The African Development Bank Group [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

African Development Bank appoints three High-Level Advisors on Fragility
12/02/2015 – The African Development Bank’s new Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience for the period 2014–2019 aims to place the Bank at the centre of Africa’s efforts to pave the way for a more resilient and inclusive development trajectory. Enhancing the Bank’s leadership role in policy dialogue, partnerships and advocacy around issues of fragility is critical in this process. Strategic partnerships in areas that are essential to overcoming fragility but that are outside its core mandate, such as justice and security, will enable the Bank access important information and share its knowledge in such matters.
For the Bank to deliver on addressing fragility there is a need to systematically and continuously engage with the Regional Member Countries at the highest level possible. High-calibre individuals who have relevant knowledge, political influence, excellent reputation and strong networks among African policy-makers will enhance the Bank’s capacity and ability to demonstrate thought leadership on issues of fragility. The work of the High Level Panel on Fragile States in 2014 provided greater insights into the characteristics, manifestations and threats of fragility. Also, noted was that the capacities and resources of affected states and societies vary significantly hence the need for adapting to each context and focus on key entry points.

AfDB awards US$1 million emergency relief assistance for drought victims in Somalia
12/02/2015 – The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) has awarded US $1 million emergency relief assistance to Somalia where over one million people affected by drought and famine are in dire need of humanitarian assistance.

Africa launches platform to enhance collaboration between countries for the delivery of quality Early Childhood Development programs
10/02/2015 – A regional platform to improve the provision of quality Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs in Africa was launched on Monday, February 9 in Kigali, Rwanda, during the Ministerial Conference for Sub-Saharan Africa on Education Post-2015.

IMF [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

IMF Establishes a Catastrophe Containment and Relief Trust to Enhance Support for Eligible Low Income Countries Hit by Public Health Disasters
Press Release No. 15/53
February 13, 2015
The Ebola epidemic in parts of West Africa is a humanitarian catastrophe that has drawn attention of the international community to the need of addressing the rapid spread of life threatening infectious diseases that cause substantial domestic disruption and cross international borders.

On February 4, 2015, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) discussed how to better support Low-Income Countries hit by public health disasters. The Board approved the establishment of the Catastrophe Containment and Relief (CCR) Trust, allowing the Fund to provide debt relief in these cases, as well as to members experiencing other types of catastrophic disasters. These grants can ease pressures on the members’ balance of payments and create fiscal space to tackle relief and recovery challenges.

The CCR will provide grants for debt relief totaling $100 million for the three countries affected by Ebola in West Africa—Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea. This comes in addition to the $130 million of assistance provided in September 2014, and a second round of new concessional loans amounting to about $160 million to be considered soon by the Executive Board.

Background
In their November 2014 meeting in Brisbane, the G-20 called on the Bretton Woods Institutions to continue their strong support to countries severely affected by the Ebola outbreak through a combination of concessional loans, debt relief and grants, and asked the institutions to explore new, flexible mechanisms to address the economic effects of future comparable crises. The CCR Trust is the Fund’s response to that call. It replaces the Post-Catastrophe Debt Relief (PCDR) Trust established on June 25, 2010 in the wake of a massive earthquake in Haiti, and expands the circumstances under which the Fund can provide exceptional assistance to its low income members to include public health disasters.

Through the new instrument, the Fund is able to quickly and flexibly adjust its policies in the face of unexpected international developments, including pandemics, to serve the needs of its membership, especially the most vulnerable.

At the conclusion of the Executive Board meeting on the CCR, IMF Managing Director Christine stated: “I welcome the establishment of the Catastrophe Containment Relief Trust. It aims at enhancing our support to the countries in Africa hit by Ebola, as well as other low income countries that may be affected by public health disasters in the future.”…

World Bank [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

Scaling Up Universal Health Coverage and Containing Non-Communicable Diseases in the Middle East and North Africa: Challenges, Linkages and Strategies
KUWAIT CITY, February 12, 2015 – Addressing the twin challenges of scaling up universal health coverage (UHC) and containing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region is the focus of a five-day policy seminar sponsored by the World Bank in coordination with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) Middle East Center for Economics and Finance (CEF).The policy seminar brings together 37 senior level representatives from Ministries of Health, Finance, and Planning and health agencies in the MENA region, as well as representatives from academia and non- governmental organizations. Presentations by World Bank specialists with expert contributions from World Health Organization (WHO), Johns Hopkins University, US Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), are geared towards familiarizing policy makers and participants with global and regional experiences in scaling up universal health cover Show Less Date: February 12, 2015

