Featured Journal Content
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BMJ Global Health
(6 November, 2018)
Research
Secular trends in the prevalence of female genital mutilation/cutting among girls: a systematic analysis
Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala1,2, Martinsixtus C Ezejimofor1,3, Olalekan A Uthman4, Paul Komba1
Author affiliations
Department of Mathematics, Physics and Electrical Engineering, Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK
Division of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health, Johannesburg, South Africa
British Association of Dermatologists, Willan House, Fitzroy Square, London, UK
Warwick-Centre for Applied Health Research and Delivery (WCAHRD), Warwick Medical School, University of Warwick, Coventry, UK
Correspondence to Professor Ngianga-Bakwin Kandala; ngianga-bakwin.kandala@northumbria.ac.uk
Abstract
Background Current evidence on the decline in the prevalence of female genital mutilation or cutting (FGM/C) has been lacking worldwide. This study analyses the prevalence estimates and secular trends in FGM/C over sustained periods (ie, 1990–2017). Its aim is to provide analytical evidence on the changing prevalence of FGM/C over time among girls aged 0–14 years and examine geographical variations in low-income and middle-income countries.

Methods Analysis on the shift in prevalence of FGM/C was undertaken using the Demographic Health Survey (DHS) and Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) data sets from Africa and Middle East. A random-effects model was used to derive overall prevalence estimates. Using Poisson regression models, we conducted time trends analyses on the FGM/C prevalence estimates between 1990 and 2017.

Findings We included 90 DHS and MICS data sets for 208 195 children (0–14 years) from 29 countries spread across Africa and two countries in Western Asia. The prevalence of FGM/C among children varied greatly between countries and regions and also within countries over the survey periods. The percentage decline in the prevalence of FGM/C among children aged 0–14 years old was highest in East Africa, followed by North and West Africa. The prevalence decreased from 71.4% in 1995 to 8.0% in 2016 in East Africa. In North Africa, the prevalence decreased from 57.7% in 1990 to 14.1% in 2015. In West Africa, the prevalence decreased from 73.6% in 1996 to 25.4% in 2017. The results of the trend analysis showed a significant shift downwards in the prevalence of FGM/C among children aged 0–14 years in such regions and subregions of East Africa, North Africa and West Africa. East Africa has experienced a much faster decrease in the prevalence of the practice (trend=−7.3%, 95% CI −7.5% to −7.1%) per year from 1995 to 2014. By contrast, the decline in prevalence has been much slower in North Africa (trend=−4.4%, 95% CI −4.5% to −4.3%) and West Africa (trend=−3.0%, 95% CI −3.1% to −2.9%).

Conclusion The prevalence of FGM/C among children aged 0–14 years varied greatly between countries and regions and also within countries over the survey periods. There is evidence of huge and significant decline in the prevalence of FGM/C among children across countries and regions. There is a need to sustain comprehensive intervention efforts and further targeted efforts in countries and regions still showing high prevalence of FGM/C among children, where the practice is still pervasive.

Featured Journal Content
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Reproductive Health
http://www.reproductive-health-journal.com/content
[Accessed 10 Nov 2018 ]
Commentary
The revised international technical guidance on sexuality education – a powerful tool at an important crossroads for sexuality education
In January 2018, UNESCO, together with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, and the WHO, completed the substantial technical and political process of updating the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Educ…
Authors: Joanna Herat, Marina Plesons, Chris Castle, Jenelle Babb and Venkatraman Chandra-Mouli
Citation: Reproductive Health 2018 15:185
Published on: 6 November 2018
Abstract
In January 2018, UNESCO, together with UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, and the WHO, completed the substantial technical and political process of updating the International Technical Guidance on Sexuality Education, thereby unifying a UN position on rationale, evidence, and guidance on designing and delivering comprehensive sexuality education (CSE). The revised Guidance builds on the original Guidance, with improvements and updates based on new evidence and good practice documented from across the globe. User-surveys and structured consultations with representatives from a wide range of fields and interest-groups informed and guided the revision process. The revised Guidance presents one, commonly agreed definition of CSE; enhances and expands its key concepts, topics and learning objectives; places a strengthened focus on gender and human rights; provides guidance on building support and planning the implementation of CSE programmes; and reflects the contribution of CSE to the realization of multiple Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). With its unified voice, progressive position, and attention to key implementation challenges, the revised Guidance is a responsive, timely, and critically needed tool to advance towards a tipping point for the large-scale application of quality CSE.

Syria – Humanitarian Response
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United Nations humanitarian convoy to Rukban: UNICEF delivers lifesaving vaccines, medicines and nutritional supplies for 50,000 people
DAMASCUS 8 November 2018 – UNICEF, with United Nations partners and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent, concluded a six-day humanitarian aid convoy to Rukban camp in southeast Syria near the Jordanian border. This is the first convoy to the camp from within Syria, where nearly 50,000 people live, the majority of whom are women and children. The last aid delivery to the area was in January from Jordan.

UNICEF sent 21 trucks of humanitarian assistance as part of the convoy and supported 21 vaccinators with vaccines, cold chain equipment and medical supplies to immunize 10,000 children against measles, polio and other childhood diseases in the camp. This has been one of the most complex humanitarian operations in Syria with over 75 trucks and more than 100 humanitarian and logistics workers delivering aid to people in need in Syria south-eastern desert conditions.

“Children and women in Rukban have had extremely limited access to health services amid worsening conditions,” said Fran Equiza, UNICEF Representative in Syria. “UNICEF advocated extensively with all relevant parties to include vaccinators in the convoy to protect children against life-threatening diseases.”

“Most children under-five years old had never been vaccinated,” said Dr. Husam Eddine Baradee, UNICEF’s Health & Nutrition Officer who accompanied the convoy. “Despite the challenges we were able to vaccinate 5,100 children in the few days we had access to the camp, yet we absolutely need sustained access as thousands more children still need to be immunised.”

