World Trade Organisation [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

WTO NEWS
Trade growth to remain subdued in 2016 as uncertainties weigh on global demand
Growth in the volume of world trade is expected to remain sluggish in 2016 at 2.8%, unchanged from the 2.8% increase registered in 2015. Imports of developed countries should moderate this year while demand for imported goods in developing Asian economies should pick up. Global trade growth should rise to 3.6% in 2017, WTO economists reported on 7 April.

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

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11 APRIL 2016
IPU draft strategy sets out vision for future
IPU is inviting feedback from Members on its draft strategy for 2017-2021. The document, Strong democratic parliaments serving the people sets out a vision of a world where every voice counts, and where democracy and parliaments are at the service of citizens for peace and development. The strategy is built on the principles of equality, inclusiveness, respect, integrity and solidarity. It sets out IPU’s commitment to gender equality, youth empowerment, human rights, the global development agenda, peace-building, fostering stronger relationships between parliaments, and bridging the democracy gap in international relations by bringing a parliamentary perspective to global decision-making. IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong told delegates at IPU’s Lusaka Assembly that the strategy would continue to promote strong parliaments and would help them deliver on the expectations of citizens.

International Criminal Court (ICC) [to 16 April 2016]
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08/04/2016
Official Opening of the ICC Permanent Premises on 19 April 2016
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands will officially open the permanent premises of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) during a ceremony hosted by the ICC President, Judge Silvia Fernández, and H.E. Mr Sidiki Kaba, President of the Assembly of States Parties. H.E. Mr Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations, will also attend the event that will be held on Tuesday, 19 April 2016, from 15:00 to 16:30 (The Hague local time) at the seat of the Court in The Hague (Netherlands).
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06/04/2016
Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, regarding Trial Chamber’s decision to vacate charges against Messrs William Samoei Ruto and Joshua Arap Sang without prejudice to their prosecution in the future
[2007-2008 election violence in Kenya]
…The Chamber declined to acquit the accused due to the special circumstances of this case. In so doing, the Chamber endorsed the Prosecution’s position that this case has been severely undermined by witness interference and politicisation of the judicial process. The decision further noted that other evidence may have been available to the Prosecution “had it been able to prosecute the case in a different climate, less hostile to the Prosecution, its witnesses and the Court in general.”

The Chamber made it clear that their decision is without prejudice to the presumption of innocence or the Prosecution bringing the case on the basis of the same charges in the future, or in a different form, in light of new evidence.

We regret that due to deliberate and concerted efforts to derail this case through witness interference, the Judges have been prevented from determining the guilt or innocence of the Accused on the full merits of the case. What is also troubling is that the onslaught against this case has – for now – denied the victims of the 2007-2008 election violence in Kenya the justice they so rightly deserve….

World Bank [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Unprecedented Collaboration among Development Partners to Improve Infrastructure Implementation
WASHINGTON, April 16, 2016—The inaugural Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 convening here today brings together for the first time the leaders of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) — African Development…
Date: April 16, 2016 Type: Press Release
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European Commission and World Bank Sign Agreement on Catastrophe Risk Insurance for Caribbean and Central American countries
European Union contributes Euro 14 million to Multi-Donor Trust Fund to facilitate access by Central American countries and the DR to insurance facility
Date: April 15, 2016 Type: Press Release
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Victoria Kwakwa Appointed World Bank Vice President for East Asia and Pacific Region
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2016 – World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim has appointed Victoria Kwakwa as the new Regional Vice President for East Asia and Pacific, effective today.
Date: April 15, 2016 Type: Press Release
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International Community Endorses New Initiative to Support Refugees, Host Communities, Recovery and Reconstruction in the Middle East and North Africa
WASHINGTON, April 15, 2016 – Eight nations and the European Commission today pledged a package of more than US$1 billion — US$141 million in grants, US$1 billion in soft loans, US$500 million in…
Date: April 15, 2016 Type: Press Release
[See Week in Review above for more detail]
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World Bank Group, UNICEF urge greater investment in early childhood development
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2016 – World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake today jointly urged global and national leaders to step up and accelerate action and investments…
Date: April 14, 2016 Type: Press Release
[See Week in Review above for more detail]
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African Partners, World Bank Commit to Provide Identification to Millions
WASHINGTON, April 14, 2016 —African leaders and development partners agreed on a common approach for accelerating the provision of unique identification to millions of people in Africa as a means…
Date: April 14, 2016 Type: Press Release
[See Week in Review above for more detail]

