The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
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Week ending 28 September 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 28 Sep 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]

“Great Fracture”

Warning against ‘Great Fracture’, Secretary-General Opens Annual General Assembly Debate with Call to Avoid Zero-Sum Politics, Revive United Nations Values
24 September 2019
GA/12183
Amid fears of the largest economies creating two competing worlds — each with its own currency, trade rules, financial norms and zero-sum geopolitics — the United Nations Secretary-General called today upon global leaders gathered for the General Assembly’s annual general debate to maintain a multipolar world in which universal respect for international law and multilateral institutions remains undeniable.

Free Speech – Hate Speech

Joint open letter on concerns about the global increase in hate speech
23 September 2019
Signed by 26 mandates, see list below [Editor’s text bolding]

We are alarmed by the recent increase in hateful messages and incitement to discrimination and hatred against migrants, minority groups and various ethnic groups, as well as the defenders of their rights, in numerous countries. Hate speech, both online and offline, has exacerbated societal and racial tensions, inciting attacks with deadly consequences around the world. It has become mainstream in political systems worldwide and threatens democratic values, social stability and peace. Hate-fuelled ideas and advocacy coarsen public discourse and weaken the social fabric of countries.

Through international human rights law and principles, States have committed to combatting racial discrimination, racialized violence, and xenophobia. These international human rights standards guarantee equality and non-discrimination rights and require States to take strong action against racist and xenophobic speech and to prohibit advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence.

We are gravely concerned that leaders, senior government officials, politicians and other prominent figures spread fear among the public against migrants or those seen as “the others”, for their own political gain. The demonization of entire groups of people as dangerous or inferior is not new to human history; it has led to catastrophic tragedies in the past. Around the world, we observe that public figures are attempting to stoke ethnic tensions and violence by spreading hate speech targeting the vulnerable. Such rhetoric aims to dehumanise minority groups and other targeted people, and, in the case of migrants, fosters discriminatory discourse about who “deserves” to be part of a community. Furthermore, hateful calls for the suppression of non-normative sexual orientations and gender identities and a limitation of the human rights of LGBT people limit progress towards the eradication of violence and discrimination against LGBT persons in various countries around the world, and a number of discriminatory legal and policy initiatives have been put forward.

The rhetoric of hatred must be countered, as it has real-life consequences. Studies have established a correlation between exposure to hate speech and the number of hate crimes committed. To curb xenophobic attacks on migrants and prevent incitement to discrimination, hatred, hostility and violence against other marginalised groups, we call on public officials and politicians, as well as the media, to assume their collective responsibility to promote societies that are tolerant and inclusive. To achieve this, they must refrain from any advocacy of national, racial or religious hatred that constitutes incitement to discrimination, hostility or violence. They should also denounce swiftly those who incite hatred against migrants, minorities, or other vulnerable groups.

This is not a call for further restriction on freedom of expression, which is under attack worldwide; we call for just the opposite, the promotion of free expression. Freedom of expression serves as a vital tool to counter hate speech, and yet those same public figures who deploy hateful rhetoric often seek to restrict individual rights to speak and respond and defend themselves and their ideas. It is of crucial importance that States ensure that the three-part test for restrictions to freedom of expression – legality, proportionality and necessity –also applies to cases of incitement to hatred. We are concerned about the abuse of “hate speech” as a term to undermine legitimate dissent and urge States to address the core problems addressed by human rights law while promoting rights to privacy, culture, non-discrimination, public protest and peaceful assembly, public participation, freedom of religion and belief, and the freedom of opinion and expression. We urge them to follow the standards adopted in the Rabat Plan of Action and to participate actively in the Istanbul Process to counter the intolerance we see worldwide.

We call on States to double their efforts to hold accountable those who have incited or perpetrated violence against migrants and other vulnerable groups. Traditional and social media companies should exercise due diligence to ensure that they do not provide platforms for hate speech and for incitement to hatred and violence. States should actively work towards policies that guarantee the rights to equality and non-discrimination and freedom of expression, as well as the right to live a life free of violence through the promotion of tolerance, diversity and pluralistic views; these are the centre of pluralistic and democratic societies. We believe that these efforts will help make countries safer, and foster the inclusive and peaceful societies that we would all like and deserve to live in.

Signed by:
– the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of migrants, Mr. Felipe González Morales;
– the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, Mr. David Kaye;
– the Special Rapporteur on freedom of religion or belief, Mr. Ahmed Shaheed;
– the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance, Ms E. Tendayi Achiume;
– the Special Rapporteur on minority issues, Mr. Fernand de Varennes;
– the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Mr. Michel Forst;
– the Independent Expert on protection against violence and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity, Mr. Victor Madrigal-Borloz;
– the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, Ms Dubravka Simonovic;
– the Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons, especially women and children, Ms Maria Grazia Giammarinaro;
– the Independent Expert on the promotion of a democratic and equitable international order, Mr. Livingstone Sewanyana;
– the Independent expert on human rights and international solidarity, Mr. Obiora C. Okafor;
– the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, Mr. Fabian Salvioli;
– the Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights, Mr. Philip Alston;
– the Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions, Ms Agnes Callamard;
– the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms while countering terrorism, Ms Fionnuala Ní Aoláin;
– the Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of slavery, including its causes and consequences, Ms. Urmila Bhoola;
– the Special Rapporteur on the rights of persons with disabilities, Ms Catalina Devandas Aguilar;
– the Working Group on discrimination against women and girls;
– the Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises;
– the Working Group of Experts on People of African Descent;
– the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Cambodia, Ms Rhona Smith;
– the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mr. Javaid Rehman;
– the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Mali, Mr. Alioune Tine;
– the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Ms Yanghee Lee;
– the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territory occupied since 1967, Mr. Michael Lynk;
– the Independent Expert on the situation of human rights in Somalia, Mr. Bahame Tom Mukirya Nyanduga

Multilateralism

The purpose of multilateralism
A framework for democracies in a geopolitically competitive world
Will Moreland   Brookings Report :: September 2019 :: 31 pages
PDF: https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/FP_20190923_purpose_of_multilateralism_moreland.pdf

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
Across the globe, multilateralism appears in crisis. Skepticism of the benefits of a multilateral order grounded in underlying liberal principles is manifesting throughout the Western world. The United States, the system’s imperfect cornerstone, scorns a growing number of multilateral institutions and norms each day. Within Europe, Brexit and discord over the European Union’s (EU) future is undercutting the EU as a regional multilateral pillar, alongside the supranational bloc’s capacity as a global actor. Simultaneously, a more assertive China and Russia are seeking to reshape multilateralism, challenging the foundational liberal principles that have guided the post-Cold War multilateral order to which the world has become accustomed.

The post-Cold War moment witnessed a tremendous flourishing in multilateral cooperation. Nations employed multilateral architectures with unprecedented success to manage and reduce real shared global problems. Individuals, understandably, are rallying to defend this multilateral order against rising strains. However, multilateralism can only operate in the geopolitical context within which it exists. The unfortunate return of great-power competition, so noticeably dampened during the preceding decades, is eroding the very foundations on which the multilateralism of the post-Cold War era stood.

