The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 30 March 2019

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 30 Mar 2019

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
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

Terrorism – Financing

Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution Calling upon Member States to Combat, Criminalize Financing of Terrorists, Their Activities
New Technologies Must Not Stifle Financial Inclusion, Cautions Expert, Citing $1.7 Billion ‘Unbanked’ People in Terrorism-Prone Regions
28 March 2019 SC/13754
The Security Council called upon Member States today to step up efforts to combat and criminalize the financing of terrorists and their activities, adopting a resolution on the issue before holding a day-long open debate that placed the spotlight on international cooperation, capacity-building and respect for international law.

Unanimously adopting resolution 2462 (2019) under Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, the Council reaffirmed its resolution 1373 (2001) — adopted in the wake of the 11 September 2001 attacks in the United States — which requires all States to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorist acts and to refrain from providing support to those involved in them.

By other terms of the resolution, all States shall — in a manner consistent with their obligations under international law — ensure that their laws and regulations make it possible to prosecute and penalize, as serious criminal offences, the provision or collection of funds, resources and services intended to be used for the benefit of terrorist organizations or individual terrorists.

It demands that Member States ensure that their counter-terrorism measures are in compliance with their obligations under international law, including international humanitarian law, international human rights law and international refugee law. The resolution also calls upon Member States to conduct financial investigations into terrorism-related cases and to more effectively investigate and prosecute cases of terrorist financing, applying criminal sanctions as appropriate.

Briefing the Council, Marshall Billingslea, President of the Financial Action Task Force — an inter-governmental body that sets standards for combating money laundering and terrorist financing, said all States must understand the ways in which they may be vulnerable to terrorist financing. With risks extending beyond the banking and financial sectors, States must identify all potentially vulnerable sectors, he added. More broadly, Mr. Billingslea, who is also Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing in the United States Department of the Treasury, said Member States must also address fundamental issues that create environments conducive to terrorism and terrorist financing, such as corruption, weak governance and lack of respect for the rule of law…

Venezuela

OAS Permanent Council Adopts Resolution on Humanitarian Assistance in Venezuela
March 27, 2019
The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) today approved the resolution “Humanitarian Assistance in Venezuela” in which it encourages member states, permanent observers, and the competent international organizations “to continue providing support and implementing measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Venezuela.” The document also urges Venezuelan public institutions especially the military and police establishments, “to refrain from blocking the entry of humanitarian aid into Venezuela, duly respecting the humanitarian principles of humanity, impartiality, neutrality, and operational independence of humanitarian assistance, as well as respect for human rights.”

.

Statement from the OAS General Secretariat
March 25, 2019
The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) rejects the recent Russian military incursion into Venezuelan territory, which was not authorized by the National Assembly, as required by the Venezuelan Constitution, and which was done in support of a government that has been declared illegitimate.
The presence of military personnel and military transport constitutes a harmful act to Venezuelan sovereignty. The foreign military personnel are an instrument of repressive intimidation in the context of a democratic transition led by the interim President Juan Guaidó.
As previously stated in a declaration (E-080/18) and verbal note (OSG-555/18) of the General Secretariat, this military mission violates the Venezuelan Constitution by not having been authorized by the National Assembly, as required by Article 187 paragraph 11.
It is unacceptable that a foreign government engages in military cooperation programs with a usurping regime that has been declared illegitimate by resolutions and Inter-American law, which also threatens hemispheric peace and security.

Property Rights

Women in Half the World Still Denied Land, Property Rights Despite Laws
Global campaign “Stand For Her Land” aims to bridge gap between law and practice so that women can realize their equal rights to land

WASHINGTON, March 25, 2019 – Women in half of the countries in the world are unable to assert equal land and property rights despite legal protections, warned members of a new global campaign that formally launches today. The campaign, Stand For Her Land, aims to close this persistent gap between law and practice worldwide so that millions of women can realize these rights in their daily lives.

“For men and women alike, land is the foundation for security, shelter, and livelihood, supports women’s dignity and creates pathways to empowerment and economic opportunity,” said Karol Boudreaux, Chief Program Officer with the land rights group, Landesa, a founding partner of the Stand For Her Land campaign. “For women, land truly is a gateway right – without it, efforts to improve the basic rights and well-being of all women will continue to be hampered.”

Stand For Her Land founding partners include: Habitat for Humanity, Huairou Commission, Landesa, Global Land Tool Network (GLTN) Partners, and the World Bank.

“Secure land rights are essential for women’s economic empowerment and creating incentives for investment, providing an asset that can be leveraged for agriculture or business development, and offering a solid foundation for financial stability,” said Anna Wellenstein, Director, Social, Urban, Rural and Resilience Global Practice, World Bank. “Improving women’s access to – and control over – economic resources also has a positive effect on a range of development goals, including poverty reduction and economic growth. We are committed to working with partners to close the gap and make land rights for women a reality globally.”

Persistent discriminatory social norms and practices are among the strongest barriers standing between women and their land and property rights. Weak implementation of policies, insufficient capacity to enforce laws, and a lack of political will further compound the problem. And poor access to legal services and a lack of understanding of laws within communities and households – and by women themselves – build an invisible but near impenetrable wall to women realizing land and property rights in rural and urban areas alike.

