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

Islamic Relief [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.islamic-relief.org/category/news/

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April 10, 2016
Yemen: Ceasefire must hold or thousands more will die
Latest News |
Today’s agreed cessation of hostilities in Yemen 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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[Undated]
Swedish communities unite to support Syrian refugees
Christian and Muslim communities are coming together to support Syrian refugees.
…With aid stations established in major rail and ferry terminals in Malmö, Gothenburg and Stockholm, Islamic Relief Sweden has been at the forefront offering food, shelter and advice to all those in search of safety…

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases

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Press release
Syria: New Offensives Bring More Suffering, Displacement to Aleppo Governorate
April 15, 2016
Fighting in Aleppo Governorate has grown increasingly intense over the past week, as new offensives have brought even more misery and uncertainty to the region. This past Thursday, the frontlines reached the outskirts of displacement camps in the area, and some camps in Azaz District were attacked.

The new offensives have again forced tens of thousands of people to flee towards the Turkish border in search of safety, but whether or not they will be able to find sanctuary remains an open question.
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Press release
MSF Opens Rome Rehabilitation Center for Survivors of Torture and Inhumane Treatment
April 14, 2016
New York/Rome—Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) teams in Rome have opened a rehabilitation center for survivors of torture and other forms of inhumane treatment. The center will offer medical, psychological, and socio-legal assistance to any migrant, refugee, or asylum seeker who was tortured or subjected to other forms of targeted violence, regardless of their place of origin or current legal status.
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Press release
More than 50 Groups Call on US Congress to Stop TPP, the Worst Trade Deal Ever for Access to Affordable Medicines
April 12, 2016
More than fifty groups have come together to demand that the US Congress reject the Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Deal (TPP) due to provisions it contains that would undermine public health. In a letter sent to Congress today, the groups outlined the damaging effects the trade deal would have on public health, and said lawmakers should not vote for the TPP unless damaging provisions are removed.
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Field news
Refugees in Greece: “Will They Kill Us Here in Europe?”
April 13, 2016
Since the European Union (EU) agreement with Turkey came into force on March 20, so-called “hotspots” set up on the main islands in Greece in October 2015 to screen and register asylum seekers were transformed overnight into detention centers run by the Greek army and police, where many are now trapped.
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Field news
MSF Treats Hundreds After Greek-FYROM Border Violence
April 10, 2016
Medical teams for the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) treated hundreds of people today, April 10, following violence at the border between Greece and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia (FYROM). At least 10 people have reported to MSF teams that they were beaten by FYROM police; around 40 people were injured by rubber bullets.
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Press Releases
South Sudan: MSF Issues Open Letter on Nationwide Lack of Essential Medicines
GENEVA/JUBA/NEW YORK, APRIL 7, 2016 — International donors and the broader humanitarian community must take immediate action to address widespread shortages of essential medicines in South Sudan, the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) warned today in an open letter from MSF international president Dr. Joanne Liu.
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Field News
Syria: Despite Ceasefire, “Catalog of Horror” Continues in Besieged Areas
April 07, 2016
Operational Update
BRUSSELS/NEW YORK—Despite a ceasefire in fighting and the arrival of humanitarian convoys, the situation remains critical in many besieged areas of Syria, said the international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) Thursday.

OXFAM [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

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15 April 2016
Deportations of refugees and migrants from Greece must be halted as fears of human rights violations grow
Deportations of refugees and migrants from Greece to Turkey must be halted immediately and people wanting to seek asylum should not be kept in detention, said Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council and Solidarity Now today in Greece.
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Fifty biggest global US companies stash $1.3 trillion offshore
14 April 2016
The 50 biggest US companies have more than a trillion dollars hidden offshore according to a new report published by Oxfam today. This is more than the entire GDP of countries such as Spain, Mexico or Australia.
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World Bank and IMF must help bring an end to tax havens
12 April 2016
Following the abuses revealed in the Panama Papers, world leaders attending the Spring Meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund this week must seize the moment to take decisive action and help end the era of tax havens, said Oxfam today.
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Majority of World Bank’s private investments go to companies that have a presence in tax havens
11 April 2016
Fifty one of the 68 companies that were lent money by the World Bank’s private lending arm in 2015 to finance investments in sub-Saharan Africa use tax havens, Oxfam revealed today.

Norwegian Refugee Council [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.nrc.no/

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Greece
Deportations of refugees and migrants from Greece must be halted
15. april 2016
Deportations of refugees and migrants from Greece to Turkey must be halted immediately and people wanting to seek asylum should not be kept in detention, said Oxfam, Norwegian Refugee Council and Solidarity Now.
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Conference on Solutions to Displacement
A conference to inspire
13. april 2016
With the NRC hosting the Conference on Solutions to Displacement, the keynote speakers will be UN High Commissioner for refugees, Filippo Grandi and Norwegian State Secretary Tore Hattrem.

