CFMS Position Paper on Immigrants, Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS)
We are an organization representing over 8,000 medical students from 15 Canadian medical student societies from coast to coast.
M Bushra, S Hashmi, A Agarwal, C Brown…
[Excerpts]
Position Statement:
Increased efforts towards addressing needs of immigrant, refugee and asylum seeking populations within medical school curricula, medical trainee programs and informal education initiatives will translate to better provision of health care services upon arrival, and create medical graduates and future physicians who are well trained to provide healthcare for newcomer populations.

Key Principles:
The CFMS endorses the following principles in support of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers:
1. Immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers have unique healthcare needs and requirements.
2. Since the reinstatement of the Interim Federal Health Program (IFHP) in 2016, physicians and other health care providers are eligible to provide care for patients who have received coverage. However, potential patients continue to be turned away by providers because of uncertainty regarding coverage and perceived administrative burden.
3. Newcomer populations face significant system-level barriers in access to healthcare in Canada, including limited pre-arrival healthcare, issues with eligibility and entitlement and difficulty navigating a complex healthcare system
4. Newcomer populations face significant individual and societal barriers to success and optimal health, including unemployment, cultural and language challenges, mental health issues and social isolation
5. Canadian medical students can be better trained on the physical and psychosocial healthcare needs of immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers. Such education and training should be incorporated into Canadian medical curricula…

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The CFMS recommends the following policy level changes to the Government of Canada, and medical licensing and regulatory bodies of Canada :
1. Establish a national refugee and immigrant health strategy tasked with the creation and implementation of recommendations for healthcare providers to ensure high quality, ethical and safe care for refugees and immigrants to Canada. 1.1. Increase education and training in IFHP coverage and usage.
1.2. Eliminate inefficiencies and barriers in providers accessing and using IFHP for their patients.
1.3. Create and implement a streamlined and regularly analyzed process for provider application and reimbursement under IFHP.
2. Establish sufficient coverage of interpreter coverage across provinces.
3. Increase healthcare education opportunities for patients.
3.1. Towards IFHP and non-IFHP coverage components.
3.2. Preventative medicine education.
3.2.2. Emphasis of usage of alternative forms of medicine.
3.2.3. Education on use of primary health resources.
3.3. Encourage education on healthy lifestyles in Canada.
3.3.2. Increase awareness of available local community supports.

DRC – Ebola

WHO and partners working with national health authorities to contain new Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
11 May 2018 News Release Geneva/Brazzaville/Kinshasa
The World Health Organization (WHO) and a broad range of partners are in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) working with the Government to contain an outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in Bikoro health zone, Equateur Province. The outbreak was declared three days ago. WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will travel to the DRC over the week-end to take stock of the situation and direct the continuing response in support of the national health authorities.

As of 11 May, 34 Ebola cases have been reported in the area in the past five weeks, including 2 confirmed, 18 probable (deceased) and 14 suspected cases. Five samples were collected from 5 patients and two have been confirmed by the laboratory. Bikoro health zone is 250 km from Mbandaka, capital of Equateur Province in an area of the country that is very hard to reach.

“WHO staff were in the team that first identified the outbreak. I myself am on my way to the DRC to assess the needs first-hand,” said Dr Tedros. “I’m in contact with the Minister of Health and have assured him that we’re ready to do all that’s needed to stop the spread of Ebola quickly. We are working with our partners to send more staff, equipment and supplies to the area.”

A multidisciplinary team including WHO experts, along with staff from the Provincial Division of Health and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), arrived in Bikoro on 10 May. This first group of responders is now gathering more data to understand the extent and drivers of the epidemic. The team will also set up an active case search and contact tracing, establish Ebola treatment units to care for patients, set up mobile labs, and engage the community on safe practices. WHO will also work with national authorities in planning further public health measures such as vaccination campaigns.

“WHO is supporting the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in coordinating this response; this is the country’s ninth Ebola outbreak and there is considerable expertise in-country,” said Dr Matshidiso Moeti, WHO Regional Director for Africa. “However, any country facing such a threat may require international assistance. WHO and its partners including MSF, World Food Programme (WFP), UNICEF, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Congolese Red Cross, UNOCHA and MONUSCO , US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the International Organization for Migration (IOM), are all stepping up their support.”

The response plan to the outbreak includes surveillance, case investigation, and contact tracing; community engagement and social mobilization; case management and infection prevention and control; safe and dignified burials; research response including the use of ring vaccination and antivirals; and coordination and operations support.

“It is too early to judge the extent of this outbreak,” said Dr Peter Salama, WHO Deputy Director-General for Emergency Preparedness and Response. “However, early signs including the infection of 3 health workers, the geographical extent of the outbreak, the proximity to transport routes and population centres, and the number of suspected cases indicate that stopping this outbreak will be a serious challenge. This will be tough and it will be costly. We need to be prepared for all scenarios.”

In its latest Disease Outbreak News, WHO lists the risks to surrounding countries as moderate. WHO has however, already alerted those countries and is working with them on border surveillance and preparedness for potential outbreaks. WHO does not at this time advise any restrictions on travel and trade to the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Yemen

Fighting the world’s largest cholera outbreak: oral cholera vaccination campaign begins in Yemen
Aden, 10 May 2018 – The first-ever oral cholera vaccination campaign in Yemen was launched on 6 May and concludes on 15 May, just before the start of Ramadan. The campaign aims to prevent the resurgence of the world’s largest cholera outbreak. The volatile mix of conflict, a deteriorating economic situation, and little or no access to clean drinking-water and sanitation have resulted in more than one million suspected cholera cases since the outbreak began in April 2017.

