Human Rights – Drug Policy

Human Rights and Drug Policy
Posted on March 15, 2019
Vienna – A coalition of UN Member States, UN entities and leading human rights experts meeting at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs launched today, a landmark set of international legal standards to transform and reshape global responses to the world drug problem.

The International Guidelines on Human Rights and Drug Policy introduces a comprehensive catalogue of human rights standards. Grounded in decades of evidence, they are a guide for governments to develop human rights compliant drug policies, covering the spectrum of cultivation to consumption. Harnessing the universal nature of human rights, the document covers a range of policy areas from development to criminal justice to public health.

The guidelines come at an important moment when high-level government representatives are convening at the Commission on Narcotic Drugs to shape a new global strategy on drugs. Under the mounting weight of evidence that shows the systemic failures of the dominant punitive paradigm, including widespread human rights violations, governments are facing growing calls to shift course.

“Drug control policies intersect with much of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the pledge by Member States to leave no one behind. Approaches that violate human rights and fail to curb the illicit drug trade are leaving a trail of human suffering,” said Mandeep Dhaliwal, Director of UNDP’s HIV, Health and Development Group. “For countries who are ready to place human dignity and sustainable development at the heart of their drug control policy, these guidelines offer valuable guidance to promote more effective and humane drug control policy.”

Seeking to promote the rule of law, the guidelines feature recommendations across the administration of justice—from discriminatory policing practices, to arbitrary arrest and detention, to decriminalisation of drugs for personal use—the guidelines articulate the global state of human rights law in relation to drug policy, which includes ending the death penalty for drug-related offenses.

At least 25 national governments – from Argentina to South Africa – have scrapped criminal penalties for possession of drugs for personal, non-medical use, either in law or practice, setting an example for others to follow. The United Nations system has jointly called for decriminalization as an alternative to conviction and punishment in appropriate cases…

U.S. Budgetary Allocations

Leading Humanitarian, Development, and Global Health Organizations Urge Congress to Reject Cuts to Foreign Assistance
March 11, 2019
Leading humanitarian, development, and global health organizations Bread for the World, CARE, Catholic Relief Services, InterAction, International Rescue Committee, Mercy Corps, ONE, Oxfam, PATH, Save the Children, and World Vision, are calling on Members of Congress to protect the International Affairs budget in Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) despite the Administration’s proposed 24 percent cuts. American leadership is critical in the face of daunting global challenges, from conflict to mass displacement, from food insecurity to global health crises.

More than 132 million people are projected to need humanitarian assistance in 2019 given an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises. Natural disasters, atrocities, gender-based violence, and protracted armed conflict have resulted in more than 68 million displaced persons, including more than 25 million refugees. Now is not the time to slash effective, life-saving programs that help create a safer and more secure world.

In addition, the Administration’s proposal to significantly modify and repeal the refugee mandate and resources of the Department of State’s humanitarian bureau, coupled with a 34 percent cut to humanitarian assistance, is unwise, especially given historic levels of displacement.

Foreign assistance funding is fundamental to America’s global leadership and essential to shaping a world where our national interests will thrive. The International Affairs budget is roughly 1% of the federal budget, and an even smaller portion is dedicated to achieving humanitarian, development, and health outcomes for the world’s most marginalized children, women and men. This small portion of our budget is molding the face of our world’s future and building a better and more stable world with prospering economies. Cuts will have life-and-death consequences for the poorest people in the world and will reduce the life-saving and economic impacts that we see every day.

The organizations, which together operate in nearly every country across the globe, often work in partnership with the U.S. government and have produced important and demonstrable results. From providing education, health, good governance and economic assistance that forms the building blocks of many growing nations, to addressing humanitarian disasters, preventing conflict and containing deadly pandemics – aid delivers. The budget’s proposed cuts of 23 percent to development assistance and economic assistance and 28 percent to global health flies in the face of these facts.

Time and time again, Congress has acted in a bipartisan and bicameral manner to support smart American global engagement through programs, budgets and policies that demonstrate American values while advancing our national interest. Leading humanitarian, development, and global health organizations urge Congress to support no less than $60 billion for the International Affairs Budget in FY20.

To ensure U.S. leadership, Congress must reject any proposed cuts to these vital programs and fight against removing crucial tools from our foreign policy toolkit when they are needed more than ever.

::::::

March 11, 2019
Fiscal Year 2020 Development and Humanitarian Assistance Budget Request
Fact Sheet
The President’s Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 Budget Request for USAID continues to advance our efforts to strengthen U.S. national security through strategic investments that promote the Journey to Self-Reliance. The Budget envisions the day when USAID’s development assistance is no longer needed. USAID supports governments, civil society, and the private sector in partner countries to build self-reliance, defined as the ability of a country to plan, finance, and implement solutions to its own development challenges. The FY 2020 Budget also upholds the President’s commitment to serve the needs of American citizens, ensure their safety, and defend their values, as outlined in the President’s National Security Strategy. The Budget includes significant investments to reduce the reach of conflict; prevent the spread of pandemic disease; and counteract the drivers of violence, instability, transnational crime, and other security threats.

U.S. – International Criminal Court

Remarks to the Press [referencing the International Criminal Court]
Michael R. Pompeo, Secretary of State
Press Briefing Room, Washington, DC
March 15, 2019
[Excerpt]
… Since 1998, the United States has declined to join the ICC because of its broad, unaccountable prosecutorial powers and the threat it poses to American national sovereignty. We are determined to protect the American and allied military and civilian personnel from living in fear of unjust prosecution for actions taken to defend our great nation. We feared that the court could eventually pursue politically motivated prosecutions of Americans, and our fears were warranted.

November of 2017, the ICC prosecutor requested approval to initiate investigation into, quote, “the situation in Afghanistan,” end of quote. That could illegitimately target American personnel for prosecutions and sentencing. In September of 2018, the Trump administration warned the ICC that if it tried to pursue an investigation of Americans there would be consequences. I understand that the prosecutor’s request for an investigation remains pending.

Thus today, persistent to existing legal authority to post visa restrictions on any alien, quote, “whose entry or proposed activities in the United States would have potentially serious adverse foreign policy consequences,” end of quote, I’m announcing a policy of U.S. visa restrictions on those individuals directly responsible for any ICC investigation of U.S. personnel. This includes persons who take or have taken action to request or further such an investigation. These visa restrictions may also be used to deter ICC efforts to pursue allied personnel, including Israelis, without allies’ consent. Implementation of this policy has already begun. Under U.S. law, individual visa records are confidential, so I will not provide details as to who has been affected and who will be affected.

But you should know if you’re responsible for the proposed ICC investigation of U.S. personnel in connection with the situation in Afghanistan, you should not assume that you will still have or will get a visa, or that you will be permitted to enter the United States. The United States will implement these measures consistent with applicable law, including our obligations under the United Nations Headquarters Agreement. These visa restrictions will not be the end of our efforts. We are prepared to take additional steps, including economic sanctions if the ICC does not change its course…

::::::

Statement by the President of the Assembly, O-Gon Kwon, reiterating strong support for the ICC
Press Release : 15 March 2019
In relation to the statement made today by the United States Secretary of State regarding the International Criminal Court (ICC), I would like to reiterate that the Court has the strong support of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute.

The Assembly is comprised of over 120 States Parties. At its seventeenth session in December 2018, the States Parties reconfirmed their unwavering support for the Court as an independent and impartial judicial institution, and reiterated their commitment to uphold and defend the principles and values enshrined in the Rome Statute and to preserve its integrity undeterred by any threats against the Court, its officials and those cooperating with it. This unwavering support continues today.