UNICEF staff described the conditions in the camp as dire with many people having to survive on just one meal a day. “I barely eat anything at all because my priority is to feed my children,” a mother told UNICEF “I get dizzy when I breastfeed these days.” She added UNICEF’s supplies sent with the convoy included much-needed health, nutrition, water and sanitation supplies in addition to winter clothing for children under-14 years old and basic medicines, including antibiotics.

UNICEF calls on all parties to the conflict to allow all those displaced to voluntarily return to their homes or a place of their choosing in safety and dignity and guarantee sustained humanitarian access to be able to deliver assistance to all children in need in Rukban and elsewhere in Syria.

Emergencies
 
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 06 November2018 [GPEI]
:: The Semi-Annual Status Report for January-June 2018 was recently published with detailed narrative for each of the Endgame Plan strategic objectives.
 
Summary of new viruses this week:
Democratic Republic of Congo – two new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)
Pakistan – Two new cases of wild poliovirus (WPV1) and two WPV1 positive environmental samples.
Niger- one new case of circulating vaccine-driven polio virus type 2 (cVDPV2).
Nigeria – four new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)
 
::::::
::::::
 
Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.
 
WHO Grade 3 Emergencies  [to 10 Nov 2018 ]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 14: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  6 November 2018
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo   8 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
 
Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis
:: Weekly Situation Report 49 – 1 November 2018 pdf, 410kb
 
Nigeria
:: WHO supports cholera vaccination in critical States of the Northwest region
Zamfara, 6 November, 2018 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting health authorities in Zamfara with the necessary preparation for the implementation of the first Oral Cholera Vaccination (OCV) campaigns.  Similar activity and assistance will be provided to Katsina and Kebbi States.
With financial support from GAVI, the Vaccine Alliance, these vaccination campaigns will directly protect 808,795 inhabitants of the three states who are aged one year and above from cholera. The campaigns will be implemented in two rounds for each state (14-18 November 2018 for the 1st round) and (11-16 December 2018 for the 2nd round). The intervention will complement efforts from the Federal Government and States in responding to the ongoing cholera outbreak and facilitate the prevention and control of cholera in Nigeria in the long term.
Nigeria is experiencing its largest cholera outbreak in recent years with over 42,466 suspected cases including 830 deaths reported from 01 January to 29 October 2018 in 20 states. The numbers sharply contrast 18,243 suspected cases reported in the country over the last three years (2015- 2017)…

 South Sudan
:: WHO enhances Ebola Rapid Response Readiness Capacities in South Sudan
Juba 1 November 2018 – The World Health Organization is supporting the Ministry of Health of South Sudan, to train a total of 214 members of the Rapid Response Teams at the national level and in all the Ebola virus disease (EVD) high-risk states.
\\These trainings are part of the ongoing efforts to strengthen the country’s preparedness capacities and mitigate the risk of EVD importation from the raging outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The recent WHO EVD risk assessment raised the risk of regional spread from “high” to “very high” thus justifying all efforts aimed at enhancing national EVD readiness capacities…

 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Hama National Hospital provides ray of hope for Syrian cancer patients  1 November 2018
 
Yemen
:: Statement on Yemen by Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari, WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean
Cairo, 8 November 2018 – The current violence in Al Hudaydah is placing tens of thousands of already vulnerable people at risk, and preventing WHO from reaching them with the help they urgently need. The violence, now in close proximity to the area hospitals, is affecting the movement and safety of health staff, patients and ambulances, as well as the functionality of health facilities, leaving hundreds without access to treatment.

With only 50% of health facilities functioning across the country and no doctors in 18% of districts in Yemen, we cannot afford for one more health worker to lose their life, or one more hospital to go out of service. In Hudaydah city, the hospitals are closest to the frontlines, which is alarming and is jeopardizing the lives of health care workers and patients alike.

Increased fighting is also affecting the port of Al Hudaydah, through which 85% of the country’s food supplies are normally imported. The people of Yemen are already on the brink of famine, with 1.8 million children under five and 1.1 million pregnant or breastfeeding women acutely malnourished. More than 400,000 severely acutely malnourished children rely on urgent and accessible medical care to stay alive.

   As the immune systems of millions of Yemenis fail due to hunger, thousands are dying of malnutrition, cholera and other diseases. People living in Al Hudaydah are some of the worst hit, with the highest rates of cholera reported since the beginning of the outbreak…
 
Somalia – No new announcements identified
 
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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 10 Nov 2018 ]
Myanmar
:: Weekly Situation Report 49 – 1 November 2018 pdf, 410kb
 
Iraq
:: WHO and the Ministry of Health intensify response to gastroenteritis outbreak amid water crisis in Basra  2 November 2018
 
Brazil (in Portugese) – No new announcements identified
Cameroon  – No new announcements identified
Central African Republic  – No new announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new announcements identified
Hurricane Irma and Maria in the Caribbean – No new announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new announcements identified
Libya – No new announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new announcements identified
Niger – No new announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new announcements identified
Sudan – No new announcements identified
Ukraine – No new announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new announcements identified
 
Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin, Week 44: 27 October – 02 November 2018
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 55 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:
:: Yellow fever in Ethiopia
:: Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Cholera in Niger
:: Humanitarian crisis in Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Humanitarian crisis in South Sudan

::::::
 
WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 10 Nov 2018 ]
Afghanistan
Angola (in Portuguese)
Chad
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut
Tanzania
 
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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 

Yemen
:: Yemen Humanitarian Update Covering 22 October – 6 November 2018 | Issue 31
KEY ISSUES:
:: UN calls for urgent action on five key points to avert an imminent humanitarian catastrophe in Yemen.
:: A total of 118 humanitarian partners operate in the 333 districts of Yemen providing assistance to as many as 8 million people per month.
:: Armed clashes, airstrikes and artillery shelling continued around the airport and Kilo 10 to the south and east of Al Hudaydah City; fighting was also reported on the Hays frontline.
:: Partners identified 80,763 displaced families from Al Hudaydah hosted in Al Hudaydah, Hajjah, Raymah and Al Mahwit governorates; 71,363 of these households have been assisted since June.
:: US$87 million has been allocated to 75 projects under the first Standard Allocation 2018 of the Yemen Humanitarian Fund, and will benefit over 3 million Yemenis in 19 governorates.