“Insecure land rights create obstacles for women engaging in farming and other agricultural activities, in starting and running a home-based enterprise, and, as we’ve observed, in accessing safe and decent housing,” said Jane Katz, Director of International Affairs and Programs, of Habitat for Humanity International. “As urbanization continues to increase, land rights are an issue for all those living in cities as well as in rural areas.”…

The main objective of the campaign is to drive real change on the ground – consolidating local and national efforts by civil society groups, grassroots organizations, advocates and allies across sectors…

Development

Accelerating Progress: An Empowered, Inclusive, and Equal Asia and the Pacific
United Nations, Asian Development Bank, United Nations Development Programme
2019 :: 72 pages
Conclusions
Empowerment of vulnerable groups and their greater inclusion in social, economic and political realms can accelerate the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, but requires a comprehensive policy agenda that cuts across sectors, development actors and thematic areas. Creating an equal society in all its different dimensions requires whole-of-society and whole-of government approaches anchored in coordinated action.

There are three cross-cutting enablers to be tapped in moving forward.
:: First, partnering for innovative contextual research, social dialogues and disaggregated data is essential to expand understanding of vulnerabilities and vulnerable groups, and to explain ‘outliers’ in existing datasets.
:: Second, tapping into next-generation development solutions, especially involving technology and innovation, can significantly expand the options Governments have at their disposal for empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality.
:: Finally, there is a need to inject new vigour in civic-engagement efforts, by institutionalizing engagement mechanisms and building capacity of civil society organizations and increasing access to high-quality civic education.

Greater regional collaboration to promote mutual learning, exchange best-practices and establish regional initiatives on empowerment and inclusion, such as institutionalized efforts to engage with civil society at the regional level, can also play a critical role in supporting progress…

Press Release
Empowering People and Promoting Inclusion and Equality for All Leads to Greater Sustainable Development
BANGKOK, THAILAND (27 March 2019) — Empowering people and ensuring inclusiveness and equality is critical to realizing sustainable development, said a joint report released today by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP), the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

The report, Accelerating Progress: An Empowered, Inclusive, and Equal Asia and the Pacific, explores how empowering people and ensuring their inclusion in social, economic, and political activities can accelerate progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

“This report provides practical advice to translate concepts into action in important areas such as climate change, resource mobilization, and civic engagement,” said United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Secretary of ESCAP Ms. Armida Alisjahbana. “I hope that the report, including its policy recommendations, are useful to stakeholders in the region to demystify the concepts of empowerment and inclusion.”

The report proposes a framework of four mutually reinforcing elements that can promote greater empowerment and inclusion, namely: rights and justice, norms and institutions, participation and voice, and resources and capabilities…

Featured Journal Content

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 30 Mar 2019]

Toward understanding the impact of artificial intelligence on labor
Morgan R. Frank, David Autor, James E. Bessen, Erik Brynjolfsson, Manuel Cebrian, David J. Deming, Maryann Feldman, Matthew Groh, José Lobo, Esteban Moro, Dashun Wang, Hyejin Youn, and Iyad Rahwan
PNAS published ahead of print March 25, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900949116
Abstract
Rapid advances in artificial intelligence (AI) and automation technologies have the potential to significantly disrupt labor markets. While AI and automation can augment the productivity of some workers, they can replace the work done by others and will likely transform almost all occupations at least to some degree. Rising automation is happening in a period of growing economic inequality, raising fears of mass technological unemployment and a renewed call for policy efforts to address the consequences of technological change. In this paper we discuss the barriers that inhibit scientists from measuring the effects of AI and automation on the future of work. These barriers include the lack of high-quality data about the nature of work (e.g., the dynamic requirements of occupations), lack of empirically informed models of key microlevel processes (e.g., skill substitution and human–machine complementarity), and insufficient understanding of how cognitive technologies interact with broader economic dynamics and institutional mechanisms (e.g., urban migration and international trade policy). Overcoming these barriers requires improvements in the longitudinal and spatial resolution of data, as well as refinements to data on workplace skills. These improvements will enable multidisciplinary research to quantitatively monitor and predict the complex evolution of work in tandem with technological progress. Finally, given the fundamental uncertainty in predicting technological change, we recommend developing a decision framework that focuses on resilience to unexpected scenarios in addition to general equilibrium behavior.

Featured Journal Content

PNAS – Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
http://www.pnas.org/content/early/
[Accessed 30 Mar 2019]

Ancient trash mounds unravel urban collapse a century before the end of Byzantine hegemony in the southern Levant
Guy Bar-Oz, Lior Weissbrod, Tali Erickson-Gini, Yotam Tepper, Dan Malkinson, Mordechay Benzaquen, Dafna Langgut, Zachary C. Dunseth, Don H. Butler, Ruth Shahack-Gross, Joel Roskin, Daniel Fuks, Ehud Weiss, Nimrod Marom, Inbar Ktalav, Rachel Blevis, Irit Zohar, Yoav Farhi, Anya Filatova, Yael Gorin-Rosen, Xin Yan, and Elisabetta Boaretto
PNAS published ahead of print March 25, 2019. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1900233116
Significance
Historians have long debated the role of climate in the rise and fall of empires of the 1st millennium CE. Drastic territorial contraction of the Byzantine Empire, societal decline, and beginning of the European Middle Ages have generally been linked to the Islamic conquests of the seventh century. This multidisciplinary archaeological investigation of trash mounds in the Negev Desert establishes the end date of organized trash management in the Byzantine-period city of Elusa and demonstrates urban collapse a century before the Islamic transition. Our findings, taken together with other evidence for Byzantine urban dysfunction, the Justinianic Plague, and recent research on the Late Antique Little Ice Age, flesh out the impact of the sixth century on broad historical trajectories.