A race against time
This campaign is part of a broader cholera integrated response plan, implemented by national health authorities, WHO and UNICEF. Outbreak response activities include surveillance and case detection, community engagement and awareness, enhancing laboratory testing capacity, improving water and sanitation, and training and deploying rapid response teams to affected areas.

This epidemic has affected the entire country, and the implementation of this oral cholera vaccination campaign, as part of the entire response to cholera, marks a milestone in the combined efforts of WHO and UNICEF, in partnership with the World Bank and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, through the generous support of our donors.

“The ongoing conflict, lack of access to safe drinking-water, weak sewage systems due to lack of fuel for pumps and the collapsing health system is the perfect mix for a new explosion of cholera during Yemen’s rainy season, which is already in its beginning stages,” said Dr Nevio Zagaria, WHO Representative in Yemen.

“Hot” districts prioritized to prevent spread
On 24 April, UNICEF delivered the first batch of 455 000 doses of oral cholera vaccine from the Gavi-funded global stockpile, targeting people over the age of 1 year, including pregnant women. The Global Task Force for Cholera Control approved the request of more than 4.6 million doses of the vaccine from the global stockpile to target cholera hotspots across the country.

“This vaccination campaign comes at such a critical time. Children in Yemen were the worst hit by last year’s outbreak and remain the most vulnerable due to widespread malnutrition and deteriorating sanitation and hygiene,” said Meritxell Relaño, UNICEF Representative in Yemen.
Recent reports revealed that in the first 3 days of the campaign, more than 124 000 doses of oral cholera vaccine were administered. This represents 35% of the estimated target population in the 4 districts where the campaign began. A fifth district, will be included in the coming days, bringing the total target population to 470 905 individuals. The campaign currently involves 11 fixed teams and 328 mobile teams.

Update to follow shortly….

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 5 May 2018

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

pdf version: The Sentinel_ period ending 5 May 2018

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research
:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals

Human Rights – Press Freedom

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Human rights experts urge media protection and end to attacks on journalists
World Press Freedom Day – 3 May 2018
GENEVA (2 May 2018) – The UN Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression, David Kaye, and rights experts from around the world have joined forces to highlight growing threats to media independence and diversity worldwide, particularly those affecting digital outlets.

In a joint declaration to mark World Press Freedom Day on 3 May, they emphasise the essential role of independent media in democratic societies, and express grave concern about physical attacks on journalists, as well as surveillance, marginalization and squeezing out of independent outlets around the world.

Mr. Kaye welcomed the declaration saying: “Free and independent media facilitate democratic institutions and accountability, while attacks on journalists and journalism undermine the very idea of public participation and governmental accountability.”

“Attacks on journalists are deplorable and State authorities must do more to prevent them. These attacks stem in part from increasingly irresponsible framing of journalists as ‘enemies’ by political and business leaders, but are also aimed at deterring investigative reporting in the public interest. All those committed to independent and diverse media must join together now to stop such attacks,” the Special Rapporteur stressed.

“In addition to physical attacks, those acting on behalf of the State threaten journalism on political, legal and technological fronts. They abuse public resources by placing advertisements only with friendly outlets, assert financial or other forms of control, and promote or permit media concentrations,” Mr. Kaye added.

The Joint Declaration on Media Independence and Diversity in the Digital Age has been issued by Mr. Kaye and counterparts from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights.

It also urges governments to promote media independence and diversity, emphasizes fundamental norms of human rights law and urges States to meet their obligations, and calls on others, such as the media and private internet companies, to take steps to ensure that independent media can continue to play a central role in democratic societies.
The joint declaration is published in English and Spanish.

Development – Informal Employment, Poverty and Social Protection
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Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical picture
ILO Report – Third Edition
30 April 2018 :: 164 pages
PDF: http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—dgreports/—dcomm/documents/publication/wcms_626831.pdf

Main findings [excerpt p. 67]
This publication aims to provide a statistical overview on informality by applying a harmonized
definition of informal employment and employment in the informal sector to micro data for more than 100 countries representing more than 90 per cent of the world’s employed population. The estimates are based on a common set of standardized criteria to determine informal employment and employment in the informal sector as the main job. The estimates are comparable across developed and developing countries and regions, but the ILO’s country estimates may differ from national ones when they exist. This edition also provides global and regional estimates for 2016 based on percentages calculated from the latest available data.

The statistics show that informal employment plays a significant role in the global labour market. Two billion workers, representing 61.2 per cent of the world’s employed population, are in informal employment. Half of the world’s employed population work informally in non-agricultural activities. The level of socio-economic development is positively related to formality.

Emerging and developing countries have substantially higher rates of informality than developed countries. The informal sector comprises the largest component of informal employment in all regions. When the share of informal employment is disaggregated by sex, men (63.0 per cent) have higher rates of informal employment than women (58.1 per cent) around the world, but there are actually more countries (55.5 per cent) where the share of women in informal employment exceeds the share of men. Women are more exposed to informal employment in sub-Saharan Africa, the Latin American countries and most low- and lower-middle income countries. They are more often found in the most vulnerable situations.

Young people and older persons are found to be more affected by informality than persons aged between 25 and 64. The level of education is another key factor affecting the level of informality. Globally, increases in the level of education are related to decreases in the level of informality. People living in rural areas are almost twice as likely to be in informal employment (80.0 per cent) as those living in urban areas (43.7 per cent). The agricultural sector by nature is the sector with the highest level of informality (93.6 per cent) around the world. The industry (57.2 per cent) and service (47.2 per cent) sectors have relatively less informality…

Informal employment and key social and economic indicators
Informal employment is related to the level of economic development. Informality rate among
developed countries is usually well below 40 per cent with an average of 18.3 per cent, while informality rates among developing and emerging countries have a higher variation with an average of 69.6 per cent. Countries with high informality also have low HDIs. There is a negative correlation between the share of informal employment in total employment and the proportion of waged workers and a positive correlation with the proportion of own-account workers. Women are more likely to be in informal employment than men in countries with the lowest level of GDP per capita. In sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America and most low- and lower-middle income countries, a larger proportion of women’s employment than men’s is informal employment.