New World Bank Group Push to Revive Agriculture, Avert Hunger for over One Million People at Risk in Ebola-hit Countries
Record 10,500 tons of seed to be delivered for April planting season
WASHINGTON, February 12, 2015—In a concerted push to revive agriculture and avert hunger in Ebola-hit countries, the World Bank Group has mobilized up to $15 million in emergency financing to provide a record 10,500 tons of maize and rice seed to over 200,000 farmers in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone in time for the April planting season. More than one million people could go hungry unless they have reliable access to food and emergency measures are taken immediately to safeguard crop and livestock production.A World Bank Group report shows that the Ebola crisis has taken a heavy toll on the economies in all three countries, and the agriculture and food sectors have been particularly hard hit….
Date: February 12, 2015

Improving Markets for Seeds and Fertilizers in West Africa
Despite these positive developments, most countries are a long way from having the required capacities and institutional structures needed to implement the new trade rules, and it will likely be many more years before true harmonized trade can begin. Rather than rely so intensively on regional harmonization and efforts to implement advanced international standards, therefore, the analysis points to a need for pragmatic solutions and simple changes that would have direct impact in the near term while longer-term progress towards full harmonization continues.Other key messages include: There are many good reasons for regional collaboration on seed and fertilizer. Soil types and rainfall patterns cut across West Africa mainly in east to west bands, meaning that neighboring countries are often the nearest source of supply and/or best market outlet for adapted seeds and appropriate fertilizer types. New institutional structures and capacities must be developed before the regional regulations…
Date: February 10, 2015

World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA to hold Second Tripartite Meeting on Regional Integration in West Africa
ACCRA, February 9, 2015 – The World Bank Group, ECOWAS and UEMOA are holding their Second Tripartite Meeting in Accra, Ghana, during February 10-11, 2015, to deliberate on issues pertinent to the socio-economic development of the ECOWAS Sub-region. The meeting will, among other things, review the status of implementation of the Abidjan Action Plan which was agreed during their first meeting in Abidjan in July 2013, and will focus on a number of key thematic areas such as Ebola, Agriculture, Regional Infrastructure and Cross Border Management. According to Mr. Colin Bruce, World Bank Africa Region’s Director responsible for Regional Integration, “Since we met in June 2013, we have made considerable progress in implementing our ambitious joint action plan in the six priority areas of Agriculture, Education, Trade and Trade Facilitation, Transport, Regional Investment Climate and the Sahel
Date: February 9, 2015

Amref Health Africa [to 14 February 2015]
http://amref.org/news/news/

AMREF Kenya Awarded US$5 Million Contract to Improve Sanitation and Hygiene
11 February 2015
Nairobi, Kenya
Amref Kenya has been awarded a contract worth KShs 450,000,000 to execute a five-year programme aimed at reaching over 1.92 million Kenyans thus contributing towards the national goal of Open Defecation Free Kenya by the year 2020.
Dubbed the Kenya Sanitation and Hygiene Improvement Programme (K-SHIP), it will act as a seed fund for the promotion of sanitation and hygiene in the country. The programme intends to intervene in 11 sub-counties/counties namely Kinango, Tharaka, Naivasha, Narok South, Gucha, Muranga, Vihiga, Mbeere North, Busia, Uasin Gishu and Kuria…

ECPAT [to 14 February 2015]

ECPAT releases new Regional Overviews on CSEC
Posted on 02/11/2015, 14:45
ECPAT has published Regional Overviews on the situation of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC) for Africa, Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), East and South-East Asia

ECPAT celebrates Safer Internet Day 2015
Posted on 02/10/2015, 12:50
ECPAT International celebrates the 12th Safer Internet Day on 10 February 2015 with more than 100 countries and thousands of schools, securing the online involvement of over 50 million people worldwide. It is up to all stakeholders- children and young people, parents and caregivers, teachers and educators, or governments and civil society –to help create a better internet together.

Heifer International [to 14 February 2015]

February 10, 2015
Mission Measurement Announces Clinton Global Initiative Commitment to Action-Heifer International a Named Partner
NEW YORK, NY
Today, at the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI) Winter meeting, President Clinton announced a new Commitment to Action designed to increase the impact of food security programs. Joining Mission Measurement in this effort are eight initial Food Security Genome Consortium members. They include leading corporations/corporate foundations (General Mills Foundation, Tyson Foods, etc.) and leading NGOs (Capital Area Food Bank, CARE, Heifer International and Share Our Strength).

HelpAge International [to 14 February 2015]

The World’s Growing Aging Population Presents Financial Challenges and Market Opportunities for Public and Private Sectors
New report examines the unmet financial needs of older people, particularly in Latin America, and charges policymakers and financial services providers to consider older people as an increasingly important market segment.