The Assembly also renewed its resolve to stand united against impunity. The International Criminal Court is an independent and impartial judicial institution crucial for ensuring accountability for the most serious crimes of concern to the international community.

The Court is non-political and acts strictly within the legal framework of the Rome Statute, its founding treaty. One of the cornerstones of the Rome Statute system is that it recognizes the primary jurisdiction of States to investigate and prosecute atrocity crimes. The jurisdiction of the Court is complementary to domestic jurisdictions.

The Assembly of States Parties is the management oversight and legislative body of the ICC. It is comprised of representatives of States that have ratified or acceded to the Rome Statute. President Kwon was elected President of the Assembly for a three year mandate in December 2017.

Development – Philanthropic/Funding Strategies

$150 Million in Catalytic Capital to Help Address Critical Social Challenges
March 12, 2019 | Press Release
MacArthur today launched the Catalytic Capital Consortium, dedicating $150 million to help address financing gaps in impact investing, particularly for funds and intermediaries that are not a fit for conventional investment. MacArthur is joined in this effort by leading impact investors The Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network, who will add their expertise and financial resources to the Catalytic Capital Consortium. MacArthur’s first investment is $30 million to expand and accelerate The Rockefeller Foundation’s Zero Gap innovative finance portfolio, matched by $30 million from The Rockefeller Foundation.

Catalytic capital is investment capital that is patient, risk-tolerant, concessionary, and flexible in ways that differ from conventional investment. According to Catalytic Capital: Unlocking More Investment and Impact, a report released today by the consulting firm Tideline, catalytic capital is an essential component to achieving the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). As the SDGs face an annual $5 trillion to $7 trillion financing gap, catalytic capital can help meet the demand for more capital across the risk-return spectrum, complement and pave the way for conventional investment, and mobilize additional capital through a range of blended finance solutions. The Catalytic Capital Consortium will increase awareness, understanding, and use of catalytic capital as an investment tool, ultimately helping more enterprises secure the financial support they need to grow and scale social and environmental solutions that could improve millions of lives.

“Catalytic capital is needed for impact investing to realize its full potential,” said MacArthur President Julia Stasch, who announced the Consortium at the Global Impact Investing Network Investors’ Council Annual Meeting, alongside the leaders of The Rockefeller Foundation and Omidyar Network. “While impact investing is growing rapidly, much of the attention focuses on market-rate returns, leaving a serious gap in financing opportunities for many promising impact enterprises and funds that could help address critical social challenges. The Catalytic Capital Consortium will help more investors appreciate the importance of this type of capital in yielding deeper, more sustainable impact for people and the planet.”

Since it was launched in 2015, The Rockefeller Foundation’s Zero Gap grant portfolio has grown to nearly 50 unique financial structures across 28 countries. MacArthur’s matching investment in Zero Gap builds on this work, marking a unique impact investing collaboration between two foundations, where each will invest $30 million with the aim of catalyzing at least $1 billion in new capital to help meet the SDGs. These funds will be managed by The Rockefeller Foundation’s new impact investment management platform, Rockefeller Foundation Impact Investment Management, which aims to tap into mainstream markets and investors, scaling up investments into promising new finance vehicles that help to close the SDG funding gap…

Governance – Agency Performance Assessment

MOPAN assessed the performance of UNESCO
15 March 2019
In 2017-18, MOPAN, the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network, assessed the performance of UNESCO. The assessment looked at UNESCO’s organisational effectiveness (strategic, operational, relationship and performance aspects) and the results it achieved against its objectives. This was the first MOPAN assessment of UNESCO.

Key findings of MOPAN Assessment of UNESCO:
MOPAN has just released its assessment report of UNESCO – the first ever – providing a snapshot of UNESCO’s performance over 2016 to mid-2018 covering strategic, operational, relationship and performance management as well as results. Overall the report is rather positive, with an overall rating of “Highly satisfactory” or “satisfactory” for the vast majority of indicators.

Key findings of the assessment show that:
:: “UNESCO has a clear strategic vision aligned to global normative frameworks, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change”.

:: “Despite the notable constraints, there has been no change to the expectations on UNESCO’s mandate and range of activities, and in spite of difficulties, UNESCO has protected its normative work and raised additional funds to finance programmatic work.”

:: “The organisation combines its normative and programmatic roles in ways that provide a mutually reinforcing interplay, ensuring that its work in both roles is relevant and targeted.”

:: “MOPAN’s survey of external partners confirms that stakeholders value UNESCO’s contribution to promoting cross-cutting agendas, with gender equality being a particular strength.”

:: “UNESCO is unique for having the mandate and space to bring together experts, practitioners, citizens and governments to develop solutions to the global problems embedded in the SDGs. It has rare expertise and a degree of authority that enables it to influence governments across the world.”

:: “UNESCO is recognised for its distinct interdisciplinary and participatory approach to programming, most notably in the design phase.”

:: “Notwithstanding the challenging environment, UNESCO has been able to drive through impressive improvements in areas such as results-based management and to provide high-quality services, most notably within its internal oversight, including evaluation and internal audit.”

:: “UNESCO continues to face an extended and damaging budget crisis, with the need for further prioritisation.”

:: “The institutional architecture at headquarters reflects UNESCO’s mandate; yet global field presence is unnecessarily complex, which compromises agility and relevance.”

:: “UNESCO has a strong appreciation of these challenges and is working to position itself to be more efficient and effective in the future through ongoing reforms.”

The assessment identified the following six strengths and seven areas for improvement
Strengths
. UNESCO is central to the SDGs
. UNESCO is a global leader in knowledge and practice
. Education is a notable strength of UNESCO
. UNESCO is effective in mainstreaming gender equality, good governance, environment sustainability and human rights
. UNESCO is committed to RBM and RBB and is progressing well in these areas
. UNESCO has a high-quality central evaluation service

Areas for improvement
. Prioritization of the overall work programme remains limited
. A number of corporate systems remain outdated
. Rationalizing the gratuitously complex global field network remains a priority
. Tracking poor performance and addressing inefficiency is a challenge for UNESCO
. Refining the treatment of results and tracking impact is necessary to demonstrate continued relevance and sustainability
. The quality of decentralized evaluations and evidence-base for normative work requires dedicated resources
. Communicating externally

About the Multilateral Organisation Performance Assessment Network (MOPAN):
The MOPAN is a network created in 2002, which is currently composed of 18 member countries with a common interest in assessing the effectiveness of the major multilateral organisations they fund.
MOPAN’s mission is to:
:: Enhance accountability by supporting its members to assess organisational and development effectiveness of funded multilateral organisations.
:: Promote learning by informing strategic engagement and dialogue among multilateral organisations and development partners.

Credibility of assessments is ensured through an impartial, systematic and rigorous approach (MOPAN 3.0 methodology (link is external)). Members of MOPAN use the outcomes of these assessments to, inter alia, inform strategic decision-making and engagement with the assessed organisations. UNESCO is one of the 14 organisations assessed by MOPAN in 2017-2018 period.

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 13 March 2019
:: On the occasion of the International Women’s Day on 8 March 2019, the Global Polio Eradication Initiative featured stories of women on-ground working for polio eradication efforts. Read all the IWD news here.