There is a clear positive relation between informal employment and poverty, but the data also show that some informal workers are not poor and some formal workers are poor.

In all regions of the world and for all statuses in employment, people with higher level of education are less likely to be in informal employment. Half of all those engaged in informal employment globally have either no or primary level of education and just above 7 per cent of informal workers worldwide reach tertiary level. The positive effect of the increase in the level of education on access to formal employment is obvious among employees and employers, but far less among own-account workers, whose exposure to informal employment remains high (over 60 per cent) whatever their level of education. The share of informal employment among employees is always lower than for other statuses even when the level of education is considered. Nearly 91 per cent of women with either no education or primary education are in informal employment as compared to 87.2 per cent of men with similar level of education. Among the less educated workers, women have higher levels of informality than men in both developing, emerging and developed countries, but this pattern is reversed among women and men at secondary or higher levels of education.

Globally, 15.7 per cent of employees in permanent full-time employment hold informal jobs, i.e.
having no employment related social and labour protections. The proportion of employees in informal employment increases significantly among part-time employees (44.0 per cent), and among employees in temporary employment (59.6 per cent) and is highest for employees in “temporary part-time jobs” (64.4 per cent), especially among men (68.1 per cent). Women part time employees are less likely than men to be informal. Just above one-third of women employees working less than 35 hours a week are in informal employment, as compared to 54.2 per cent among men.

Worldwide, the share of informal employment varies significantly from 56.5 per cent among workers in full-time employment to 75.1 per cent for workers in part-time employment and 78.5 per cent for marginal employment (less than 20 working hours a week). The incidence of informal employment is more limited when employees are considered alone: 48.3 per cent of employees in marginal employment hold informal jobs, compared to 41.8 per cent for employees working 35 hours or more. The percentage of workers with very short working hours is higher among workers in informal employment compared to those in formal employment. Globally, 10.1 per cent of workers in informal employment work less than 20 hours a week compared to 4.2 per cent of workers in formal employment. The difference is greater for women and for own-account workers.

More than 14 per cent of all women in informal employment work less than 20 hours a week compared to 3.1 per cent among women in formal employment. The percentage of the own-account employed working very short hours is significantly higher among those operating in the informal sector (14.4 per cent) when compared to the formal (6.3 per cent). The proportion of workers in time-related underemployment is higher among workers in informal employment in most countries.

Workers in informal employment are even more likely to work excessive hours (more than
48 hours a week or even more than 60 hours a week), especially employees. This phenomenon
in Asia and the Pacific is extreme, but working longer hours when holding informal jobs seems to be the reality for half of all employees in the developing and emerging world. This reality is significantly different from the situation of employees in developed countries, as less than 16 per cent work long hours, without any difference between formal or informal employment. Own-account workers show a different picture, as own-account workers owning formal economic units tend to work longer hours than their counterparts operating informally.

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Press Release
More than 60 per cent of the world’s employed population are in the informal economy
30 April 2018
A new ILO report shows that 2 billion people work informally, most of them in emerging and developing countries. The majority lack social protection, rights at work and decent working conditions.
GENEVA (ILO News) – Two billion people – more than 61 per cent of the world’s employed population – make their living in the informal economy, the ILO said in a report, stressing that a transition to the formal economy is a condition to realize decent work for all.

Women and men in the informal economy: A statistical picture (Third edition) provides comparable estimates on the size of the informal economy and a statistical profile of informality using criteria from more than 100 countries.

When excluding agriculture, half of the employed population are in informal employment, according to the report.

In Africa, 85.8 per cent of employment is informal. The proportion is 68.2 per cent in Asia and the Pacific, 68.6 per cent in the Arab States, 40.0 per cent in the Americas and 25.1 per cent in Europe and Central Asia.

The report shows that 93 per cent of the world’s informal employment is in emerging and developing countries.
… Two of the report’s authors, Florence Bonnet and Vicky Leung, point out that while not all informal workers are poor, poverty is both a cause and a consequence of informality. “The report shows that the poor face higher rates of informal employment and that poverty rates are higher among workers in informal employment,” said Leung.

Bonnet, for her part, stressed: “There is an urgent need to tackle informality. For hundreds of millions of workers, informality means a lack of social protection, rights at work and decent working conditions, and for enterprises it means low productivity and lack of access to finance. Data on those issues are crucial for designing appropriate and integrated policies that are tailored to the diversity of situations and needs.”

… “The high incidence of informality in all its forms has multiple adverse consequences for workers, enterprises and societies and is, in particular, a major challenge for the realization of decent work for all and sustainable and inclusive development. Having managed to measure this important dimension, now included in the SDG indicators framework, this can be seen as an excellent step towards acting on it, particularly thanks to more available comparable data from countries,” said Rafael Diez de Medina, Director of ILO’s Department of Statistics.