DRC – Ebola

WHO reaffirms commitment to Democratic Republic of the Congo as Ebola outbreak nears 1000 cases amid increased violence
WHO calls on international community to join urgent push to end outbreak
Statement
23 March 2019 Geneva/Brazzaville/Goma
As the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) approaches 1000 cases amid increased violence, WHO reaffirmed its commitment both to ending the outbreak and working with the government and communities to build resilient health systems.

Since the outbreak was declared in August 2018 there have been 993 confirmed and probable cases and 621 deaths in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.

“We use words like ‘cases’ and ‘containment’ to be scientific, but behind every number is a person, a family and a community that is suffering,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This outbreak has gone on far too long. We owe it to the people of North Kivu to work with them in solidarity not only to end this outbreak as soon as possible, but to build the health systems that address the many other health threats they face on a daily basis.”

More than 96,000 people have been vaccinated against Ebola in DRC, along with health workers in Uganda and South Sudan. As of 21 March, 38 of 130 affected health areas have active transmission. More than 44 million border screenings have helped to slow the spread of Ebola in this highly mobile population. No cases have spread beyond North Kivu and Ituri provinces, and no cases have crossed international borders.

However, the risk of national and regional spread remains very high, especially when episodes of violence and instability impact the response.

“As we mourn the lives lost, we must also recognize that thousands of people have been protected from this terrifying disease,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “We are working in exceptionally challenging circumstances, but thanks to support from donors and the efforts of the Ministry of Health, WHO and partners, we have saved thousands of lives.”

WHO has more than 700 people in DRC and is working hard with partners to listen to the affected communities and address their concerns and give them greater ownership of the response, particularly in the current outbreak hotspots of Katwa and Butembo.

“The communities affected by this outbreak are already traumatized by conflict,” said Dr Tedros. ”Their fear of violence is now compounded by fear of Ebola. Community engagement takes time. There are no quick fixes. But we are learning and adapting to the evolving context every day.”

Despite the challenges, most communities accept response interventions. More than 90% of those eligible for vaccination accept it and agree to post-vaccination follow-up visits. Independent analysis of vaccination data indicate that the vaccine is protecting at least 95% of those who receive it in a timely manner. More than 80% of people also accept safe and dignified burials, a key to preventing onward transmission.

“Despite the increased frequency of attacks by armed groups, WHO will stay the course and will work with communities to end this outbreak together with the Ministry of Health and partners,” said Dr Tedros. “We need redoubled support from the international community, and a commitment to push together to bring this outbreak to an end.”

For the next 6 months, the combined financial need for all response partners is at least US$148 million. As of 19 March, US$ 74 million had been received.

“We count on donors to help close the funding gap so we can end this outbreak as soon as possible,” said Dr Tedros. “We will still be in DRC long after this outbreak has finished, working with the government and communities on the road to universal health coverage. We are committed to improving the health of the people of DRC now and in years to come.”

:: 34: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 26 March 2019
:: Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo 28 March 2019

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 20 March 2019
:: Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General and Chair of the Polio Oversight Board, has issued a personal response to the extraordinary joint statement published in January by the Chairs of the main, independent, advisory and oversight committees of the GPEI.  The joint statement is an impassioned plea by the Chairs of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on immunization (SAGE), the Independent Monitoring Board, the Emergency Committee of the International Health Regulations (IHR) Regarding International Spread of Poliovirus and the Global Commission for the Certification of the Eradication of Poliomyelitis (GCC) – the Chairs urged everyone involved in the GPEI to ensure polio will finally be assigned to the history books by 2023. [see above]
:: On 27 March 2019, the WHO’s Southeast Asia Region marked five years since being declared wild polio-free, with the last case in the Region detected in India on 13 January 2011. The five-year anniversary of SEARO certification celebrated success in India and across countries of the region, showcasing how countries have used the skills, knowledge and infrastructure built up by the polio programme after eradication and highlight lessons learned from the Region that are now being applied in other parts of the world.

 Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan – two wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV-1) cases and 15 WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria— two circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, one cVDPV2-positive environmental.

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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 30 Mar 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 34: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  26 March 2019
:: Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo   28 March 2019

Syrian Arab Republic
:: Health situation – Al-Hol camp  16 March 2019

South Sudan
::  Kawthar defeats tuberculosis: improving access to diagnosis and treatment in rural areas in Syria  27 March 2019

Myanmar
:: WHO appeals for international community support; warns of grave health risks to Rohingya refugees in rainy season
Dhaka, 29 March 2018 – With a grossly underfunded health sector grappling to meet the needs of 1.3 million Rohingyas in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, the World Health Organization has appealed to the international community to contribute generously to enable appropriate and timely health services to this highly vulnerable population, now facing grave risks to their lives and health in view of the coming rainy season…