Investing in treatment for depression and anxiety leads to fourfold return
World Health Organization/World Bank Group press release – Depression and anxiety disorders cost the global economy US$1 trillion each year; countries and development partners to discuss way forward during…
Date: April 12, 2016 Type: Press Release
[See Week in Review above for more detail]
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World Bank in Romania Condemns Acts of Racism Against the Roma
BUCHAREST, April 9, 2016 – The World Bank Group expresses its regret for the acts of hatred towards the Roma community in Romania manifested last night through the vandalism of the National Center for…
Date: April 9, 2016 Type: Press Release
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Growth Recovery in South East Europe Underpinned by Investment, Says Latest World Bank Economic Report
VIENNA, April 8, 2016—The countries of South East Europe (SEE6[1]) are projected to have grown at 2.1 percent on average in 2015. This growth is significantly higher than the 0.3 percent growth in 2014,…
Date: April 8, 2016 Type: Press Release
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World Bank Group Unveils New Climate Action Plan
Plan to Help Countries Meet Paris COP21 Pledges WASHINGTON, April 7, 2016—The World Bank Group today announced plans to help developing countries add 30 gigawatts of renewable energy – enough to power…
Date: April 7, 2016 Type: Press Release
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Mauritius, Mozambique, and Seychelles Partner to Boost Trade and Regional Integration
WASHINGTON, April 7, 2016 — The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved today a total of US$29.9 million for Mauritius, Mozambique and Seychelles to support their efforts to collaborate and create…
Date: April 7, 2016 Type: Press Release
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Europe and Central Asia: Growth Struggles in the West, Volatility Increases in the East
KIEV, April 7, 2016 – The economies of Europe and Central Asia (ECA) continue to face difficult headwinds in an increasingly complex and uncertain global economic environment, with short-term prospects…
Date: April 7, 2016 Type: Press Release
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World Bank Moves Forward in Fight against Poverty in West Africa
Grant will improve data collection and understanding of living conditions in eight countries WASHINGTON, April 6, 2016— The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors today approved an International Development…
Date: April 6, 2016 Type: Press Release
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G20 Leaders Launch Global Partnership and Website to Help Advance Inclusive Business
Nanjing, China, April 6, 2016—The G20 officially launched the Global Platform on Inclusive Business (GPIB) today in Nanjing, China. The Platform is a global partnership that will provide support to policymakers…
Date: April 6, 2016
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Seven essential guiding principles to boost financial inclusion laid out in new report
Seven guiding principles to help countries increase financial inclusion were set out in a report released today by the Committee on Payments and Market Infrastructures (CPMI) and the World Bank…
Date: April 5, 2016 Type: Press Releas
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Remarks by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim: Development in a Time of Global Interdependence
Good afternoon. I’d like to thank our host today, Mr. Fratzscher, and the German Institute for Economic Research/DIW. We are grateful that we can have this event in such a remarkable setting. And I would…
Date: April 5, 2016 Type: Speeches and Transcripts
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Increasing Economic Growth in Fragile States Can Help Prevent Future Refugee Crises—World Bank President
BERLIN, April 5, 2016—World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today said that the world’s powers need to pay far greater attention to boosting developing economies and creating jobs in the most fragile…
Date: April 5, 2016 Type: Press Release