Human Rights – Development

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Economic impacts of child marriage : Ethiopia synthesis report
World Bank
Working Paper 2018 :: 101 pages
Wodon, Quentin T.; Male, Chata; Onagoruwa, Adenike Opeoluwa; Savadogo, Aboudrahyme; Yedan, Ali; Kes, Aslihan; John, Neetu; Steinhaus, Mara; Murithi, Lydia; Edmeades, Jeff; Petroni, Suzanne
PDF: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/149721525196131393/pdf/125883-WP-P151842-PUBLIC-Ethiopia-EICM-May-1-2018.pdf
Abstract
The international community is increasingly aware of the negative impacts of child marriage on a wide range of development outcomes. Ending child marriage is now part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Yet investments to end the practice remain limited across the globe. Ethiopia recently adopted a strategy to end child marriage, and some of the projects being implemented in the country should contribute to reduce the practice child marriage. Still, more could be done. In order to inspire greater commitments towards ending child marriage, this study demonstrates the negative impacts of the practice and their associated economic costs. The study looks at five domains of impacts: (i) fertility and population growth; (ii) health, nutrition, and violence; (iii) educational attainment and learning; (iv) labor force participation and earnings; and (v) participation, decision-making, and investments. Economic costs are estimated for several of the impacts. Overall, the costs are high. They suggest that investing to end child marriage is not only the right thing to do, but also makes sense economically.

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Media Release
Child Marriage May Cost Ethiopia Billions of Dollars, Says New World Bank Report
ADDIS ABABA, May 3, 2018 – Ethiopia’s economy could potentially lose billions of dollars annually due to child marriage, says a new report by the World Bank and the International Center for Research for Women, which was launched today together with the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs. In contrast, ending the practice of child marriage would have a large positive effect on the educational attainment of girls and their children, reduce population growth, and increase women’s expected earnings and household welfare.

The report, titled Economic Impacts of Child Marriage: Ethiopia Synthesis Report, is part of a global program of work funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation, and the Global Partnership for Education. According to the study, the prevalence of child marriage (marriage or union before the age of 18) remains high in Ethiopia, affecting more than one in three girls. In addition, almost one in five girls gives birth before the age of 18.

“Child brides are often robbed of their rights to safety and security, to health and education, and to make their own life choices and decisions,” said Quentin Wodon, Lead Economist at the World Bank and author of the report. “Child marriage not only puts a stop to girls’ hopes and dreams. It also hampers efforts to end poverty and achieve economic growth and equity. Ending this practice is not only the morally right thing to do but also the economically smart thing to do.”…

Development Finance – Disruptive Technologies

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World Bank Group and Credit Suisse Launch Disruptive Technologies for Development Fund
LOS ANGELES, May 1, 2018 – The World Bank Group (WBG) today announced the launch of the Disruptive Technologies for Development Fund in partnership with Credit Suisse to harness technologies such as blockchain, 3D printing, and the Internet of Things to pioneer innovative solutions for development challenges.

“The urgency of the challenges around us – from climate change to forced displacement – requires a re-think of strategic partnerships,” World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim said. “Collaborating with new partners to end poverty will help us make innovative use of technology and maximize finance for development. We have no time to lose. If we work together, we can tackle the biggest global challenges of our lifetime.”

With this fund, the WBG is pushing forward its commitment to harness public and private sector technology, data, and expertise to help its clients manage the opportunities and risks of rapid technological change. The fund aligns a global network of technology leaders, philanthropists, and development experts to identify and pilot the use of technologies to foster sustainable, tech-enabled growth in developing countries. The fund will seek contributions from donors, who, for the first time, can leverage the World Bank Group’s global expertise and portfolio of operations to maximize their philanthropic impact.

For the next generation of strategic philanthropists, the fund will support a technology component in new or existing WBG projects, helping donors achieve social impact at an unprecedented scale. It also establishes a unique knowledge and networking platform to inform future grant making. The first disbursement is expected in the Fall. Credit Suisse will act as an intermediary, arranging donor contributions and reaching out to technology partners on project proposals.

Credit Suisse CEO, Tidjane Thiam added: “We are delighted to partner with the World Bank Group on launching this major impact initiative following the formation of Credit Suisse’s Impact Advisory and Finance (IAF) Department in the Fall of 2017. We believe this Fund can serve as a showcase to demonstrate the significant impact that innovative public private partnerships can have on society. Our strategic ambition is to leverage Credit Suisse’s 15-year history in impact investing through the IAF Department to continue to innovate with key partners and clients in order to foster greater socio-economic progress”

The future objective of the fund is to scale up pilots that harness disruptive technology to accelerate progress towards the World Bank Group’s goals of ending poverty by 2030 and boosting shared prosperity.

Right to Health – Immunization

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A review of evidence on equitable delivery, access and utilization of immunization services for migrants and refugees in the WHO European Region
WHO Health Evidence Network Synthesis Reports 53.
Editors – De Vito E, Parente P, de Waure C, Poscia A, Ricciardi W.
Source – Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office for Europe; 2017.
PDF: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/n/whohen53/pdf/
Excerpt
This review focuses on existing immunization policies and practices for migrants and refugees and provides an overview of barriers and facilitators for access to and utilization of immunization services. Evidence was obtained by a scoping review of academic and grey literature in English and a further 11 languages and included official documents available from the websites of ministries of health and national health institutes of the WHO European Region Member States. The review highlights that vaccination policies tailored to migrants and refugees are very heterogeneous among WHO European Region Member States. By comparison, common barriers for the implementation and utilization of immunization services can be identified across countries. Outlined policy options are intended to strengthen information about immunization for migrants and refugees, support future evidence-informed policy-making, enable the achievement of national vaccination coverage goals and improve the eligibility of migrants and refugees to access culturally competent immunization services.