The Conference on Solutions to Displacement takes place on April 21st at Samfunnssalen, Arbeidersamfunnets plass 1, Oslo…
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07. april 2016
Greece
Five reasons why the EU-Turkey deal is a disgrace
How the EU-Turkey deal is being implemented is a disgrace to Europe. Here are five reasons why it must be stopped now.
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04. april 2016
Greece
Europe is imprisoning refugee children
“It is outrageous that young and innocent children fleeing war are kept imprisoned behind barbed wire in overcrowded detention facilities on European soil”, said Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council Jan Egeland.
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07.04.2016
Press Release
Access urgently needed to 30,000 people displaced in eastern DRC
…Some 30,000 people were forced to flee the area following fighting between government forces and armed groups between 25 and 26 March. Most of these people were already vulnerable and had been staying in camps before the fighting broke out.

“All parties to the conflict, leaders of armed groups and individual fighters must spare civilians and respect international humanitarian law,” said NRC’s Head of Mission in DR Congo, Mickael Amar. “Families – including many women and children – have been forced to flee multiple times. Their situation is incredibly dire.”

NRC has been working to support local and displaced communities in Mpati, but had to suspend operations on 21 March due to the volatile security situation. It was about to set up education and food-security projects to help 34,000 vulnerable people in the area…

Partners In Health [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.pih.org/blog

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Apr 15, 2016
Going the Distance to Keep Mothers Healthy
Eneles Manyamba, a PIH village health worker, played a vital role ensuring Violet Paulo gave birth to a healthy daughter.
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Apr 15, 2016
Working in Global Health: Islande Cadichon
Islande Cadichon, a senior human resources coordinator, was born at a PIH-supported clinic in Haiti and says working for the organization is a “dream come true.”
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Apr 15, 2016
A Baby’s Battle with XDR-TB in Peru
Six-month-old Hans Veliz was diagnosed with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in the same year his father died of the disease.
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Apr 14, 2016
Building a Future of Care in Malawi
We’re about to embark on a new, major improvement to Neno District Hospital that will significantly expand our level of care.
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Apr 13, 2016
PIH Patient Turned Staffer Pays it Forward in Malawi
Steve Mtewa was close to death when he visited a PIH-supported hospital in Malawi. Now he helps build health clinics there.
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Apr 07, 2016
Saving Melva Fernandez
Melva Fernandez has suffered her entire life with tuberculosis. In January, doctors diagnosed her with an immunological disease that limits her ability to respond to TB. No matter how many times her doctors threw the best medicine available at her illness, her body would not be able to launch a proper defense. PIH is helping her access a possible cure.
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Apr 04, 2016
Fighting the Zika Virus in Haiti
We’re working with Haiti’s Ministry of Public Health and Population to address the risks associated with the Zika virus.

PATH [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.path.org/news/index.php
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Press release | April 11, 2016
Innovative partnership brings to market new tools for neglected tropical diseases
New tools will support disease elimination for both river blindness and elephantiasis
Seattle and Seoul, April 11, 2016 – PATH and Standard Diagnostics (SD)/Alere announced today the commercial availability of two rapid diagnostic tools for onchocerciasis and lymphatic filariasis. Designed for use in disease surveillance, the antibody-based tests are part of a suite of diagnostic innovations intended to support the elimination of neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), a group of illnesses that affect more than a billion people worldwide…
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Announcement | April 04, 2016
PATH announces leader for malaria and neglected tropical diseases
Dr. Laurence Slutsker to lead PATH’s malaria and neglected tropical diseases portfolios

Plan International [to 16 April 2016]
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre

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Press releases
UN and Plan International in global action for girls
7 April 2016
Plan International and UN Women are partnering to help girls and young women across the world to increase their political voice, better realise their human rights and develop their skills and economic potential.

Plan International and UN Women will work together on programming, campaigning, advocacy and fundraising to increase the leadership and political participation of adolescent girls and young women..

…The partnership will draw on the experience of Because I am a Girl, Plan International’s girls’ rights movement and UN Women’s Youth and Gender Equality Strategy framework…

Save The Children [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9357111/k.C14B/Press_Releases_2016/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp

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April, 12, 2016
Save the Children Applauds Passage of the Global Food Security Act to Fight Child Hunger and Malnutrition
WASHINGTON, D.C. (April, 12, 2016) — Save the Children today praised the House of Representatives for passing the bipartisan Global Food Security Act of 2016 (H.R. 1567) and all the Members of Congress who lead the way in the fight against global hunger and malnutrition.