:: Wild poliovirus continues to transmit in Afghanistan—one of the most challenging geographical and socio-political landscapes—but GPEI is working with the partners and the government to make concrete gains in eliminating the disease. More on the efforts here.

:: Real-time disease surveillance is the future of disease of surveillance, which is being rolled-out at the World Health Organization’s Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Read more.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan – nine WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria – one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)- positive community contact case and three cVDPV2-positive environmental samples.

::::::
::::::

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 16 Mar 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
::  32: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  12 March 2019
:: DONS – Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo   14 March 2019

Syrian Arab Republic
:: 8 ways WHO supports health in Syria   14 March 2019
The Syrian crisis is one of the world’s biggest and most complex humanitarian emergencies. 8 years of conflict have taken a huge toll on a health system that was once among the best in the region. Here are 8 things to know about how WHO works in Syria to save lives and support health despite immense challenges.

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
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified  
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified  

::::::

 
WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 16 Mar 2019]
MERS-CoV
:: Disease Commodity Package for MERS-CoV  pdf, 149kb  March 2019

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
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory  – 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

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 16 Mar 2019]
Afghanistan
Chad
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut
Tanzania
 
::::::
 
WHO AFRO – Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin – Week 10/2019
Week 10: 04 – 10 March 2019
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 59 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
:: Plague in Uganda
:: Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Hepatitis in Namibia
:: Lassa fever in Nigeria

::::::
::::::

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

::::::

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  – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified

 
::::::
::::::

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 9 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 9 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]

Venezuela

OAS Report on Venezuelan Migrants and Refugees: “An Unprecedented Crisis in the Region”
March 8, 2019
The Working Group of the Organization of American States (OAS) on Venezuelan migrants and refugees today presented its preliminary report, which warns that the forced migration of Venezuelans will surpass five million people by the end of 2019 and that it is the second biggest crisis of migrants and refugees in the world, after that caused by the war in Syria.

The Secretary General of the OAS, Luis Almagro, said the Venezuelan crisis will continue to force people to leave the country. “With more than 3.4 million, Venezuelans are the second largest refugee population in the world, second only to Syria, which has been at war for 7 years. And the forecasts indicate that by the end of 2019 the exodus will reach 5.4 million people,” he said.

The report also predicts that, if the situation does not change in Venezuela, by the year 2020 between 7.5 and 8.2 million Venezuelans could be part of the forced migration.

For his part, the Coordinator of the Working Group, David Smolansky, said the report highlights the limited international aid for Venezuelan migrants and refugees. “We appreciate the generosity of the international community, but that contribution today does not reach 200 million dollars, and comparing it with the Syrian crisis that has received more than 30 billion dollars or that of South Sudan that has received nearly 10 billion dollars, we believe that the contribution that has been given for Venezuelan migrants and refugees is low,” he explained.

According to the report, $ 5,000 per person is destined for Syrian refugees and for Venezuelans less than $ 300 per person.

The report also offers updated figures on the number of Venezuelans in different countries of the region. In Colombia there are 1.2 million Venezuelans, in Peru 700,000, in Chile 265,000, in Ecuador 220,000, and in Argentina 130,000. It also highlights that the impact of the exodus in the Caribbean is high and that in Curaçao there are 26,000 Venezuelans who represent 15 percent of the population, and in Aruba there are 16,000 Venezuelans, which corresponds to 10 percent of the population.

The magnitude and speed of the migratory flow of Venezuelans -the report adds- has similarities with other episodes that have resulted in massive crises of migrants and refugees in the world, which have been caused by conflicts such as in Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia and South Sudan. “Independent reports say that at least 1.3 million Venezuelan migrants and refugees suffer from nutrition problems,” the report adds.

The preliminary report highlights that the humanitarian crisis, widespread violence, economic collapse, violation of human rights and social control are the main determinants in the forced migration of millions of Venezuelans.

The Working Group that prepared the report is composed of Smolansky, the co-coordinator and Secretary of Access to Rights and Equity of the OAS, Gastao Alves, and the independent experts Dany Bahar, James Hollifield, Francisca Vigaud-Walsh, and Cyntia Sampaio.

Human Rights Council – Joint Statement on Saudi Arabia

STATEMENT UNDER AGENDA ITEM 2: INTERACTIVE DIALOGUE WITH THE HIGH COMMISSIONER – 40TH SESSION OF THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
DELIVERED BY H.E. HARALD ASPELUND (ICELAND)
07 MARCH 2019
Mr. President,
I have the honor to read this statement on behalf of a number of States.

While acknowledging the spirit of modernization and reform embodied by the Saudi Vision 2030, we express significant concerns about reports of continuing arrests and arbitrary detentions of human rights defenders in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, including women’s rights activists.

We are particularly concerned about the use of the counter-terrorism law and other national security provisions against individuals peacefully exercising their rights and freedoms. Human rights defenders and civil society groups can and should play a vital role in the process of reform which the Kingdom is pursuing.

We join the High Commissioner and Special Rapporteurs in their calls upon the Saudi authorities to release all individuals, including Loujain al-Hathloul, Eman al-Nafjan, Aziza al-Yousef, Nassima al-Sadah, Samar Badawi, Nouf Abdelaziz, Hatoon al-Fassi, Mohammed Al-Bajadi, Amal Al-Harbi and Shadan al-Anezi, detained for exercising their fundamental freedoms.

We condemn in the strongest possible terms the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which Saudi Arabia has confirmed took place in its consulate in Istanbul. The circumstances of Mr. Khashoggi’s death reaffirm the need to protect journalists and to uphold the right to freedom of expression around the world. Investigations into the killing must be prompt; effective and thorough; independent and impartial; and transparent. Those responsible must be held to account.

We call upon Saudi Arabia to disclose all information available and to fully cooperate with all investigations into the killing, including the human rights inquiry by the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions.

Finally, we call on Saudi Arabia to take meaningful steps to ensure that all members of the public, including human rights defenders and journalists, can freely and fully exercise their rights to freedoms of expression, opinion and association, including online, without fear of reprisals.

I thank you, Mr. President.

List of countries supporting the Joint Statement:
Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Global Health – Operational Reform

WHO unveils sweeping reforms in drive towards “triple billion” targets
6 March 2019 News Release Geneva
WHO today announced the most wide-ranging reforms in the Organization’s history to modernize and strengthen the institution to play its role more effectively and efficiently as the world’s leading authority on public health.

The changes are designed to support countries in achieving the ambitious “triple billion” targets that are at the heart of WHO’s strategic plan for the next five years: one billion more people benefitting from universal health coverage (UHC); one billion more people better protected from health emergencies; and one billion more people enjoying better health and well-being.

These changes include:
:: Aligning WHO’s processes and structures with the “triple billion” targets and the Sustainable Development Goals by adopting a new structure and operating model to align the work of headquarters, regional offices and country offices, and eliminate duplication and fragmentation.

:: Reinforcing WHO’s normative, standard-setting work, supported by a new Division of the Chief Scientist and improved career opportunities for scientists.

:: Harnessing the power of digital health and innovation by supporting countries to assess, integrate, regulate and maximize the opportunities of digital technologies and artificial intelligence, supported by a new Department of Digital Health.

:: Making WHO relevant in all countries by overhauling the Organization’s capabilities to engage in strategic policy dialogue. This work will be supported by a new Division of Data, Analytics and Delivery to significantly enhance the collection, storage, analysis and usage of data to drive policy change in countries. This division will also track and strengthen the delivery of WHO’s work by monitoring progress towards the “triple billion targets” and identifying roadblocks and solutions.

