Handicap International [to 29 March 2014]
Aid agencies: “…we can ease immense human suffering” [Syria]
March 28, 2014
One month after the adoption of Security Council resolution 2139, assessments show that progress on humanitarian access in Syria has been very limited.
Excerpt
Assessments estimate that more than 3.5 million people are still cut off from food and medication, say eight aid agencies. When the United Nations Security Council takes stock of progress on humanitarian access this Friday, they have to be honest about the lack of progress. The Council needs to act to ensure that this resolution is implemented immediately to provide life-saving aid to millions of Syrians…
..According to the UN, more than 9.3 million people are in desperate need of humanitarian aid inside Syria. “Dedicated aid agencies are ready to cross battle lines, borders, rivers and mountains – whatever is required to end the human suffering in Syria,” said Jan Egeland, Secretary General of the Norwegian Refugee Council. “There is no excuse for not facilitating a lot more cross-border aid operations.”
“Behind the headlines are people inside Syria for whom this war is a bitter, daily reality,” said Thierry-Mehdi Benlahsen, Regional Emergency Coordinator Handicap International. “This crisis might appear complex in political terms, but is dramatically simpler in humanitarian ones. Through humanitarian assistance we cannot stop this war, but we can reduce people’s suffering and dying in the absence of a peaceful political solution. The UN Security Council needs to strengthen the implementation of the resolution including detailed monitoring mechanisms and ensure that much needed humanitarian assistance reaches the people trapped inside Syria.”…
…“The growing plight of millions of Syrians underscores the importance of making UNSC resolution 2139 a success,” said Mark Schnellbaecher, Regional Director of the International Rescue Committee. “Every day that passes without progress on humanitarian access, is the worst day yet for Syrians struggling to survive.”…

Heifer International [to 29 March 2014]

Heifer International @Heifer Mar 28
See how Heifer and @operationsmile are giving this 5-year-old boy a future to smile about: http://hefr.in/1jFK6HD

Heifer International @Heifer Mar 26
Read why @HeiferCEO believes that female farmers will save the world: http://hefr.in/1juNmWm

Heifer International ‏@Heifer Mar 26
Join the Heifer conversation. Read the spring @World_Ark magazine online today: http://hefr.in/1m63smv

HelpAge International [to 29 March 2014]

HelpAge @helpage Mar 27
Older people were traumatised by #Haiyan. With partners, inc. @MERCYMalaysia we recruited older people as counsellors http://bit.ly/1o4gipW

HelpAge ‏@helpage Mar 27
Latest issue of Ageways available to download. Focus is #emergencies with articles on #health & #shelter among others http://bit.ly/1jQvL6Z

Retweeted by HelpAge
HelpAge LA @HelpAgeLA Mar 25
@HelpAgeLA comunica con profundo pesar el fallecimiento de nuestro Director Ejecutivo, Francisco Roque Castro http://www.helpage.org/la/noticias/fallecio-francisco-roque/ …

HelpAge @helpage Mar 25
Very sad to announce Francisco Roque, our L America & Caribbean Director has passed away. Thoughts with his family http://bit.ly/OVi112

HelpAge ‏@helpage Mar 24
Watch our video to find out what we’re doing to help older #Syrian #refugees in #Jordan and #Lebanon: http://bit.ly/1dGVn2t

International Rescue Committee [to 29 March 2014]

Press Releases
28 Mar 2014
IRC Deeply Concerned By Recent Attacks Targeting Humanitarian Aid Organizations in Myanmar
March 29, 2014 – The International Rescue Committee expressed deep concern about recent attacks on humanitarian aid organizations, including IRC offices, in Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine State, in Myanmar. The attacks, which began on Wednesday and have continued over the past 2 days have forced the IRC to temporarily suspend its work throughout Rakhine State and to relocate its staff to Yangon…

28 Mar 2014
Aid agencies: “We cannot stop the war, but we can ease immense human suffering” [Syria: Jint announcement with Handicap above]