While the United States is currently the most noticeable disruptor, authoritarian countries are actively contesting the underpinnings of the multilateral order. Russia and China increasingly are working to bring multilateral architectures into closer alignment with their own authoritarian norms. Such a transformation is not in the interests of nations around the globe that seek to maintain democratic governance against the growing reach of authoritarian influence. Globalization’s ties have created deep interconnections and vulnerabilities between democratic and authoritarian states. As states continue to “weaponize” those channels, and China presents a true global economic challenge to the market democracies, the United States and other democratic countries must move toward a conception of multilateralism that defends democratic interests within existing, and even new, architectures.

A relearning of the history of multilateralism is central to this process. Decades ago, multilateral arrangements born amidst post-war hopes of cooperation quickly learned to function in divided environments throughout the Cold War. As great-power competition casts a shadow over today’s multilateral systems, we must recall lessons from beyond the past quarter-century. To meet rising geopolitical challenges, democratic countries ought to approach multilateral architectures through a framework along three complementary lines:
:: Continue to support measured collaboration on shared challenges;
:: Create or revitalize fora to provide for deconfliction and crisis off-ramps; and
:: Compete selectively both within existing institutions and via new ones to better defend democratic values against authoritarian rivals.

A strategic outlook of competitive multilateralism seeks a rebalance among these three dimensions so that democratic governments are best positioned to strive to avert the specter of conflict without sacrificing their publics’ liberty and prosperity.

UHC – “Multilateral Agencies”

Multilateral agencies launch a joint plan to boost global health goals
Health, development and humanitarian agencies will collaborate for greater efficiency and more streamlined support to countries to deliver universal health coverage and achieve the health-related Sustainable Development Goals targets

Joint news release: Gavi, The GFF, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNITAID, UN Women, World Bank Group, WFP and WHO.

New York | | 24 September 2019 – Today at the United Nations General Assembly, 12 multilateral agencies launched a joint plan to better support countries over the next 10 years to accelerate progress towards the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Developed over 18 months, Stronger Collaboration, Better Health: Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All outlines how a dozen multilateral health, development and humanitarian agencies will collaborate to be more efficient and provide more streamlined support to countries to deliver universal health coverage and achieve the health-related SDG targets.

Healthy people are essential for sustainable development and for ending poverty, promoting peaceful and inclusive societies as well as protecting the environment. Over the last few decades, significant gains have been made in key areas of health, but the 2030 targets will not be met without redoubled efforts.

“The plan is called, ‘Stronger Collaboration, Better Health’ for a reason,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director-General of WHO. “Although collaboration is the path, impact is the destination. The release of this plan is the beginning, not the end, of that path.”

Universal health coverage is key to meeting the health-related goals and addressing health inequities. If trends continue, up to 5 billion of the world’s population will not be covered by essential health services in 2030, as highlighted in the Universal Health Coverage: Global Monitoring Report, released last week by WHO. To leave no one behind, countries need to address health inequities. Improved collaboration and coordination can help countries tackle complex health challenges and bring innovative solutions.

Together, the 12 agencies contribute nearly one-third of all development assistance to health. Under the Global Action Plan, the agencies commit to strengthening their collaboration to:
:: Engage with countries better to identify priorities, plan and implement together;

:: Accelerate progress in countries through joint actions under 7 accelerator themes, which represent common challenges for many countries and where the agencies’ mandates, expertise and resources offer solutions, namely: 1) Primary health care 2) Sustainable health financing 3) Community and civil society engagement 4) Determinants of health 5) Innovative programming in fragile and vulnerable settings and for disease outbreak responses 6) Research and development, innovation and access, and 7) Data and digital health. They will also work together to advance gender equality and support the delivery of global public goods;

:: Align by harmonizing their operational and financial strategies and policies in support of countries to increase efficiency and reduce the burden on countries; and

:: Account, by reviewing progress and learning together to enhance shared accountability.

Governments are setting priorities, developing implementation plans and intensifying efforts to achieve the health-related SDG targets. Demand from countries for the Global Action Plan is growing. “Achieving the health-related SDG goals is key for Nepal. Strengthening primary health care and enhancing data utilization for evidence-based planning and decision-making are two accelerators that will help bring us closer to achieving the SDG goals,” said Deputy Prime Minister of Nepal, Mr Upendra Yadav.

Through the Global Action Plan, the agencies will help countries deliver on international commitments in addition to the SDGs, such as those made in Astana on primary health care and at the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on Universal Health Coverage this week in New York.

Coordinated by WHO, the Global Action Plan for Healthy Lives and Well-being for All, is in response to a call from Germany, Ghana and Norway, with support from the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, for more effective collaboration and coordination among global health organizations to achieve the health-related SDGs.

Climate – CRC

16 children, including Greta Thunberg, file landmark complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child
Child petitioners protest lack of government action on climate crisis
NEW YORK, 23 September – Sixteen child petitioners – including Greta Thunberg and Alexandria Villaseñor – from 12 countries around the world today presented a landmark official complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child to protest lack of government action on the climate crisis.

The child petitioners – aged between 8 to 17 – allege that Member States’ failure to tackle the climate crisis constitutes a violation of child rights. They urge the independent body to order Member States to take action to protect children from the devastating impacts of climate change.

“Change needs to happen now if we are to avoid the worst consequences. The climate crisis is not just the weather. It means also, lack of food and lack of water, places that are unliveable and refugees because of it. It is scary,” said Greta Thunberg.

The complaint was filed through the Third Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, a voluntary mechanism which allows children or adults on their behalf to appeal directly to the United Nations for help if a country that has ratified the Protocol fails to provide a remedy for a rights violation.

Announced at a press conference hosted at UNICEF Headquarters in New York, the complaint aims to inspire the urgent action needed to curb global heating and mitigate the impact of the climate crisis.

“Thirty years ago, world leaders made a historic commitment to the world’s children by adopting the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Today, the world’s children are holding the world accountable to that commitment,” said UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Charlotte Petri Gornitzka. “We fully support children exercising their rights and taking a stand. Climate change will impact every single one of them. It’s no wonder they are uniting to fight back.”…

Development – Multilateral Development Banks – Climate Finance

Nine multilateral development banks (MDBs) announced plans to increase global climate action investments they support each year to USD175 billion by 2025.
Asian Development Bank
African Development Bank
AIIB
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development
European Develop Bank
IDB Group
Islamic Development Bank
New Development Bank
World Bank Group

High Level MDB Statement
FOR PUBLICATION AT THE UNSG CLIMATE ACTION SUMMIT, 22 SEPTEMBER 2019
Multilateral Development Banks have been at the forefront of supporting our clients’ efforts to pursue ambitious climate action for more than a decade. In light of growing climate change impacts, including on the poorest and most vulnerable, each of our institutions is taking urgent action to help our clients adapt to and mitigate climate risks.