Syrian Arab Republic   – No new announcements identified.
::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Somalia  
:: Humanitarian Bulletin Somalia, 4 October – 5 November 2018
HIGHLIGHTS
:: Aid agencies step up livelihood, resilience support
:: Conflict related displacement spikes in Lower Shabelle
:: Evictions continue in Mogadishu
:: Major disease outbreaks contained
:: Polio immunization continues
:: Mental health care must be prioritized
:: Sustained funding needed to support the aid operation

Ethiopia  – No new announcements identified.

::::::
“Other Emergencies”
Indonesia: Central Sulawesi Earthquake
:: Central Sulawesi Earthquake & Tsunami: Humanitarian Country Team Situation Report #7 (as of 6 November 2018))

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 3 November 2018

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

PDF: The Sentinel_ period ending 3 Nov 2018

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities   [see PDF]
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates  [see PDF]The Sentinel_ period ending 20 Oct 2018
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

Human Rights – Right to Life
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UN Human Rights Committee publishes new general comment on the ‘right to life’
GENEVA (1 November 2018) — The UN Human Rights Committee, which monitors implementation of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, today published a new general comment: a comprehensive text providing legal guidance on article 6, the right to life.

“The right to life is the prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other human rights,” explained Yuval Shany, Chair of the Human Rights Committee. “The general comment provides a rich and authoritative statement of the obligations deriving from the right to life, which the Committee defines as ‘the supreme right.’”

The Human Rights Committee, made up of 18 independent experts, is charged with watching over the Covenant by examining the human rights situation in each of the 172 countries that ratified it. Those countries are also referred to as States parties. In addition to reviewing the human rights situation in the States parties, the Committee also examines, discusses and writes guidance on how States parties ought to interpret and apply the Covenant on a practical level. The Human Rights Committee speaks for itself, not for the United Nations.

The general comment the Committee just issued on the right to life has been in the works for more than three years, said Shany, adding that it touches on extremely complicated issues such as the relationship between the right to life and other human rights, as well as other international law norms. The Comment then identifies the obligations of states to protect life against a variety of challenges, including environmental degradation, war and extreme poverty. The general comment also addresses the duties of states to individuals located outside their territory, but affected nonetheless by their activities or activities of corporations based in their territory. The document also declares that states that have not yet abolished the death penalty should gradually move toward abolition.

The Committee is next set to write guidance on article 21 on the right to peaceful assembly, work which will begin at the Committee’s next session starting March 4, 2019.

.

General comment No. 36 (2018) on article 6 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, on the right to life*
CCPR/C/GC/36
30 October 2018 :: 24 pages
Adopted by the Committee at its 124th session (8 October to 2 November 2018).
[Excerpts; Editor’s text bolding]]

I. General remarks
1. This general comment replaces earlier general comments No. 6 (16th session) and 14 (23rd session) adopted by the Committee in 1982 and 1984, respectively.

2. Article 6 recognizes and protects the right to life of all human beings. It is the supreme right from which no derogation is permitted even in situations of armed conflict and other public emergencies which threatens the life of the nation.[1] The right to life has crucial importance both for individuals and for society as a whole. It is most precious for its own sake as a right that inheres in every human being, but it also constitutes a fundamental right [2] whose effective protection is the prerequisite for the enjoyment of all other human rights and whose content can be informed by other human rights.

3. The right to life is a right which should not be interpreted narrowly. It concerns the entitlement of individuals to be free from acts and omissions that are intended or may be expected to cause their unnatural or premature death, as well as to enjoy a life with dignity. Article 6 guarantees this right for all human beings, without distinction of any kind, including for persons suspected or convicted of even the most serious crimes.

4. Paragraph 1 of article 6 of the Covenant provides that no one shall be arbitrarily deprived of his life and that the right shall be protected by law. It lays the foundation for the obligation of States parties to respect and to ensure the right to life, to give effect to it through legislative and other measures, and to provide effective remedies and reparation to all victims of violations of the right to life.

5. Paragraphs 2, 4, 5 and 6 of article 6 of the Covenant set out specific safeguards for ensuring that in States parties which have not yet abolished the death penalty, it must not be applied except for the most serious crimes, and then only in the most exceptional cases and under the strictest limits. [3] The prohibition on arbitrary deprivation of life contained in article 6, paragraph 1 further limits the ability of States parties to apply the death penalty. The provisions of paragraph 3 regulate specifically the relationship between Article 6 of the Covenant and the Convention on

6. Deprivation of life involves an intentional [4] or otherwise foreseeable and preventable life-terminating harm or injury, caused by an act or omission. It goes beyond injury to bodily or mental integrity or threat thereto. [5]

7. States parties must respect the right to life and have the duty to refrain from engaging in conduct resulting in arbitrary deprivation of life. States parties must also ensure the right to life and exercise due diligence to protect the lives of individuals against deprivations caused by persons or entities, whose conduct is not attributable to the State. [6] The obligation of States parties to respect and ensure the right to life extends to reasonably foreseeable threats and life-threatening situations that can result in loss of life. States parties may be in violation of article 6 even if such threats and situations do not result in loss of life. [7]