International Rescue Committee [to 14 February 2015]
12 Feb 2015
Humanitarian crisis in Ukraine deteriorates as International Rescue Committee sends emergency team

12 Feb 2015
Thousands displaced by attacks in Niger in desperate need of food, says IRC

09 Feb 2015
Putting on the brakes: Averting a deepening crisis in South Sudan

ICRC – International Committee of the Red Cross [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.icrc.org/eng/resources/index.jsp

Red Cross Red Crescent denounces continued violence against volunteers working to stop spread of Ebola
News release
12 February 2015
The International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is deeply concerned about continued violence perpetrated against its volunteers in Guinea. Due to the fear and mistrust surrounding Ebola virus disease, Red Cross staff and volunteers have regularly been attacked by scared communities.

Colombia: Dutch citizen released
News release
11 February 2015
Geneva / Bogotá (ICRC) – A Dutch citizen who was captured last month by the National Liberation Army (ELN) was today handed over to a team made up of delegates from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and representatives of the Catholic Church. The handover took place in a rural part of Norte de Santander department, in north-eastern Colombia.

Lebanon: Strengthening the resilience of communities affected by violence
News release
11 February 2015
Tripoli, Lebanon’s second largest city, has been the scene of recurrent outbursts of armed violence between the marginalized communities of the Bab al-Tabbaneh and Jabal Mohsen neighbourhoods. Since November 2014, the ICRC has launched several projects to help both communities to recover from long-standing cycles of poverty and violence and regain their dignity.

IRCT [to 14 February 2015]

In focus
IRCT’s new strategy: to become global knowledge hub on health-based rehabilitation of torture victims and chief promoter of the right to rehabilitation
09 February 2015
The IRCT has published its strategic plan for 2015-2020, which details the progress the movement has made in the last strategic period and outlines new objectives and commitments for the upcoming five-year period.

The movement’s two key strategic objectives for the next five years are to become a leading hub of global knowledge on health-based rehabilitation and to lead global consensus-making processes on the right to rehabilitation’s contents, scope and standards. The IRCT will seek to achieve these objectives through a series of activities grouped under capacity building, research development and advocacy.

“We are very pleased to share our vision and goals for the next strategic period. This document is a critical milestone for the IRCT and its members as it sets out the direction for the torture rehabilitation movement over the coming five years,” says Victor Madrigal-Borloz, IRCT Secretary-General.

Mercy Corps [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases

Mercy Corps, Rockefeller Foundation Launch Asia Regional Network to Build City Resilience to Climate Change
Indonesia, February 12, 2015
Local and regional urban practitioners in Asia urged to join expanded resilience network
Bangkok, Thailand — At the first Asia-Pacific Forum on Urban Resilience and Adaptation this week in Bangkok, the Asian Cities Climate Change Resilience Network (ACCCRN) will launch a member-based regional network headed by global humanitarian organization Mercy Corps. As a result of ACCCRN’s expanding footprint, Mercy Corps will build a larger coalition of national, regional and local practitioners and institutions committed to helping cities withstand and recover from the projected impacts of climate change. Today more than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas, and this number will increase along with vulnerability to erratic and severe weather patterns.

Testimony on the humanitarian response in the Democratic Republic of Congo by Andrea Koppel at the World Bank’s 2015 Fragility Forum
DR Congo, February 11, 2015
On Wednesday, February 11, 2015, Mercy Corps was invited to provide remarks at the annual World Bank Fragility Forum. Andrea Koppel, the Vice President of Global Engagement and Policy spoke on behalf of Mercy Corps, presenting the findings of a joint report, “Assessing Humanitarian Response in North Kivu,” produced by Mercy Corps, World Vision, the Search for Common Ground and the Congolese government.

USAID and Skoll Foundation Announce Joint Investment in Evidence Action for Clean Water in Uganda
Uganda, February 11, 2015
Low-cost chlorine dispensers to provide safe water to 3.2 million people in rural Uganda
Washington, D.C. –DATE- The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and the Skoll Foundation announced a joint investment of $2 million in Evidence Action to scale up its Dispensers for Safe Water program, a proven and highly cost effective approach for providing clean water to rural communities.
The investment is the third of its kind by the Innovation Investment Alliance, a Global Development Alliance between the Skoll Foundation and USAID that is supported by the global humanitarian agency Mercy Corps, which is focused on scaling the impact of proven social entrepreneurs.
Dispensers for Safe Water installs innovative low-cost chlorine dispensers directly at the water source in rural communities in Uganda, Kenya and Malawi….