African Development Bank Group [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/
[We generally limit coverage to regional or Africa-wide initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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Unprecedented Collaboration among Development Partners to Improve Infrastructure Implementation
16/04/2016 – The inaugural Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 convening here today brings together for the first time the leaders of the multilateral development banks (MDBs) — African Development Bank, Asian Development Bank, Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, European Investment Bank, Inter-American Development Bank Group, Islamic Development Bank, New Development Bank, and the World Bank Group – as well as development partners and representatives of the G20, G24, and G77, to enhance multilateral collaborative mechanisms to improve infrastructure delivery globally. The Forum is organized in close partnership with the United Nations. Following the meeting, a Chairman’s Statement will be issued, setting forth the next steps in this unprecedented collaboration.
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“You can count on the AfDB as partner in delivering education for Africa”, says Adesina
14/04/2016 – Partnership – between the public, the private and the ‘third’ sector of NGOs and Foundations – was the theme of an event hosted by the Global Business Coalition for Education on Thursday in Washington. “We need to preach revolution, as things have to change”, said the Portland Trust. The Wellbeing Foundation continued: “We cannot exist; we cannot pursue; we cannot progress without partnerships.”
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The future of food
13/04/2016 – “We need to look afresh at agriculture in Africa as a series of systems, and to see it not as a way of life, but a business”, said African Development Bank Acting Vice-President for Operations, Kapil Kapoor, at a World Bank Spring Meetings panel on ‘The Future of Food’ on Wednesday. But the challenges of food and agriculture are global: while 2 billion people in the world are undernourished, 2 billion are obese or overweight. The world wastes one-third of the food it produces.
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With AfDB support, 150,000 Liberian farmers to benefit from financing, innovative technology
08/04/2016 –
Liberia, a small country of 4 million inhabitants located in West Africa, is on the verge of undergoing one of the most transformational moments in its agricultural history.
With 10% of its adult population having subscribed to mobile money accounts, Liberia can boast of soon being able to double this figure thanks to the Liberian Agriculture Transformation Agenda (LATA), launched by the Government of Liberia with the support of the African Development Bank.
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MoU signed to strengthen collaboration between AfDB and UN Women
07/04/2016 –
The African Development Bank’s Senior Management Coordinating Committee (SMCC) recently approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the Bank and UN Women.
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Africa50 announces the appointment of Alain Ebobissé as Chief Executive Officer
06/04/2016 –
The Board of Directors of Africa50 is pleased to announce the appointment of Alain Ebobissé as Chief Executive Officer of Africa50, the Pan-African infrastructure investment platform capitalized by the African Development Bank and, so far, by 22 African countries with an initial capitalization of USD 830 million.
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East Africa leads the way in regional integration, says Index
05/04/2016 –
The Africa Regional Integration Index (ARII) Report – Africa’s first effort to measure progress on regional integration – was launched Saturday, April 2 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, during African Development Week, which is taking place from March 31 to April 5. Out of all the Regional Economic Communities, the report cites the East African Community as the most integrated region.

Asian Development Bank [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.adb.org/news/releases
[We generally limit coverage to regional or Asia-wide initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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16 April 2016
Unprecedented Collaboration Among Development Partners to Improve Infrastructure Implementation
The inaugural Global Infrastructure Forum 2016 convening here today aims to enhance collaborative mechanisms to improve infrastructure delivery globally.
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14 April 2016
Construction Begins on Lengana Wharf in Western Province
Rehabilitation work has begun on Lengana Wharf in Western Province, making it the thirteenth to be upgraded under the Domestic Maritime Support Project supported by ADB, Australia and New Zealand.
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13 April 2016
Asian Economies Must Build Resilience to Growing Risks
Emerging risks and destabilizers as diverse as widening income inequality, slower growth, and climate change are reshaping Asia’s economic landscape at such a rapid pace says Independent Evaluation at ADB.
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11 April 2016
ADB Approves $2 Million for Herders Hit By Mongolian Climate Disaster
ADB Country Director Robert Schoellhammer and Monglolia Finance Minister Bolor Bayarbaatar signed a $2 million grant agreement for herders afflicted by a protracted climate disaster in Mongolia known as a “dzud.”
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8 April 2016
Takehiko Nakao to Stand for Reelection as ADB President
ADB President Takehiko Nakao today expressed his intention to stand for reelection as President for the next 5-year term, after the current term ends on 23 November 2016.

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.aiib.org/html/NEWS/
[We generally limit coverage to regional or Asia-wide initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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04/14/2016
Mr. Hamid Sharif appointed as Director General of the Compliance, Effectiveness and Integrity Unit
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04/14/2016
AIIB and World Bank Sign First Co-Financing Framework Agreement
Close cooperation between the two institutions will support economic development
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2016—Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank President Jin Liqun and World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim today signed the first co-financing framework agreement between the two institutions.

The agreement outlines the co-financing parameters of AIIB-World Bank investment projects, and paves the way for the two institutions to jointly develop projects this year. In 2016, the AIIB expects to approve about $1.2 billion in financing, with World Bank joint projects anticipated to account for a sizable share.

“I am very pleased today to sign this co-financing agreement together with World Bank Group President Kim,” Jin said. “The AIIB is very grateful for the generous and timely support offered by the World Bank Group throughout our establishment process, and we look forward to a long and fruitful relationship with ongoing cooperation in project co-financing and other areas.”