8. Although States parties may adopt measures designed to regulate voluntary terminations of pregnancy, such measures must not result in violation of the right to life of a pregnant woman or girl, or her other rights under the Covenant. Thus, restrictions on the ability of women or girls to seek abortion must not, inter alia, jeopardize their lives, subject them to physical or mental pain or suffering which violates article 7, discriminate against them or arbitrarily interfere with their privacy. States parties must provide safe, legal and effective access to abortion where the life and health of the pregnant woman or girl is at risk, or where carrying a pregnancy to term would cause the pregnant woman or girl substantial pain or suffering, most notably where the pregnancy is the result of rape or incest or is not viable…

9. While acknowledging the central importance to human dignity of personal autonomy, States should take adequate measures, without violating their other Covenant obligations, to prevent suicides, especially among individuals in particularly vulnerable situations, [20] including individuals deprived of their liberty. States parties that allow medical professionals to provide medical treatment or the medical means in order to facilitate the termination of life of afflicted adults, such as the terminally ill, who experience severe physical or mental pain and suffering and wish to die with dignity, [21] must ensure the existence of robust legal and institutional safeguards to verify that medical professionals are complying with the free, informed, explicit and, unambiguous decision of their patients, with a view to protecting patients from pressure and abuse. [22]…

…54. Torture and ill-treatment, which may seriously affect the physical and mental health of the mistreated individual could also generate the risk of deprivation of life. Furthermore, criminal convictions resulting in the death penalty, which are based on information procured by torture or cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment of interrogated persons, would violate articles 7 and 14, paragraph 3(g) of the Covenant, as well as article 6. [229]…

…61. The right to life must be respected and ensured without distinction of any kind, such as race, color, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth, or any other status, including caste, [250] ethnicity, membership of an indigenous group, sexual orientation or gender identity, [251] disability, [252] socioeconomic status, [253] albinism [254] and age. [255] Legal protections for the right to life must apply equally to all individuals and provide them with effective guarantees against all forms of discrimination, including multiple and intersectional forms of discrimination. [256] Any deprivation of life based on discrimination in law or fact is ipso facto arbitrary in nature. Femicide, which constitutes an extreme form of gender-based violence that is
directed against girls and women, is a particularly grave form of assault on the right to life.

62. Environmental degradation, climate change and unsustainable development constitute some of the most pressing and serious threats to the ability of present and future generations to enjoy the right to life. [258] Obligations of States parties under international environmental law should thus inform the contents of article 6 of the Covenant, and the obligation of States parties to respect and ensure the right to life should also inform their relevant obligations under international environmental law…

…69. Wars and other acts of mass violence continue to be a scourge of humanity resulting in the loss of lives of many thousands of lives every year. [279] Efforts to avert the risks of war, and any other armed conflict, and to strengthen international peace and security, are among the most important safeguards for the right to life. [280]

70. States parties engaged in acts of aggression as defined in international law, resulting in deprivation of life, violate ipso facto article 6 of the Covenant. At the same time, all States are reminded of their responsibility as members of the international community to protect lives and to oppose widespread or systematic attacks on the right to life, [281] including acts of aggression, international terrorism, genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes, while respecting all of their obligations under international law. States parties that fail to take all reasonable measures to settle their international disputes by peaceful means might fall short of complying with their positive obligation to ensure the right to life.

Internet Freedom :: “Digital Authoritarianism
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Freedom on the Net 2018: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism
Freedom House
October 2018 :: 32 pages
Governments around the world are tightening control over citizens’ data and using claims of “fake news” to suppress dissent, eroding trust in the internet as well as the foundations of democracy.
PDF: https://freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/FOTN_2018_Final%20Booklet_11_1_2018.pdf
[Text bolding from original]

Tracking the Global Decline
Freedom on the Net is a comprehensive study of internet freedom in 65 countries around the globe, covering 87 percent of the world’s internet users. It tracks improvements and declines in internet freedom conditions each year. The countries included in the study are selected to represent diverse geographical regions and regime types. In-depth reports on each country can be found at http://www.freedomonthenet.org.

More than 70 analysts contributed to this year’s edition using a 21-question research methodology that addresses internet access, freedom of expression, and privacy issues. In addition to ranking countries by their internet freedom score, the project offers a unique opportunity to identify global trends related to the impact of information and communication technologies on democracy. This report, the eighth in its series, focuses on developments that occurred between June 2017 and May 2018.

Of the 65 countries assessed, 26 have been on an overall decline since June 2017, compared with 19 that registered net improvements. The biggest score declines took place in Egypt and Sri Lanka, followed by Cambodia, Kenya, Nigeria, the Philippines, and Venezuela.

Even as the #MeToo movement successfully exposed rampant sexual assault and harassment in some parts of the world, two women in Egypt were arrested in separate incidents for uploading video confessionals on Facebook to decry such abuses in that country. Both were accused of spreading false information to harm public security; one, a visiting Lebanese tourist, was sentenced to eight years in prison. Egyptian authorities undertook a broader crackdown on dissent by blocking some 500 websites, including those of prominent human rights organizations and independent media outlets. In Sri Lanka, authorities shut down social media platforms for two days during communal riots that broke out in March and led to at least two deaths. Rumors and disinformation had spread on digital platforms, sparking vigilante violence that predominantly targeted the Muslim minority.

In almost half of the countries where internet freedom declined, the reductions were related to elections. Twelve countries suffered from a rise in disinformation, censorship, technical attacks, or arrests of government critics in the lead-up to elections. As Venezuela held a presidential election in May to cement the authoritarian rule of Nicolás Maduro, the government passed a vaguely written law that imposed severe prison sentences for inciting “hatred” online. Implementation of the “Fatherland Card”—an electronic identification system used to channel social aid—stirred suspicions that data collected through the device could be exploited to monitor and pressure voters. Ahead of general elections in July 2018, Cambodia experienced a surge in arrests and prison sentences for online speech, as the government sought to broaden the arsenal of offenses used to silence dissent, including a new lèse-majesté law that bans insults to the monarchy.