Yemen
:: Two years since world’s largest outbreak of acute watery diarrhoea and cholera, Yemen witnessing another sharp increase in reported cases with number of deaths continuing to increase
Muscat/Amman/Cairo, 26 March 2019 – “In Yemen, since the beginning of the year until 17 March, nearly 109 000 cases of severe acute watery diarrhoea and suspected cholera were reported with 190 total associated deaths since January. Nearly one third of the reported cases are children under the age of 5. This comes 2 years since Yemen witnessed the world’s largest outbreak when more than 1 million cases were reported.
“We fear that the number of suspected cholera cases will continue to increase with the early arrival of the rainy season and as basic services, including lifesaving water systems and networks, have collapsed. The situation is exacerbated by the poor status of sewage disposal systems, the use of contaminated water for agriculture, unreliable electricity to store food and    the displacement of families as they flee escalating violence, especially in Hudaydah and Tai’z.
“Our teams in Yemen are working day and night with a wide network of local partners to respond and stop the further spread and transmission of disease. Focusing on 147 priority districts, additional health, water, hygiene and sanitation supplies are being mobilized. Rapid response teams have been deployed. A total of 413 diarrhoea treatment centres and oral rehydration centres are operational in all 147 priority districts. Partners are repairing water and sanitation systems. In the past weeks, we scaled up chlorination activities to disinfect water in 95 priority districts and provided fuel and spare parts to keep going water supply and sanitation networks. A round of oral cholera vaccine campaign reached over 400 000 people in several districts. Meanwhile, community-based awareness-raising efforts reached 600 000 people in house-to-house campaigns since early 2019 to provide families with information on hygiene practices and improve the reporting of symptoms and seeking of treatment…

Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis – No new digest announcements identified  
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified  
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified

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 WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 30 Mar 2019]
occupied Palestinian territory 
:: WHO strongly condemns killing of health worker in the West Bank, March 2019
The World Health Organization (WHO) strongly condemns the killing of Sajed Mazher, a first responder working with the Palestinian Medical Relief Society in the West Bank, occupied Palestinian territory…

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

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 30 Mar 2019]
Afghanistan
Chad
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut
Tanzania

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WHO AFRO – Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin – Week 12/2019
Week 12: 18- 24 March 2019
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 65 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
:: Cyclone in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
:: Ebola virus disease in Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Humanitarian crisis in Mali
:: Humanitarian crisis in Central African Republic 

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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 7 – 21 March 2019 | Issue …

Syrian Arab Republic   – No new digest 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.
Ethiopia 
:: Ethiopia Humanitarian Bulletin Issue #5 | 4-17 March 2019

Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 23 March 2019

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 23 Mar 2019

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
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

South-South Cooperation

World Leaders Adopt Outcome Document Urging Greater South-South Cooperation to Achieve Sustainable Development, as Buenos Aires Conference Concludes
Enhanced Collaboration Crucial to Address Changing Geopolitical Landscape, Resource Constraints, Delegates Stress
United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation, 5th Meeting (AM)

BUENOS AIRES, 22 March — Concluding a landmark conference on the crucial role of South-South cooperation in the planet’s sustainable development, representatives of 160 countries today adopted a sweeping outcome document calling for stepped-up collaboration against the backdrop of resource constraints and a shifting geopolitical landscape.

By the terms of the “Buenos Aires outcome document of the Second High-level United Nations Conference on South-South Cooperation”, heads of delegations and other officials — gathered on the third and final day of the Conference, also known as “BAPA+40” — cited significant changes in international politics and economic relations, which create conditions conducive to promoting South-South cooperation, pursuing sustained economic growth and building national and collective self-reliance. They noted that, while North-South cooperation remains the main modality for development cooperation, recent decades have seen South-South cooperation expand its scope, facilitate regional integration and provide innovative approaches for collective action.

Acknowledging that developing countries continue to face serious challenges, as well as new and emerging ones, participants recognized the need to enhance capacity-building in developing countries through enhanced resources and expertise, at those countries’ request. In that regard, they renewed their commitment to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, reaffirmed the General Assembly resolution endorsing the 1978 Buenos Aires Plan of Action for Promoting and Implementing Technical Cooperation among Developing Countries and welcomed other international agreements.

Noting with concern increases in debt levels around the world, participants called on borrowers and creditors to address challenges linked to debt sustainability as a matter of priority, in order to prevent a negative impact on long-term development and the achievement of the 2030 Agenda’s 17 Sustainable Development Goals. They also recognized that the shortage of resources continues to hinder the expansion of South-South and triangular cooperation, and underscored the need to further mobilize resources from all sources — public, private, domestic and international.

By other terms of the outcome document, participants recognized that South-South cooperation should not be seen as official development assistance (ODA) and stressed that it is not a substitute for, but rather a complement to, North-South cooperation. They further acknowledged the need to enhance the development effectiveness of South-South and triangular cooperation, while acknowledging its voluntary, participative and demand-driven nature.

Participants further called on both developed and developing countries, and all relevant stakeholders, to promote South-South and triangular cooperation policies and activities, and ensure a more holistic and coherent approach to sustainable development. They also called upon multilateral, regional and bilateral financial and development institutions to consider increasing financial resources and technical cooperation for those purposes, while stressing the need to reinvigorate the United Nations role within existing resources and with the approval of respective Governments…

U.S. – International Criminal Court (ICC)

US “threats” against International Criminal Court must stop, say UN experts
GENEVA (22 March 2019) – Warnings by US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton of measures against the International Criminal Court (ICC) must not be allowed to hinder the Court’s ability to fulfil its mandate, say UN human rights experts*.