28 Mar 2014
IRC statement on today’s update to the UN Security Council on Resolution 2139 on humanitarian access
Mark Schnellbaecher, IRC Regional Director – Syrian Crisis Response, said: “The failure to effectively implement the unanimously adopted resolution on humanitarian access is a tragedy for the Syrian people. This war has already taken far too many lives and destroyed the hopes of far too many families. The resolution offered a way to reach the millions of Syrians trapped by conflict and struggling to survive. It demanded that all parties to the conflict allow aid to reach besieged civilians and to help those in desperate need. That access has again been denied, just as it has throughout the three years of this war.
“Today the International Rescue Committee is calling for permanent member states of the Security Council and the international community to deliver a negotiated solution that allows lifesaving aid across borders into Syria and across conflict lines inside the country. We are seeing Syrians’ future dissolve before our eyes in a war that shows no sign of abating. What we need now is full implementation of UNSC resolution 2139 and results on the ground. Without that, we will fail Syrians in need.
“The growing plight of millions of Syrians underscores the importance of making UNSC resolution 2139 a success. Every day that passes without progress on humanitarian access, is the worst day yet for Syrians struggling to survive,” says Schnellbaecher….

Latest News
Quoted: David Miliband on attacks on aid groups in Myanmar
Posted by The IRC on March 28, 2014
“Safe and unimpeded access to people who are in need is one of the very basic standards of international law,” says IRC president David Miliband, responding to recent attacks on humanitarian aid organizations in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Bill Clinton, student volunteers dig in at the Phoenix New Roots garden
Posted by The IRC on March 28, 2014
On a sunny Sunday morning, a group of 600 college students from 300 universities gathered at a community garden in downtown Phoenix, ready for their day of service as part of the Clinton Global Initiative University 2014.

Inside Congo’s “Triangle of Death,” a bustling market becomes an oasis of hope
Posted by Tamara Leigh on March 27, 2014
Tens of thousands of people have recently fled their homes due to armed violence in remote areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Learn how a bustling market is helping to restore hope and opportunity to these familes.

Posted by The IRC on March 26, 2014
In an op-ed published by TIME this week, IRC president David Miliband writes that international law is being flouted daily in Syria. “Civilians are not just caught in the crossfire—they are targeted,” he says. more »

Posted by The IRC on March 26, 2014
Since 2007, the IRC has been working with local communities to repair existing water sources and provide access to new ones in a remote town in arid central Somalia. Watch this short film to find out more about the IRC’s lifesaving work.

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 28
Inside #DRC #Congo’s “Triangle of Death,” a bustling market becomes an oasis of hope–> http://bit.ly/1jEdTQW pic.twitter.com/2GC35PAzzV

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 27
#Syria, #Philippines, #SouthSudan to #CARcrisis: How can we manage one more ‘level 3’ emergency?, by @Heidi_Lehmann: http://bit.ly/1msXZt1

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 26
Just in: president @DMiliband’s op-ed on @TIME @TIMEIdeas: “#Syria’s Latest Victim: International Law” http://ti.me/1gXTK0i

Intl Rescue Comm IRC @theIRC Mar 25
Thousands flee to #Niger as violence returns to northern #Nigeria. @theIRC is there: http://bit.ly/1gjM6mJ pic.twitter.com/iwefnfUtuD

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 29 March 2014]
Myanmar: Encouraging Dialogue on Rakhine, but Clinics Remain Closed
March 24, 2014
Since MSF-Holland was ordered to suspend all activities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, the organization has engaged in high-level discussions with the Union Government of Myanmar on the need to maintain essential medical services for hundreds of thousands of people in the state who are facing a medical humanitarian crisis.