SUMMARY
The issue
Providing equitable access to safe and cost-effective vaccines is vital to protect vulnerable groups in any country and to reduce morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases (VPDs), particularly among children. Migrants and refugees in the WHO European Region may be particularly vulnerable to VPDs. Children, who constitute approximately 25% of the total migrant population, are considered at greatest risk of VPDs because they may not have yet been vaccinated or may not have completed the schedule for all vaccines. In November 2015, WHO, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the United Nations Childrens Fund made a joint recommendation that migrants and refugees in the WHO European Region should be vaccinated without unnecessary delay according to the immunization schedule of the host countries. The WHO European Region’s Strategy action plan and resolution on refugee and migrant health, adopted in September 2016, addresses the issue of immunization among migrants and refugees…

Results
Immunization policies, vaccine delivery practices and barriers to access and utilization of immunization services by migrants and refugees vary widely in WHO European Region:
:: national immunization programmes seldom include specific recommendations for immunization for migrants and refugees;
:: fewer than one third of the countries have specific directives on immunization focusing on migrants and refugees, including children and pregnant women;
:: undocumented migrants receive immunization services in very few countries because of inbuilt administrative barriers in the host countries related to their entitlement to free health services, including immunization;
:: in most of the countries of the Region, the delivery of immunization services is primarily carried out by the public health care systems, but international organizations and nongovernmental organizations are also involved in a few;
:: lack of financial and human resources, in particular cultural mediators and/or interpreters, is seen as a barrier to the effective implementation of national immunization policies and to the systematic collection and evaluation of data for corrective actions;
:: socioeconomic, sociocultural and educational issues remain important obstacles for migrants and refugees in accessing the available immunization services in the host countries; and
:: targeted interventions have been shown to be successful in improving the uptake of immunization programmes among migrants and refugees, for example door-to-door vaccination initiatives, media campaigns, thematic lectures, peer-to-peer interactions and health promotion days.

Health – AI, Governance, Ethics

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Ethical, social and political challenges of artificial intelligence in health
Future Advocacy 2018 – A Report with Wellcome Trust
Written and researched by Matthew Fenech, Nika Strukelj, Olly Buston for the Wellcome Trust April 2018 :: 59 pages

Executive Summary [Excerpt]
…As AI systems become better at sorting data, finding patterns, and making predictions, these
technologies will take on an expanded role in health and care, from research, to medical diagnostics, and even in treatment. This increasing use of AI in health is forcing nurses, doctors and researchers to ask: “How do longstanding principles of medical ethics apply in this new world of technological innovation?”

In order to address this question, we have undertaken a detailed review of existing literature, as well as interviewing more than 70 experts all round the world, to understand how AI is being used in healthcare, how it could be used in the near future, and what ethical, social, and political challenges these current and prospective uses present. We have also sought the views of patients, their representatives, and members of the public.

We have categorised the current and potential use cases of AI in healthcare into 5 key areas:
:: Process optimisation e.g procurement, logistics, and staff scheduling
:: Preclinical research e.g drug discovery and genomic science
:: Clinical pathways e.g. diagnostics and prognostication
:: Patient-facing applications e.g delivery of therapies or the provision of information
:: Population-level applications e.g. identifying epidemics and understanding non-communicable chronic diseases…

SUMMARY OF ETHICAL, SOCIAL, AND POLITICAL CHALLENGES AND SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH
01 What effect will AI have on human relationships in health and care?
:: What effect will these technologies have on relationships between patients and healthcare practitioners?
:: What effect will these technologies have on relationships between different healthcare practitioners?
:: What do healthcare practitioners think about the potential for these technologies to change their jobs, or to lead to job displacement?
:: How do these tools fit into the trend of enabling patients to have greater knowledge and
understanding of their own conditions? How different are they from looking up one’s symptoms on a search engine before going to see a healthcare practitioner?
:: Given that AI is trained primarily on ‘measurable’ data, does reliance on AI risk missing non-quantifiable information that is so important in healthcare interactions?
:: If AI systems become more autonomous, how should transitions between AI and human control be incorporated into care pathways?

02 How is the use, storage, and sharing of medical data impacted by AI?
:: How is medical data different from other forms of personal data?
:: What is the most ethical way to collect and use large volumes of data to train AI, if the consent model is impractical or insufficient?
:: How do we check datasets for bias or incompleteness, and how do we tackle these where we find them?
:: Should patients who provide data that is used to train healthcare algorithms be the primary beneficiaries of these technologies, or is it sufficient to ensure that they are not exploited?

03 What are the implications of issues around algorithmic transparency and explainability on health?
:: Are expert systems or rule-based AI systems more suitable for healthcare applications than less interpretable machine learning methods?
:: What do patients and healthcare practitioners want from algorithmic transparency and explainability?
:: Are improved patient outcomes, efficiency and accuracy sufficient to justify the use of ‘black box’ algorithms? If such an algorithm outperforms a human operator at a particular healthcare-related task, is there an ethical obligation to use it?
: Could ‘explanatory systems’ running alongside the algorithm be sufficient to address ‘black box’ issues?

04 Will these technologies help eradicate or exacerbate existing health inequalities?
:: Which populations may be excluded from these technologies, and how can these populations be included?
:: Will these technologies primarily affect inequalities of access, or of outcomes?

05 What is the difference between an algorithmic decision and a human decision?
: How do we rank the importance of a human decision as compared to an algorithmic decision, particularly when they are in conflict?
:: Do human and algorithmic errors differ simply in degree, or is there an essential, qualitative difference between a machine ‘giving the wrong answer’ and a human making a mistake?
:: How will patients and service users react to algorithmic errors?
:: Who will be held responsible for algorithmic errors?

06 What do patients and members of the public want from AI and related technologies?
:: How do patients and members of the public think these technologies should be used in health and medical research?
:: How comfortable are patients and members of the public with sharing their medical data to develop these technologies?
:: How do patients and other members of the public differ in their thinking on these issues?
What is the best way to speak to patients and members of the public about these technologies?