“We are particularly concerned in light of recent reports of senior ICC staff resigning from their positions as a consequence of these threats,” said the UN experts.

In a speech on 10 September 2018, John Bolton warned that ICC judges, prosecutors and staff would face measures if they went ahead with investigating alleged war crimes by the US, Israel or other US allies.

He said the measures would include “all means necessary”, such as a ban on ICC judges and prosecutors entering the United States; freezing their funds in the US financial system; and ultimately, their prosecution in the US. He said the same would apply to companies or States assisting any ICC investigation of American citizens.

In March 2019, US Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, said the US would revoke or deny visas to members of the ICC involved in investigations against US troops in Afghanistan or elsewhere, and threatened economic sanctions.

“These threats constitute improper interference with the independence of the ICC and could hinder the ability of ICC judges, prosecutors, and staff to carry out their professional duties,” said the UN experts.
“In order to guarantee effective and equal access to justice and a fair trial in accordance with international standards, the judicial system and individual judges must be independent and free from any improper interference.”

The UN experts expressed deep concern at the intimidation. “These threats may discourage human rights defenders, civil society organisations, victims’ representatives, companies or others from cooperating with the ICC in pursuit of truth and justice,” they said.

The experts are in contact with the US authorities on the issues.
ENDS
(*) The UN experts: Mr. Michel Forst (France),Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders; and Mr. Diego García-Sayán (Peru), Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers.

Stewardship

Integrating Green and Gray : Creating Next Generation Infrastructure
World Bank – World Resources Institute
Author(s): Browder, Greg; Ozment, Suzanne; Rehberger Bescos, Irene; Gartner, Todd; Lange, Glenn-Marie
Published: 2019-03-21 :: 140 pages
English PDF (14.63MB)
Abstract
A new generation of infrastructure projects that harness the power of nature can help achieve development goals, including water security and climate resilience. In this report from the World Bank and World Resources Institute, both organizations are calling for green infrastructure, such as mangroves and wetlands, to play a bigger role in traditional infrastructure planning. Integrating nature into mainstream infrastructure systems can produce lower cost and more resilient services. This report guides developing country service providers and their partners on how to seize this opportunity. It reviews approaches and examples of how to integrate green infrastructure into mainstream project appraisal processes and investments.

HIGHLIGHTS
:: Traditional infrastructure systems worldwide rely on built solutions to support the smooth and safe
functioning of societies. In the face of multiplying environmental threats, this approach alone can no
longer provide the climate resiliency and level of services required in the 21st century.

:: Natural systems such as forests, floodplains, and soils can contribute to clean, reliable water supply
and protect against floods and drought. In many circumstances, combining this “green infrastructure”
with traditional “gray infrastructure,” such as dams, levees, reservoirs, treatment systems, and pipes, can provide next generation solutions that enhance system performance and better protect communities.

:: Service providers such as water utilities, flood management agencies, irrigation agencies, and
hydropower companies can deliver more cost-effective and resilient services by integrating green
infrastructure into their plans. However, to guide its appropriate use in mainstream infrastructure programs, green infrastructure must be as rigorously evaluated and carefully designed as gray projects.

:: This report offers service providers a framework to evaluate green infrastructure from a technical,
environmental, social, and economic perspective, and to assess key enabling conditions, with illustrative examples.

:: It also provides guidance for policymakers and development partners, who must set the incentives and enabling conditions to mainstream solutions that unite green and gray infrastructure.

.

Press Release : 21 March 2019
Green and Gray Infrastructure More Powerful When They Work Together, Says New Report
…Integrating Green and Gray – Creating Next Generation Infrastructure shows how weaving the power of ‘green’ natural systems, including flood plains and forests, into ‘gray’ traditional infrastructure systems can lower cost and increase resilience.

“If we help nature then nature can help us – that’s the message of this report,” said Interim President of the World Bank Group Kristalina Georgieva. “Measures like replanting wetlands can shield cities from storms and flooding, and protecting forests improves watersheds. Infrastructure should make use of plants and nature to boost resilience and create a more livable environment.”

The report showcases World Bank projects where green infrastructure is already being deployed. For example, in Brazil, forests filter biological impurities to protect water sources and reduce the need for expensive water treatment plants upgrades. In Vietnam, mangroves are used as a first line of defense against typhoons and sea surges, helping to reduce investments in expensive man-made sea dikes. And in Somalia, natural river sediments are trapped behind dams, helping to recharge local aquifers, thus eliminating the need for deep and expensive groundwater pumps.

The report illustrates how emerging technology such as earth-based observations and advanced modelling make it cheaper and easier to design and assess the performance of green infrastructure. It also lays out a new framework for practitioners and service providers to integrate green infrastructure into gray, including technical, environmental, social, and economic dimensions.

The report finds that integrating green and gray infrastructure can help deliver a “triple-win” with benefits for the economy, communities, and the environment…

Stewardship

United States And Brazil To Partner In First-Ever Private-Sector-Driven Biodiversity-Focused Impact Investment Fund For The Brazilian Amazon
March 18, 2019
Today, United States Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green and the Brazilian Secretary of the Office of International Relations within the Ministry of the Environment, Roberto Castelo Branco, signed a Letter of Intent to work toward the launch of the first-ever biodiversity-focused impact-investment fund for the Brazilian Amazon. The fund, to be financed largely by the private sector, is intended to leverage $100 million in investments in hard-to-reach, high-risk sectors to spur successful businesses that align with forest and biodiversity conservation.