MSF Internationalb‏@MSF Mar 28
Check out the very informative page on #Ebola our colleagues from @MSF_uk created: http://www.msf.org.uk/ebola-0

MSF Internationalb‏@MSF Mar 25
#Ebola in #Guinea: We have 30 staff on the ground and are sending more doctors, nurses and sanitation specialists. http://www.msf.org/article/guinea-msf-reinforces-teams-help-control-spread-ebola-epidemic …

MSF Internationalb@MSF Mar 25
#CARcrisis violence not yet over. Renewed attacks in Bangui, #MSF treated 38 wounded. http://www.msf.org/article/central-african-republic-msf-treats-38-people-wounded-renewed-attacks-bangui …

MSF Internationalb@MSF Mar 24
“We, the people infected with drug-resistant tuberculosis (DR-TB), live in every part of the world” #TBmanifesto http://ow.ly/uN7mW

Operation Smile [to 29 March 2014]
Operation Smileb @operationsmile Mar 28
See how @Heifer and @operationsmile are giving this 5-year-old boy a future to smile about: http://hefr.in/1maxuFz

Operation Smile @operationsmile Mar 20
Safe travels team! #healingsmiles RT @Rosenmertz ethicon team on @operationsmile mission to Bolivia http://instagram.com/p/lw0aJwL7Vx/

Partners In Health [to 29 March 2014]
Mar 28, 2014
Dr. Fidel Rubagumya Reflects on Cancer in Rwanda
A recent editorial from Dr. Fidel Rubagumya takes a look at the burden of cancer in Rwanda.

Mar 26, 2014
Empowering Rwanda’s Health Sector Through Global Learning
PIH’s partnership with Harvard Medical School and the Rwandan MOH gives health care workers a new perspective.

Mar 24, 2014
Dr. Paul Farmer: A Conversation about Ending TB Deaths
On World TB Day, Dr. Paul Farmer talks with the UN’s Ray Chambers about ending TB deaths in The Huffington Post.

Mar 24, 2014
MDR-TB in Children: A Q&A with PIH’s Dr. Mercedes Becerra
On World TB Day, PIH’s Dr. Mercedes Becerra published a groundbreaking paper on pediatric TB.

Partners In Health ‏@PIH Mar 28
.@USAID officials visited a @PIH farm, vocational school, and Nourimanba factory in #Haiti, read more: http://ow.ly/v8FNL

Partners In Health ‏@PIH Mar 26
Chris Holmes of @USAID reflects on a recent visit to University Hospital in Mirebalais, #Haiti http://ow.ly/uZHe5

Partners In Health @PIH Mar 24
Attention clinicians—Download @PIH Guide to Medical Management of MDRTB here: http://ow.ly/uU1R6 #WorldTBDay

PATH [to 29 March 2014]
Announcement | March 27, 2014
PATH receives funding to build new tools in the fight against malaria
Point-of-care diagnostic test seeks to improve management of P. vivax malaria

PATH ‏@PATHtweets Mar 29
Postcard from #vaccination campaign in Laos. Her smile was a decade in the making: http://www.path.org/blog/2013/10/vaccine-prequalification/ … pic.twitter.com/xMKjphH5b0

PATH @PATHtweets Mar 28
Global vaccination efforts must better the communities they serve. On our blog: http://bit.ly/1fsLA0D

Retweeted by PATH
Steve Davis ‏@SteveDavisPATH Mar 27
Today: Moderating @GHTCoalition Capitol Hill briefing on innovation & the role of US leadership in global health http://www.ghtcoalition.org/innovation-for-a-changing-world.php …

PATH @PATHtweets Mar 26
New to PATH? Our work spans five platforms that, together, improve health for women & children: http://www.path.org/about/platforms.php …

SOS-Kinderdorf International [to 29 March 2014]
Children’s Villages @sos4children 2h
VIDEO: Muniye from SOS Children’s Village Tlokweng, #Botswana, explains the special care she gives as an SOS Mother https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1MiD6GEx1g …

Children’s Villages @sos4children Mar 27
SOS Syria provided footage from inside a besieged refugee camp on outskirts of #Damascus #Syria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKi9qgBsoDA&list=UUKP67_RRkD1zzVLVvoaITXQ …