These actions include:
ACTION 1: Each institution has individually committed to support increased climate finance levels over time:
:: Given the growth in climate finance support each of us has achieved to date, we expect our individual efforts to collectively total at least USD$65 billion annually by 2025, with $50 billion for low and middle income economies, 50 percent above current levels.1
:: We expect our collective efforts to double the total level of adaptation finance provided to clients to USD$18 billion annually by 2025, compared to current levels. This responds to the urgent need to scale-up support for climate resilience in client projects and for enhanced systemic resilience.

ACTION 2: Based on current trends, we expect our collective efforts to also result in a further $40 billion of climate investments mobilized annually by 2025 from private sector investors, including through the increased provision of technical assistance, use of guarantees, and other de-risking instruments.

ACTION 3: Commit to helping our clients deliver on the goals of the Paris Agreement. At COP25 we will present key elements of our common framework, which defines clear principles each institution will incorporate, starting from 2021, in ways reflective of their unique client base and operations. Principles for intermediated financing activities are still under development and will be presented by the time of COP26.

ACTION 4: Develop a new transparency framework to report on both the impact of each MDB’s activities and how these are helping clients meet and exceed commitments they have made, to be presented at COP25. This framework will be informed by consultations with multiple stakeholders, with the objective of broadening its use across the financial sector, beyond MDBs.

ACTION 5: Each institution will take actions to help clients move away from the use of fossil fuels by:
:: Sharing at COP25 principles that can help our public and private sector clients design and implement long-term low GHG emissions and climate resilient strategies that grow in ambition over time. This approach should help governments assess their individual progress on their climate commitments and help bridge the gap between the countries’ current efforts and the long-term goals of signatories to the Paris Agreement.
:: Continue working with national development banks and other financial institutions, to develop, by COP26, financing and policy strategies supporting a just transition that promotes economic diversification and inclusion.

In all of our actions, we will focus on building and strengthening partnerships that enhance support for clients. Specifically, we will accelerate dissemination of international best practices on climate risk disclosure across the financial sector. We will continue to work with commercial bank partners and DFIs, in particular with the members of the IDFC, and through the Climate Action in Financial Institutions Initiative and regional initiatives. Our work with national governments, the private sector, the donor community, civil society organizations, and global climate funds, such as the GCF, GEF and CIF, will remain key for countries to achieve ambitious transformation in line with their Paris Agreement commitments.

1 Climate finance commitments are made by each institution individually, and any reporting on collective totals in no way implies an obligation to help another institution achieve their commitments.

Finance –”Responsible Banking”

Principles for Responsible Banking
September 2019
The Principles for Responsible Banking were launched by 130 banks from 49 countries, representing more than USD47 trillion in assets, on 22 and 23 September 2019 in New York City, during the annual United Nations General Assembly. More than 45 CEOs together with the UN Secretary-General attended the launch ceremony.

:: Signatories List
:: The Principles Signature Document, containing the six Principles for Responsible Banking and their Preamble:

“Banks play a key role in society. As finan¬cial intermediaries, it is our purpose to help develop sustainable economies and to empower people to build better futures. Banking is based on the trust our customers and wider society put in us to serve their best interests and to act responsibly.

“Our success and ability to remain profitable and relevant is intrinsically dependent on the long-term prosperity of the societies we serve. We believe that only in an inclusive society founded on human dignity, equality and the sustainable use of natural resources, can our clients and customers and, in turn, our busi¬nesses thrive.

“We therefore want to take a leadership role and use our products, services and relationships to support and accelerate the fundamental changes in our economies and lifestyles nec¬essary to achieve shared prosperity for both current and future generations.

We therefore commit to the ambitions set out in the following Principles:
1. Alignment
We will align our business strategy to be consistent with and contribute to individuals’ needs and society’s goals, as expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Climate Agreement and relevant national and regional frameworks.

2. Impact & Target Setting
We will continuously increase our positive impacts while reducing the negative impacts on, and managing the risks to, people and environment resulting from our activities, products and services. To this end, we will set and publish targets where we can have the most significant impacts.

3. Clients & Customers
We will work responsibly with our clients and our customers to encourage sustainable practices and enable economic activities that create shared prosperity for current and future generations.

4. Stakeholders
We will proactively and responsibly consult, engage and partner with relevant stakehold¬ers to achieve society’s goals.

5. Governance & Culture
We will implement our commitment to these Principles through effective governance and a culture of responsible banking.

6. Transparency & Accountability
We will periodically review our individual and collective implementation of these Princi¬ples and be transparent about and accountable for our positive and negative impacts and our contribution to society’s goals.

Children – Sale and Sexual Exploitation

UN Committee launches guidelines on combating child sexual exploitation and the sale of children in the digital age
GENEVA (26 September 2019) – The United Nations Committee which monitors the Convention on the Rights of the Child is officially launching on Thursday new guidelines designed to help States better implement the Convention’s Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography.

The Guidelines drawn up by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child place a particular focus on the specific new threats confronting children all across the world as a result of digital technologies such as the internet and social media.

Rapidly evolving information and communication technologies have provided sexual offenders with a variety of new opportunities and means to abuse children. They are being used to groom children for sexual purposes; to view and participate in online child sexual abuse via live video streaming; to distribute child sexual abuse material, including self-generated content resulting from “sexting;” and to commit sexual extortion.

Offenders are connecting and sharing encrypted information with one another, and using the ‘darknet’ to commit or facilitate offences covered by the Optional Protocol. This presents new and complex challenges for law enforcement. In a world where internet access is expanding at unprecedented levels, the risk of children being sexually exploited, or of being bought and sold as a commodity, both within and across national borders, has been growing at an alarming rate.

The Guidelines aim to foster a deeper understanding of the provisions of the Optional Protocol, and offer practical solutions based on the good practices and challenges that States have encountered in its implementation. They are designed to assist the 176 States that have ratified the Optional Protocol so far – as well as those which accede to it in the future – to implement its provisions effectively.
The Guidelines also address the role played by the private sector and States’ obligation to ensure companies and other private sector entities take action to prevent the sexual exploitation of children.

“The Guidelines cover prevention, prohibition of the sale of children and their sexual exploitation for prostitution and in pornography, measures to prevent impunity of perpetrators and measures to support and rehabilitate child victims,” said the Committee’s Chair, Luis Pedernera. “We believe they can be of considerable help to States in their efforts to combat these atrocious crimes which continue to blight the lives of so many children across the world. This is no longer a case of an occasional hidden offender living at the bottom of the street. It is now a case of a multitude of offenders on the other side of the world who can reach directly inside our homes in order to corrupt and destroy our children’s lives. This is a battle we simply cannot afford to lose.”

The Guidelines regarding the implementation of the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography were adopted by the Committee on the Rights of the Child at its 81st session (13–31 May 2019). They are now available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/HRBodies/CRC/CRC.C.156_OPSC%20Guidelines.pdf

Development – Philanthropy

UNICEF and the Islamic Development Bank launch first global Muslim philanthropy fund for children
Unique partnership will provide new funding resource for humanitarian and development programmes
NEW YORK, 26 September 2019 – UNICEF and the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) today launched an innovative fund that will open new opportunities for Muslim philanthropy to reach the millions of children currently in need of humanitarian support and help achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The Global Muslim Philanthropy Fund for Children (GMPFC) is the first fund focused on Muslim giving to be launched by a United Nations organization together with a Multilateral Development Bank (MDB). The fund will enable multiple forms of Muslim philanthropy, including obligatory giving such as Zakat and voluntary giving such as Sadaqah donations and Waqf endowments, to contribute to emergency response and development programmes.

