Countries at the highest level possible. High-calibre individuals who have relevant knowledge, political influence, excellent reputation and strong networks among African policy-makers will enhance the Bank’s capacity and ability to demonstrate thought leadership on issues of fragility. The work of the High Level Panel on Fragile States in 2014 provided greater insights into the characteristics, manifestations and threats of fragility. Also, noted was that the capacities and resources of affected states and societies vary significantly hence the need for adapting to each context and focus on key entry points.

AfDB awards US$1 million emergency relief assistance for drought victims in Somalia
12/02/2015 – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has awarded US $1 million emergency relief assistance to Somalia where over one million people affected by drought and famine are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Africa launches platform to enhance collaboration between countries for the delivery of quality Early Childhood Development programs
10/02/2015 – A regional platform to improve the provision of quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs in Africa was launched on Monday, February 9 in Kigali, Rwanda, during the Ministerial Conference for Sub-Saharan Africa on Education Post-2015.

IMF [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

IMF Establishes a Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to Enhance Support for Eligible Low Income Countries Hit by Public Health Disasters
Press Release No. 15/53
February 13, 2015
The Ebola epidemic in parts of West Africa is a humanitarian catastrophe that has drawn attention of the international community to the need of addressing the rapid spread of life threatening infectious diseases that cause substantial domestic disruption and cross international borders.

On February 4, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed how to better support Low-Income Countries hit by public health disasters. The Board approved the establishment of the Catastrophe Containment and Relief (CCR) Trust, allowing the Fund to provide debt relief in these cases, as well as to members experiencing other types of catastrophic disasters. These grants can ease pressures on the members’ balance of payments and create fiscal space to tackle relief and recovery challenges.

The CCR will provide grants for debt relief totaling $100 million for the three countries affected by Ebola in West Africa—Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. This comes in addition to the $130 million of assistance provided in September 2014, and a second round of new concessional loans amounting to about $160 million to be considered soon by the Executive Board.

Background
In their November 2014 meeting in Brisbane, the G-20 called on the Bretton Woods Institutions to continue their strong support to countries severely affected by the Ebola outbreak through a combination of concessional loans, debt relief and grants, and asked the institutions to explore new, flexible mechanisms to address the economic effects of future comparable crises. The CCR Trust is the Fund’s response to that call. It replaces the Post-Catastrophe Debt Relief (PCDR) Trust established on June 25, 2010 in the wake of a massive earthquake in Haiti, and expands the circumstances under which the Fund can provide exceptional assistance to its low income members to include public health disasters.

Through the new instrument, the Fund is able to quickly and flexibly adjust its policies in the face of unexpected international developments, including pandemics, to serve the needs of its membership, especially the most vulnerable.

At the conclusion of the Executive Board meeting on the CCR, IMF Managing Director Christine stated: “I welcome the establishment of the Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust. It aims at enhancing our support to the countries in Africa hit by Ebola, as well as other low income countries that may be affected by public health disasters in the future.”…

World Bank [to 14 February 2015]
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[We limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

Scaling Up Universal Health Coverage and Containing Non-Communicable Diseases in the Middle East and North Africa: Challenges, Linkages and Strategies
KUWAIT CITY, February 12, 2015 – Addressing the twin challenges of scaling up universal health coverage (UHC) and containing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the focus of a five-day policy seminar sponsored by the World Bank in coordination with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (CEF).The policy seminar brings together 37 senior level representatives from Ministries of Health, Finance, and Planning and health agencies in the MENA region, as well as representatives from academia and non- governmental organizations. Presentations by World Bank specialists with expert contributions from World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins University, US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), are geared towards familiarizing policy makers and participants with global and regional experiences in scaling up universal health cover Show Less Date: February 12, 2015

New World Bank Group Push to Revive Agriculture, Avert Hunger for over One Million People at Risk in Ebola-hit Countries
Record 10,500 tons of seed to be delivered for April planting season
WASHINGTON, February 12, 2015—In a concerted push to revive agriculture and avert hunger in Ebola-hit countries, the World Bank Group has mobilized up to $15 million in emergency financing to provide a record 10,500 tons of maize and rice seed to over 200,000 farmers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in time for the April planting season. More than one million people could go hungry unless they have reliable access to food and emergency measures are taken immediately to safeguard crop and livestock production.A World Bank Group report shows that the Ebola crisis has taken a heavy toll on the economies in all three countries, and the agriculture and food sectors have been particularly hard hit….
Date: February 12, 2015

Improving Markets for Seeds and Fertilizers in West Africa
Despite these positive developments, most countries are a long way from having the required capacities and institutional structures needed to implement the new trade rules, and it will likely be many more years before true harmonized trade can begin. Rather than rely so intensively on regional harmonization and efforts to implement advanced international standards, therefore, the analysis points to a need for pragmatic solutions and simple changes that would have direct impact in the near term while longer-term progress towards full harmonization continues.Other key messages include: There are many good reasons for regional collaboration on seed and fertilizer. Soil types and rainfall patterns cut across West Africa mainly in east to west bands, meaning that neighboring countries are often the nearest source of supply and/or best market outlet for adapted seeds and appropriate fertilizer types. New institutional structures and capacities must be developed before the regional regulations…
Date: February 10, 2015

World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA to hold Second Tripartite Meeting on Regional Integration in West Africa
ACCRA, February 9, 2015 – The World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA are holding their Second Tripartite Meeting in Accra, Ghana, during February 10-11, 2015, to deliberate on issues pertinent to the socio-economic development of the ECOWAS Sub-region. The meeting will, among other things, review the status of implementation of the Abidjan Action Plan which was agreed during their first meeting in Abidjan in July 2013, and will focus on a number of key thematic areas such as Ebola, Agriculture, Regional Infrastructure and Cross Border Management. According to Mr. Colin Bruce, World Bank Africa Region’s Director responsible for Regional Integration, “Since we met in June 2013, we have made considerable progress in implementing our ambitious joint action plan in the six priority areas of Agriculture, Education, Trade and Trade Facilitation, Transport, Regional Investment Climate and the Sahel
Date: February 9, 2015