Children’s Villages @sos4children Mar 22
Follow SOS Children on Google+ https://plus.google.com/u/0/+SOSChildrensVillagesOrgUK/posts …

St. Christopher’s Hospice [to 29 March 2014]
St Christopher’s ‏@stchfundraising Mar 28
Volunteer Focus – meet Brian. He works in the fundraising department helping us with mail outs and admin #volunteer pic.twitter.com/B46XtgKRsT

St Christopher’s ‏@stchfundraising Mar 26
The Social Programme at St Christopher’s brings together hospice users and the local community. Find out more here http://bit.ly/OU2crI

Tostan [to 29 March 2014]
March 27, 2014
Sharing Seminar and Baby-ology Nights Help Mobilize Religious Leaders in Promoting Childhood Development
Last Thursday, March 20th, in the third event of its kind organized by Tostan, a group of Islamic religious leaders gathered in Kolda, Senegal to participate in a discussion on childhood brain development and parental practices. The 39 Pulaar imams and marabouts in attendance came from the Kolda and Kaolack regions of Senegal and spent two days in the seminar organized through Tostan’s Reinforcement of Parental Practices (RPP) team. Similar seminars have already been held by Tostan in Ziguinchor and Kaolack, two of the five regions where the RPP module is being implemented in Senegal…

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 28
@Tostan’s holistic education approach named as 1 of 6 innovations for ending violence against girls http://bit.ly/1lr3FDD @together4girls

Tostan @Tostan Mar 27
@Tostan & our founder @MollyMelching are featured in former U.S Pres. Jimmy Carter’s book ‘A Call to Action @CarterCenter #ACalltoAction

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 26
@JNJGlobalHealth @Joymarini Special note to Tostan’s mobile phones for literacy & dev. program & its impact on girls http://bit.ly/1dvLvy4

Tostan ‏@Tostan Mar 25
Our Prison Project supports former detainee to use his income-generating skills & start his poultry farming business http://bit.ly/1h5wVfy

United Nations – Selected Meetings Coverage and Press Releases [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

UN Meetings
Security Council Authorizes Year-long Mandate Extension for United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in Democratic Republic of Congo (28 March 2014)
SC/11340

General Assembly Adopts Resolution Calling upon States Not to Recognize Changes in Status of Crimea Region (27 March 2014)
GA/11493

Fifth Committee Considers Financial Implications of Draft Resolution on Strengthening United Nations Human Rights Treaty Body System (26 March 2014)
GA/AB/4103

Modern Forms of Slavery Still Thrive among Us, Delegates Tell General Assembly as It Commemorates Transatlantic Slave Trade’s Victims (25 March 2014)
GA/11491

Press Releases
Durable Peace, Security in Africa Crucial to Region’s Transformation, Deputy Secretary-General Tells Forum (28 March 2014)
DSG/SM/761-AFR/2843

Secretary-General Urges All to ‘Harness Power of Sport to Build Better World’ in Message for First International Observance (28 March 2014)
SG/SM/15735-OBV/1321

Secretary-General, Marking International Mine Awareness Day, Highlights Women’s Vital Role in Safeguarding Earth (27 March 2014)
SG/SM/15732-OBV/1319

UNICEF [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_71508.html

Media Releases [selected]
Renewed violence threatens thousands of trapped children in Central African Republic
DAKAR, Senegal 28 March 2014 – With a new wave of fighting and vicious attacks in Central African Republic this week threatening vulnerable families, UNICEF warns that thousands of children, from both Muslim and Christian communities, are especially at risk. UNICEF has confirmed reports of the deaths of at least three children in an attack last night. In the past week of violence, eight children injured by grenade and gunfire have been treated.