It is estimated that global annual Zakat contributions alone may reach up to US$600 billion, making this a significant potential source of sustainable funding to help achieve the SDGs. Seeking to raise US$250 million, the Fund will be administered by the IsDB and unite giving from private and public foundations, Zakat agencies and individuals.

Funding will be allocated to UNICEF and IsDB programmes in the 57 Member Countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which have been identified as eligible to receive Muslim giving, uphold UNICEF core values and deliver the greatest strategic impact for children and young people. This will include support for children in education, health and nutrition, water and sanitation, early childhood development, protection and youth empowerment.

As a lead investor to the Fund, Abdul Aziz Abdulla Al Ghurair, chairman of the Abdulla Al Ghurair Foundation for Education, today committed to contribute US $10 million to the Fund over a three-year period. This commitment will support refugee education programmes in the Middle East and North Africa region.

“Global humanitarian needs are at critical levels and rising,” said Dr. Bandar Hajjar, President of the Islamic Development Bank. “Nearly 184 million people, including 89 million children need humanitarian assistance in 2019. Children are especially vulnerable– they face the highest risk of violence, exploitation, disease and bear the brunt of climatic events, be they floods or droughts. That is why we need urgent and innovative solutions such as Islamic finance. We are proud to partner with UNICEF to develop this innovative, ethical and sustainable funding solution. Together we can provide help and assistance today and ensure a brighter tomorrow for those who need it the most– our children.”

“Every child has the right to survive and thrive, but conflicts and other emergencies continue to deny children the protection, health and futures they deserve,” said UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Emergency programmes in OIC countries account for two thirds of UNICEF’s humanitarian funding needs. This new partnership with IsDB will accelerate our efforts to reach the most vulnerable children with life-saving support and demonstrates the power of collective action to help every child attain every right.”

Precision Public Health – Global Initiatives

Using Data to Save Lives: The Rockefeller Foundation and Partners Launch $100 Million Precision Public Health Initiative
Initiative Aims to Prevent 6 Million Deaths by 2030
Brings Data Science and Machine Learning to Community Health Systems and Frontline Workers

NEW YORK, Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ — The Rockefeller Foundation and leading global health partners announced today a $100 million Precision Public Health initiative to empower community health systems and frontline health workers with the latest data science innovations, including more accurate and precise decision-making tools based on large, integrated datasets, predictive analytics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning. The initiative aims to prevent 6 million deaths in 10 countries by 2030, by enabling frontline health workers with simple, inexpensive data analytic tools.

This initiative will address the reality that data science and new innovations are not reaching the people who need them most. The Precision Public Health initiative will leverage technologies that are transforming health in wealthy countries to dramatically reduce preventable maternal and child deaths. Partners and collaborators for this initiative include UNICEF; the World Health Organization; The Global Fund; the Global Financing Facility supported by The World Bank Group; and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance.

“We have an unprecedented opportunity to leverage advances in data science and technology that have enriched the lives of society’s most privileged, and transform health for those left behind around the world,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Working together, we can close the health inequity gap by driving innovation and investment to save millions of lives.”

The initiative will build upon a number of similar efforts on a smaller scale that have already shown encouraging results in applying data science to better deploy life-saving health tools. These include developing real-time risk maps to direct frontline health workers to areas of greatest need, and analyzing non-health data like climate patterns or social media trends to predict and better address health emergencies weeks in advance.

The Rockefeller Foundation-UNICEF Partnership
This initiative will begin in India and Uganda and expand to eight additional countries by 2030. The work in India and Uganda will focus on reducing maternal and child mortality through a partnership with The Rockefeller Foundation and UNICEF. The integration and analysis of disparate data will enable decentralized decision-making and near real-time monitoring across the primary and community health systems to accelerate the impact of interventions on maternal and child health outcomes. Best practices and key learnings will be applied in additional countries through the regional UNICEF Eastern and Southern Africa Office to accelerate progress and scale.

“Data is a powerful tool that can help us make life-saving decisions and prevent epidemics before they happen,” said Ms. Henrietta Fore, Executive Director of UNICEF. “Timely, reliable, and disaggregated data, underpinned by a commitment to universal health coverage, can ensure that vulnerable women, children, and young people get the care they need at the right place and the right time.”…

Emergencies

Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Ebola Outbreak in DRC 60: 24 September 2019
Situation Update
In the past week, from 16 to 22 September, 39 new confirmed Ebola virus disease (EVD) cases, with an additional 22 deaths, have been reported from nine health zones in three affected provinces in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Pockets of insecurity in the affected areas, along with localised security incidents, continue to hinder response activities, including safe and dignified burials (SDB), vaccination, contact tracing and case reporting. For instance, a recent major security incident in Lwemba, within Mandima health zone is still preventing response activities in this area. Overall, these incidents underscore the need for continued and proactive engagement and sensitizing of local communities, especially in the high risk areas that may not currently be affected…

…The Democratic Republic of the Congo health authorities have endorsed the use of a second investigational Ebola vaccine with at-risk populations in areas that do not have active EVD transmission. Regular vaccination activities in EVD-affected areas will continue…

Implementation of ring vaccination protocol
As of 23 September 2019, 225 719 people at risk have consented to and received the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP Ebola vaccine. Of those, 55 801 are contacts and 154 689 contacts-of-contacts. The total number of vaccines includes 47 533 HCWs/FLWs.

The Democratic Republic of the Congo health authorities have endorsed the use of a second investigational Ebola vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson. This vaccine, which is administered as a two-dose course, 56 days apart, will be circulated in at-risk populations in areas that do not have active EVD transmission. Regular vaccination activities in EVD-affected areas will continue. The Merck/MSD vaccine will continue to be provided to all people at high risk of Ebola infection including those who have been in contact with a person confirmed to have Ebola, all contacts of contacts, and others determined to be at high risk of contracting Ebola…

::::::

Second Ebola vaccine to complement “ring vaccination” given green light in DRC
23 September 2019 Statement Geneva, Switzerland
The health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) have announced plans to introduce a second experimental Ebola vaccine, manufactured by Johnson & Johnson, from mid- October. This vaccine, which is given as a 2-dose course, 56 days apart, will be provided under approved protocols to targeted at-risk populations in areas that do not have active Ebola transmission as an additional tool to extend protection against the virus.

“The DRC authorities, in deciding to deploy the second experimental vaccine to extend protection against this deadly virus, have once again shown leadership and their determination to end this outbreak as soon as possible,” said WHO Director-General, Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

“The evaluation of the second Ebola vaccine will help ensure that we have potentially an additional tool to prevent the expansion of the outbreak and also a potential tool to protect populations before outbreaks hit areas at risk,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO’s Regional Director for Africa.