Joining together with nearly 70 other organizations, we now urge the Senate to swiftly pass this important, bipartisan bill that will advance U.S. leadership in tackling global hunger and malnutrition around the world…
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April 3, 2016
Conditions Rapidly Deteriorating for Children Detained in Moria Camp on Lesvos

SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 16 April 2016]
http://www.sos-childrensvillages.org/about-sos/press/press-releases

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8 April 2016
Croatian woman and Brazilian man win 2016 Hermann Gmeiner Award
Nearly 13,000 online voters chose the winners of the 2016 award, which honours people making a positive impact in their communities.
The winners of the Hermann Gmeiner Award for 2016 were announced today: Daliborka Matanovic from Croatia and William Silva dos Santos from Brazil…

… The bi-annual Hermann Gmeiner Award celebrates the positive impact that alumni of SOS Children’s Villages programmes make in their communities…
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7 April 2016
The ABCs of reconstruction: How SOS Children’s Villages helps a new generation in Nepal
In the year since the Nepal earthquake struck on 25 April 2015, SOS Children’s Villages has been on the ground setting up child friendly spaces, providing humanitarian support for families in need, reuniting children with parents, and offering alternative care for children who could not be reunited with parents.
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01.04.2016
New beginnings for child beggars in Senegal and Mali
– Child beggars, known as ‘talibés’, are a familiar sight in cities across Senegal and Mali. Far from home, and forced to beg, their situations have been likened to modern slavery. SOS Children’s Villages together with the European Commission is running a project to protect these children, bring them home to their families, and give them access to formal education.

Women for Women International [to 9 April 2016]
http://www.womenforwomen.org/press-releases

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April 6, 2016 | International Business Times
Rwanda Genocide Anniversary: How Rwanda’s Women Rebuilt Their Country
WfWI-Rwanda Country Director Antoinette Uwimana shares how women have led her country’s recovery since the genocide, and how WfWI’s programs have invested in women since 1997 to help them rebuild. For example, graduates of WfWI’s programs have begun cooperatives in the male-dominated field of beekeeping, and have provided income-generating opportunities to hundreds of women.

CONCORD [to 16 April 2016]
http://concordeurope.org/news-and-events/
[European NGO confederation for relief and development]
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Apr 15, 2016
Better results for the most marginalised – revision of the financial regulation
In the framework of the Revision of the EU Financial Regulation, Seamus Jeffreson, CONCORD director, took a part in an Awareness raising event. Discover his views and his recommendations on the revision, considering the decrease of public funding for NGOs and the increase of development and humanitarian challenges at the same time.
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Spotlight Report on EU Policy Coherence for Development
Apr 15, 2016 |
EU policies are continuing to seriously undermine rights in developing countries. The report published in November 2011, shows incoherencies between EU development objectives and other policies, coming at an important time as the EU reforms its agricultural, trade and…
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The Development of a Globally Fair Region: Guidebook
Apr 12, 2016 |
This new publication from Sudwind, elaborated in the frame of the European Year for Development 2015, will provide you some practical tips on how to develop a region to a globally fair one.
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2015 EU aid statistics heavily inflated by in-donor refugee costs
Apr 13, 2016 |
PRESS RELEASE: In reaction to the OECD DAC statistics, CONCORD Europe raises concern about the growing diversion of ODA for security and refugees costs. The confederation wants to highlight again this major threat to poverty eradication and the failure of EU leaders to respect their commitment.
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Apr 5, 2016
Migration and refugees – Civil Society in the frontline
Seamus Jeffreson, CONCORD director, visited our member, the Greek NGDO platform. Discover what Seamus has learned on the agenda 2030 implementation as well as on the migration flows arriving to Greece. A reflection on the role of Civil Society!

The Elders [to 16 April 2016]
http://theelders.org/news-media

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News 6 April 2016
Annual Report 2015: Reflecting the past, facing the future
The Elders have released their latest Annual Report. From Climate Change and the SDGs to Equality for Girls and Women and strengthening the UN, read highlights of The Elders’ work from 2015.

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Videos 6 April 2016
The Elders – Mission Statement
Video of The Elders – Mission Statement
Who are The Elders?
The Elders are independent global leaders working together for peace and human rights. They are not bound by the interests of any nation, government or institution. Join us to work towards a better future.

Gavi [to 9 April 2016]
http://www.gavialliance.org/library/news/press-releases/

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04 April 2016
Norway strengthens commitment to immunisation in developing countries
Increased funding will help immunise 300 million more children in the world’s poorest countries by 2020.