UNICEF steps up response in Guinea as Ebola reaches capital
CONAKRY, Guinea/DAKAR, Senegal, 28 March 2014 – Amid an Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF) outbreak, four cases in Conakry have been confirmed yesterday by the Guinean Government. In Guinea’s capital and across the rest of the country, UNICEF is ramping up its activities in support of Guinean authorities to prevent the often fatal disease from claiming even more lives.

Racing against time for children in South Sudan: IKEA Foundation supports UNICEF
GENEVA, 28 March 2014 – The IKEA Foundation today announced a contribution of Euro 1 million to UNICEF in support of its efforts to scale up the emergency response in South Sudan ahead of the imminent rainy season.

Urgent Supplies Reach Remote Areas in South Sudan, with Joint Operation
JUBA, South Sudan, 28 March 2014 – An urgent operation to deliver food, vaccines, nutrition supplements and other vital relief supplies to one of the most isolated areas of conflict-affected South Sudan has begun today, as part of a joint response by the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the UN World Food Programme (WFP).

UNICEF swiftly responds to Ebola outbreak in Guinea
CONAKRY, Guinea/DAKAR, Senegal, 26 March 2014 – With an Ebola Haemorrhagic Fever (Ebola HF) outbreak declared in the Southern part of Guinea, 11 suspected cases of children infected have been reported, three of whom have died. In an effort to prevent the severe, often-fatal disease from spreading further, UNICEF immediately rushed in aid and delivered health supplies to the most affected areas.

Time running out for children in South Sudan says UNICEF
NEW YORK, 25 March 2014 – Unless the humanitarian situation inside South Sudan improves rapidly and radically for children and families, nearly a million people – mostly women and children – will face an even greater crisis both inside the South Sudan and in neighbouring countries, UNICEF said today.

UNOCHA [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unocha.org/

Press Releases
28 Mar 2014
Syrian Arab Republic: Emergency Relief Coordinator and Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Valerie Amos Statement to the Press on Syria
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Syrian Arab Republic Friday 28 March 2014 Checked against delivery Good afternoon everyone. I would just like to make a very brief statement following my briefing to the Security Council on the humanitarian situation in Syria and what has been happening since Resolution 2139 was adopted a month ago. As you know the Secretary–General presented his report earlier this week. I am not going to go into the detail of that…

27 Mar 2014
Syrian Arab Republic: The First United Nations Humanitarian Aid Convoy Enters North of Syria [EN/AR]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Syrian Arab Republic, Turkey (Mardin/Nusaybin, Turkey, 26 March) The United Nations confirms that its convoy carrying vital humanitarian aid for Syrian civilians who are desperately in need in the north of Syria has crossed the Turkish border at Nusaybin over the past five days. The humanitarian supplies have reached UN warehouses in the city of Qamishli, Northern Syria, from where they will be distributed to people in…

26 Mar 2014
Somalia: Statement attributable to the acting Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia, Mr. Sikander Khan
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Somalia Country: Somalia (Mogadishu/Nairobi, 27 March 2014): I am deeply concerned that over 10 people were injured, including at least six children, and others were exposed to severe danger due to mortar shelling affecting several densely populated civilian areas in Mogadishu. This attack is a clear violation of international humanitarian law that prohibits indiscriminate attacks as…

26 Mar 2014
World: UN and IGAD strengthen ties on resilience and humanitarian action
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, Uganda, World, South Sudan (Kampala, 26 March 2014) The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) agreed today to enhance their collaboration in disaster preparedness, coordination of humanitarian aid, and advocacy for the protection of civilians affected by conflict and natural disasters. The…

25 Mar 2014
Sudan: Humanitarian situation dramatically deteriorating in Sudan and South Sudan: Scaled-up response urgently needed
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Sudan, South Sudan (New York, 25 March 2014) UN OCHA Operations Director John Ging today expressed deep concern about the massive and growing humanitarian needs in Sudan and the conflict devastating South Sudan and its people. Briefing the press with Yasmine Haque of UNICEF after their week-long visit to Sudan and South Sudan, with fellow Emergency Directors from the Danish Refugee Council, FAO, IOM, UNHCR, WFP and WHO…