The Johnson & Johnson vaccine will complement the current vaccine (rVSV-ZEBOV-GP, manufactured by Merck), which has proven highly effective and safe, and which has helped protect thousands of lives. The Merck vaccine will continue to be provided to all people at high risk of Ebola infection including those who have been in contact with a person confirmed to have Ebola, all contacts of contacts, and others determined to be at high risk of contracting Ebola. To date over 223,000 people have received this vaccination during the current outbreak.

In May 2019, WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) reviewed use of vaccines in the ongoing Ebola outbreak and issued recommendations. These included adjusting the dose of the Merck vaccine, evaluating a second vaccine under appropriate protocols, changing strategies when insecurity makes it difficult to reach people – such as providing pop-up vaccination stations — and increasing the number of people vaccinated within communities with ongoing transmission, sometimes vaccinating whole villages.

“In everything we do, we are driven by science,” Dr Tedros said. “The advice we were given by SAGE in May has been applied, always taking into account community needs and preferences, as we know this will make the approach more effective. The changes made have saved thousands of lives in this outbreak.”

New therapeutics and better use of treatment protocols have also saved many lives. “To date, 973 people have been successfully treated and released from Ebola treatment centres, and we expect that the 1000th survivor will return to his or her community in the coming weeks,” Dr Moeti said.

Innovative vaccine strategies
The introduction of the second experimental vaccine is in line with the SAGE recommendations as are a number of other innovations.

The main vaccination strategy used with the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine is a ‘ring strategy’ where all people who have come into contact with someone with a confirmed case of Ebola are given the vaccine. Where people are stigmatized or feel under threat protected, temporary ‘pop-up’, vaccination sites are set up, often at health posts, rather than near the homes of individuals infected with Ebola. This allows people to come for vaccination at a safe, more anonymous site, but also increases protection for vaccinators in areas where there is ongoing conflict and insecurity.

Another approach being used to offer vaccination for people at high risk of contracting Ebola is ‘targeted geographic vaccination’. This strategy involves vaccinating everyone in the neighbourhood, or village, rather than vaccinating only the known contacts and contacts of contacts. Targeted geographic vaccination was used successfully when the outbreak spread to Chowe in South Kivu. Over 90 percent of people who are offered vaccination accept it. Since the start of the outbreak WHO and partners have worked to recruit and train Congolese nationals from within Ebola-affected communities as vaccinators to increase community acceptance and also transfer skills to the region. Now, the majority of ring vaccination team members are trained healthcare workers, doctors and medical students from affected communities who speak local languages and understand community concerns.

There are enough vaccine doses on the ground to meet the current needs, with WHO logisticians ensuring a minimum supply of 10,000 doses at all times, and overall supplies of the vaccine are being constantly monitored. Considering the current number of cases being reported and the doses required to vaccinate around each case, the doses available of the rVSV-ZEBOV-GP vaccine are considered sufficient. Merck has provided WHO with 245,000 doses for DRC and neighbouring countries and built a stockpile of 190,000 doses that are ready to send to DRC. Merck also aims to release 650,000 doses over the next six to 18 months under its replenishment strategy. Under the current SAGE recommendations this means that there are 390,000 doses currently and additional 1.3 million doses will be available.

“The Merck vaccine is highly efficacious, and we’ll soon have a second vaccine to increase the number of those being protected against the virus”, said Dr Tedros. “But vaccine and therapeutics are only some of the tools — the key to ending the outbreak is community ownership. With the communities fully engaged, and with all partners stepping up and rallying behind our common goal, we can and will end this outbreak.”

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Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) – DRC Ebola outbreaks
Independent Ebola vaccination committee is needed to overcome lack of WHO transparency
Press Release 23 Sep 2019
:: The current Ebola outbreak has a mortality rate comparable to the West Africa outbreak, despite new treatments and vaccines being available.
:: Not enough eligible people have been vaccinated, one reason for which is WHO’s strict limits on the number of doses used in the field.
:: We call for the establishment of an international, independent committee to transparently manage Ebola vaccine stocks and their use.

…WHO tightly controlling vaccine supplies and access
MSF’s efforts to expand access to vaccination, in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and according to the recommendations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) in May 2019, have been frustrated by the tight controls on supply and eligibility criteria imposed by WHO. MSF vaccination teams have often been forced to remain on standby in North Kivu, waiting to receive a handful of doses reserved to people on a pre-defined list.

“Time is of the essence in an outbreak: medical teams should be able to rapidly provide treatments or vaccines based on what they see on the ground,” says [Dr Natalie Roberts, MSF Emergency Coordinator. “If a mother has been caring for her sick child who is then diagnosed with Ebola, not only do we want to diagnose and treat the child, but also we also want to provide the mother with post-exposure prophylaxis that could potentially prevent her from developing the disease, and vaccinate her whole community so that if she does get sick, they will have already developed immunity.”

“But our capacity to carry out real-time assessments and react accordingly is severely undermined by a rigid system which is hard to comprehend,” Dr Roberts says. “It’s like giving firefighters a bucket of water to put out a fire, but only allowing them to use one cup of water a day. Every day we see known contacts of confirmed Ebola patients who have not received their dose despite being eligible for vaccination.”

Such restrictions seem unjustified: rVSV-ZEBOV vaccine has demonstrated a good safety profile and a high level of protection against the virus in a Phase-3 clinical trial in Guinea in 2015. In the absence of regulatory approval, the Congolese Ministry of Health and WHO allowed the vaccine to be used under an ‘Expanded Access’ framework. Manufacturer Merck recently stated that in addition to the 245,000 doses already delivered to WHO, they are ready to ship another 190,000 doses if required, and that 650,000 additional doses will be available over the next six to 18 months.

Independent coordination committee needed to manage vaccines
“To allow for the best possible use of experimental tools in an outbreak context, transparency is key,” continues Dr Roberts. “How can we support the Congolese authorities in using these tools, how can we expect the Congolese people to trust a system that is not even transparent to front-line health workers like MSF?”

Médecins Sans Frontières calls for the urgent creation of an independent, international coordination committee, based on the model of the International Coordination Group created in 1997 composed of MSF, the International Federation of Red Cross, UNICEF and WHO, which proved successful in managing massive meningitis, cholera and yellow fever outbreaks with limited vaccine supplies. The committee would bring partners together to improve coordination on vaccination, increase transparency in stock management, share data, foster an open dialogue with the manufacturers and ultimately ensure that the vaccine is provided to all those most at risk of being exposed to the virus.

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POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 25 September 2019
:: The Global Polio Eradication Initiative and the Pakistan Polio Programme are looking for innovative ways to help quickly detect, control and/or respond to the spread of anti-vaccination propaganda on social media in an urban population. For more information on how to join this collective effort  please click here.
:: Look through the lives of polio vaccinators in Somaliland as they reach out to vaccinate nomadic communities.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Afghanistan — one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)- positive environmental sample;
:: Pakistan — four WPV1 cases and seven WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria — one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)- positive case;
:: Angola — four cVDPV2 cases;
:: Myanmar — two cVDPV1 cases.

