International Organization for Standardization (ISO) [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index.htm
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21 March 2016
New standards set to improve safety of medical device connections in clinical settings
Feeding tubes, catheters and IV drips are just some of the essential delivery devices used in medical settings that save lives every day. But even minor errors in their connectors can have devastating consequences. A new range of ISO Standards aims to mitigate the risk.
USAID [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases
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March 21, 2016
Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development Announces Three New Award Nominees
Approximately $4.2M in Awards will Accelerate Innovative Solutions to Prevent Maternal, Infant Deaths in the Hardest to Reach Regions of the World
“Saving Lives at Birth: A Grand Challenge for Development” announced three new award nominees in its fifth global call for groundbreaking solutions to protect mothers and newborns during their most vulnerable hours. These awards include two transition-to-scale awards (approximately $2 million each), which will support innovators with demonstrated proof-of-concept in transitioning their solutions towards scale, and one validation grant (approximately $250,000) to support the introduction and validate the effectiveness of the innovation to reach proof-of-concept.
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.asean.org/news
[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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ASEAN Inter Pillar Policy Dialogue on the Impact of ASEAN Economic Integration in Labour Sector
KUALA LUMPUR, 21 March 2016 – Malaysia organised the ASEAN inter pillar policy dialogue on the impact of ASEAN economic integration in labour sector with the support of the ASEAN Secretariat (ASEC), the International Labour Organization (ILO), the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES). The inter pillar policy dialogue was held in Hotel Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on 21 March 2016. The inter pillar policy dialogue was officiated by the Secretary General of the Ministry of Human Resources of Malaysia, Dato’ Sri Adenan Ab Rahman…
European Union [to 26 March 2016]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]
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Message from the President of the European Commission following the attacks in Brussels Date: 22/03/2016
European Commission – Statement Brussels, 22 March 2016 I would like to express my deepest sympathy to the people of Brussels, to the many wounded, to the families and loved ones of those cruelly hit by the explosions this morning at Zaventem airport and Maelbeek Metro Station.
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Commission makes immediate proposal to implement EU-Turkey agreement: 54,000 places allocated for resettlement of Syrians from Turkey
Brussels, 21 March 2016 Following Friday’s agreement between the European Council and Turkey, the Commission is adopting a proposal to amend a Council Decision to relocate people in need for international protection from Italy and Greece. With this amendment, 54,000 places which were foreseen for relocations will now be available for the purpose of resettling Syrians from Turkey to the EU.
The proposal responds to the need to commit further places for resettlement from Turkey, following Friday’s agreement to resettle one Syrian from Turkey for every Syrian readmitted by Turkey after arriving irregularly in the Greek islands. This 1:1 scheme aims to quickly replace irregular flows of migrants travelling in dangerous conditions across the Aegean by an orderly and legal resettlement process.
Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship, Dimitris Avramopoulos said: “With the agreement reached with Turkey on Friday, we are offering asylum seekers a credible alternative to putting their lives at risk on dangerous sea routes. Member States now need to honour their commitments and ensure an orderly, well managed and safe arrival and admission to Europe for persons in need of international protection in Turkey.”
In order for the scheme to function, Member States must make a sufficient number of resettlement places available, within the framework of their existing commitments. Today’s proposal would amend the relocation decision to make it possible for Member States to meet their humanitarian commitments by admitting Syrians to their territories directly from Turkey. The number of resettled Syrians would be deducted from Member States’ relocation quotas…
Group of 77 [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.g77.org/
(New York, 21 March 2016)
DECLARATION IN SUPPORT OF THE GOVERNMENT OF THE BOLIVARIAN REPUBLIC OF VENEZUELA
The Group of 77 and China reiterates its rejection to the latest decision of the Government of the United States of America to renew its unilateral sanctions against the Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, on March 4th 2016, under the Executive Order signed by President Barack Obama, which declares “a national emergency with respects to the unusual and extraordinary threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States posed by the situation in Venezuela”.
