UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

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23 Mar 2016
Speech by Robert Glasser at the World Meteorological Organization
Mr. Robert Glasser, Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Disaster Risk Reduction
[Excerpt]
…We are probably still at a stage in human development when poverty and exposure to disaster risk are the main factors in deciding whether someone survives an event such as Typhoon Haiyan which claimed over 6,000 lives in the Philippines in November 2013.

Despite the fact that such events are usually well-announced beforehand, poverty and an exposed location can mean the difference between life and death more so than the nature of the hazard itself.

The Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, adopted a year ago at the Third UN World Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, recognizes with a clarity unusual in international agreements how important it is not only to continue to improve disaster management but to go beyond that to address the underlying drivers of risk which include poverty, exposure, land use, unplanned urbanization, poor risk governance and, of course, climate change…
:: Download speech in PDF version [PDF 92.43 kB]

UNESCO [to 26 March 2016]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Press Releases/News

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Inter Parliamentary Union Adopts Landmark Resolution to Protect Culture
25 March 2016

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UNESCO and L’Oréal Foundation launch manifesto to promote gender parity in the sciences
25 March 2016

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20 sites added to UNESCO’s World Network of Biosphere Reserves
Lima, 19 March—The International Coordinating Council of the Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme of UNESCO added 20 sites to the World Network of Biosphere Reserves during its meeting in the capital of Peru on 18 and 19 March. The newly adopted sites include 18 national sites and one transboundary site shared between Spain and Portugal. The Council also approved 9 extensions to existing Biosphere Reserves. Following the withdrawal of two sites at the request of Austria, this brings the total number of biosphere reserves to 669 sites in 120 countries, including 16 transboundary sites.

UN-HABITAT United Nations Human Settlements Programme [to 26 March 2016]
http://unhabitat.org/media-centre/news/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global announcement and initiatives]

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Posted March 24, 2016
UN-Habitat and Lincoln Institute pilot a Global Municipal Database for Sustainable Urbanization
Top officials from UN-Habitat and the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy signed an agreement in Mexico City this month to create a pilot for a global municipal fiscal database that will result in the reporting of fiscal data for select cities in Asia, Latin America and Africa…

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2016/en/

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25-03-2016
Cuba’s accession to accord signals important step in global anti-rogue fishing effort
Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations agencies in Rome, Alba Soto Pimentel, today formally presented FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva with Cuba’s instrument of accession to the Agreement on Port State Measures to Prevent, Deter and Eliminate Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

UN urges stronger, coordinated international response to address El Niño impacts
The appeal came at a meeting organized in Rome by four UN agencies, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
23-03-2016

New approaches needed to meet sustainable development challenges
The international community needs to find new and innovative ways of working together if it is to meet the goals laid out in the UN’s new Sustainable Development Agenda — and eradicate hunger and poverty, in particular — FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva said at the Forum for the Future of Agriculture in Brussels today.
22-03-2016

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 26 March 2016]
https://www.ifad.org/newsroom/press_release/list/tags/y2016

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22 March 2016
UN agency to provide $51 million to reduce poverty for vulnerable tribal groups in India
Rome, 22 March 2016 – The UN’s International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of India signed a financial agreement recently that will aim to reduce poverty and improve livelihoods and food and nutrition security for over 62,000 rural households in the country’s central eastern region.
IFAD is providing a US $51.2 million loan towards the $130 million Odisha Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups Empowerment and Livelihoods Improvement Programme. It will focus on reducing poverty and improving living conditions for some of the most vulnerable tribal groups in Odisha’s heavily forested Eastern Ghats and Northern Plateau regions…

21 March 2016
UN urges stronger, coordinated international response to address El Niño impacts

ILO International Labour Organization [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/lang–en/index.htm

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European Union
ILO welcomes strengthened EU focus on social issues
23 March 2016
The Organization stands ready to support the European Commission, which has launched a consultation on the European Pillar of Social Rights.

High Level Commission on Health Employment and Economic Growth
ILO calls for increase in global health sector workforce
23 March 2016
At the first meeting in Lyon, France, of a new UN multilateral commission, the ILO has highlighted a major increase in the health sector workforce as essential if the 2030 Agenda goals on health are to be realized.

Joint UNESCO and UN – Water Press Release
Water drives job creation and economic growth, says new UN report
22 March 2016
An estimated three out of four jobs that make up the global workforce are either heavily or moderately dependent on water. This means that water shortages and problems of access to water and sanitation could limit economic growth and job creation in the coming decades, according to a UN report.

ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.icao.int/Newsroom/Pages/pressrelease.aspx

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23/3/16
ICAO Condemns Brussels Attacks

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22/3/16
ICAO Confirms Role in Monitoring Progress toward UN SDG 9 for Infrastructure
MONTRÉAL, 21 March 2016 – ICAO Secretary General Dr. Fang Liu highlighted today that the UN specialized agency for civil aviation will be contributing important data to help monitor progress towards the achievement of UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 9, which specifies the need for resilient infrastructure to be developed in order to promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation.

“The development of infrastructure that supports sustainable economic development and human well-being is essential to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and a critical one for global aviation,” Dr. Liu explained. “This is especially the case given the direct links between projected growth for our sector, the need for airport and air navigation system modernization to accommodate increased traffic safely and efficiently, and the ultimate capability of our network to support global connectivity and greater sustainable prosperity for cities and regions worldwide.” …

WMO World Meteorological Organization [to 26 March 2016]
http://public.wmo.int/en

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21 March 2016
State of the Climate: Record Heat and Weather Extremes
Press Release
World Meteorological Day: Hotter, Drier, Wetter. Face the Future
Geneva 21 March 2016 (WMO) – The year 2015 made history, with shattered temperature records, intense heatwaves, exceptional rainfall, devastating drought and unusual tropical cyclone activity, according to the World Meteorological Organization. That record-breaking trend has continued in 2016.

The WMO Statement on the Status of the Climate in 2015 gave details of the record land and sea surface temperatures, unabated ocean warming and sea level rise, shrinking sea ice extent, and extreme weather events around the world.

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.unido.org/news-centre/news.html

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Wednesday, 23 March 2016
Egypt meeting charts path forward for enhanced coordination of food safety in the region
CAIRO, 23 March 2016 – Enhancing the coordination and integration of food safety measures and harmonizing food safety standards in countries of the League of Arab States (LAS) was the focus of a meeting that ended today in Cairo.

It was part of a capacity building initiative supported by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and funded by the Swedish International Development Agency (Sida), which aims to strengthen the regional capacity of integrating and coordinating food safety measures, thereby ensuring the compliance with international trade rules and regulations.

The Arab Industrial Development and Mining Organization (AIDMO) and the Arab Organization for Agricultural Development (AOAD) will lead the implementation of the initiative along with national ministries and organizations responsible for food safety in the region…

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Monday, 21 March 2016
UNIDO and University of International Business and Economics of China launch joint study on global value chains with funding from China
BEIJING, 21 March 2016 – Because conventional national statistics and methodologies are not enough to study global value chains and their implications on economic development, a new joint research will be carried out by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and University of International Business and Economics (UIBE) of China.

This innovative approach in research, to be funded by the People’s Republic of China, was announced in Beijing today.

“Global value chains are increasingly playing a leading role in production and trade for international markets. Today, more than half of manufactured products in trade are intermediate goods that require further processing in other countries. As a window of opportunity to access international markets, to absorb new technologies and to follow international standards of production, global value chains have tremendous implications for inclusive and sustainable industrial development – a key component of Sustainable Development Goal 9,” said Nobuya Haraguchi, of UNIDO’s Policy, Research and Statistics Department.

The joint research will examine global value chains at the macro, meso and micro level combining quantitative, qualitative and case study analyses…

International Organization for Standardization (ISO) [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index.htm

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21 March 2016
New standards set to improve safety of medical device connections in clinical settings
Feeding tubes, catheters and IV drips are just some of the essential delivery devices used in medical settings that save lives every day. But even minor errors in their connectors can have devastating consequences. A new range of ISO Standards aims to mitigate the risk.

USAID [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases

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March 21, 2016
Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development Announces Three New Award Nominees
Approximately $4.2M in Awards will Accelerate Innovative Solutions to Prevent Maternal, Infant Deaths in the Hardest to Reach Regions of the World
“Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development” announced three new award nominees in its fifth global call for groundbreaking solutions to protect mothers and newborns during their most vulnerable hours. These awards include two transition-to-scale awards (approximately $2 million each), which will support innovators with demonstrated proof-of-concept in transitioning their solutions towards scale, and one validation grant (approximately $250,000) to support the introduction and validate the effectiveness of the innovation to reach proof-of-concept.

ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.asean.org/news
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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ASEAN Inter Pillar Policy Dialogue on the Impact of ASEAN Economic Integration in Labour Sector
KUALA LUMPUR, 21 March 2016 – Malaysia organised the ASEAN inter pillar policy dialogue on the impact of ASEAN economic integration in labour sector with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). The inter pillar policy dialogue was held in Hotel Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 21 March 2016. The inter pillar policy dialogue was officiated by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Adenan Ab Rahman…

European Union [to 26 March 2016]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]

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Message from the President of the European Commission following the attacks in Brussels Date: 22/03/2016
European Commission – Statement Brussels, 22 March 2016 I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the people of Brussels, to the many wounded, to the families and loved ones of those cruelly hit by the explosions this morning at Zaventem airport and Maelbeek Metro Station.

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Commission makes immediate proposal to implement EU-Turkey agreement: 54,000 places allocated for resettlement of Syrians from Turkey
Brussels, 21 March 2016 Following Friday’s agreement between the European Council and Turkey, the Commission is adopting a proposal to amend a Council Decision to relocate people in need for international protection from Italy and Greece. With this amendment, 54,000 places which were foreseen for relocations will now be available for the purpose of resettling Syrians from Turkey to the EU.

The proposal responds to the need to commit further places for resettlement from Turkey, following Friday’s agreement to resettle one Syrian from Turkey for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey after arriving irregularly in the Greek islands. This 1:1 scheme aims to quickly replace irregular flows of migrants travelling in dangerous conditions across the Aegean by an orderly and legal resettlement process.

Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “With the agreement reached with Turkey on Friday, we are offering asylum seekers a credible alternative to putting their lives at risk on dangerous sea routes. Member States now need to honour their commitments and ensure an orderly, well managed and safe arrival and admission to Europe for persons in need of international protection in Turkey.”

In order for the scheme to function, Member States must make a sufficient number of resettlement places available, within the framework of their existing commitments. Today’s proposal would amend the relocation decision to make it possible for Member States to meet their humanitarian commitments by admitting Syrians to their territories directly from Turkey. The number of resettled Syrians would be deducted from Member States’ relocation quotas…

Group of 77 [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.g77.org/
(New York, 21 March 2016)
DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA
The Group of 77 and China reiterates its rejection to the latest decision of the Government of the United States of America to renew its unilateral sanctions against the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on March 4th 2016, under the Executive Order signed by President Barack Obama, which declares “a national emergency with respects to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela”.

We reaffirm, at the same time, the Declaration adopted at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra that firmly rejects the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries…

International Criminal Court (ICC) [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/Pages/default.aspx

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24/03/2016
Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, following admission of guilt by the accused in Mali war crime case: “An important step for the victims, and another first for the ICC”

24/03/2016
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms the charge against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi and commits him to trial
Situation: Republic of Mali
Case: The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi
Today, 24 March 2016, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) confirmed against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi the war crime charge regarding the destruction of historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu (Mali), and committed Mr Al Mahdi to trial before a Trial Chamber.

21/03/2016
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II confirms the charges against Dominic Ongwen and commits him to trial
Situation: Uganda
Case: The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen
Today, 23 March 2016, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) issued a decision confirming 70 charges brought by the Prosecutor against Dominic Ongwen and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber.

21/03/2016
ICC Trial Chamber III declares Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
Situation: The Central African Republic
Case: The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
Today, 21 March 2016, Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) declared, unanimously, Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo guilty beyond any reasonable doubt of two counts of crimes against humanity (murder and rape) and three counts of war crimes (murder, rape, and pillaging). The crimes were committed in Central African Republic (“CAR”) from on or about 26 October 2002 to 15 March 2003 (“2002-2003 CAR Operation”) by a contingent of Mouvement de Libération du Congo (“MLC”) troops. Mr Bemba was a person effectively acting as a military commander with effective authority and control over the forces that committed the crimes.

IMF [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Speech
Accelerating Reforms to Establish a Risk Prevention System – A View from the IMF
Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director
China Development Forum, Beijing, March 20, 2016

African Development Bank Group [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

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25/03/2016
Lack of water is a stumbling block to gender equality in Zimbabwe
– Zimbabwe’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate, Oppah Muchinguri has decried lack of sufficient clean water as a stumbling block to achieving gender equality. She said girls were often forced to miss school because of searching for the precious liquid.