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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 28 Sep 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Ebola Outbreak in DRC 60: 24 September 2019
:: WHO and partners launch emergency vaccination campaign to help contain world’s largest measles outbreak 25 September 2019 [link not operative at inquiry]

Mozambique floods
:: Dr Joaquim da Silva Physician and post-emergency WHO operations officer in Sofala province
25 September 2019

South Sudan
:: South Sudan validates and costs its National Action Plan for Health Security 26 Sep 2019
With support from the World Health Organization (WHO), South Sudan has developed and costed a National Action Plan for Health Security, which is a comprehensive, multisectoral blueprint to strengthen the country’s core capabilities to manage health risks (as well as save lives and avoid interference to international trade and travel) during emergency situations, as required by the legally binding International Health Regulations (2005).

Syrian Arab Republic
:: WHO statement on mortality in Al Hol camp in Syrian Arab Republic 22 September 2019
:: Greater support needed to ensure accessible quality health services for a quarter of a million Syrian refugees in Iraq 22 September 2019

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 28 Sep 2019]

Measles in Europe
:: WHO urges investments to stop measles transmission in Europe 24-09-2019
The first-ever WHO Strategic Response Plan (SRP) for a measles emergency was launched today to ensure financial commitment to stop the spread of this highly contagious and serious disease in the WHO European Region.
Over 120,000 measles cases were reported between August 2018 and July 2019, which is more than the total number for a 12-month period reported in the Region in over a decade. Of the Region’s 53 countries, 48 reported cases in this period.
As measles continues to circulate in the Region, a stronger response by the international community is needed. In May this year, WHO classified measles outbreaks across the Region as a Grade 2 emergency. The newly launched SRP provides a resource mobilization tool to accelerate tailored interventions in measles-affected and at-risk countries, where investments will have the greatest possible impact…

Sudan
:: Critical WHO supplies arrive in Sudan to manage cholera outbreak 25 September 2019
[Editor’s Note: No mention of OCV in announcement]

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – 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
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – 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 28 Sep 2019]

Kenya
:: Sense of relief as families embrace malaria vaccine roll out in Kenya 24 September 2019

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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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
:: Syria: Rukban Humanitarian Update (As of 25 September 2019)

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.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 21 September 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 21 Sep 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]

Health Emergencies

A World at Risk: Annual Report on Global preparedness for health emergencies
Global Preparedness Monitoring Board
Sep 2019 :: 48 pages :: Download the full report here
From the foreword by Co-Chairs H.E. Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland and Mr Elhadj As Sy:
“For its first report, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board reviewed recommendations from previous high-level panels and commissions following the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic and the 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak, along with its own commissioned reports and other data.

“The result is a snapshot of where the world stands in its ability to prevent and contain a global health threat. Many of the recommendations reviewed were poorly implemented, or not implemented at all, and serious gaps persist. For too long, we have allowed a cycle of panic and neglect when it comes to pandemics: we ramp up efforts when there is a serious threat, then quickly forget about them when the threat subsides. It is well past time to act.”

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: ACTIONS FOR LEADERS TO TAKE
[1] Heads of government must commit and invest.
Heads of government in every country must commit to preparedness by implementing their binding obligations under the International Health Regulations (IHR (2005). They must prioritize and dedicate domestic resources and recurrent spending for preparedness as an integral part of national and global security, universal health coverage and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

[2] Countries and regional organizations must lead by example.
G7, G20 and G77 Member States, and regional intergovernmental organizations must follow through on their political and funding commitments for preparedness and agree to routinely monitor progress during their annual meetings.

[3] All countries must build strong systems.
Heads of government must appoint a national high-level coordinator with authority and political accountability to lead whole-of-government and whole-of-society approaches, and routinely conduct multisectoral simulation exercises to establish and maintain effective preparedness. They must prioritize community involvement in all preparedness efforts, building trust and engaging multiple stakeholders (e.g. legislators; representatives of the human and animal health, security and foreign affairs sectors; the private sector; local leaders; and women and youth).

[4] Countries, donors and multilateral institutions must be prepared for the worst.
A rapidly spreading pandemic due to a lethal respiratory pathogen (whether naturally emergent or accidentally or deliberately released) poses additional preparedness requirements. Donors and multilateral institutions must ensure adequate investment in developing innovative vaccines and therapeutics, surge manufacturing capacity, broad-spectrum antivirals and appropriate non-pharmaceutical interventions. All countries must develop a system for immediately sharing genome sequences of any new pathogen for public health purposes along with the means to share limited medical countermeasures across countries.

[5] Financing institutions must link preparedness with economic risk planning.
To mitigate the severe economic impacts of a national or regional epidemic and/or a global pandemic, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank must urgently renew their efforts to integrate preparedness into economic risk and institutional assessments, including the IMF’s next cycle of Article IV consultations with countries and the World Bank’s next Systematic Country Diagnostics for International Development Association (IDA) credits and grants. Funding replenishments of the IDA, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria (Global Fund), and Gavi should include explicit commitments regarding preparedness.

[6] Development assistance funders must create incentives and increase funding for preparedness.
Donors, international financing institutions, global funds and philanthropies must increase funding for the poorest and most vulnerable countries through development assistance for health and greater/earlier access to the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund to close financing gaps for their national actions plans for health security as a joint responsibility and a global public good. Member states need to agree to an increase in WHO contributions for the financing of preparedness and response activities and must sustainably fund the WHO Contingency Fund for Emergencies, including the establishment of a replenishment scheme using funding from the revised World Bank Pandemic Emergency Financing Facility.

[7] The United Nations must strengthen coordination mechanisms.
The Secretary General of the United Nations, with WHO and United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), must strengthen coordination in different country, health and humanitarian emergency contexts, by ensuring clear United Nations systemwide roles and responsibilities; rapidly resetting preparedness and response strategies during health emergencies; and, enhancing United Nations system leadership for preparedness, including through routine simulation exercises. WHO should introduce an approach to mobilize the wider national, regional and international community at earlier stages of an outbreak, prior to a declaration of an IHR (2005) Public Health Emergency of International Concern.

Children – UNICEF Open Letter

An open letter to the world’s children :: 8 reasons why I’m worried, and hopeful, about the next generation.
UNICEF Executive Director Henrietta Fore
18 September 2019
Dear children of today and of tomorrow,
Thirty years ago, against the backdrop of a changing world order – the fall of the Berlin Wall, the decline of apartheid, the birth of the world wide web – the world united in defence of children and childhood. While most of the world’s parents at the time had grown up under dictatorships or failing governments, they hoped for better lives, greater opportunities and more rights for their children. So, when leaders came together in 1989 in a moment of rare global unity to make a historic commitment to the world’s children to protect and fulfil their rights, there was a real sense of hope for the next generation.

So how much progress have we made? In the three decades following the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in spite of an exploding global population, we have reduced the number of children missing out on primary school by almost 40 per cent. The number of stunted children under 5 years of age dropped by over 100 million. Three decades ago, polio paralyzed or killed almost 1,000 children every day. Today, 99 per cent of those cases have been eliminated. Many of the interventions behind this progress – such as vaccines, oral rehydration salts and better nutrition – have been practical and cost-effective. The rise of digital and mobile technology and other innovations have made it easier and more efficient to deliver critical services in hard-to reach communities and to expand opportunities.