07 How should these technologies be regulated?
:: Are current regulatory frameworks fit for purpose?
:: What does ‘duty of care’ mean when applied to those who are developing algorithms for use in healthcare and medical research?
:: How should existing health regulators interact with AI regulators that may be established?
:: How should we regulate online learning, dynamic systems, as opposed to fixed algorithms?

08 Just because these technologies could enable access to new information, should we always use it?
:: What would the impact of ever-greater precision in predicting health outcomes be on patients and healthcare practitioners?
:: What are the implications of algorithmic profiling in the context of healthcare?

09 What makes algorithms, and the entities that create them, trustworthy?

10 What are the implications of collaboration between public and private sector organisations in the development of these tools?
:: What are the most ethical ways to collaborate?
:: How do we ensure value for both the public sector and for the private sector organisation, for example in the use of data? In publicly-owned/taxpayer-funded healthcare systems, such as the UK NHS, how do we ensure that citizens receive value too?
:: What are the implications of the concentration of intellectual capacity in private sector organisations?

Featured Journal Content

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 5 May 2018]
Review
2 May 2018
Review of attacks on health care facilities in six conflicts of the past three decades
Authors: Carolyn Briody, Leonard Rubenstein, Les Roberts, Eamon Penney, William Keenan and Jeffrey Horbar
Abstract
Background
In the ongoing conflicts of Syria and Yemen, there have been widespread reports of attacks on health care facilities and personnel. Tabulated evidence does suggest hospital bombings in Syria and Yemen are far higher than reported in other conflicts but it is unclear if this is a reporting artefact.
Objective
This article examines attacks on health care facilities in conflicts in six middle- to high- income countries that have occurred over the past three decades to try and determine if attacks have become more common, and to assess the different methods used to collect data on attacks. The six conflicts reviewed are Yemen (2015-Present), Syria (2011- Present), Iraq (2003–2011), Chechnya (1999–2000), Kosovo (1998–1999), and Bosnia and Herzegovina (1992–1995).
Methods
We attempted to get the highest quality source(s) with summary data of the number of facilities attacked for each of the conflicts. The only conflict that did not have summary data was the conflict in Iraq. In this case, we tallied individual reported events of attacks on health care.
Results
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) reported attacks on 315 facilities (4.38 per month) in Syria over a 7-year period, while the Monitoring Violence against Health Care (MVH) tool launched later by the World Health Organization (WHO) Turkey Health Cluster reported attacks on 135 facilities (9.64 per month) over a 14-month period. Yemen had a reported 93 attacks (4.65 per month), Iraq 12 (0.12 per month), Chechnya > 24 (2.4 per month), Kosovo > 100 (6.67 per month), and Bosnia 21 (0.41 per month). Methodologies to collect data, and definitions of both facilities and attacks varied widely across sources.
Conclusion
The number of reported facilities attacked is by far the greatest in Syria, suggesting that this phenomenon has increased compared to earlier conflicts. However, data on attacks of facilities was incomplete for all of the conflicts examined, methodologies varied widely, and in some cases, attacks were not defined at all. A global, standardized system that allows multiple reporting routes with different levels of confirmation, as seen in Syria, would likely allow for a more reliable and reproducible documentation system, and potentially, an increase in accountability.

Emergencies
 
POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 1 May 2018 [GPEI]
:: In Iraq, polio vaccinators work to protect conflict-affected children.
:: In preparation for the Seventy-first World Health Assembly, taking place on 21-26 May, the Director-General’s office has finalized the Strategic Action Plan on Polio Transition. The Plan has three strategic objectives, which are highly interlinked:

1. a) Sustaining a polio-free world after eradication (with the Post-Certification Strategy as its main pillar);
2. b) Strengthening immunization systems;
3. c) Strengthening emergency preparedness, detection and response capacity.

The Plan aims at aligning these objectives with the overall vision of the 13th General Programme of Work and WHO’s support at the country level, with the eventual phasing out of resources from the Global Polio Eradication Initiative. The action plan in all official UN languages may be found here.

Summary of newly-reported viruses this week:
Afghanistan: One new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)  positive environmental sample has been reported, in Kandahar province.
Pakistan: Five new wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1)  positive environmental samples have been reported, one in Balochistan province, two in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, and two in Sindh province.
Nigeria: Three circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)  positive environmental samples have been confirmed, one in Gombe province, and two in Jigawa province.

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WHO Grade 3 Emergencies  [to 5 May 2018]
[Several emergency pages were not available at inquiry]

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies  [to 5 May 2018]
[Several emergency pages were not available at inquiry]

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Somalia
:: Humanitarian Bulletin Somalia, 5 April – 2 May 2018
:: OCHA Somalia Flash Update #3 – Humanitarian impact of heavy rains | 2 May 2018
 

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 28 April 2018

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

pdf version: The Sentinel_ period ending 28 April 2018.docx

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research
:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals

Governance – Leadership

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United States of America – Speech by M. Emmanuel Macron, President of the Republic, to the United States Congress
Washington, 25/04/2018
Full text PDF: http://basedoc.diplomatie.gouv.fr/FranceDiplomatie/PDF/baen2018-04-26.pdf ]
[Excerpt]
…NEED FOR MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
But we must remember the warning of President Theodore Roosevelt: “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, handed on for them to do the same.”

This is an urgent reminder indeed. Because now, going beyond our bilateral ties, beyond our very special relationship, Europe and the United States must face together the global challenges of this century. And we cannot take for granted our transatlantic history and bonds. At the core, our Western values themselves are at risk.

We have to succeed facing these challenges, and we cannot succeed forgetting our principles and our history.

In fact, the 21st century has brought a series of new threats and new challenges that our ancestors might not ever have imagined.