We reaffirm, at the same time, the Declaration adopted at the Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Group of 77 held in Santa Cruz de la Sierra that firmly rejects the imposition of laws and regulations with extraterritorial impact and all other forms of coercive economic measures, including unilateral sanctions, against developing countries…
International Criminal Court (ICC) [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/Pages/default.aspx
24/03/2016
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber I confirms the charge against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi and commits him to trial
Situation: Republic of Mali
Case: The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi
Today, 24 March 2016, Pre-Trial Chamber I of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) confirmed against Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi the war crime charge regarding the destruction of historical and religious monuments in Timbuktu (Mali), and committed Mr Al Mahdi to trial before a Trial Chamber.
21/03/2016
ICC Pre-Trial Chamber II confirms the charges against Dominic Ongwen and commits him to trial
Situation: Uganda
Case: The Prosecutor v. Dominic Ongwen
Today, 23 March 2016, Pre-Trial Chamber II of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) issued a decision confirming 70 charges brought by the Prosecutor against Dominic Ongwen and committed him to trial before a Trial Chamber.
21/03/2016
ICC Trial Chamber III declares Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo guilty of war crimes and crimes against humanity
Situation: The Central African Republic
Case: The Prosecutor v. Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo
Today, 21 March 2016, Trial Chamber III of the International Criminal Court (“ICC” or “Court”) declared, unanimously, Jean-Pierre Bemba Gombo guilty beyond any reasonable doubt of two counts of crimes against humanity (murder and rape) and three counts of war crimes (murder, rape, and pillaging). The crimes were committed in Central African Republic (“CAR”) from on or about 26 October 2002 to 15 March 2003 (“2002-2003 CAR Operation”) by a contingent of Mouvement de Libération du Congo (“MLC”) troops. Mr Bemba was a person effectively acting as a military commander with effective authority and control over the forces that committed the crimes.
IMF [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[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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Speech
Accelerating Reforms to Establish a Risk Prevention System – A View from the IMF
Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director
China Development Forum, Beijing, March 20, 2016
African Development Bank Group [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/
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25/03/2016
Lack of water is a stumbling block to gender equality in Zimbabwe
– Zimbabwe’s Minister of Water, Environment and Climate, Oppah Muchinguri has decried lack of sufficient clean water as a stumbling block to achieving gender equality. She said girls were often forced to miss school because of searching for the precious liquid.
AfDB supports Healthcare Sector in Africa with a USD25 Million Equity Investment in the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund
24/03/2016 – The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a USD 25 million equity investment in the Abraaj Growth Markets Health (Africa) Fund (the “Fund”), the Africa focused parallel partnership of the Abraaj Growth Markets Health Fund. This contribution will allow the Fund to provide access to finance and capacity building for scalable and sustainable healthcare models for lower-middle and low-income segments of the populations in Africa. The proposal is well aligned with the Bank’s High Five Item on Improving the Lives of Africans and with various Bank and target country strategies.
Half of Africa’s nations advancing climate solutions to front burner in national development plans: report
22/03/2016 – The African Development Bank (AfDB) has released Financing Change: the AfDB and CIF for a Climate-Smart Africa, its 2015 Annual Report for its Climate Investment Funds (CIF) portfolio. The report demonstrates that by the end of 2015 through its AfDB-supported CIF portfolio, 27 African nations – half of Africa – had become engaged in various aspects of climate solutions, and through 39 pilot programs are embedding them in their national development economic and social goals. The work is also significant institutionally for AfDB because it serves as a critical support in shifting the Bank’s core work to fulfill its ambitious goal to triple climate financing for Africa by 2020.
AfDB celebrates World Water Day – Water and Employment: What future?
21/03/2016 – The African Development (AfDB) attaches considerable importance to the water and employment sectors – which are also parts of its five operational priorities, the High Fives – and is supporting the Ivorian Government in celebrating the 2016 edition of the World Water Day, on March 22, 2016. The theme this year is “Water and Jobs”. Industry experts, scientists, development partners and representatives of the civil society will discuss how water can contribute to create jobs and wealth.