Score declines in the Philippines and Kenya led to status downgrades. The Philippines slipped from Free to Partly Free as content manipulation and cyberattacks threatened to distort online information. Harassment of dissenting voices escalated, with authorities attempting to close down a local news website known for its critical coverage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s brutal war on drugs. The media organization Vera Files, one of several outlets to suffer cyberattacks during the year, was hit with a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack shortly after it published a sensitive story about Duterte and his daughter’s declaration of assets. In Kenya, which also moved from Free to Partly Free, online manipulation and disinformation targeted voters during the August 2017 elections, while a Cybercrime Law passed in May 2018 increased the maximum penalty for publishing “false” or “fictitious” information to 10 years in prison if the action results in “panic” or is “likely to discredit the reputation of a person,” despite the fact that criminal defamation was ruled unconstitutional in 2017. An association of bloggers appealed provisions of the law, which were suspended for further review. These negative developments occurred against the backdrop of growing surveillance concerns and ongoing arrests of bloggers and ordinary social media users for criticizing government officials or posting alleged hate speech.

Internet freedom declined in the United States. The Federal Communications Commission repealed rules that guaranteed net neutrality, the principle that service providers should not prioritize internet traffic based on its type, source, or destination. The move sparked efforts by civil society groups and state-level authorities to restore the protections on a local basis. In a blow to civil rights and privacy advocates, Congress reauthorized the FISA Amendments Act, including the controversial Section 702, thereby missing an opportunity to reform surveillance powers that allow the government to conduct broad sweeps in search of non-US targets and routinely collect the personal communications of Americans in the process. Despite an online environment that remains vibrant, diverse, and free, disinformation and hyperpartisan content continued to be of pressing concern in the United States, particularly in the run-up to the 2018 midterm elections.

Of the 19 countries with overall score improvements, two—Armenia and the Gambia—earned upgrades in their internet freedom status. Armenia rose from Partly Free to Free after citizens successfully used social media platforms, communication apps, and live-streaming services to bring about political change in the country’s Velvet Revolution in April. The Gambia jumped from Not Free to Partly Free, as restrictions have eased and users have posted content more freely since longtime dictator Yahya Jammeh was forced from office in early 2017. However, many draconian laws enacted under the former regime are still in place. While Ethiopia remained highly repressive, a new prime minister appointed in April 2018 immediately moved to reduce tight internet restrictions and promised broader reforms. Prominent bloggers were released from prison, and citizens felt more free to speak out on social media and participate in their country’s potential transition from authoritarian rule.

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Press Release
The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism: Fake news, data collection and the challenge to democracy
Washington
November 1, 2018
Governments around the world are tightening control over citizens’ data and using claims of “fake news” to suppress dissent, eroding trust in the internet as well as the foundations of democracy, according to Freedom on the Net 2018: The Rise of Digital Authoritarianism, the latest edition of the annual country-by-country assessment of online freedom, released today by Freedom House.

Online propaganda and disinformation have increasingly poisoned the digital sphere, while the
unbridled collection of personal data is breaking down traditional notions of privacy. At the same time, China has become more brazen and adept at controlling the internet at home and exporting its techniques to other countries.

These trends led global internet freedom to decline for the eighth consecutive year in 2018.

“Democracies are struggling in the digital age, while China is exporting its model of censorship and surveillance to control information both inside and outside its borders,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “This pattern poses a threat to the open internet and endangers prospects for greater democracy worldwide.”

“The U.S. government and major U.S. tech companies need to take a more proactive role in preventing online manipulation and protecting users’ data,” Abramowitz said. “The current weaknesses in the system have played into the hands of less democratic governments looking to increase their control of the internet.”…

“This year has proved that the internet can be used to disrupt democracies as surely as it can destabilize dictatorships,” said Adrian Shahbaz, Freedom House’s research director for technology and democracy…

Justice – ICC/Treaty of Rome
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Speech of the ICC President to United Nations General Assembly
International Criminal Court – Statement 29 October 2018
[Excerpt]
…The theme we chose for that reflection is ‘BACK TO BASICS.’

That theme requires us to return to two basic questions. The FIRST re-engages this query: Why was the Rome Statute adopted? The very preamble of the Rome Statute itself answers that question. The preamble recites the following apposite declarations, amongst others:

:: [The] Conscious[ness] that all peoples are united by common bonds, their cultures pieced together in a shared heritage, and [the] concern[*] that this delicate mosaic may be shattered at any time,

:: [The] Mindful[ness] that during [the 20th ] century [in which the Rome Statute was adopted] millions of children, women and men ha[d] been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity,

:: [The] Recogni[tion] that such grave crimes threaten the peace, security and well-being of the world,

:: [The] Determin[ation] to put an end to impunity for the perpetrators of these crimes and thus to contribute to the prevention of such crimes, …

The SECOND of the basic questions that the 20th Anniversary of the Rome Statute compels us to reflect upon is whether our world and civilisation have arrived at the stage where those legislative worries that gave impetus to the negotiation and adoption of the Rome Statute have now become a thing of the past: such that the World no longer needs the Rome Statute and the ICC.

One of the most highly respected African Statesmen of our time answered that question in a very straightforward way. As part of his own reflections during the 20th Anniversary of the Rome Statute in July, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari answered that question in these words:
‘With the alarming proliferation of the most serious crimes around the world, the ICC, and all that it stands for, is now needed more than ever, in ways that were unforeseeable to its founders. The ICC may have been created at a time of optimism that it would not need to be utilized frequently, but, unfortunately, the increase in international crimes has only increased the Court’s relevance.’