:: Investing in a dynamic and diverse workforce through new initiatives including the WHO Academy, a proposed state-of-the-art school to provide new learning opportunities for staff and public health professionals globally. Other measures include a streamlined recruitment process to cut hiring time in half, management trainings, new opportunities for national professional officers, and previously-announced improvements in conditions for interns.

:: Strengthening WHO’s work to support countries in preventing and mitigating the impact of outbreaks and other health crises by creating a new Division of Emergency Preparedness, as a complement to WHO’s existing work on emergency response.

:: Reinforcing a corporate approach to resource mobilization aligned with strategic objectives and driving new fundraising initiatives to diversify WHO’s funding base, reduce its reliance on a small number of large donors and strengthen its long-term financial stability.

“The changes we are announcing today are about so much more than new structures, they’re about changing the DNA of the organization to deliver a measurable impact in the lives of the people we serve,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “Our vision remains the same as it was when we were founded in 1948: the highest attainable standard of health for all people. But the world has changed, which is why we have articulated a new mission statement for what the world needs us to do now: to promote health, keep the world safe and serve the vulnerable.”

The new measures were developed following an extensive period of consultation with staff, and were developed jointly by WHO’s Global Policy Group, which consists of the Director-General and each of the organization’s six regional directors: Dr Matshidiso Moeti (Regional Director for Africa), Dr Carissa Etienne (Regional Director for the Americas), Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh (Regional Director for South-East Asia), Dr Zsuzsanna Jakab (Regional Director for Europe), Dr Ahmed Al-Mandhari (Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean) and Dr Takeshi Kasai (Regional Director for the Western Pacific).

WHO’s new corporate structure is based on four pillars which will be mirrored throughout the organization.

The Programmes pillar will support WHO’s work on universal health coverage and healthier populations. The Emergencies pillar will be responsible for WHO’s critical health security responsibilities, both in responding to health crises and helping countries prepare for them. The External Relations and Governance pillar will centralize and harmonize WHO’s work on resource mobilization, communications. The Business Operations pillar will likewise ensure more professionalized delivery of key corporate functions such as budgeting, finance, human resources and supply chain.

The four pillars will be supplemented by the Division of the Chief Scientist at WHO Headquarters in Geneva to strengthen WHO’s core scientific work and ensure the quality and consistency of WHO’s norms and standards.

Underpinning the new structure, 11 business processes have been redesigned, including planning, resource mobilization, external and internal communications, recruitment, supply chain, performance management, norms and standards, research, data and technical cooperation.

The Global Policy Group stressed the role of working with partners. Dr Tedros said WHO must develop a new mindset to seek out and build partnerships that harness the combined strength of the global health community – both in the public and private sectors. One example of this is a new Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-Being for All, under which 12 partner organizations are working together to achieve health-related Sustainable Development Goals.

Access to Information

UNESCO pilots global data collection on access to information
05 March 2019
UNESCO has kicked off global data collection on the implementation of access-to-information (ATI) laws in 43 countries, putting its monitoring and reporting instruments for SDG indicator 16.10.2 to the test.

As the custodian agency for indicator 16.10.2 on access to information, UNESCO is mandated to monitor and report on the “number of countries that adopt and implement constitutional, statutory and/or policy guarantees for public access to information”.

The data collected through the global exercise will be significant for UNESCO in mapping global progress towards ATI commitments.

For Member States, who are the primary duty-bearers with an obligation to monitor and report progress towards SDGs, the findings can help enrich their own national and global reporting, such as to national stakeholders and at the 2019 and subsequent United Nations High-level Political Forum (UN HLPF) on Sustainable Development Goals.

The 43 pilot countries selected for this global data collection are developing and least developed countries that will submit their Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) to the UN HLPF in July this year, in which Goal 16 will be under review.

These countries are Algeria, Azerbaijan, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Burkina Faso, Cambodia, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile, Congo (Republic of the), Côte d’Ivoire, El Salvador, Eritrea, Eswatini (Swaziland), Fiji, Ghana, Guatemala, Guyana, Indonesia, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Lesotho, Mauritania, Mauritius, Nauru, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Serbia, Sierra Leone, South Africa, Timor-Leste, Tonga, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, and United Republic of Tanzania.

Funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the global data exercise is being carried out in collaboration with UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) and the Centre for Law and Democracy (CLD) using UNESCO’s set of reporting and monitoring instruments for indicator 16.10.2. UNESCO developed the instruments in close consultations with experts, CSOs, concerned organizations and other UN agencies

Liberty-Privacy

Facebook – A Privacy-Focused Vision for Social Networking
March 6, 2019
Today, Mark Zuckerberg outlined Facebook’s vision and principles around building a privacy-focused messaging and social networking platform:

:: Private interactions. People should have simple, intimate places where they have clear control over who can communicate with them and confidence that no one else can access what they share.
:: Encryption. People’s private communications should be secure. End-to-end encryption prevents anyone — including us — from seeing what people share on our services./li>
:: Reducing Permanence. People should be comfortable being themselves, and should not have to worry about what they share coming back to hurt them later. So we won’t keep messages or stories around for longer than necessary to deliver the service or longer than people want them.
:: Safety. People should expect that we will do everything we can to keep them safe on our services within the limits of what’s possible in an encrypted service.
:: Interoperability. People should be able to use any of our apps to reach their friends, and they should be able to communicate across networks easily and securely.
:: Secure data storage. People should expect that we won’t store sensitive data in countries with weak records on human rights like privacy and freedom of expression in order to protect data from being improperly accessed.

We’re committed to working openly and consulting with experts across society as we develop this. You can read Mark’s full note

DR Congo – Ebola

Ebola response failing to gain the upper hand on the epidemic – MSF
Democratic Republic of Congo
Press Release 7 Mar 2019
:: Despite a rapid and large outbreak response with new vaccines and treatments, the signs are that Ebola is not under control
:: Since the beginning of the year, more than 40 per cent of new Ebola cases are people who died of Ebola in the communities
:: Patients and communities must be treated as partners in the response; we must listen to their needs not preach to or coerce them

Seven months into the largest-ever Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), the Ebola response is failing to bring the epidemic under control in a climate of deepening community mistrust, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) said at a press conference in Geneva today.

Since the beginning of the year, more than 40 per cent of new cases are people who died of Ebola in the communities. At the epicentre of the epidemic, in Katwa and Butembo in North Kivu province, 43 per cent of patients in the last three weeks were still being infected without known links to other cases.

“We have a striking contradiction: on the one hand a rapid and large outbreak response with new medical tools such as vaccines and treatments that show promising outcomes when people come early – and on the other hand, people with Ebola are dying in their communities, and do not trust the Ebola response enough to come forward,” said International President of MSF, Dr Joanne Liu.

Last week, MSF suspended our Ebola activities in Katwa and Butembo, in North Kivu province, after successive attacks on the two treatment centres. While MSF does not know the motives or identities of the attackers, these incidents follow an escalation of tensions around the Ebola response. Dozens of security incidents occurred against the response as a whole in the month of February alone. While the causes of these acts are not all the same, it is clear that various political, social and economic grievances are increasingly crystallising around the response.

A range of issues have led to these tensions: from the massive deployment of financial resources focusing only on Ebola, in a neglected region suffering from conflict, violence and long-standing health needs; to elections being officially postponed due to the Ebola outbreak, exacerbating suspicions that Ebola is a political ploy.