Africa is open for business: The African Development Bank calls on African private sector
21/03/2016 – Africa’s private sector will continue to lead the continent towards economic transformation, African Development Bank President Akinwumi Adesina said Monday at the launch of the fourth Africa CEO Forum in Abidjan
Amref Health Africa [to 26 March 2016]
http://amref.org/news/news/
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Published: 24 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Amref Health Africa Makes Great Steps to end TB
Tuberculosis (TB) remains a public health challenge in developing countries. Worldwide in 2014, World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that 9 million people developed TB with Kenya contributing about 89,000 TB cases. Kenya is ranked…
Published: 22 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Ground breaking ceremony for the Kerwa Water Project
Friday 18 March 2016 will be a day to remember for the people of Kerwa village. As we arrive at the village in Kiambu County, a huge gathering greets us with big smiles and…
Published: 21 March 2016 Carolyne Khamala
Amref Health Africa Calls for Increased Focus and Investment on Providing Safe Water
On Tuesday, March 22, Amref Health Africa will join the global community in celebrating the World Water Day, notably the first following adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in November 2015. The launch…
ICRC [to 26 March 2016]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases and Articles
Iraq: Aid reaches thousands of displaced people in war-ravaged west Ramadi
Baghdad/Geneva (ICRC) – International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) staff distributed aid today to more than 12,000 displaced people surviving in desperate conditions in west Ramadi, central Iraq, having fled fighting in the nearby city of Hit.
24-03-2016 | News release
ICRC evidence to UK parliament: Respecting law of war reduces suffering
The ICRC has emphasised the need for compliance with international humanitarian law in evidence before the UK parliament’s International Development Committee. ICRC senior policy advisor Markus Geisser appeared before the committee to feed into an i
24-03-2016 | Article
Syria: First aid in months reaches over 70,000 people in the central Syrian region of Al Houleh
A joint convoy of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), the Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) and the United Nations yesterday reached several villages in the region of Al Houleh, north of Homs, to deliver food, medicine and water supply
23-03-2016 | News release
The ICRC in Jordan
The International ICRC has been present in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan since 1967, as part of its international humanitarian mandate.
22-03-2016 | Article
ICRC launches new guidance bolstering relevance of Geneva Conventions
The ICRC has unveiled major new guidance on the implementation of the Geneva Conventions, bolstering arguments that despite violations, the laws governing armed conflict remain relevant, crucial to saving lives and must not be abandoned.
21-03-2016 | News release
IFRC [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.ifrc.org/en/news-and-media/press-releases/
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26 March 2016
Syria: How much longer?
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21 March 2016
DIHAD: innovation at the heart of humanitarian action
Dubai / Geneva, 21 March 2016 – For the fourth consecutive year, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) is among the exhibitors at the Dubai International Humanitarian Aid & Development Conference and Exhibition (DIHAD) opening today in Dubai.
Recognized as the largest humanitarian event in the Middle East, DIHAD brings together international agencies, governmental and non-governmental organizations, donors, the corporate sector and academia, to exchange knowledge and best practices in the field of humanitarian assistance. This year DIHAD unfolds the theme: the importance of innovation in humanitarian aid and development…
IRC International Rescue Committee [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.rescue.org/press-release-index
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23 Mar 2016
The International Rescue Committee Will Not Transport Refugees to Closed Facility at Moria, Lesvos
Lesbos, Greece 23 Mar 2016 –
On Monday evening the IRC informed the Greek coastguard that we would not transport refugees to the closed facility at Moria. We cannot knowingly participate in the transportation of some of the world’s most vulnerable to a place where their freedom of movement is in question.
We will continue to provide for refugees’ basic and protection needs at Kara Tepe camp and, should refugees land on Lesvos’ north shore we are ready to assist them with the essential services they need.
The IRC has been working on the Greek island of Lesbos since July 2015 delivering clean water and sanitation in several refugee transit sites and providing newly arrived refugees with much needed information about the registration process and essential services. We continue to provide specialized services to the most vulnerable refugees, including people with limited mobility and children separated from their families. In early March the IRC’s emergency response team was deployed to Northern Greece to assist with the response there. In the short term the IRC’s protection and environmental health team are responding at Idomeni, the informal refugee site on Greece’s northern border.
More information about the IRC’s response to the Europe Refugee Crisis at this link.