Yet poverty, inequality, discrimination and distance continue to deny millions of children their rights every year, as 15,000 children under 5 still die every day, mostly from treatable diseases and other preventable causes. We are facing an alarming rise in overweight children, but also girls suffering from anaemia. The stubborn challenges of open defecation and child marriage continue to threaten children’s health and futures. Whilst the numbers of children in school are higher than ever, the challenge of achieving quality education is not being met. Being in school is not the same as learning; more than 60 per cent of primary school children in developing countries still fail to achieve minimum proficiency in learning and half the world’s teens face violence in and around school, so it doesn’t feel like a place of safety. Conflicts continue to deny children the protection, health and futures they deserve. The list of ongoing child rights challenges is long.

And your generation, the children of today, are facing a new set of challenges and global shifts that were unimaginable to your parents. Our climate is changing beyond recognition. Inequality is deepening. Technology is transforming how we perceive the world. And more families are migrating than ever before. Childhood has changed, and we need to change our approaches along with it.
So, as we look back on 30 years of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, we should also look ahead, to the next 30 years. We must listen to you – today’s children and young people – about the issues of greatest concern to you now and begin working with you on twenty-first century solutions to twenty-first century problems.

With that in mind, here are eight reasons why I’m worried for your future, and eight reasons why I think there is hope:
1. You need clean water, clean air and a safe climate
2. One in four of you are likely to live, and learn, in conflict and disaster zones
3. We must make it OK to talk about mental health
4. Over 30 million of you have migrated from your place of birth
5. Thousands of you will officially never exist, unless we act
6. You need twenty-first century skills for a twenty-first century economy
7. Your digital footprint must be protected
8. You might be the least trusting generation of citizens ever

Migration – Child Detention

Statement by the United Nations Network on Migration
16/09/2019
Child Immigration Detention is Not Only Wrong, It Is Ineffective
Today, the United Nations Network on Migration strongly reiterates its position that child immigration detention must be ended in every region of the world. Detention of children for immigration purposes – whether they are traveling alone or with their families – has been recognized as a child rights violation and can be highly damaging to their physical and psychological health and wellbeing. Detention of children based on their migratory status is thus never in their best interests. Community-based programmes, case management and other human rights-based alternatives have proven highly effective and all governments should work to replace immigration detention for children and families with appropriate reception and care arrangements.

Studies consistently show that detention and family separation are traumatic experiences that have a profound negative impact on children’s health and long-term cognitive and physical development. This harm can occur even when the detention is of short duration, regardless of the conditions in which children are held, and even when children are detained with their families. Children in detention are at risk of suffering depression, anxiety, and psychosomatic problems such as insomnia and nightmares. Recent reports from around the world consistently and repeatedly illustrate how damaging detention is for children. The Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Committee on Migrant Workers also issued authoritative guidance in 2017 affirming that “children should never be detained for reasons related to their or their parents’ migration status and States should expeditiously and completely cease or eradicate the immigration detention of children”.

Many governments that are implementing appropriate reception and care arrangements as alternatives to detention for children and families have found them to be more cost-effective and to result in low rates of absconding and high rates of compliance with status determination processes, including removal orders. Keeping families together over the course of immigration proceedings does not necessitate detention. This is a false choice. Detention is expensive and burdensome to administer, and there is no evidence that it deters individuals from migrating or claiming asylum.

This is an important moment to recall the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration, where Member States committed to “protect and respect the rights and best interests of the child at all times, regardless of migration status, by ensuring availability and accessibility of a viable range of alternatives to detention in noncustodial contexts, favouring community-based care arrangements that ensure access to education and healthcare and respect their right to family life and family unity, and by working to end the practice of child detention in the context of international migration.” In the context of asylum, the same commitment is made in the Global Compact on Refugees.
The United Nations organizations that make up the Network are supporting governments in all regions to tackle these issues in a humane way, in accordance with international human rights and labour standards, to put in place viable non-custodial and community-based alternatives to immigration detention that are in line with international law, to keep families together, and to ensure that the best interests of every child always take precedence in immigration and asylum proceedings.

Inequality

Gates Foundation Report Spotlights New Data on Global Inequality, Calls to Prioritize Those Being Left Behind
New Sub-national Data Shows Surprising and Significant Progress, but Huge Gaps Remain, Driven by Gender and Geography

SEATTLE, September 17, 2019 – The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation today launched its third annual Goalkeepers Data Report, which features new data showing that while progress on health and development continues unabated, global inequality remains a major barrier to achieving the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals).

Even in the worst-off parts of low- and low-middle-income countries, more than 99 percent of communities have seen an improvement in child mortality and schooling. Yet despite this progress, persistent gaps in opportunity mean that nearly half a billion people—about one in 15—still do not have access to basic health and education.

Gaps between countries, districts, and boys and girls prove that the world’s investments in development aren’t reaching everyone. Using new sub-national data, the report uncovers the vast inequalities within countries that are masked by averages.

Where you’re born is still the biggest predictor of your future, and no matter where you’re born, life is harder if you’re a girl. Despite gains in female educational attainment, opportunities for girls are limited by social norms, discriminatory laws and policies, and gender-based violence.

“As we write, billions of people are projected to miss the targets that we all agreed represent a decent life,” Bill and Melinda Gates write in the Goalkeepers Data Report, “Examining Inequality 2019,” which they co-authored. “We believe that seeing where the world is succeeding will inspire leaders to do more, and seeing where the world is falling short will focus their attention.”

To address persistent inequality, Bill and Melinda Gates are calling for a new approach to development, targeting the poorest people in the countries and districts that need to make up the most ground. Governments should prioritize primary health care to deliver a health system that works for the poorest, digital governance to ensure that governments are responsive to their least-empowered citizens, and more support for farmers to help them adapt to climate change’s worst effects.

Bill and Melinda Gates will produce a Goalkeepers Data Report every year through 2030, timing it to the annual gathering of world leaders in New York City for the U.N. General Assembly. The report is designed to track progress in achieving the Global Goals, highlight examples of success, and inspire leaders around the world to accelerate their efforts. The goal is to identify both what’s working and where we’re falling short.

As in past years, in conjunction with the report, Bill and Melinda Gates will co-host the third annual Goalkeepers Event in New York City during the U.N. General Assembly, convening global leaders to celebrate progress in global health and development and highlight the critical importance of closing the global inequality gap to achieve the Global Goals.

Humanitarian Access

Report
Denial, Delay, Diversion: Tackling Access Challenges in an Evolving Humanitarian Landscape
A REPORT OF THE CSIS TASK FORCE ON HUMANITARIAN ACCESS
Jacob Kurtzer
September 18, 2019 :: 68 pages
PDF: https://csis-prod.s3.amazonaws.com/s3fs-public/publication/Kurtzer_DenialDelayDiversion_WEB_FINAL.pdf

Principled humanitarian action is under attack around the world. Globally, 70.8 million people are considered forcibly displaced by armed conflict and nearly 132 million people need emergency humanitarian assistance. At the same time, there has been a steep escalation in the deliberate, willful obstruction of humanitarian access, impeding the ability of humanitarian aid to reach the most vulnerable people and vice versa. As humanitarian emergencies become increasingly complex and protracted, blocked humanitarian access will only increase without urgent action.