And if any one of those legislative worries that impelled the Court’s creation stands out for a special focus, it is this. During the 20th century, ‘millions of children, women and men ha[d] been victims of unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity.’ Can we be sure that at the close of the 21st Century, humanity will not be left singing the same sad song – in the absence of the Rome Statute and the ICC remaining in place and supported by all to serve, at least, as a whistle of caution (if not a real obstacle of conscience) to those inclined to commit such crimes?….

Governance :: Human Rights
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Mary Robinson appointed new Chair of The Elders
The former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights will become The Elders’ third Chair.
Press release 31 October 2018

The Elders announced today that their new Chair will be Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

Mary Robinson becomes The Elders’ third Chair since the group was founded by Nelson Mandela in 2007, following Archbishop Desmond Tutu (2007-13) and Kofi Annan (2013-2018).

Ban Ki-moon, former UN Secretary-General, and Graça Machel, former Education Minister of Mozambique and co-founder of The Elders, will serve as joint Deputy Chairs, succeeding Gro Harlem Brundtland, former Prime Minister of Norway, who has held the role since 2013.

Mary Robinson said: “It is a huge honour to take up the role as Chair of The Elders at such a critical moment for peace, justice and human rights worldwide. Building on the powerful legacies of Archbishop Tutu and Kofi Annan, I am confident that our group’s voice can both be heard by leaders and amplify grassroots activists fighting for their rights.”

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Taking the lead on Human Rights
News 1 November 2018
To mark the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, The Elders joined together with the British Council and SOAS to debate the future of human rights and ethical leadership.
[Video :: 1:151 :: https://www.facebook.com/theElders/videos/373323806576635/ ]

Education

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An Unfair Start: Inequality in Children’s Education in Rich Countries
Innocenti Report Card 15
UNICEF, 2018 :: 52 pages
AUTHOR(S): Yekaterina Chzhen; Anna Gromada; Gwyther Rees
ABSTRACT
In the world’s richest countries, some children do worse at school than others because of circumstances beyond their control, such as where they were born, the language they speak or their parents’ occupations. These children enter the education system at a disadvantage and can drop further behind if educational policies and practices reinforce, rather than reduce, the gap between them and their peers. These types of inequality are unjust. Not all children have an equal opportunity to reach their full potential, to pursue their interests and to develop their talents and skills. This has social and economic costs. This report focuses on educational inequalities in 41 of the world’s richest countries, all of which are members of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and/or the European Union (EU). Using the most recent data available, it examines inequalities across childhood – from access to preschool to expectations of post-secondary education – and explores in depth the relationships between educational inequality and factors such as parents’ occupations, migration background, the child’s gender and school characteristics.
The key feature of the report is the league table, which summarizes the extent of educational inequalities at preschool, primary school and secondary school levels. The indicator of inequality at the preschool level is the percentage of students enrolled in organized learning one year before the official age of primary school entry. The indicator for both primary school (Grade 4, around age 10) and secondary school (age 15) is the gap in reading scores between the lowest- and highest-performing students.

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Press Release
National wealth does not guarantee education equality, UNICEF report says
An Unfair Start: Inequality in children’s education in rich countries launched today
FLORENCE/NEW YORK, 30 October 2018 – Living in a rich country does not guarantee equal access to quality education, according to Report Card 15 from UNICEF Office of Research-Innocenti. Children in less wealthy countries often perform better at school despite fewer national resources, the report says.

An Unfair Start: Inequality in Children’s Education in Rich Countries ranks 41 member countries of the European Union and the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development on the extent of educational inequalities at preschool, primary and secondary school levels. It uses the latest available data to examine the link between children’s achievement and factors such as parents’ occupation, migration background, gender and school characteristics.

The report focuses on two child-centred indicators of inequality: At preschool level the indicator is the percentage of students enrolled in organized learning one year before the official age for entering primary school; The indicator for both primary school (Grade 4, around age 10) and secondary school (age 15) is the gap in reading scores between the lowest- and highest-performing students. The ranking at age 15 is the lead indicator in the report because this represents the level of inequality towards the end of compulsory education.

“What our report shows is that countries can offer their children the best of both worlds: They can achieve standards of excellence in education and have relatively low inequality,” said Dr Priscilla Idele, Director (a.i) of UNICEF Innocenti. “But all rich countries can and must do much more for children from disadvantaged families as they are the most likely to fall behind.”

Countries have different degrees of educational inequality at different educational stages, the report says. Ireland and Slovenia are in the bottom third of countries for preschool enrolment, but move to the middle third at primary school and then the top third at secondary school. France has one of the highest rates of preschool enrolment but then falls to the bottom third in secondary school. The Netherlands goes from being the most equal country in primary school reading scores to ranking 26th of 38 countries when children reach 15 years of age. Towards the end of compulsory schooling, Latvia, Ireland and Spain are the three most equal countries.

In 16 of 29 European countries for which data are available, children from the poorest fifth of households have a lower preschool attendance rate than children from the richest fifth. The patterns persist throughout a child’s schooling. Among children aged 15 who are doing equally well at school, those with parents in high-status jobs are much more likely to continue into higher education than those with parents in low-status jobs.

In 21 out of 25 countries with substantial levels of immigration children who are first-generation immigrants tend to do less well at school at age 15 than non-migrant children. In 15 countries, second-generation immigrant children also do less well than non-migrant children. However, in Australia and Canada, second-generation immigrant children do better than non-migrant children. These patterns reflect varying patterns of migration to different countries…

Heritage Stewardship – Oceans
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Pioneering global framework for sustainable ocean finance launched at Our Ocean global summit
Bali, 29 October 2018 – The world’s first global framework to finance a sustainable ocean economy was launched at the Our Ocean conference today.