The AIIB and the World Bank are currently discussing nearly one dozen co-financed projects in sectors that include transport, water and energy in Central Asia, South Asia and East Asia. Under the agreement, the World Bank will prepare and supervise the co-financed projects in accordance with its policies and procedures in areas like procurement, environment and social safeguards…

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.ifad.org/newsroom/press_release/list/tags/y2016

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12 April 2016
Smallholder farmers to benefit from $65 million tea and rubber revitalization project in Sri Lanka
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7 April 2016 :
Independent evaluation shows IFAD-supported operations in Nigeria improve the livelihoods of rural poor people
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6 April 2016:
Despite being “the biggest threat facing humanity” climate change and its impacts fail to make headlines, says IFAD study
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6 April 2016:
Where a woman lives in Latin America increases her risk of being disadvantaged – new report

:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch
We will monitor media releases and other announcements around key initiatives, new research and major organizational change from a growing number of global NGOs, collaborations, and initiatives across the human rights, humanitarian response and development spheres of action.

This Watch section is intended to be indicative, not exhaustive. We will not include fund raising announcements, programs events or appeals, and generally not include content which is primarily photo-documentation or video in format.

Amref Health Africa [to 16 April 2016]
http://amref.org/news/news/

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14 April 2016
FGM Ambassador Selected for the 2016 YALI Training.
Amref Health Africa congratulates Ms Nice Nailantei Leng’ete for having been selected to participate in the 2016 Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders.
Nailantei will join thousands of young leaders from the sub-Saharan Africa and the United States in a six week leadership training and later participate in a three day interactive session with U.S. leaders in business, government and non-profit sector Mandela Washington Fellowship Summit hosted by the U.S. President Barrack Obama.

Nailantei, who has been working as a project officer under the Amref Health Africa in Kenya Alternative Rite of Passage project for the last three years, continues to play a key role in the fight against Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C)to ensure girls and women in her maasai community transition to womanhood without undergoing the cut. She also acts as a role model to help the girls and escape early pregnancies and marriage and realise their education dream…

BRAC [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.brac.net/#news

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Monday, 11 April 2016 00:00
BRAC launches the prestigious Manthan Awards
BRAC launched the prestigious Manthan Digital Innovation Award (BMDIA) 2016, on 10 April, for the first time in Bangladesh. The award, an off-shoot of the Manthan Awards in India, promotes the use of technology for the development and focuses on newer digital and mobile innovations.

BRAC in partnership with Digital Empowerment Foundation (DEF), an India-based non-profit launched the awards on National Press club today. Manthan Award, initiated in 2004 by Digital Empowerment Foundation promotes and recognises the contributions of individuals and organisations in the field of ICT for development…
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Thursday, 07 April 2016 00:00
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed receives Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal
Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, KCMG, founder and chairperson of BRAC, was given the Thomas Francis, Jr. Medal in Global Public Health award by the University of Michigan. Mark Schlissel, president of University of Michigan presented the medal at a ceremony at the Ross School of Business on April 6, 2016.

CARE International [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases

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14th Apr 2016
Southern Africa drought threatens humanitarian catastrophe, warn aid agencies
Aid agencies in Mozambique warn that available resources are insufficient to address the scale of the needs.
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Meeting the Real Needs of Syrian Civilians: A Message to the Humanitarian Task Force
14th Apr 2016 Syria
The Syrian conflict is among the worst catastrophe in modern times and reflects the absolute failure of the international community to halt the brutal and unnecessary cycle of violence.
[See Week in Review above for more detail]
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Yemen: Ceasefire must hold or thousands more will die
10th Apr 2016 Yemen
An agreed cess ation of hostilities in Yemen comes at a crucial moment when an entire country is on the brink.
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6th Apr 2016
Fiji hit by floods as Cyclone Zena approaches
Fijians are bracing for another major cyclone, less than two months after surviving the biggest storm in their country’s history.