The use of police and armed forces to compel people to comply with health measures against Ebola is leading to further alienation of the community and is counterproductive to controlling the epidemic. Using coercion for activities such as safe burials, tracking of contacts and admission into treatment centres discourages people from coming forward and pushes them into hiding.

The Ebola response must take a new turn. Choices must be given back to patients and their families on how to manage the disease. Vaccination for Ebola must reach more people, and more vaccines are needed for this. Other dire health needs of communities should be addressed. And coercion must not be used as a tactic to track and treat patients, enforce safe burials or decontaminate homes.

“Ebola is a brutal disease, bringing fear, and isolation to patients, families and health care providers,” said Dr Joanne Liu. “The Ebola response needs to become patient and community centred. Patients must be treated as patients, and not as some kind of biothreat.”

Seven months since the beginning of the current Ebola outbreak in the provinces of North Kivu and Ituri, there have been 907 cases of Ebola cases (841 confirmed and 66 probable) and 569 people have died. [source: World Health Organization (WHO) report week 9]

Further to the suspension of its activities in Katwa and Butembo, MSF has maintained its Ebola-related activities in the North Kivu towns of Kayna and Lubéru, as well as its management of two Ebola transit facilities in Ituri province, in the towns of Bwanasura and Bunia. In the city of Goma, MSF has been supporting emergency preparedness by reinforcing the surveillance system and ensuring there is adequate capacity to manage suspected cases.

It has almost been six years, since 11 July 2013, that three MSF staff remain missing after being abducted in Kamango, Nord Kivu, where they were carrying out a health assessment. MSF continues to search for them.

Emergencies
 
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 6 March 2019
:: On 26-27 February 2019, the Global Commission for Certification of the Eradication met at the World Health Organization in Geneva to continue its work on global certification criteria for wild poliovirus eradication and containment.  The GCC reviewed all the latest global epidemiology and examined remaining challenges in the interruption of wild polio virus. Read more here.
:: Featured on polioeradication.org: Coffee with Polio Experts— Dr Nicksy Gumede-Moeletsi, senior virologist at WHO’s Regional Office for Africa, talks about how genetic analysis of isolated polioviruses is helping strategically drive eradication efforts in Africa.
 
Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan – two WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria — one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case.
 
::::::
 
GCC intensifies work on global certification criteria
Global Commission for Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (GCC) meet in Geneva to intensify its work on global certification criteria
On 26-27 February 2019, the Global Commission for Certification of Poliomyelitis Eradication (GCC) met at the World Health Organization (WHO) headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, to continue its intensified work on global certification criteria for poliomyelitis eradication and poliovirus containment.  The work of the GCC is critical to verifying the achievement of a world free of all polioviruses
 
 
The GCC reviewed the latest global epidemiology of all poliovirus transmission, examined remaining challenges such as subnational surveillance and immunity gaps, and evaluated current containment status.

The GCC expressed its concerns over the lack of progress in the interruption of transmission of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) in Pakistan and Afghanistan and the spread of vaccine-derived polioviruses (VDPVs). As expressed in a recently-published letter from the four Chairs of the GPEI’s main global advisory bodies, it is essential that improvement is achieved in both routine immunization services and supplementary immunization activity (SIA) quality. Nevertheless, the GCC is continuing to accelerate its work, including taking into consideration circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses (cVDPVs), which continue to take on added significance as the time extends since the discontinuation of type 2 poliovirus in oral polio vaccine (OPV) with consequent loss of type 2 polio immunity. The GCC is also occupied with the urgent and increasing need for effective containment of polioviruses in laboratories and vaccine manufacturing facilities.

Noting that wild poliovirus type 3 (WPV3) has not been isolated anywhere since November 2012, the GCC re-affirmed its decision to undertake sequential certification of WPV eradication, meaning that WPV3 will be certified as eradicated prior to WPV1.  The GCC has requested that the Director-General of WHO ask the Regional Directors of Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean respectively to confirm from their Member States that the last WPV3s in both Regions were identified more than six years ago. The GCC will review these data in conjunction with the final reports from the four Regions that have already been certified. This will permit the GCC to certify the eradication of WPV3.

The GCC noted progress in identifying the interruption of WPV1 transmission in the African Region, which will be eligible for regional certification when the African Regional Certification Commission is convinced of the evidence of absence of wild polioviruses that meets surveillance standards.

The outcomes and recommendations of the GCC will be presented to the WHO Director-General, and if accepted, incorporated into the Global Polio Eradication Initiative Strategic Plan 2019-2023.  The full report from the GCC’s meeting will be made available at www.polioeradication.org.

::::::
::::::

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 9 Mar 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 31: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu  3 March 2019
:: DONS – Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo   7 March 2019

Syrian Arab Republic
:: Unexploded mines pose daily risk for people in northern Syria   6 March 2019

Bangladesh – Rohingya crisis
:: Bi‐weekly Situation Report 4 – 04 March 2019

Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified  
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified  
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified  
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified  

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 9 Mar 2019]
Libya
:: WHO responds to critical health needs in southern Libya
6 March 2019 – In response to increasing violence in Sabha City, southern Libya, the World Health Organization (WHO) has delivered trauma medicines sufficient for more than 400 patients requiring trauma care to Sabha Medical Centre, Murzuq General hospital and Ghodwa field hospital. WHO has also delivered 6 incubators and 2 ventilators to the neonatal intensive care unit of Sabha Medical Centre, and pre-positioned additional trauma medicines at the Medical Supply Office in Sabha to be delivered to health facilities as needed.

Clashes between armed groups in Sabha and Murzuq in February resulted in increasing numbers of injured patients, overwhelming health facilities already facing shortages of specialists and medical supplies. The total number of casualties is 250, which includes 44 dead and 206 wounded…

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  
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory  – 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

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies  [to 9 Mar 2019]
Afghanistan
Chad
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018
Kenya
Lao People’s Democratic Republic
Mali
Namibia – viral hepatitis
Peru
Philippines – Tyhpoon Mangkhut
Tanzania

::::::

WHO AFRO – Outbreaks and Emergencies Bulletin – Week 09/2019
Week 09: 25 February – 03 March 2019
The WHO Health Emergencies Programme is currently monitoring 59 events in the region. This week’s edition covers key new and ongoing events, including:
:: Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Measles in Madagascar
:: Lassa fever in Nigeria
:: Humanitarian crisis in Nigeria
:: Humanitarian crisis in South Sudan 

::::::
::::::

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

::::::

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 #4 | 17 February – 03 March 2019

HIGHLIGHTS
The Government of Ethiopia and humanitarian partners will formally launch the 2019 Ethiopia Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) on 7 March.
Some 90,000 displaced people in Amhara region need urgent assistance.
Improved security along the OromiaSomali border is enabling humanitarian partners to move relief commodities to Dawa zone after more than a year.

Somalia 
:: Humanitarian Bulletin Somalia, 1 February – 5 March 2019

Highlights
– Dry conditions worsen across Somalia.
– Protecting livestock to save livelihoods.
– Access constraints continue.
– Redoubling efforts to End Polio Outbreaks.
– Sustained response through pooled funds.

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 2 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 2 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]

Venezuela

Competing United States, Russian Federation Draft Resolutions on Political, Humanitarian Situation in Venezuela Blocked in Security Council
28 February 2019
SC/13725
The Security Council failed today to adopt two competing draft resolutions — one from the Russian Federation, the other from the United States — responding to the political and humanitarian situation in Venezuela.