The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles were developed by the European Commission, WWF, World Resources Institute (WRI), and the European Investment Bank (EIB). Started as a commitment by a dozen financial institutions and key stakeholders just a year ago, they are now set to become the gold standard to invest in the ocean economy—the “blue economy”—in a sustainable way.

Ocean ecosystems are under enormous pressure. With growth of the blue economy expected to double over the next decade, action is urgently needed to reverse this trend. Sustainable finance is a powerful solution. By engaging investors, insurers and banks, the Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles bring sustainability into the boardrooms of all ocean-based industries, from shipping, fisheries and tourism, to aquaculture, energy and biotechnology.

To put the principles into practice, an IT-based tool is being developed to help investment managers assess whether their investment decisions are verifiably sustainable. The organisations behind the principles are convinced that this will show in practice how profitability can go hand-in-hand with environmental and social stewardship, and how UN Sustainable Development Goal 14 to “conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources” can be achieved.

The Sustainable Blue Economy Finance Principles will become part of a new sustainable blue economy finance initiative under the auspices of the UN Environment Finance Initiative (UNEP FI), which joins the European Commission, WWF, WRI and the EIB as a founding partner. The initiative, anticipated for 2019, will receive initial support from the European Commission.

The principles are endorsed by the major international sustainable finance initiatives, including UN Environment’s Principles for Sustainable Insurance Initiative (PSI) and the World Bank.

A growing number of financial institutions and stakeholders have already endorsed the initiative, including Alimentos Ventures, Aloe Private Equity, Althelia Ecosphere, Bonafide Ltd., Boston Common Asset Management, Fishing Accelerator, Greenbackers Investment Capital, the International Capital Market Association, Investas – Association luxembourgeoise des investisseurs privés, Mermaid Investments, Ocean Assets Institute, the Ocean Data Alliance, Pure Salmon, The Nature Conservancy, Rockefeller Asset Management, SeaAhead, SKY – Ocean Rescue Fund and 8F Asset Management.

With the new UN Environment-hosted sustainable blue economy finance initiative planned for 2019, it is expected that many more institutions will come on board. Meanwhile, interested organisations can consult European Commission…

Heritage Stewardship – Documentary Heritage
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Major inter-regional conference on memory preservation and accessibility organized by UNESCO
31 October 2018
In a first for the Memory of the World (MoW) Programme, UNESCO brought together 46 countries in Panama City to discuss ways of creating effective conditions for the preservation and accessibility of documentary heritage.

Held from 24 to 27 October 2018, the conference brought MoW experts from Asia/Pacific, Europe and North America, Africa, Arab States, as well as Latin America and the Caribbean, representing regional committees of MoW and international organizations actively engaged in preserving and promoting documentary heritage.

In her welcome remarks to the participants, Ms Lidia Brito, Director of the UNESCO Montevideo office, extolled documentary heritage as one of the key foundations for human civilization. She singled out UNESCO’s Recommendation Concerning the Preservation of, and Access to, Documentary Heritage Including in Digital Form as a defining normative instrument which underpinned this inter-regional conference…

Various speakers, mostly drawn from national committees of Memory of the World, shared their experiences as to their national and regional efforts to preserve documentary heritage under difficult circumstances. Examples in this respect included:
:: Preserving documentary heritage in tsunami-hit Japan.
:: Enhancing regional approaches to disaster recovery and heritage preservation by the Caribbean Archives Association.
:: A project by the Coordinating Council of Audiovisual Archives Associations (CCAAA) on Archives at Risk: Endangered Audiovisual Archives and Global Preservation Efforts.
:: Using the UNESCO SIDS Action Plan as a framework for preserving documentary heritage in the Small Island Developing States (SIDS), including through the MoW Programme…

Development – Cash Transfer Mechanisms
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World Bank Helps Bangladesh Modernize Cash Transfer Programs for Poor
More Than Six and a Half Million Poor and Vulnerable People Will Benefit

DHAKA, October 28, 2018– The government of Bangladesh today signed a $300 million financing agreement with the World Bank to improve the transparency and efficiency of its major cash transfer programs for the poorest and vulnerable, including the elderly, widows, and people with disabilities.

The Cash Transfer Modernization Project will help the Department of Social Services (DSS) modernize the country’s four major social protection programs using cash transfers by improving beneficiary targeting, program administration, and benefit payments. The programs are: the Old Age Allowance, Allowances for the Widow, Deserted and Destitute Women, Allowances for the Financially Insolvent Disabled, and Stipends for Disabled Students. These programs collectively reach more than six and a half million of the country’s poorest people.

“An efficient, automated and transparent social protection service delivery system is critical to build resilience and create opportunities for the poorest people,” said Qimiao Fan, World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal. “The World Bank is helping the government build common digital platforms to better administer safety net programs. This will help reduce administrative costs and errors by identifying the most vulnerable people with greater accuracy and transferring cash in a timely manner.”

In fiscal year 2018, Bangladesh spent about $5.8 billion on social protection, or about 2 percent of its Gross Domestic Product, and improving the efficiency of these programs will help Bangladesh to use public resources more effectively.

The DSS has already started digitizing beneficiary records of its cash transfer programs, and the project will help further strengthen case management and payment processes. To accurately identify recipients of cash transfers, the project will help integrate DSS’s management information system with the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics’ National Household Database. For more secure and accessible payments to beneficiaries, the system will be linked to the Finance Division’s centralized payment platform, and use a network of banking agents, among others. Such actions—utilizing existing or emerging systems—will help further develop an integrated social protection service delivery system in the country…

Research Integrity

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Applying 8 principles for fair and inclusive research partnerships
30 October 2018
Bond
Authors: Jude Fransman Rachel Hayman Kate Newman
Research is more important than ever to NGOs, who need data to plan their work and show evidence of their impact. Many NGOs are now working with academics in mutually-beneficial partnerships to conduct research. However, there are some persistent barriers and bottlenecks in these research partnerships that risk undermining their international development goals.