OXFAM [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

Putting on the brakes: Averting a deepening crisis in South Sudan
9 February 2015
NGOs urge regional leaders and donors to redouble efforts to push for a lasting peace agreement that transforms South Sudan’s trajectory from devastation to development.

Plan International [to 14 February 2015]
http://plan-international.org/about-plan/resources/media-centre

13/02/2015:
Radio continues to give a voice to thousands of children across the developing world
Radio continues to be the most important tool to provide young people with information and give a voice to children across the developing world, many of whom live in remote or disaster-prone areas, says Plan.

09/02/2015:
Plan International leads on child protection in Sierra Leone
Plan International has been named lead humanitarian organisation in the field of child protection by the government of Sierra Leone, particularly for its response work involving Ebola survivors.

Save The Children [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.savethechildren.org/site/c.8rKLIXMGIpI4E/b.6150563/k.D0E9/Newsroom.htm

.
Save the Children Calls on EU leaders to Urgently Strengthen the Search and Rescue Capacity in the Mediterranean
FAIRFIELD, Conn. (Feb. 11, 2015) — More than 300 migrants are presumed dead, according to UN’s refugee agency, after the boats carrying them sank trying to reach Italy having departed the Libyan coast on Saturday. Latest reports indicate that just 9 people survived.

“Save the Children has repeatedly raised concerns that the Italian navy’s comprehensive search-and-rescue operation, Mare Nostrum, was stopped last October, citing fears about accentuating the already extreme risks faced by migrants, especially those most vulnerable, such as women and children, in migrant sea crossings,” said Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children.

“Sadly, despite this latest tragedy, the number of migrants continuing to attempt treacherous sea crossings is increasing. In January 2015, despite the bad weather conditions, 3,528 migrants reached Italy, including 195 women and 374 children — a staggering rise of 60 percent compared to the number of migrants arriving in 2013.

“Save the Children calls on EU leaders to urgently strengthen the search and rescue capacity in the Mediterranean to help mitigate the high number of migrant and refugee deaths at sea.”…
.

Search and Rescue Must be Strengthened After Migrant Deaths
Lampedusa, Italy (Feb. 10, 2015) – Save the Children is calling upon on Italy and Europe to strengthen its search and rescue capabilities in the Mediterranean Sea to prevent further tragedies following the deaths of 29 migrants owing to hypothermia.

The migrants attempting this treacherous sea crossing were picked up by the Italian coastguard after fleeing from violence in their home countries, including Libya.

“Appalling sea conditions encountered in the winter haven’t disrupted the flow of arrivals by sea. There is firm evidence of no alternatives for those who are forced, in spite of everything, to attempt this desperate crossing,” said Rafaella Milano of Save the Children Italy…

ODI [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

EU State Building Contracts: early lessons from the EU’s new budget support instrument for fragile states
Research reports and studies, February 2015
Myra Bernardi, Tom Hart, Gideon Rabinowitz
First lessons from the European Union’s new instrument for budget support in fragile states.

Adapting development: improving services to the poor
Publication – February 2015
Leni Wild, David Booth, Clare Cummings, Marta Foresti and Joseph Wales
On current trends, it will take decades or longer to bring basic services to the world’s most disadvantaged people. Meeting this challenge means recognising the political conditions that enable or obstruct development progress – a radical departure from the approach of the Millennium Development Goals.

Start Network [Consortium of British Humanitarian Agencies] [to 14 February 2015]
http://www.start-network.org/news-blog/#.U9U_O7FR98E

What does the future hold for humanitarians? Notes from the Futures Roundtable
February 11, 2015
Posted by Paul Currion in Blog.

Last November the Start Network was invited to participate in a Futures Roundtable, held at the Royal Society in London. This was planned as part of the consultation process for the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS), but with a twist. It wasn’t just humanitarian practitioners sitting round the table, but a selection of experts from completely different sectors: the insurance industry, the technology sector, the research sciences.

The workshop was convened by one of our long-term partners, Randolph Kent of the Planning from the Future project at Kings College London, and UN OCHA. The future always excites us (it’s where all of us are going to live, after all) and so our own Sean Lowrie and Paul Currion agreed to co-facilitate the workshop. The results were interesting – and you can read a short report we’ve attached below – but what was more interesting was the process.

By bringing together participants with more diverse backgrounds than usual, the workshop was able to discuss issues and generate scenarios that had not previously been raised in WHS consultations. The workshop could have gone on for longer, but we were lucky to get these participants – all of whom told us they found the workshop very constructive – for a day and half. The future? We’re talking with Randolph about how to repeat the experience.