By the terms of the draft put forward by the United States, which was vetoed by China and the Russian Federation, the Council would have expressed its deep concern that the presidential elections of 20 May 2018 were neither free nor fair, and call for the start of a peaceful political process leading to free, fair, and credible presidential elections, with international electoral observation, in conformity with Venezuela’s Constitution.

It would have supported the peaceful restoration of democracy and rule of law in Venezuela and encouraged subsequent peaceful, inclusive, and credible initiatives to address the crisis. It would also have stressed the importance of ensuring the security of all members of the National Assembly, and members of the political opposition, as well as the need to prevent further deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Venezuela and to facilitate unhindered access and delivery of assistance to all in need throughout the country in line with humanitarian principles.

The draft resolution from the Russian Federation, which lacked the minimum number of affirmative votes for passage, would have had the Council urge the settlement of the situation in Venezuela through peaceful means, within the framework of its Constitution, and in full respect of its sovereignty, territorial integrity and the right to self-determination of the Venezuelan people, as well as welcome the Secretary-General’s calls in that regard.

It would have supported all initiatives aimed at reaching a political solution amongst Venezuelans to the situation, including the Montevideo Mechanism, through a genuine and inclusive process of national dialogue; reaffirm the Government’s primary role in the initiation, organization, coordination and implementation of international assistance efforts and initiatives within its national territory; and recall that such assistance should be provided with the consent of, and on the basis of an appeal by, the Government.

Speaking after the vote on his delegation’s text, Elliot Abrams, Special Representative for Venezuela of the United States, said the situation in Venezuela requires immediate Council action. “The time for a peaceful transition to democracy is now,” he said. Asserting that some Council members are choosing to shield President Nicolás Maduro and his cronies, he said the United States will remain steadfast in its support for interim President Juan Guaidó and the National Assembly.

The representative of the Russian Federation, who took the floor twice, said his delegation was forced to exercise its veto because the United States draft was not geared towards resolving the problem in Venezuela. Emphasizing that his delegation’s text was aimed at helping Venezuelans solve their own problems, he said a decision to hold elections or not is theirs alone to take. “Do not decide for them,” he said, adding that today’s vote was a glaring example of the need for the veto in the Council.

Expressing regret over the lack of Council unity, Peru’s representative said the failure to adopt the United States draft — for which his delegation voted in favour — is incomprehensible, given that it was a minimal text with no references to human rights violations, the terrible humanitarian situation, the breakdown of the economic order and the exodus of more than 3 million Venezuelans.

South Africa’s delegate, who voted in favour of the Russian Federation’s text and against its United States counterpart, said it was unfortunate that two divergent drafts were submitted. Division in the Council undermined its credibility, he said, describing the United States draft as unbalanced and prescriptive.

The representative of Indonesia said his delegation refused to accept either draft resolution because they were both incomplete and overly politicized — nor, he added, would they help Venezuelans. “In all honesty, I have to admit that my delegation is starting to believe that dialogue and negotiations are a luxury here in the Council,” he said.

Venezuela’s representative, speaking at the end of the meeting, said his country rejects the fact that its Constitution is being used to justify a colonial intervention and to support a fictious entity. Economic war is being waged against Venezuela, violating the rights of its people and turning them into hostages, he said, adding that in the past two weeks, the United States and the United Kingdom had stolen more than $30 billion from the Venezuelan people…

::::::
::::::

Featured Journal Content

Lancet Global Health
Mar 2019 Volume 7Number 3e281-e384
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Articles
Trends in infant mortality in Venezuela between 1985 and 2016: a systematic analysis of demographic data
Jenny García, Gerardo Correa, Brenda Rousset
Summary
Background
Between the 1950s and 2000, Venezuela showed one of the most substantial improvements in infant mortality rates in Latin America. However, the recent economic crisis alongside an increase in infectious and parasitic diseases might be reversing previous patterns. Because no official updated mortality statistics have been published since 2013, the effect of these recent events has been difficult to assess accurately. We therefore aimed to estimate infant mortality rate trends and report the effect of the crisis.
Methods
We estimated infant mortality rates using direct methods (ie, death counts from Venezuelan Ministry of Health via yearbooks and notifiable diseases bulletins, and birth records published by the UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean and the Venezuelan National Institute of Statistics) and indirect methods (using census data and a Living Conditions Survey ENCOVI 2016). We shaped yearly estimations using a semiparametric regression model, specifically a P-Spline model with a cubic thin plate base. The primary objective was to estimate infant mortality rate trends from 1985 to 2016.
Findings
Around 2009, the long-term decline in infant mortality rate stopped, and a new pattern of increase was observed. The infant mortality rate reached 21·1 deaths per 1000 livebirths (90% CI −17·8 to 24·3) in 2016, almost 1·4 times the rate of 2008 (15·0, −14·0 to 16·1). This increase represents a huge setback on previous achievements in reducing infant mortality.
Interpretation
Our conservative estimation indicates that Venezuela is in the throes of a humanitarian crisis. The increase in infant mortality rate in 2016 compared with 2008 takes the country back to the level observed at the end of the 1990s, wiping out 18 years of expected progress, and leaves the Venezuelan Government far from achieving the target of nine deaths per 1000 livebirths stated in the UN Millennium Development Goals.
Funding
None.

Children in Armed Conflict

Open Letter to UN Secretary-General António Guterres
February 25, 2019
Dear Secretary-General Guterres,
As organizations working to protect the rights of children in armed conflict, we urge you to include the Saudi and Emirati-led Coalition (SELC) for all relevant violations in list A of the annexes of your 2019 annual report to the United Nations Security Council on children and armed conflict.

Changing the way the coalition is listed, from the ‘coalition to restore legitimacy in Yemen’ to the ‘SELC,’ would accurately reflect Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirate’s (UAE) leadership in the coalition, and in financing and directly engaging in hostilities via airstrikes and UAE ground forces deployed throughout the country. Including the SELC in list A of the annexes of your 2019 annual report for all relevant violations, including attacks on schools and hospitals, is critical to ensuring a credible, accurate listing of perpetrators, and providing the UN with the foundation to enter into dialogue with the SELC to actually drive change for children through the signing and implementation of a time-bound action plan. While the coalition was included in list B in your 2018 annual report as a party that has implemented positive measures aimed at improving the protection of children, the record shows that coalition violations against children have continued to occur.

For example, your 2018 annual report on children and armed conflict attributed to the coalition 19 of 20 attacks on schools and five attacks on hospitals carried out in 2017.1 Yet, the coalition was delisted in the 2018 report for attacks on schools and hospitals; the Houthis, to whom the report attributed five attacks on hospitals in 2017, remained listed for the same grave violation.2 Measures that the SELC might have taken in 2017 or 2018 have failed to end attacks and other abuse against children. The August 9, 2018 coalition airstrike on a school bus in Saada that killed at least 26 children is just one horrific example of many.

We have included in this letter documentation of three of the five ‘trigger’ violations— killing and maiming, attacks on schools and hospitals, and recruitment and use—carried out in Yemen in 2018 by the SELC. The incidents were gathered through a systematic desk review of publically available sources, including UN and international nongovernmental organization (INGO) reports and reputable media reports; they are representative, rather than exhaustive, of attacks against children during the reporting period.

We note that the Houthi armed group and other parties to the conflict have recruited and used children, killed and maimed children, or attacked schools and hospitals, and consequently been listed in list A of your annex. Given continued grave violations carried out by these parties, we urge you to maintain these listings.