The Rethinking Research Collaborative has published new research and a set of resources to address these issues and help create fair and equitable research partnerships. We gathered perspectives from different research partners in UK-led research collaborations, including academics and practitioners based in the global south, UK-based international brokers, and international NGOs.

The report [PDF] shares findings on the challenges and presents eight principles for addressing them. The resources – an introduction, six modules and nine written and audio case studies – help different stakeholders involved in collaborative international development research put the principles into practice.

Why do we need to think about fair and equitable partnerships?
In recent years the UK government has invested highly in international development research. For example, the Global Challenges Research Fund provides £1.5 billion to support cutting-edge research that addresses developing countries’ challenges, and a £735 million match-funding stream, the Newton Fund, focuses on tackling development challenges through science and innovation.

Both funds have partnership at their heart, building on recent trends for collaborative research as a response to the complexity of development challenges, as well as a belief that collaboration is more likely to lead to accessible and useful research.

This means that academics based in universities in the global north are not only partnering with academics based in other institutions and countries, but also with actors from civil society, government and the private sector based in the global north and global south.

While the rhetoric of partnership sounds good, in practice these collaborative partnerships are often quite challenging and unequal, with UK-based academics holding considerably more power than their southern-based or non-academic partners. We need to change this dynamic for all partners to becoming active co-creators of the research and the knowledge it generates.

Eight principles for improving practice
The Rethinking Research Collaborative conducted interviews, focus group discussions and a round-table event to develop eight principles for fair and equitable partnerships:

Put poverty first. Constantly question how research is addressing the end goal of reducing poverty by better designing and evaluating how the research will have a real world impact.

Critically engage with context(s). Consider how representative of different countries these partnerships and governance systems are, and commit to strengthening research ecosystems in the global south.

Redress evidence hierarchies. Incentivise intellectual leadership by southern-based academics and civil society practitioners and engage communities throughout.

Adapt and respond. Take an adaptive approach that is responsive to context.

Respect diversity of knowledge and skills. Take time to explore the knowledge, skills and experience that each partner brings and consider different ways of representing research.

Commit to transparency. Put in place a code of conduct or memorandum of understanding that commits to transparency in all aspects of the project administration and budgeting.

Invest in relationships. Create spaces and commit funded time to establish, nurture and sustain relationships at the individual and institutional level.

Keep learning. Reflect critically within and beyond the partnership.

The resource materials take these principles as their starting point and are made up of targeted modules for different stakeholder groups (UK-based research funders, UK-based academics, academics based in the global south, international NGOs, civil society organisations based in the global south and research broker organisations) and case studies based on real experiences.

The Rethinking Research Collaborative is an informal international network of individuals and organisations committed to working together to encourage more inclusive, responsive collaborations to produce useful and accessible development research. The collaborative will be working with UK research funding bodies to implement the recommendations from this work, and with diverse research partners to help put our principles for fair and equitable partnership into practice.

Emergencies
 
 
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 30 October 2018 [GPEI]
:: World Polio Day activities garnered global attention. Partners, donors, and popular public figures around the world brought attention to the cause of polio and the efforts to eradicate polio. A quick overview of some of the World Polio Day highlights
:: The Every Last Child project series was launched by UNICEF, which covers over 30 wide-ranging profiles of governments, front-line workers, and the stakeholders involved in the collective polio eradication efforts across Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Pakistan.
:: Featured on polioeradication.org: Coffee with Polio Experts – Dr Arlene King, Chair of the RCC for the Americas, and GCC Containment Working Group talks to WHO about the importance of safe and secure containment of polioviruses, in places where needed, and the accompanying risk and responsibility that come with retaining the pathogen.
 
 
Afghanistan – Three new cases of wild poliovirus (WPV1) and four WPV1 positive environmental samples.

Democratic Republic of Congo – one new case of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).

Pakistan – No new case of wild poliovirus (WPV1) and seven WPV1 positive environmental samples

Nigeria – two new cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2).

Somalia – four new cVDPV2 positive environmental samples. See country sections below for more details.

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Editor’s Note:

WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies  [to 3 Nov 2018 ]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 13: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  30 October 2018
:: DONs Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo  1 November 2018
[See Milestones above for more detail]
 
 
Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis
:: Weekly Situation Report 48 – 25 October 2018
[Excerpt]
…WHO immunization team is planning to start passive surveillance activity of Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP), Vaccine Preventable diseases m(VPDs), Congenital rubella syndrome (CRS) and Adverse Event Following Immunization (AEFIs) for early notification and in compliance with the

Ministry of Health (MoH) surveillance program….

 
Nigeria – No new announcements identified
Somalia – No new announcements identified
South Sudan – No new announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new announcements identified
Yemen – No new announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 3 Nov 2018 ]
Myanmar
:: Weekly Situation Report 48 – 25 October 2018 [see above]

Brazil (in Portugese) – No new announcements identified
Cameroon  – No new announcements identified
Central African Republic  – No new announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new announcements identified
Hurricane Irma and Maria in the Caribbean – No new announcements identified
Iraq – No new announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new announcements identified
Libya – No new announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new announcements identified
Niger – No new announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017) – No new announcements identified
Sudan – No new announcements identified
Ukraine – No new announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new announcements identified

Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin, Week 43: 20 – 26 October 2018
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 55 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key ongoing events, including:
:: Ebola virus disease outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Cholera in Cameroon
:: Dengue in Senegal
:: Hepatitis E in Central African Republic.

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 3 Nov 2018 ]
Afghanistan
Angola (in Portuguese)
Chad
Ethiopia
Kenya

Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Papua New Guinea
Peru
Tanzania
Tropical Cyclone Gira
Zambia
 
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