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23 Mar 2016
Global Reports on Ebola’s Lessons Overlook Politics and Misplace Scrutiny
IRCT [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.irct.org/
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News
IRCT membership elects new Council
22 March 2016
The IRCT is pleased to announce that its members have elected a new IRCT Council for the period 2016-2019. The Council’s mandate became effective as of 16 March 2016.
The Council consists of 29 members elected based on regions and the respective quotas, as well as three independent experts. All seven regions are represented with seven members from Europe and four each from Asia, Latin America and Sub-Saharan Africa. Centres in MENA elected three members while North America and the Pacific elected two members each. The three independent experts are from Germany, Nigeria and Sri Lanka.
This is the fifth time that the General Assembly of the IRCT, in which each member has one vote, carries out elections to designate the representatives before the Council.
“This is an exercise of extraordinary importance, which is testament to the maturity of the organisation, and it underscores the IRCT’s commitment to its core values of democracy, cultural diversity and mutual respect, and rule of law,” says IRCT Secretary General, Victor Madrigal-Borloz…
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News
Inge Genefke receives acknowledgement from Chilean Government for her work with torture victims
22 March 2016
MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases
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Press Releases
MSF Pilots 3-D Printing and Virtual Reality Technology to Design its Hospitals and Improve Patient Care
March 23, 2016
NEW YORK/BRUSSELS, MARCH 23, 2016 — Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has successfully tested 3-D printing and virtual reality technology to design hospitals that better meet the needs of patients.
Press release
Greece: MSF Ends Activities at Primary Lesvos Transit Camp
March 22, 2016
New York/Athens, March 22, 2016 — The international medical humanitarian organization Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has decided to suspend its activities linked to the Moria “hotspot” until further notice. Moria is the main camp on the island of Lesvos where all arrivals are identified, registered, and fingerprinted before being relocated or returned to their home countries. The decision follows the EU-Turkey deal announced Friday, which will lead to the forced return of migrants and asylum-seekers from the Greek Island.
Press release
Just Two Percent of People with DR-TB have Access to New, more Effective Treatments
March 21, 2016
New York/Geneva, March 21, 2016—Two years after two new drugs to treat tuberculosis (TB)—the first in over 50 years—were conditionally approved for use, only two percent of the 150,000 people who need them most have been able to access them, according to Doctors Without Borders’ new edition of DR-TB Drugs Under the Microscope.
Field news
Tuberculosis: The Extremely Rare Case of Narendra
March 23, 2016
Since 2006, Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has been providing ambulatory medical and psychosocial care for people in Mumbai living with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DRTB), HIV, hepatitis C, or a combination of these diseases. The majority of the patients are HIV positive who require second or third line treatment. Narendra* is one of only two percent of drug-resistant TB patients in need that have access to these new drugs.
Field news
Bangladesh: Treating Survivors of Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Dhaka
March 22, 2016
Hundreds more women and girls accessed medical treatment in 2015 after experiencing sexual and gender-based violence in Kamrangirchar, in the Dhaka district, Bangladesh. New patient data collected by Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) shows clinics run by MSF in the areas of Alinogor, Thoda and Jawlahati treated almost double the amount of victims of sexual and gender-based violence in 2015 compared to the previous year – 1,154 patients compared to 684 in 2014.
Mercy Corps [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases
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Yemen, March 21, 2016
Mercy Corps: Yemen’s Children Starved by War
Malnutrition worsens as conflict hits one-year mark
Sana’a, Yemen – Almost a year into the country’s civil war, one in four Yemeni children is malnourished and food insecurity is on the rise, according to information gathered by the global organization Mercy Corps. As the conflict drives price increases for essential food items, even more children are likely to become hungry in the months ahead.
“Families were struggling to put food on the table before the crisis began. Now the war in Yemen has forced people throughout the country to flee their homes, close their businesses and deplete their savings,” says Jonathan Bartolozzi, Director of Programs for Mercy Corps. “In particular, we are concerned for the children of the country, who in many cases face life-threatening illnesses due to malnutrition.”