The stakes have never been higher. More than 24 million people in Yemen, half of them children, need humanitarian assistance.3 And child protection needs have continued to increase; verified reports of grave violations of children’s rights, including killing and maiming and recruitment and use, increased by nearly 25 per cent in 2018.4

The leadership you have shown these past months in helping secure the Stockholm Agreement and support its implementation have already had a significant impact on the conflict. However, the desire to fulfill and preserve this and other agreements should not prevent the international community from reflecting painful realities in its assessments of the SELC, the Houthi armed group, or any other party to the conflict. We hope you continue to seek an agreement that would safeguard the rights of children, and help to ensure accountability for all parties responsible for grave violations and other violations of international law in Yemen.

Sincerely,
Action Against Hunger
Childfund Alliance
Global Centre for the Responsibility to Protect
Human Rights Watch
Mwatana
Physicians for Human Rights
Save the Children
War Child
Watchlist on Children and Armed Conflict

PDF includes listing of violations: https://childfundalliance.org/component/zdocs/document/viewDocument/2712

Philanthropy

New Competition for a $100 Million Grant: Round Two of 100&Change – MacArthur Foundation
February 27, 2019 Press Release
MacArthur today announced it will launch a new round of its 100&Change competition for a single $100 million grant to help solve one of the world’s most critical social challenges. 100&Change remains open to organizations and collaborations working in any field, anywhere in the world. Proposals must identify a problem and offer a solution that promises significant and durable change; they will be accepted online only from April 30 to August 6, 2019.

In the inaugural round of 100&Change, from 1,904 proposals submitted, Sesame Workshop and International Rescue Committee were awarded $100 million to educate young children displaced by conflict and persecution in the Syrian response region and to challenge the global system of humanitarian aid to focus more on building a foundation for future success for millions of young children. Other funders and philanthropists have committed an additional $254 million to date to support bold solutions by 100&Change applicants, including a $100 million LEGO Foundation grant to Sesame Workshop and $9 million in funding from USAID and GHR Foundation to Catholic Relief Services. Many 100&Change applicants found that the competition challenged them to be more ambitious in their thinking, facilitated collaboration among groups to tackle an issue at a broader scale, and enabled them to create proposals they could use to pursue other funding.

Building on the success of 100&Change, MacArthur is creating Lever for Change, a new nonprofit committed to unlocking philanthropic capital and helping donors put their resources to work to accelerate social change.

“We set out to do something bold three years ago when we launched 100&Change—address problems and support solutions that are radically different in scale, scope, and complexity,” said MacArthur President Julia Stasch. “We learned there is no shortage of compelling ideas with the potential for tremendous social impact. The success of 100&Change led us to create Lever for Change, which seeks to connect donors with organizations and collaborations with the potential to deliver the impactful and inspirational change they both dream of helping to bring about.”…

Democracy

Global leaders launch campaign to defend democracy and a rules-based order
Former leaders from democratic nations call for renewed effort to defend shared values and push back against authoritarianism and anti-democratic trends
February 15, 2019
WASHINGTON, DC – Amidst the rising tide of authoritarianism and anti-democratic trends around the world, a prestigious group of bipartisan former leaders from democratic nations today issued a Declaration of Principles [below] aimed at reaffirming shared values and a rules-based order.

Among those leading this effort are former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and former National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley, former Swedish Prime Minister Carl Bidlt, and former Japanese foreign minister Yoriko Kawaguchi, co-chairs of a global bipartisan task force organized under the auspices of the Atlantic Council and Canada’s Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI).

“For the past seven decades, free nations have drawn upon the shared values to advance freedom, increase prosperity, and secure peace,” said Albright. “It’s time for citizens around the world who care about these values to stand up and make their voices heard. We need to make clear what we stand for and what kind of world we want to live in.”

“The goal is to reaffirm support for the principles that have been at the foundation of the international order since the end of World War II: democracy; free, fair, and open markets; and the rule of law,” said Bildt. “We cannot sit idly by while autocrats and demagogues undermine these core principles.”

The declaration [was] released at the Munich Security Conference…Task force members David Miliband, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Tzipi Livni, Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Wolfgang Ischinger, Ana Palacio, and Radek Sikorski will also be in Munich for the launch of the Declaration. The task force represents leading democracies around the world, including Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Israel, Japan, Mexico, Poland, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Tunisia, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The release of the declaration marks the beginning of an organized effort led by the Atlantic Council and CIGI to revitalize a rules-based order and rebuild public support in favor of democracy, open markets, and alliances. A key priority will be to engage influential members of Congress and parliamentarians in leading democracies an encourage concrete actions to secure and defend a rules-based order. At the same time, the Council will seek to establish a dialogue among a broader group of world powers to identify areas of agreement in support of a stable global order…

::::::

Declaration of Principles for Freedom, Prosperity, and Peace
February 2018
We, citizens, former officials, and representatives of governments and private entities, united by common values, have agreed as follows:

THE PRESENT CHALLENGE
For seven decades, free nations have drawn upon common principles to advance freedom, increase prosperity, and secure peace. The resulting order, built on the foundation of democratic values and human dignity, has brought better lives for our citizens and billions of people around the world.

But the international system must rise to meet new challenges. New technologies are transforming societies. In many of our nations, stagnant wages, income disparities, and uneven benefits from global trade are leading many to question free market economics and the value of engagement in the world. Increased migration is fueling concerns about job security and national identity.

Around the world, politicians are exploiting these challenges, denigrating the rule of law, and undermining faith in democracy. Autocrats and extremists are attacking these principles, oppressing their own people, threatening security, and contending that might makes right.

Yet, free peoples have met greater challenges in the past, and we can master those in our time.

Innovations in communications, energy, health, and more yet to come are opening possibilities unimaginable before. Entrepreneurship based on freedom and new ideas can drive prosperity. Empowered men and women can address social problems from the bottom up. Governments that answer to their citizens and respect the rule of law can best address inequity, correct injustice, and serve the good of all.

Free nations must adapt and change. Yet our principles remain sound because they reflect the common aspirations of the human spirit. Societies that respect these principles are better placed to produce security and prosperity. Nations that uphold them are more likely to work together in peace. And authoritarians who stifle enterprise, dispense arbitrary justice, and abuse their people ultimately will fail.

Inspired by the inalienable rights derived from our ethics, traditions, and faiths, we commit ourselves to seek a better future for our citizens and our nations. We will defend our values, overcome past failures with new ideas, answer lies with truth, confront aggression with strength, and go forward with the confidence that our principles will prevail.

We call on all who are willing to join us in this common cause.