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Letter of Intent Between The United States Agency for International Development and The Ministry of Environment of the Federative Republic of Brazil
Washington D.C., March 18, 2019.
The Governments of the United States of America and the Federative Republic of Brazil have collaborated, over decades, to conserve the biodiversity and promote the sustainable development of the Brazilian Amazon. The two countries share the understanding that private-sector partnership and engagement are critical to the development of sustainable, market-oriented productive models in the Amazon. Further, access to credit and financing is one of the major impediments to strengthening entrepreneurism, value-chains, innovation, and start-ups in the region. Both countries believe that, with impact investing in Brazil rapidly expanding, a private-sector-led, financially viable, scalable approach must move forward financing for economic opportunities that conserve forests and biodiversity and also have positive impacts on local communities.

The risks and challenges of working in the Amazon have precluded most impact investors from expanding into the region. It is our mutual understanding that unlocking private finance for sustainable enterprises in the Amazon strengthens the autonomy and well-being of forest-dependent communities and entrepreneurs in the Amazon, and creates opportunities for the conservation of biodiversity, the restoration of land, and reduced deforestation, which can displace illegal and unsustainable practices with legal and sustainable options.

The two countries intend to work jointly toward the launch of a first-ever $100 million biodiversity-focused impact-investment fund for the Brazilian Amazon (“Fund”), largely financed with private-sector capital. The Fund aspires to offer investment opportunities in hard-to-reach, high-risk sectors with the potential to create successful and scalable impact businesses that align with the conservation of forests and biodiversity. The Fund intends to provide long-term capital for value-chains, businesses, and start-ups that foster sustainable use of forest and biodiversity resources and decrease deforestation, while improving well-being in local communities. By strengthening the Amazon’s financial and impact-investing ecosystem, and providing a blended-finance model for overcoming the inherent challenges, the Governments of Brazil and the United States are putting forward a new model of development that can be both scaled and replicated in the future, throughout the Amazon, other regions in Brazil, and the rest of the Western Hemisphere.

In addition, the two countries intend to deepen their collaboration to share best practices and technology, data, and tools, such as geospatial information, monitoring, and early-warning systems, to help Brazilian decision-makers address environmental challenges that include drought, fire, the degradation of land, deforestation, and desertification. These problems are increasingly prevalent across Brazil, and threaten vulnerable populations and ecosystems, and lessons learned in the Amazon can help protect other key biomes, such as the Caatinga in Northeastern Brazil and the Pantanal in Southwestern Brazil.

Health

New Global Coalition Will Focus on Improving Value of Healthcare
News 18 Mar 2019
:: A group of senior healthcare leaders, in cooperation with the World Economic Forum, is launching a Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare to address the rising costs of healthcare
:: Coalition will focus on payment-model reform, health informatics standardization and the dissemination of best practices to health systems around the world.
: A new report defines agenda for coalition, Value in Healthcare: Accelerating the Pace of Health System Transformation.

Geneva, Switzerland, 20 March 2019 – The healthcare sector faces major challenges in delivering value for healthcare. According to the OECD, spending on healthcare in 2016 – the most recent year that data is available – increased by 3.4%, the highest rate since 2009. In response, leaders in the $8 trillion global healthcare sector need to embrace value-based healthcare, an approach that defines the goal of healthcare as the achievement of improved health outcomes that matter to patients at the same or lower cost.

Achieving a value-based healthcare system faces numerous barriers. Optimizing its delivery requires high-quality health data, but industry estimates suggest that about 80% of healthcare data is unusable in its current format. Value-based healthcare also requires companies to make major changes to their business models, but such shifts can involve a high degree of risk, and there is often little incentive for the private sector to take on this challenge. From a regulatory perspective, changing the structure of the healthcare system requires strong political will and can generate backlash. The biggest obstacle to the spread of value-based healthcare is that misaligned incentives in current health systems make it difficult for industry stakeholders to act collectively.

As the final report of the Forum’s three-year Value in Healthcare project, Value in Healthcare: Accelerating the Pace of Health System Transformation, released by the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Boston Consulting Group (BCG), describes three major initiatives to address these challenges and accelerate the transition to value-based healthcare in health systems around the world:
:: A “user’s guide” to health system transformation: The report proposes best practices based on a review of pioneering efforts around the world and on the Forum’s experience with two pilot projects…

:: A “roadmap” for global health-informatics standardization: This effort lays the foundation for promoting value-based healthcare over the next four years by proposing a global vision and a “digital health bill of rights”, which will be developed in consultation with patient advocacy organizations around the world. This global vision and bill of rights will help governments, patient groups and the private sector ensure that their informatics work is patient-centred and will inform other efforts to harmonize informatics standards around the world.

:: The Global Coalition for Value in Healthcare: This public-private effort will provide a platform where stakeholders and medical practitioners can learn from one another, develop shared visions and goals, and exchange best practices. The coalition will provide technical assistance and facilitate local partnerships, develop global enablers of value-based healthcare, document and disseminate best practices, and build a global community of practice..