Our strongest beliefs are challenged by the rise of a yet unknown new world order. Our societies are concerned about the future of their children.

All of us gathered here in this noble Chamber, we – elected officials – all share the responsibility to demonstrate that democracy remains the best answer to the questions and doubts that arise today.

Even if the foundations of our progress are disrupted, we must stand firmly and fight to make our principles prevail.

But we bear another responsibility inherited from our collective history. Today, the international community needs to step up our game and build the 21st century world order, based on the perennial principles we established together after World War II.

The rule of law, the fundamental values on which we secured peace for 70 years are now questioned by urgent issues that require our joint action.

Together with our international allies and partners, we are facing inequalities created by globalization; threats to the planet, our common good; attacks on democracies through the rise of illiberalism; and the destabilization of our international community by new powers and criminal states.

All these risks aggrieve our citizens.

Both in the United States and in Europe we are living in a time of anger and fear, because of these current global threats.

But these feelings do not build anything. You can play with fears and anger for a time. But they do not construct anything. Anger only freezes and weakens us. And, as Franklin Delano Roosevelt said during his first inaugural speech, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself”.
Therefore, let me say we have two possible ways ahead.

We can choose isolationism, withdrawal, and nationalism. This is an option. It can be tempting to us as a temporary remedy to our fears.

But closing the door to the world will not stop the evolution of the world. It will not douse, but inflame, the fears of our citizens. We have to keep our eyes wide open to the new risks, right in front of us.

I am convinced that if we decide to open our eyes wider, we will be stronger. We will overcome the dangers. We will not let the rampaging work of extreme nationalism shake a world full of hopes for greater prosperity.

It is a critical moment. If we do not act with urgency as a global community, I am convinced that the international institutions, including the United Nations and NATO, will no longer be able to exercise their mandate and stabilizing influence. We would then inevitably and severely undermine the liberal order we built after World War II.

Other powers, with a stronger strategy and ambition, will then fill the void we would leave empty. Other powers will not hesitate one second to advocate their own model, to shape the 21st century world order.

Personally, if you ask me, I do not share the fascination for new strong powers, the abandonment of freedom, and the illusion of nationalism.

Therefore, distinguished members of Congress, let us push them aside, write our own history and birth the future we want.

We have to shape our common answers to the global threats that we are facing.

The only option then is to strengthen our cooperation. We can build the 21st century world order, based on a new breed of multilateralism. Based on a more effective, accountable, and results-oriented multilateralism. A strong multilateralism.

This requires more than ever the United States’ involvement, as your role was decisive for creating and safeguarding today’s free world. The United States invented this multilateralism. You are the one now who has to help to preserve and reinvent it.

This strong multilateralism will not outshine our national cultures and national identities. It is exactly the other way around. A strong multilateralism will allow our cultures and identities to be respected, to be protected and to flourish freely together.

Why? Because precisely our own culture is based, on both sides of the Atlantic, on this unique taste for freedom, on this unique attachment to liberty and peace. This strong multilateralism is the unique option compatible with our nations, our cultures, our identities.

With the US President, with the support of every 535 members of this joint session, representing the whole American nation, we can actively contribute together to building the 21st-century world order, for our people.

The United States and Europe have a historical role in this respect, because it is the only way to defend what we believe in, to promote our universal values, to express strongly that human rights, the rights of minorities and shared liberty are the true answer to the disorders of the world.

I believe in these rights and values.

I believe that against ignorance, we have education. Against inequalities, development. Against cynicism, trust and good faith. Against fanaticism, culture. Against disease and epidemics, medicine. Against the threats on the planet, science.

I believe in concrete action. I believe the solutions are in our hands.

I believe in the liberation of the individual, and in the freedom and responsibility of everyone to build their own lives and pursue happiness…

…The United States and the American people are an essential part of our confidence in the future, in democracy, in what women and men can accomplish in this world when we are driven by high ideals and an unbreakable trust in humanity and progress.

Today the call we hear is the call of history. This is a time of determination and courage. What we cherish is at stake. What we love is in danger. We have no choice but to prevail.

And together, we shall prevail.

Governance – Disinformation

Editor’s Note:
We have read this press release several times and remain startled at its implications…

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Tackling online disinformation: Commission proposes an EU-wide Code of Practice
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 26 April 2018
Today, the Commission is proposing measures to tackle disinformation online, including an EU-wide Code of Practice on Disinformation, support for an independent network of fact-checkers, and a series of actions to stimulate quality journalism and promote media literacy.

The recent Facebook/Cambridge Analytica revelations demonstrated exactly how personal data can be exploited in electoral contexts, and are a timely reminder that more is needed to secure resilient democratic processes. Today the European Commission is taking steps forward in the fight against disinformation to ensure the protection of European values and security.

Vice-President for the Digital Single Market Andrus Ansip said: “Disinformation is not new as an instrument of political influence. New technologies, especially digital, have expanded its reach via the online environment to undermine our democracy and society. Since online trust is easy to break but difficult to rebuild, industry needs to work together with us on this issue. Online platforms have an important role to play in fighting disinformation campaigns organised by individuals and countries who aim to threaten our democracy.”

Commissioner Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society, said: “We are calling on all actors, in particular platforms and social networks who have a clear responsibility, to act on the basis of an action plan aiming at a common European approach so that citizens are empowered and effectively protected against disinformation. We will closely monitor the progress made and may propose further actions by December, including measures of regulatory nature, should the results prove unsatisfactory.”

Commissioner for the Security Union Sir Julian King said: “The weaponisation of on-line fake news and disinformation poses a serious security threat to our societies. The subversion of trusted channels to peddle pernicious and divisive content requires a clear-eyed response based on increased transparency, traceability and accountability. Internet platforms have a vital role to play in countering the abuse of their infrastructure by hostile actors and in keeping their users, and society, safe.”