SEVEN STATEMENTS
1. Freedom and Justice
We affirm the right of all people to live in free and just societies, where fundamental rights are protected under the rule of law.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: respect and protect the freedoms of speech, conscience, religion, the press, expression, association, and assembly
:: allow for the free flow of information and ideas, while protecting personal information and individual privacy
:: ensure equal protection and non-discrimination with regard to race, religion, ethnicity, tribe, culture, nationality, language, gender, disability, and sexual identity
:: combat corruption, hold public officials accountable, and uphold the rule of law

2. Democracy and Self-Determination
We affirm the right of all people to make decisions about their own affairs through elected governments that reflect their consent, free from foreign interference.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: respect and protect the right of all people to choose their own leaders through a free, fair, and competitive democratic process
:: refrain from threats, coercion, intimidation, violence, election meddling, or other undue interference in the internal or external affairs of free nations
:: respect the right of peaceful self-determination and seek the settlement of disputes over political status without threats, violence, or oppression

3. Peace and Security
We affirm the right of all people to live in peace, free from threats of aggression, terrorism, oppression, crimes against humanity, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: refrain from engaging in or providing support for such actions
:: seek to prevent such violence and cut off material or financial support or safe haven to governments, groups, or individuals engaged in such actions
:: support the peaceful settlement of disputes, including civil conflicts, and refrain from the use of force, except as just and necessary to advance these principles

4. Free Markets and Equal Opportunity
We affirm the right of all people to engage in economic activity based on free market principles, with equal opportunity to contribute to and the ability to share in the benefits of national prosperity.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: protect the right of people to own property, purchase goods and services, and invest in free and open markets
:: promote the free and fair flow of trade and investment; protect intellectual property; respect agreements; and support an open global economy
:: protect the rights of workers, including the right to seek gainful employment; seek to mitigate the adverse impacts of global trade; and encourage inclusive, equitable, and well-regulated economies
:: seek to mitigate poverty, eradicate disease, and facilitate access to food, water, shelter, medical services, and education for their own citizens and others in need

5. An Open and Healthy Planet
We affirm the right of all people to enjoy free and open access to the global commons and a safe and healthy planet.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: reduce the risk of damage to the global climate or environment caused by nature or human activity
:: refrain from undue interference with freedom of navigation in the air, seas, and outer space, or with access to cyberspace
:: while harnessing their benefits, seek to mitigate potentially dangerous or unethical applications of advanced technology
:: while protecting their national identity and controlling migration over their borders, provide refuge for those fleeing from persecution or violence, and respect the rights of all people living and working in their nations

6. The Right of Assistance
We affirm the right of national sovereignty, while recognizing that sovereignty obligates governments to uphold these principles.
Governments, as well as private entities and individuals where they are able, have a responsibility to:
:: allow their citizens to receive assistance from others to advance these principles, including, in non-free societies, support to non-violent groups, political parties, and individuals aiming to foster democracy or human rights
:: assist those adversely impacted by violations of these principles, and where governments or other actors are unwilling or unable to cease or remedy flagrant or systematic violations, take such actions just and necessary to prevent them

7. Collective Action
We affirm the right of all people to cooperate in support of these principles and to work together to advance them.
Governments, private entities, and individuals should seek to advance these principles by supporting:
:: partnerships, coalitions, and alliances that bring together likeminded governments, including a potential new alliance of free nations
:: public-private partnerships and coalitions that bring together governments, private entities, and other stakeholders
:: international institutions and agencies, including the United Nations, that aim to foster dialogue, cooperation, and shared responsibility between nations

THE TASKS AHEAD
Principles are not self-executing. Working with all who are ready to join us, we will develop a plan of action to implement these principles and advance our common goals.

We call on individuals, institutions, corporations, and governments in our own nations and around the world to advance these principles and create a more effective and responsive set of global rules. Our responsibilities rise commensurate with our influence.

We will advocate for these principles within our own nations, reaching out as broadly as possible to build public support.

We will seek to revise and strengthen the international system to reflect these principles and advance them on the basis of international law.

We will reach out to all nations to seek common ground, enlisting all those willing to help build an adapted international order based on these principles.

We will forge creative solutions to address the just claims of nations underrepresented in the current system, the needs of those left behind in our societies, and the impact of revolutionary technology so that it becomes an agent of sustainable development and positive, rather than destructive, change.

We will establish a standing mechanism to track compliance with these principles and call out those that are seeking to undermine them. We will urge our governments to act when these principles are violated.

We will stand firm behind our principles and work together to advance freedom, prosperity, justice, security and peace for all nations.

SIGNATORIES
Co-Chairs
Madeleine Albright, former secretary of state, United States
Carl Bildt, former prime minister, Sweden
Stephen Hadley, former national security advisor, United States
Yoriko Kawaguchi, former minister of foreign affairs, Japan
[Other signatories at title link]

Legal Rights – Employment

Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform
World Bank, 2019 :: 36 pages
PDF: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/31327/WBL2019.pdf
Overview
Much improvement has occurred over the past decade, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa where the pace of reform is increasing, but persistent gaps remain. However, in the Middle East and North Africa, the pace of reform is occurring so slowly that the legal gender gap is only increasing as other regions reform at a faster pace.
This study develops new insight into how women’s employment and entrepreneurship are affected by legal gender discrimination, and in turn how this affects economic outcomes such as women’s participation in the labor market. The ten-year timeseries shines a light on the size of the legal gender gap, how quickly it is closing and where there are regional patterns of reform.
By laying a roadmap for progress over time and identifying potential areas for reform, this study both celebrates the progress that has been achieved and emphasizes the work that remains. To build on this work, the timeseries developed here will be extended in order to further research on the interaction between inequality of opportunity for women and labor market dynamics.

.

Press Release
Despite Gains, Women Face Setbacks in Legal Rights Affecting Work
Reforms have improved women’s economic inclusion but gaps remain, ten-year study shows
WASHINGTON, February 27, 2019— Globally, women are accorded only three-quarters of the legal rights that men enjoy according to a new index released by the World Bank today, constraining their ability to get jobs or start businesses and make economic decisions that are best for them and their families.

“If women have equal opportunities to reach their full potential, the world would not only be fairer, it would be more prosperous as well,” said World Bank Group Interim President Kristalina Georgieva. “Change is happening, but not fast enough, and 2.7 billion women are still legally barred from having the same choice of jobs as men. It is paramount that we remove the barriers that hold women back, and with this report we aim to demonstrate that reforms are possible, and to accelerate change.”

The index, introduced in the study Women, Business and the Law 2019: A Decade of Reform, looks at milestones in a woman’s working life, from starting a job through to getting a pension, and legal protections associated with each of these stages. The data spans a ten-year period where 187 countries are scored according to eight indicators.

Achieving gender equality is not a short-term process, requiring strong political will and a concerted effort by governments, civil society, international organizations among others, but legal and regulatory reforms can play a foundational role as an important first step.

Progress over the last ten years in the areas measured by the index has been significant. During this time, the global average has risen from 70 to 75. 131 economies have made 274 reforms to laws and regulations that improve women’s economic inclusion. 35 countries implemented legal protections against sexual harassment at work, protecting nearly two billion more women than a decade ago. 22 economies removed restrictions on women’s work, reducing the likelihood that women are kept out of working in certain sectors of the economy. And 13 economies introduced laws mandating equal remuneration for work of equal value.

Six economies – Belgium, Denmark, France, Latvia, Luxembourg, and Sweden – now hold perfect scores of 100, meaning they give women and men equal legal rights in the measured areas. A decade ago, no economy could make that claim. Under this index, economies that conducted reforms experienced bigger increases in the percentage of women working overall, leading to women’s economic empowerment.

Despite these efforts, women in many parts of the world still face discriminatory laws and regulations at every point in their working life. Fifty-six countries – spanning all regions and income levels – enacted no reforms at all to improve women’s equality of opportunity over the ten-year period. The pace of reform was the slowest in the category of managing assets – examining gender differences in property rights.

The study develops new insight into how women’s employment and entrepreneurship are affected by legal discrimination, and in turn how this affects economic outcomes such as women’s participation in the labor market. The new index aims to lay a roadmap for progress over time and identify potential areas where more work is needed, to inspire reforms that benefit gender equality…