Read the full report here

Featured Journal Content

The Lancet
Mar 23, 2019 Volume 393Number 10177p1177-1260, e35
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Editorial
Venezuelans’ right to health crumbles amid political crisis
The Lancet
The rising prosperity of Venezuela during the 20th century helped to consolidate gains in health outcomes made over decades. Now, a country rich in natural resources is submerged in a complex humanitarian emergency due to the politico-economic crisis that started in 2008, progressively destroying the health-care system.

In this issue, Page and colleagues discuss the current situation in Venezuela and explain how the crisis has threatened the nation’s public health, resulting in increases in morbidity and mortality. The authors also report on the observations they made when visiting the Venezuelan borders with Colombia and Brazil, where the movement of Venezuelan migrants has already resulted in a strain on both countries’ health-care systems. Another worrying implication of the movement of migrants into neighbouring countries is the quick dissemination of infectious diseases, such as malaria and Chagas. A Review in The Lancet Infectious Diseases analysed the return of vector-borne diseases and the implications for spillover in the region. For example, the number of malaria cases increased by 359% between 2000 and 2015, and by a further 71% in 2017 (411 586 cases). Dengue incidence increased by more than four times between 1990 and 2016. These epidemics are exacerbated by the decline in public health programmes, such as childhood immunisation, insufficient potable water, and poor sanitation conditions.

In 2018, 82% of people in Venezuela (about 28·5 million people) and 75% of health centres around the country did not have a continuous supply of water, according to a report on the right to water published by five Venezuelan non-governmental organisations (NGOs). Running water is provided sporadically (in some areas this can be once every 20 days) and the water that does reach the population is of poor quality or not potable. To aggravate the situation, shortages of electricity have been recurrently reported over more than 3 months and have culminated in a widespread blackout between March 7 and March 11, leaving homes and hospitals in the dark. Failures in the electricity supply system were reported as causing the death of 79 patients between Nov 16, 2018, and Feb 9, 2019, in the 40 main hospitals of the country. These data are from a national survey, Encuesta Nacional de los Hospitales 2019 which also notes that 1557 patients died because of insufficient hospital supplies. The medical NGO that published these data explained that these are conservative estimates as many deaths are not reported.

In the meantime, hyperinflation (estimated by the International Monetary Fund to be at 10 million % in 2019) puts the cost of daily food out of reach for nine in ten Venezuelans, according to the ENCOVI (Living Conditions survey) 2017. The food crisis is further exacerbated by absence of food diversity and collapse of food infrastructure (production, distribution, and access to food). As a result, between 2016 and 2018, the proportion of the population that is undernourished increased from 5% to 12%, according to a report on the right to food published by three Venezuelan NGOs. Poor nutrition between conception and 2 years of age is threatening the physical, mental, and social development of new generations. Venezuela is the only country in Latin America showing a deterioration in child survival back to the levels of the 1990s. According to estimates in a recent study in The Lancet Global Health, the infant mortality rate reached 21·1 deaths per 1000 livebirths in 2016, almost 40% higher than in 2008.
Vowing to improve the situation, on March 1, the UN security council voted on two resolutions related to Venezuela but failed to pass either of them because the USA, Russia, and China clashed over the issue. The USA recognises Juan Guaido, leader of the National Assembly, as the country’s president, whereas China and Russia continue to recognise Nicolás Maduro as leader of the country. While the divisive debate regarding last year’s disputed presidential elections continues to rage, Venezuela is struggling with hunger and preventable diseases.

As we went to press, a UN team was visiting the country on an official human rights mission following a surprising invitation from Maduro, who has been reluctant to accept humanitarian aid. There is hope that Maduro will be transparent with the UN team and allow them to observe the true complexity of the situation. The UN human rights team is also scheduled to speak with members of Guaido’s party. Whatever the outcome of the UN’s mission, the urgent implementation of effective measures to facilitate the coordinated international response to the Venezuelans’ plight cannot come soon enough. The right to health and to food cannot be politicised and the international community is failing if these universal rights are not restored in Venezuela.

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Review
Venezuela’s public health crisis: a regional emergency
Kathleen R Page, Shannon Doocy, Feliciano Reyna Ganteaume, Julio S Castro, Paul Spiegel,
Chris Beyrer
Summary
The economic crisis in Venezuela has eroded the country’s health-care infrastructure and threatened the public health of its people. Shortages in medications, health supplies, interruptions of basic utilities at health-care facilities, and the emigration of health-care workers have led to a progressive decline in the operational capacity of health care. The effect of the crisis on public health has been difficult to quantify since the Venezuelan Ministry of Health stopped publishing crucial public health statistics in 2016. We prepared a synthesis of health information, beyond what is available from other sources, and scholarly discussion of engagement strategies for the international community. Data were identified through searches in MEDLINE, PubMed, and the grey literature, through references from relevant articles, and governmental and non-governmental reports, and publicly available databases. Articles published in English and Spanish until Dec 1, 2018, were included. Over the past decade, public health measures in Venezuela have substantially declined. From 2012 to 2016, infant deaths increased by 63% and maternal mortality more than doubled. Since 2016, outbreaks of the vaccine-preventable diseases measles and diphtheria have spread throughout the region. From 2016 to 2017, Venezuela had the largest rate of increase of malaria in the world, and in 2015, tuberculosis rates were the highest in the country in 40 years. Between 2017 and 2018, most patients who were infected with HIV interrupted therapy because of a lack of medications. The Venezuelan economic crisis has shattered the health-care system and resulted in rising morbidity and mortality. Outbreaks and expanding epidemics of infectious diseases associated with declines in basic public health services are threatening the health of the country and the region.