Read the summary report here

MacArthur Foundation
http://www.macfound.org/

Publication
Protecting Human Rights Defenders and Journalists in Mexico
Published February 11, 2015
A report from the Washington Office on Latin America and Peace Brigades International assesses Mexico’s Mechanism to Protect Human Rights Defenders and Journalists. The report draws on a series of case studies to identify several areas for improvement of the Mechanism, including staffing and funding shortages and delays in risk assessments that determine protections for individuals. The report provides recommendations for strengthening the Mechanism to the Mexican government, the governments of Mexico’s 31 states and Federal District, and the U.S. government.

February 10, 2015 – From The Field
Foundations Partner to Build a Stronger Digital Society
Five foundations will jointly address the challenges and opportunities of the digital age, including committing to help keep the Internet open, secure, accessible and affordable to all. MacArthur and its NetGain partners – the Ford, Knight, Mozilla, and Open Society Foundations – will together seek to strengthen digital society, guided by a set of shared principles on the role of the Internet and technology in advancing the public interest. [See Declaration above in Week in Review]

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 14 February 2015)

Research article
Historical account of the national health insurance formulation in Kenya: experiences from the past decade
Timothy Abuya, Thomas Maina, Jane Chuma BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:56 (12 February 2015)

Research article
Streamlined research funding using short proposals and accelerated peer review: an observational study
Adrian G Barnett, Danielle L Herbert, Megan Campbell, Naomi Daly, Jason A Roberts, Alison Mudge, Nicholas Graves BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:55 (7 February 2015)

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 14 February 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Health care providers’ perceptions of and attitudes towards induced abortions in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia: a systematic literature review of qualitative and quantitative data
Ulrika Loi, Kristina Gemzell-Danielsson, Elisabeth Faxelid, Marie Klingberg-Allvin
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:139 (12 February 2015)

Research article
Effectiveness of short message services reminder on childhood immunization programme in Kadoma, Zimbabwe – a randomized controlled trial, 2013
Donewell Bangure, Daniel Chirundu, Notion Gombe, Tawanda Marufu, Gibson Mandozana, Mufuta Tshimanga, Lucia Takundwa
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:137 (12 February 2015)

Research article
The world health organization’s health promoting schools framework: a Cochrane systematic review and meta-analysis
Rebecca Langford1*, Christopher Bonell2, Hayley Jones1, Theodora Pouliou1, Simon Murphy3, Elizabeth Waters4, Kelli Komro5, Lisa Gibbs4, Dan Magnus1 and Rona Campbell1
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:130 doi:10.1186/s12889-015-1360-y
Published: 12 February 2015
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Healthy children achieve better educational outcomes which, in turn, are associated with improved health later in life. The World Health Organization’s Health Promoting Schools (HPS) framework is a holistic approach to promoting health and educational attainment in school. The effectiveness of this approach has not yet been rigorously reviewed.
Methods
We searched 20 health, education and social science databases, and trials registries and relevant websites in 2011 and 2013.We included cluster randomised controlled trials. Participants were children and young people aged four to 18?years attending schools/colleges. HPS interventions had to include the following three elements: input into the curriculum; changes to the school’s ethos or environment; and engagement with families and/or local communities. Two reviewers identified relevant trials, extracted data and assessed risk of bias. We grouped studies according to the health topic(s) targeted. Where data permitted, we performed random-effects meta-analyses.
Results
We identified 67 eligible trials tackling a range of health issues. Few studies included any academic/attendance outcomes. We found positive average intervention effects for: body mass index (BMI), physical activity, physical fitness, fruit and vegetable intake, tobacco use, and being bullied. Intervention effects were generally small. On average across studies, we found little evidence of effectiveness for zBMI (BMI, standardized for age and gender), and no evidence for fat intake, alcohol use, drug use, mental health, violence and bullying others. It was not possible to meta-analyse data on other health outcomes due to lack of data. Methodological limitations were identified including reliance on self-reported data, lack of long-term follow-up, and high attrition rates.
Conclusion
This Cochrane review has found the WHO HPS framework is effective at improving some aspects of student health. The effects are small but potentially important at a population level.

Research article
Barriers to modern contraceptive methods uptake among young women in Kenya: a qualitative study
Rhoune Ochako, Mwende Mbondo, Stephen Aloo, Susan Kaimenyi, Rachel Thompson, Marleen Temmerman, Megan Kays
BMC Public Health 2015, 15:118 (10 February 2015)

BMC Research Notes
(Accessed 14 February 2015)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcresnotes/content

Short Report
Wealth and under-nourishment among married women in two impoverished nations: evidence from Burkina Faso and Congo Democratic Republic
Ayo Adebowale, Martin Palamuleni, Clifford Odimegwu BMC Research Notes 2015, 8:34 (8 February 2015)