The Sentinel

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

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

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

PDF: The Sentinel_ period ending 23 Mar 2019

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

South-South Cooperation

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

U.S. – International Criminal Court (ICC)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Stewardship

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

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

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

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

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

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

.

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

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

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

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

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

Stewardship

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

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

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

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

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

Health

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

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

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

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

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

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

Read the full report here

Featured Journal Content

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

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

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

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

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

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

DRC – Ebola

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

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

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

Emergencies

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

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

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

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

WHO Grade 3 Emergencies  [to 23 Mar 2019]
Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: DONS – Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo  21 March 2019

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

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

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

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 23 Mar 2019]

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

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

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

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

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

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

::::::

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

 ::::::
::::::

 
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 #5 | 4-17 March 2019

Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified
 

The Sentinel

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

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

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

PDF: The Sentinel_ period ending 16 Mar 2019

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

Syria

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

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

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

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.

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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…

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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.

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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 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  

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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

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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
 
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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

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic   – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Ethiopia  – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia  – No new digest announcements identified

 
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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.