DRC – Ebola

DONS – Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
21 March 2019
[Excerpts; Editor’s text bolding]
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces has recently shown an increase in the number of cases reported by week, after many weeks of overall decline… This rise is not unexpected and, in part, likely a result of the increased security challenges, including the recent direct attacks on treatment centers, and pockets of community mistrust, which slowed some response activities in affected areas for a few days…

… Since the beginning of the outbreak to 19 March 2019, 980 EVD cases1 (915 confirmed and 65 probable) have been reported, of which 57% (554) were female and 30% (293) were children aged less than 18 years. Cumulatively, cases have been reported from 130 of 339 health areas across 21 health zones of the North Kivu and Ituri provinces (Table 1). Overall, 610 deaths (case fatality ratio: 62%) have been reported, and 317 patients have been discharged after treatment in ETCs….

WHO risk assessment
WHO continuously monitors changes to the epidemiological situation and context of the outbreak to ensure that support to the response is adapted to the evolving circumstances. The last assessment concluded that the national and regional risk levels remain very high, while global risk levels remain low. Attacks on ETCs in Katwa and Butembo represented the first large-scale and organized attacks targeted directly at the Ebola response, and were of a different order of magnitude to episodes of mistrust in communities or dangers of being caught in crossfire between fighting parties. In addition, the persistence of pockets of community resistance and mistrust, exacerbated by political tensions and insecurity, have resulted in recurrent temporary suspension and delays of case investigation and response activities in affected areas; reducing the overall effectiveness of interventions. The high proportion of community deaths reported among confirmed cases, persistent delays in detection and isolation in ETCs, challenges in the timely reporting and response to probable cases, collectively increase the likelihood of further chains of transmission in affected communities and increased risk of geographical spread within the Democratic Republic of the Congo and to neighbouring countries. As do the risk of increased population movement anticipated during periods of heightened insecurity…

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 20 March 2019
:: Following cyclone Idai’s landfall in Mozambique, accessibility in many areas remains a challenge, particularly Beira City. However, outside of Beira, polio outbreak response is ongoing in Zambezia.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Afghanistan—five wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)-positive environmental samples;
:: Pakistan – seven WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria— one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case and seven cVDPV2-positive environmental samples;
:: Niger—five cVDPV2-positive community contact samples;
:: Indonesia—one cVDPV1-positive isolate from a healthy community contact

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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 23 Mar 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: DONS – Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo  21 March 2019

Syrian Arab Republic
:: Health situation – Al-Hol camp  16 March 2019

South Sudan
::  WHO and partners assess and respond to the health needs of over 5000 internally displaced population in Dulamaya, South Sudan  18 March 2019

Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis – No new digest announcements identified  
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified  
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified  
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified  

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 23 Mar 2019]

Ethiopia
:: Ethiopia sets to strengthen its capacity to detect, prevent and respond to public health emergencies
Addis Ababa, 15 March 2019 | The Federal Ministry of Health of Ethiopia launched the National Action Plan for Health Security (NAPHS) 2019 – 2023…

occupied Palestinian territory 
:: WHO appeals for US$ 5.3 million to respond to trauma and emergency care needs in Gaza
18 March 2019

Sudan
:: Sudan set to protect over 8 million people with its largest ever yellow fever vaccination drive  20 March 2019

Zimbabwe
:: WHO sending urgent health assistance after Cyclone Idai displaces thousands of people in Southern Africa
Brazzaville, 20 March 2019 – The World Health Organization (WHO) is providing urgent assistance to meet the health needs of thousands of people impacted by flooding in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe. The floods were triggered by Tropical Cyclone Idai, which swept through the region last week…

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

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 23 Mar 2019]
Afghanistan
Chad
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut
Tanzania

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 WHO AFRO – Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin – Week 10/2019
Week 11: 11- 17 March 2019
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 65 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
:: Flooding in Malawi, Mozambique and Zimbabwe
“” Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Measles in Chad
:: Humanitarian crisis in Democratic Republic of the Congo.

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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. 
Syrian Arab Republic   – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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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.
Ethiopia 
:: Ethiopia Humanitarian Bulletin Issue #5 | 4-17 March 2019

Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified
 

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 16 March 2019

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 16 Mar 2019

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
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

Syria

UN Welcomes $7 billion donor pledge for Syrians and the region in 2019
(Brussels, 14 March 2019) – International donors today pledged a record US$6.97 billion to support millions of people in need of humanitarian aid in Syria as well as to refugees and host communities in the neighbouring countries. Part of the overall pledge, $2.5 billion, is for the EU Facility for Refugees in Turkey this year.

In 2017, donors pledged $6 billion in Brussels and in 2018, $4.4 billion. Total fundraising for 2018 reached just over $6 billion by the end of the year.

“I am pleased with this important signal of the international community’s solidarity with the people in Syria and with Syria’s neighbours who are hosting huge numbers of refugees, and feeling the strain of their generosity,” UN humanitarian chief Mark Lowcock said…