AfDB supports Healthcare Sector in Africa with a USD25 Million Equity Investment in the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund
24/03/2016 – The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a USD 25 million equity investment in the Abraaj Growth Markets Health (Africa) Fund (the “Fund”), the Africa focused parallel partnership of the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund. This contribution will allow the Fund to provide access to finance and capacity building for scalable and sustainable healthcare models for lower-middle and low-income segments of the populations in Africa. The proposal is well aligned with the Bank’s High Five Item on Improving the Lives of Africans and with various Bank and target country strategies.

Half of Africa’s nations advancing climate solutions to front burner in national development plans: report
22/03/2016 – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has released Financing Change: the AfDB and CIF for a Climate-Smart Africa, its 2015 Annual Report for its Climate Investment Funds (CIF) portfolio. The report demonstrates that by the end of 2015 through its AfDB-supported CIF portfolio, 27 African nations – half of Africa – had become engaged in various aspects of climate solutions, and through 39 pilot programs are embedding them in their national development economic and social goals. The work is also significant institutionally for AfDB because it serves as a critical support in shifting the Bank’s core work to fulfill its ambitious goal to triple climate financing for Africa by 2020.

AfDB celebrates World Water Day – Water and Employment: What future?
21/03/2016 – The African Development (AfDB) attaches considerable importance to the water and employment sectors – which are also parts of its five operational priorities, the High Fives – and is supporting the Ivorian Government in celebrating the 2016 edition of the World Water Day, on March 22, 2016. The theme this year is “Water and Jobs”. Industry experts, scientists, development partners and representatives of the civil society will discuss how water can contribute to create jobs and wealth.

Africa is open for business: The African Development Bank calls on African private sector
21/03/2016 – Africa’s private sector will continue to lead the continent towards economic transformation, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said Monday at the launch of the fourth Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan

Amref Health Africa [to 26 March 2016]
http://amref.org/news/news/

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Published: 24 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Amref Health Africa Makes Great Steps to end TB
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health challenge in developing countries. Worldwide in 2014, World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 9 million people developed TB with Kenya contributing about 89,000 TB cases. Kenya is ranked…

Published: 22 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Ground breaking ceremony for the Kerwa Water Project
Friday 18 March 2016 will be a day to remember for the people of Kerwa village. As we arrive at the village in Kiambu County, a huge gathering greets us with big smiles and…

Published: 21 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Amref Health Africa Calls for Increased Focus and Investment on Providing Safe Water
On Tuesday, March 22, Amref Health Africa will join the global community in celebrating the World Water Day, notably the first following adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in November 2015. The launch…

ICRC [to 26 March 2016]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases and Articles

Iraq: Aid reaches thousands of displaced people in war-ravaged west Ramadi
Baghdad/Geneva (ICRC) – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff distributed aid today to more than 12,000 displaced people surviving in desperate conditions in west Ramadi, central Iraq, having fled fighting in the nearby city of Hit.
24-03-2016 | News release

ICRC evidence to UK parliament: Respecting law of war reduces suffering
The ICRC has emphasised the need for compliance with international humanitarian law in evidence before the UK parliament’s International Development Committee. ICRC senior policy advisor Markus Geisser appeared before the committee to feed into an i
24-03-2016 | Article

Syria: First aid in months reaches over 70,000 people in the central Syrian region of Al Houleh
A joint convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations yesterday reached several villages in the region of Al Houleh, north of Homs, to deliver food, medicine and water supply
23-03-2016 | News release

The ICRC in Jordan
The International ICRC has been present in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1967, as part of its international humanitarian mandate.
22-03-2016 | Article

ICRC launches new guidance bolstering relevance of Geneva Conventions
The ICRC has unveiled major new guidance on the implementation of the Geneva Conventions, bolstering arguments that despite violations, the laws governing armed conflict remain relevant, crucial to saving lives and must not be abandoned.
21-03-2016 | News release

IFRC [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/

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26 March 2016
Syria: How much longer?

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21 March 2016
DIHAD: innovation at the heart of humanitarian action
Dubai / Geneva, 21 March 2016 – For the fourth consecutive year, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is among the exhibitors at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD) opening today in Dubai.

Recognized as the largest humanitarian event in the Middle East, DIHAD brings together international agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, donors, the corporate sector and academia, to exchange knowledge and best practices in the field of humanitarian assistance. This year DIHAD unfolds the theme: the importance of innovation in humanitarian aid and development…