To ensure the ability of aid to reach those who need it most and to uphold the principles of international humanitarian law, the United States should elevate humanitarian access as a foreign policy priority and work to reconcile tensions between critical national security measures and the growing needs of vulnerable populations in fragile, conflict-affected states…

We propose action in four key areas. The full list of recommendations can be found in Chapter Five.
:: Elevate humanitarian interests and make access a foreign policy priority.
The United States should overtly elevate humanitarian issues alongside foreign policy and national security priorities, making them a sustained focus of high-level diplomacy with partner governments
and allies and at the United Nations.

:: Strike a new risk balance.
The United States, other donor government, and the United Nations should reconcile tensions between national security and humanitarian interests, including in counterterrorism regulations, and establish mechanisms for a transparent, predictable, and durable balance that better protects the integrity of humanitarian operations and staff in conflict areas.

:: Increase accountability and harness the power of data.
The United States, other donor governments, and the United Nations should empower partners and UN agencies to safely and more effectively document and share data on obstruction of humanitarian access, strengthen required annual reporting on and monitoring of access constraints, and increase the political and reputational costs of access denial by states and armed groups.

:: Bolster training and technology.
The United States, donor governments, and UN agencies should collaborate with humanitarian actors to build frontline humanitarian negotiation and diplomatic skills. Officials in donor governments should be trained and equipped to support frontline negotiations and humanitarian operations. The United States and other donors should continue to fund and focus on innovative technologies and practices that can overcome access challenges.

Heritage Stewardship

GETTY TO DEVOTE $100 MILLION TO ADDRESS THREATS TO THE WORLD’S ANCIENT CULTURAL HERITAGE
Global initiative will enlist partners to raise awareness of threats and create effective conservation and education strategies

September 17, 2019 Los Angeles – The J. Paul Getty Trust will embark on an unprecedented and ambitious $100-million, decade-long global initiative to promote a greater understanding of the world’s cultural heritage and its universal value to society, including far-reaching education, research, and conservation efforts.

The innovative initiative, Ancient Worlds Now: A Future for the Past, will explore the interwoven histories of the ancient worlds through a diverse program of ground-breaking scholarship, exhibitions, conservation, and pre- and post-graduate education, and draw on partnerships across a broad geographic spectrum including Asia, Africa, the Americas, the Middle East, and Europe.

“In an age of resurgent populism, sectarian violence, and climate change, the future of the world’s common heritage is at risk,” said James Cuno, president and CEO of the J. Paul Getty Trust. “Cultural heritage embodies a global community united by a common need to make things of beauty and usefulness, and to compose stories and rituals about humanity’s place in the world. We will launch with urgency and build momentum for years to come. This work must start now, before more cultural heritage is neglected, damaged, or destroyed. Much is at stake.”

Over the coming year, Getty will engage major global partners from schools and universities, cultural institutions, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector in this urgent work. Activities are underway now, with an official launch planned for summer 2020. The initiative will continue through 2030 and beyond.

Broad in scope, Ancient Worlds Now: A Future for the Past will make a significant and lasting impact by:
:: Raising broad awareness of the threats to ancient heritage from development, economic pressures, mass tourism, political forces, climate change, and violent conflict;
:: Creating effective conservation strategies that can be applied on a large scale to increase scientific expertise and global capacity to save what remains;
:: Engaging global audiences through compelling advanced digital and interactive education and exhibition programs, demonstrating the importance of cultural heritage;
:: Pursuing deep inquiry, including through advanced digital research techniques, to strengthen our understanding of the interconnections and fluidity between and among ancient cultures.

In addition to partnerships, Getty will dedicate the cross-disciplinary work of its four programs—Getty Foundation, Getty Research Institute, Getty Conservation Institute, and Getty Museum—to this effort…

Emergencies

Ebola – DRC+
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo 19 September 2019
The intensity of the Ebola virus disease (EVD) transmission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo increased slightly from last week, with 57 new confirmed cases reported in North Kivu and Ituri provinces from 11-17 September 2019 versus 40 in the previous week. In the past week, localised, minor security incidents have impacted the response, including safe and dignified burials (SDB) and vaccination activities in Mambasa and Komanda Health Zones.

In addition, there was a major security incident in Lwemba, within Mandima Health Zone, from 14-17 September. The event was a community response to the death of a local healthcare worker from EVD. Due to the violence that occurred during the incident, all activities have been suspended in the area until further notice. This has a serious impact on the response activities on the ground, and it could lead to gaps or delays in the reporting of new EVD cases in this hotspot area. Overall, these incidents underscore the need for continued and proactive engagement and sensitizing of local communities throughout areas with EVD transmission and high-risk areas that may not currently be affected…

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POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Polio this week as of 18 September 2019
:: In the Philippines, a case of vaccine-derived poliovirus has been detected and is being further investigated, as outbreak response will be implemented.  See ‘Philippines’ section below for further details.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Afghanistan — six wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)- positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria — one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) case;
:: Angola — seven cVDPV2 cases

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WHO, UNICEF and partners support Philippine Department of Health’s polio outbreak response
19 September 2019
Joint News Release
The Philippine Department of Health (DOH) today announced an outbreak of polio in the country. A poliovirus case was confirmed on 16 September 2019 in a 3-year-old girl from Lanao del Sur. In addition, environmental samples from sewage in Manila and waterways in Davao were confirmed to contain the virus.

“We are very concerned that polioviruses are now circulating in Manila, Davao, and Lanao del Sur,” said World Health Organization (WHO) Representative in the Philippines, Dr Rabindra Abeyasinghe. “WHO and UNICEF are working closely with the Department of Health to strengthen surveillance and swiftly respond to this outbreak. We urge all parents and caregivers of children under 5 years of age to have them vaccinated so that they are protected against polio for life.”

“It is deeply disconcerting that poliovirus has re-emerged in the Philippines after nearly two decades. The outbreak calls for urgent action to protect more children from being infected. It reminds us of the importance of increasing immunization coverage to 95% of children to stop polio virus transmission in the Philippines. Vaccination is the only and best protection against polio that mainly affects children under 5 years of age. As long as one single child remains infected, children across the country and even beyond are at risk of contracting polio,” said Oyun Dendevnorov, UNICEF Philippines Representative, “UNICEF is working with Department of Health and WHO to accelerate actions for the health and safety of children in the Philippines, especially in the affected regions.”

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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 21 Sep 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Disease Outbreak News (DONs) Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo 19 September 2019

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

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 21 Sep 2019]

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Burkina Faso [in French] – No new digest announcements identified
Burundi – 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
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – 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 21 Sep 2019]

Kenya
:: Kenya rolls out landmark malaria vaccine introduction 16 September 2019

Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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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.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

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