WHO & Regionals [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.who.int/en/
WHO: South-East Asia Region certified polio-free
SEAR/PR 1569
New Delhi, 27 March: WHO South-East Asia Region, home to a quarter of the world’s population, was certified polio-free today by an independent commission under the WHO certification process. This is the fourth of six WHO Regions to be certified, marking an important step towards global polio eradication. With this step, 80% of the world’s population now lives in certified polio-free regions.
An independent panel of 11 experts in public health, epidemiology, virology, clinical medicine and related specialties constituting the South-East Asia Regional Certification Commission for Polio Eradication (SEA-RCCPE) met for two days to review evidence from countries before reaching the decision that all 11 countries of the Region are now polio-free and have met the requirements for certification…
… “This is a momentous victory for the millions of health workers who have worked with governments, nongovernmental organizations, civil society and international partners to eradicate polio from the Region. It is a sign of what we can bequeath our children when we work together,” said Dr Poonam Khetrapal Singh, Regional Director for the WHO South-East Asia Region…
…While celebrating the historic achievement, the WHO Regional Director also sounded a word of caution to maintain high vigilance against importation of polio. “Until polio is globally eradicated, all countries are at risk and the Region’s polio-free status remains fragile. High immunization coverage can prevent an imported virus from finding an underimmunized, susceptible population. A sensitive surveillance system, able to quickly detect and identify any importation and guide a programmatic response, is critical,” she added.

UNDP United Nations Development Program [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.us.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

27 Mar 2014
UN development chief reaffirms support to Typhoon Haiyan recovery
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Administrator Helen Clark today wrapped up a two-day visit to the Philippines focused on post-typhoon recovery and support for the peace process in Mindanao.

27 Mar 2014
Japan and UNDP intensify support to Yolanda recovery efforts
The Government of Japan and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) forged an agreement today for additional support to Typhoon Yolanda (Haiyan) recovery and resilience in the Visayas. As the humanitarian response transitions from relief to recovery, the Japanese Government committed an additional USD 3.5 million (approx. Php 157 million) to support livelihood restoration and to strengthen local government systems and services.

24 Mar 2014
UNDP chief: Inclusion and sustainability key to development progress in Viet Nam
“In considering its next generation of reforms, Viet Nam can opt for an inclusive and sustainable development pathway,” UNDP Administrator Helen Clark said in her keynote address at a conference sharing international experience and lessons for Viet Nam.

24 Mar 2014
Iraq – Working to End Domestic Violence Against Women Refugees of the Syria Conflict

24 Mar 2014
Helen Clark: Keynote Address at the International Conference on Economic Reforms for Inclusive and Sustainable Growth: International Experience and Lessons for Viet Nam
Hanoi, Vietnam

UN Women [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at the NGO CSW Forum
Posted on March 27, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri, at the NGO CSW Forum on “What do we want from Beijing+20”, New York, 9 March 2014. More

Budgets respond to the needs of women in Morocco
Posted on March 27, 2014
The needs of women and girls are increasingly being reflected in how governments spend in Morocco and a new organic law of finance passed in January 2014 by the Council of Government has cemented gender throughout the budgeting process. More

My Mother Always Told Me Inaction Is Not an Option
Posted on March 26, 2014
In the words of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women. Cross-posted from the Huffington Post as part of the Global Moms Relay and Global Motherhood partnership with Johnson & Johnson. More

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on Trafficking in human beings
Posted on March 26, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on Trafficking in human beings – A severe form of violence against women and girls and a flagrant violation of human rights, New York, 10 March 2014. More

Remarks by Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on New Approaches to Poverty Eradication among Women with Disabilities
Posted on March 25, 2014
Remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a CSW58 side event on New Approaches to Poverty Eradication among Women with Disabilities, New York, 19 March 2014.
[see full text in Week in Review above]