Recent Mercy Corps surveys of children under the age of five have shown Global Acute Malnutrition rates of about 28 percent, compared to pre-war levels in the same age group of 13 to 17 percent. In Taiz governorate, Mercy Corps recorded overall child malnutrition rates higher than 30 percent. A malnutrition rate above 15 percent constitutes an emergency condition, according to the World Health Organization…
OXFAM [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases
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24 March 2016
Oxfam suspends aid operations in Moria camp in protest to the suspension of migrants’ rights by the EU and Turkey
Oxfam has today suspended all of its operations in the Moria camp, on the Greek island of Lesvos, in response to the deteriorating treatment of migrants due to the recent deal struck between the EU and Turkey. The Greek authorities are transforming reception facilities into detention centers, where people will be held pending their mass return to Turkey.
22 March 2016
One year on: looming banking crisis in Yemen risks pushing millions into famine
A year of devastating conflict in Yemen which has seen more than 6,100 people killed, 2.4 million people forced from their homes, and left 21.2 million in dire need of humanitarian aid and is being compounded by a looming banking crisis risks pushing millions into famine
Norwegian Refugee Council [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.nrc.no/
Somalia
New trend for Somali youth
By: Oda Lykke Mortensen (24.03.2016)
Children out of school in Somalia face challenges and risks that may threat their future. With the Go to School project, funded by UNICEF, 450,000 children have been given education.
Refugee Crisis
Says no to police-run detention facilities
(23.03.2016)
The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) has decided to suspend a number of activities at the refugee and asylum seeker so-called ‘Hotspot’ facillity, Vial, on the island of Chios. “We cannot work independently and safely in a police-run detention facility. Now that it is a detention centre we no longer have adequate access to provide assistance to vulnerable refugees,” said Alain Homsy, Head of NRC operations in Greece.
Yemen
War in Yemen spikes displacement six-fold in one year
(22.03.2016)
The escalation of war and de-facto blockade in Yemen have resulted in the country’s largest ever displacement of civilians and unprecedented levels of poverty. Within one year alone, there has been a six-fold increase of people forced to flee their homes, raising the number to 2.4 million.
Save The Children [to 26 March 2016]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.9357111/k.C14B/Press_Releases_2016/apps/nl/newsletter2.asp
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March 23, 2016
Ending Yemen’s Conflict Now a Matter of Life and Death for Millions of Children
Fairfield, Conn. (March 23, 2016) — One year since the conflict in Yemen escalated, nearly 90 percent of children now need emergency humanitarian aid, yet the desperate plight of 10 million children is still being largely ignored, Save the Children said today.
The humanitarian agency warned that international governments are exacerbating the crisis and endangering children’s lives by choosing to support military action while ignoring the devastating consequences for civilians.
“An entire generation of children – the future of Yemen – is being abandoned to their fate,” says Edward Santiago, Save the Children’s Country Director in Yemen…
CONCORD [to 26 March 2016]
http://concordeurope.org/news-and-events/
[European NGO confederation for relief and development]
Analysis of six EU Country Roadmaps for Engagement with Civil Society and recommendations for the future
Mar 24, 2016 |
In the framework of the EU Country Roadmaps for Engagement with Civil Society, CONCORD analysed six countries’ roadmaps in order to enhance strategic cooperation and structured dialogue of the EU and its Member States with CSO’s in partner countries. Discover these roadmaps’ analysis as well as background information and recommendations for the future.
Beyond 2015 legacy: Converging views from Seamus Jeffreson and Leo Williams
Mar 23, 2016 |
After five years of activity, the Beyond 2015 project closes doors on 31 March 2015. What can we learn from this global campaign? What is the legacy that Beyond2015 will leave behind? Discover the intersecting perspectives from Seamus Jeffreson, CONCORD director and Leo Williams, Beyond2015 project Coordinator. Both will agree: we have a lot to take from this experience!
The Elders [to 26 March 2016]
http://theelders.org/news-media
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Opinion Hina Jilani 20 March 2016
Remembering the people who make human rights meaningful
Hina Jilani celebrates Nelson Mandela and the individuals like him who challenge injustice and safeguard the fundamental rights we all share.
GE2P2 Global :: Knowledge Sharing; Ideas; Operations 