Casa Alianza [to 16 April 2016]
Covenant House [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.casa-alianza.org.uk/news
https://www.covenanthouse.org/

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04/13/2016
Looking Forward to Helping Homeless Youth in Chicago
With an estimated 11,000 homeless youth between the ages of 14 to 21 in Chicago over the course of a year, help is needed to provide more outreach, more beds and more hope. Soon Covenant House will stand side by side with other service providers in Chicago to help meet this urgent need.
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04/06/2016
Cheering a Contempt Case Against Backpage.com
The controversy over Backpage.com’s escort service ads and their link to child sex trafficking has taken a new turn as the United States Senate takes the website to court. Covenant House President Kevin Ryan expresses hope that this new development will stop Backpage.com and other sites like it from selling kids.
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04/0/2016
Let’s Study What Works Best For Homeless Youth
In his Huffington Post blog, Covenant House President Kevin Ryan argues that both rapid re-housing initiatives AND the support provided by transitional living programs must be used to meet the complex needs of homeless youth.

Danish Refugee Council [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.drc.dk/news

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10.04.2016
Yemen: Ceasefire must hold or thousands more will die
The agreed cessation of hostilities in Yemen, beginning today, comes at a crucial moment when an entire country is on the brink. Humanitarian agencies warned today that should the ceasefire break down again, as previous ones did, the consequences would be catastrophic.
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04.04.2016
DRC concerned about returns from Greece to Turkey
Returns from Greece to Turkey began today, in accordance with the EU-Turkey agreements of March 18. The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) expressed concerns about the premature nature of the returns and not least whether all procedures are in place for the returns to start, the organization said in a statement today.

Handicap International [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.handicap-international.us/press_releases

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Posted on April 15, 2016 10:04 AM
Statement on the Deaths of three Haitian Women with Disabilities
In late March, three deaf Haitian women lost their lives in an alleged assassination. The event sent shockwaves across the Caribbean nation.

Handicap International stresses the need to protect the most vulnerable individuals, particularly people with disabilities, who may be more exposed to violence as a result of their disability. In Port-au-Prince, Handicap International’s team joined a demonstration in support of the victims, in coordination with its local partners….
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Posted on April 04, 2016 10:30 AM
Use of banned weapons reaches record levels
The worldwide use of banned explosive weapons such as landmines and cluster bombs increased significantly in 2014 and 2015, largely due to unchecked use in Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Colombia, Myanmar, and Tunisia. To mark the international day of landmine and cluster munition awareness, April 4, Handicap International is calling on the international community to strongly condemn this practice, and for an immediate end to the use of these weapons.

Banned under international law, these weapons have been used at an alarming rate in recent years. Cluster munitions use is at its highest level since 2010, when the Convention on Cluster Munitions entered into force. Handicap International is calling on States and non-State armed groups to immediately end the use of anti-personnel mines and cluster munitions, as well as their sale, and transfer. Any use of these weapons must be unanimously and systematically condemned…

HelpAge International [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.helpage.org/newsroom/press-room/press-releases/

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Posted: 14 April 2016
HelpAge International welcomes universal pension in Zanzibar
The first government funded universal pension in East Africa is to be launched in Zanzibar this Friday (15 April).
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Posted: 06 April 2016
Tanzanian older people join their compatriots for increased attention to the rising prevalence of diabetes
Older activists in Tanzania will today join a global campaign calling for action to tackle the growing health threat caused by diabetes through screening, testing, treatment and education. The actions, taking place on this World Health Day, which is being commemorated under the theme: “Beat Diabetes: Scale up Prevention, Strengthen Care and Enhance Surveillance”, are part of HelpAge International’s annual Age Demands Action campaigns led by older activists from across the world to draw attention to the challenges they face.

ICRC [to 16 April 2016]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases and Articles
Jordan: Officials discuss better health care for detainees

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Jordan: Officials discuss better health care for detainees
News release
07 April 2016
Amman (ICRC) – The third regional conference on health care in detention organized by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), in cooperation with Jordan’s Public Security Directorate and Ministry of Health, drew to a close today.
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Ukraine: ICRC concerned by repeated attacks against civilian infrastructure in east
News release
06 April 2016
Kiev (ICRC) – Intensified shelling in eastern Ukraine is compounding the hardship of displaced and local people living in the vicinity of the line of contact. In particular, repairs to a gas pipeline which was damaged in the summer of 2014 are now being held up by security incidents in the Marinka area. On 31 March, for the second time in two weeks, technicians laying some 3,000 metres of underground pipe came under fire.
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Nagorno-Karabakh: ICRC ready to act as a neutral intermediary
News release
03 April 2016
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is concerned about the humanitarian impact of fighting along the line of contact in Nagorno-Karabakh, which seriously deteriorated on 2 April 2016. Casualties reported on both sides included civilians.