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

28 March 2014 – Dispatch
Giving Birth amid Chaos in South Sudan
JUBA, South Sudan – Mary Akuol, 23, cradles her two-week old baby at the entrance of her family’s makeshift tent in Juba III, a civilian protection camp in South Sudan’s capital. With support from UNFPA, Mary was able to deliver safely and continues to learn about family planning, reproductive health, breastfeeding and general child care at maternal clinics in the camp. more

28 March 2014 – Dispatch
Making Sense of Myanmar’s Census
Starting tomorrow evening, Myanmar will conduct its first census in more than 30 years. The country has changed dramatically since the last census was held in 1983, with some areas seeing significant progress and others going underserved, yet it has been challenging for the Government or civil society to gauge or respond to the changing needs of the population. Those issues will soon be tackled. Hundreds of thousands of schoolteachers have been trained as enumerators. From 29 March through 10 April, they will be sent to urban and rural areas to count every person in the country. It is an enormous undertaking, but the exercise – by the Government with support from UNFPA – will help policymakers become better informed, promote the country’s development, and help ensure people’s rights and needs are met. more

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/

FAO Conference in Tunis emphasizes need to mobilize resources in Africa
Focus on 2025 Zero Hunger target for Africa, youth and inclusion.
28 March 2014, Tunis – The FAO Regional Conference for Africa, held in Tunis, Tunisia, from 24 to 28 March 2014, concluded its 28th Session, reaffirming its commitment to food security and sustainable development.
“We have given our full support to the 2025 Zero Hunger target for Africa,” declared FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, in his closing address. He was flanked by Tunisian Prime/…
….A final report adopted by the Conference recognized the importance of enhancing the business opportunities that agriculture offers to African youth as a pathway to social inclusion, food security and sustainable development.
….The African ministers of agriculture recommended member countries allocate dedicated financial resources for youth employment within agricultural and rural development programmes, particularly investments in the technical and entrepreneurial capacity of the region’s youth, as well as their access to key productive resources, notably land and finance…

28-03-2014
First six countries to benefit from Africa-led fund
Africa Solidarity Trust Fund to support ongoing efforts to eradicate hunger, reduce malnutrition and poverty [Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Malawi, Mali, Niger and South Sudan]

28-03-2014
Africa’s youth key to strengthening agricultural economy
More investment needed to create new opportunities for young people in the sector, FAO Director-General tells Regional Conference.

27-03-2014
FAO calls for action to accelerate economic transformation and development in Africa
Despite important economic progress and agricultural successes, Africa remains the world’s most food insecure continent, with relatively low levels of agricultural productivity, low rural incomes, and high rates of malnutrition, FAO said today.
24-03-2014

UNESCO [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/for-the-press/all-news//

Press releases
28 Mar 2014
Record participation in Caribbean tsunami warning exercise

28 Mar 2014
Three laureates for UNESCO-Hamdan Bin Rashid Al-Maktoum Prize

27 Mar 2014
Peng Liyuan named UNESCO Special Envoy for the Advancement of Girls’ and Women’s Education

25 Mar 2014
Technological progress and economic crisis reshape media landscape, according to new UNESCO report — World Trends in Freedom of Expression and Media Development,

23 Mar 2014
The Director-General Opens the 9th Meeting of the Broadband Commission for Digital Development in Dublin
The 9th Meeting of the Commission focused on the progress made by countries in reaching the Millennium Development Goals and the importance of recognizing broadband in the new global sustainable development agenda that will be set to follow 2015. The discussion explored also the importance of rural broadband for advancing inclusive and sustainable development.
“Our vision goes beyond mere advocacy for broadband enabled networks and services,” said Irina Bokova. “It is the vision that broadband can be an accelerator for inclusive and sustainable growth — opening new paths to create and share knowledge, to widen learning opportunities, to enhance freedom of expression,” she continued. “But this does not happen by itself, it requires will and leadership, and this is why this Commission matters.”