IFRC [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/

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16 April 2016
Red Cross: Without immediate support, the worst is yet to come for food insecure families across southern Africa
Nairobi, 16 April 2016 – With another season of inadequate rainfall, missed plantings, and failed harvests, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is warning that the number of families dependent on food aid across southern Africa will most certainly increase in the coming months.

An estimated 28 million people are currently food insecure across the region. That figure is expected to increase to 49 million before the end of the year.

“These figures are quite conservative,” said Michael Charles, acting regional representative for IFRC, southern Africa. “Farmers have missed three seasons now, due to insufficient rains. Missed harvests mean there is no new food on the table, nor income in their pockets. To avoid a crisis of even larger proportions, we need to ramp up our interventions to ensure those most vulnerable get the support they need, now…
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15 April 2016
Red Cross partners agree on one-year recovery plan to support 65,000 people affected by Tropical Cyclone Winston
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7 April 2016
Families fleeing fighting in Nineveh receive Red Crescent assistance in Erbil
Recent fierce clashes in Iraq’s northern governorate of Nineveh have left at least 50 people dead, and led to a growing number of people fleeing the region to safer parts of the country.
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7 April 2016
Kuwait Red Crescent Society supports Jordan Red Crescent in Syrian refugee response
For more than five years now, Jordan has been home for thousands of Syrian refugees who fled the neighbouring country’s fighting.
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6 April 2016
Displaced Mongolian herders destined for a life of deprivation in urban slums
Lack of occupational skills in an urban setting are forcing herders to live in extreme deprivation and unhealthy living conditions

IRC International Rescue Committee [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index

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16 Apr 2016
Pope Francis visits Lesbos to meet with some of the 4,000 refugees living in limbo on the island
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10 Apr 2016
International Rescue Committee responds to reports of violence on the northern borders of Greece
In the informal camp of Idomeni, an estimated 11,000 people wait by the closed border between Greece and the Former Republic of Yugoslavia Macedonia. Refugees today reported widespread use of tear gas and rubber bullets as some people protested at the border fence.

Jane Waite, Deputy Director of International Rescue Committee in Greece, responds from northern Greece:
“Refugees are telling our teams that tear gas filled areas where vulnerable people are camped near the border – women, children and the disabled. Men were left choking and collapsed to the floor. These are people that have fled homes destroyed by war and travelled in desperation to seek safety. Yet now they face new dangers. Lack of information means that many do not know their options, with access to asylum officials available only via Skype in camps with intermittent electricity and internet connection. Safe routes for refugees must be created and soon – the current EU-Turkey agreement is illogical and the cracks are already beginning to show.”
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31 Mar 2016
In the global response to the refugee crisis, European leaders are lagging behind
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29 Mar 2016
Open Letter to Global Leaders in advance of the UNHCR High Level Meeting on Global Responsibility Sharing through Pathways for Admission of Syrian Refugees on March 30 in Geneva

IRCT [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.irct.org/

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Statements & declarations
IRCT joins call to ensure protection and rehabilitation of torture victims in Hong Kong
12 April 2016
The IRCT has joined more than 90 organisations and 70 prominent individuals in calling for the cessation of hostility and stereotyping of refugees in Hong Kong.

In a statement released yesterday, the organisations reject the Hong Kong Government’s proposals to withdraw from the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT) and to create closed detention camps for refugees as ill-advised, harmful, and a potential breach of international laws.

“We are shocked to learn that the Hong Kong Government is contemplating a withdrawal from the UNCAT. No country has ever withdrawn from the UNCAT, and to do so because they are not willing to protect torture victims from further abuse is shameful,” said Asger Kjaerum, Director of Advocacy.

Rather than incarcerating refugees, including high numbers of torture survivors, the IRCT recommends that current refugee processing procedures are reviewed and revised to ensure prompt identification, documentation and rehabilitation for victims of torture and ill-treatment.

“Instituting a proper system of forensic evaluation of torture allegations will help the Government effectively identify torture survivors and ensure that they receive adequate support during and after the asylum process. This must include prompt access to rehabilitation services and asylum procedures sensitive to the vulnerable situation,” concludes Mr. Kjaerum.
Joint statement
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News
New issue of Torture Journal calls for more research
11 April 2016
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Statements & declarations
IRCT and international NGO coalition pressures Mexico on anti-torture law
07 April 2016
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News
IRCT receives German grant to promote documentation and rehabilitation for torture victims in the Philippines
05 April 2016