Based on the independent report published in March 2018 by the High-Level Group on Fake News and Online Disinformation as well as wider consultations carried out over the past six months, the Commission defines disinformation as “verifiably false or misleading information that is created, presented and disseminated for economic gain or to intentionally deceive the public, and may cause public harm”…

To address these concerns and trends, the Commission is proposing a series of measures to tackle disinformation online. These include:

A Code of Practice on Disinformation: By July, and as a first step, online platforms should develop and follow a common Code of Practice with the aim of:
Ensuring transparency about sponsored content, in particular political advertising, as well as restricting targeting options for political advertising and reducing revenues for purveyors of disinformation;
Providing greater clarity about the functioning of algorithms and enabling third-party verification;
Making it easier for users to discover and access different news sources representing alternative viewpoints;
Introducing measures to identify and close fake accounts and to tackle the issue of automatic bots;
Enabling fact-checkers, researchers and public authorities to continuously monitor online disinformation;

An independent European network of fact-checkers: this will establish common working methods, exchange best practices, and work to achieve the broadest possible coverage of factual corrections across the EU; they will be selected from the EU members of the International Fact Checking Network which follows a strict International Fact Checking NetworkCode of Principles;

A secure European online platform on disinformation to support the network of fact-checkers and relevant academic researchers with cross-border data collection and analysis, as well as access to EU-wide data;

Enhancing media literacy: Higher level of media literacy will help Europeans to identify online disinformation and approach online content with a critical eye.To this end, the Commission will encourage fact-checkers and civil society organisations to provide educational material to schools and educators and organise a European Week of Media Literacy;

Support for Member States in ensuring the resilience of elections against increasingly complex cyber threats, including online disinformation and cyber attacks;

Promotion of voluntary online identification systems to improve the traceability and identification of suppliers of information and promote more trust and reliability in online interactions and in information and its sources;

Support for quality and diversified information: The Commission is calling on Member States to scale up their support of quality journalism to ensure a pluralistic, diverse and sustainable media environment. The Commission will launch a call for proposals in 2018 for the production and dissemination of quality news content on EU affairs through data-driven news media;

A Coordinated Strategic Communication Policy, drafted by the Commission services, combining current and future EU initiatives on online disinformation with those of Member States, will set out outreach activities aimed at countering false narratives about Europe and tackling disinformation within and outside the EU.

Next steps
The Commission will shortly convene a multi-stakeholder forum to provide a framework for efficient cooperation among relevant stakeholders, including online platforms, the advertising industry and major advertisers, and to secure a commitment to coordinate and scale up efforts to tackle disinformation. The forum’s first output should be an EU–wide Code of Practice on Disinformation to be published by July 2018, with a view to having a measurable impact by October 2018.
By December 2018, the Commission will report on the progress made. The report will also examine the need for further action to ensure the continuous monitoring and evaluation of the outlined actions.

Press/Media Freedom

New Report: Attacks on the Record – The State of Global Press Freedom, 2017–2018
Freedom House
Press Release – April 25, 2018
Press freedom is facing new threats in major democracies as well as in repressive states, where authorities are focusing their efforts on social media and other online platforms after reducing the independence of major print and broadcast outlets.

“Populist leaders today constitute a new and growing challenge to free expression in open societies, and interference from Russia and China has compounded the threat,” said Michael J. Abramowitz, president of Freedom House. “The assault on press freedom is an attack against a core institution of democracy. Elected leaders who try to discredit factual, critical reporting are undermining democratic accountability and reasoned political debate.”

In advance of World Press Freedom Day, Freedom House compiled information from its most recent Freedom in the World, Freedom on the Net, and Nations in Transit research projects and from its in-country programs. The analysis shows that media independence is under pressure in every region of the world, but also that dedicated journalists are still playing a vital role in even the most hostile environments.

While journalists face harassment and arrest in a growing number of countries, their work remains crucial in forcing leaders to answer for their abuses. From South Africa to Russia, courageous reporters have defied powerful interests to bring stories to the public, enabling their audiences to take action. “A free press allows citizens to hold their governments to account and, when necessary, to bring about real change,” Abramowitz said.

View the full report here: https://freedomhouse.org/report/special-reports/attacks-record-state-global-press-freedom-2017-2018

Human Rights – “Digital Rights”

Ranking Digital Rights
New America’s Open Technology Institute
April 2018 :: 148 pages
Funders: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation; Ford Foundation; Open Society Foundations; U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor
PDF: https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018/assets/static/download/RDRindex2018report.pdf

Executive summary [Excerpts]
The Ranking Digital Rights 2018 Corporate Accountability Index evaluated 22 of the world’s most powerful internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies on their disclosed commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy. These companies held a combined market capitalization of approximately USD 4.7 trillion. Their products and services are used by a majority of the world’s 4.2 billion internet users…

The 2018 Index evaluated companies on 35 indicators examining disclosed commitments and policies affecting freedom of expression and privacy, including corporate governance and accountability mechanisms. To view in-depth results and data visualizations, download full datasets, and access related resources, news, and updates, please visit: https://rankingdigitalrights.org/index2018…

Recommendations
If the internet is to be designed, operated, and governed in a way that protects and respects human rights, we must all play our part. Companies, governments, investors, civil society organizations, and individuals—as employees of companies, as citizens of nations, as consumers of products, and as users of a globally interconnected internet—must all take responsibility and act.

Corporate transparency and accountability is incomplete without transparent and accountable governments that fulfill their duty to protect human rights. Meanwhile,
companies should be held responsible for all the ways that their products, services, and business operations affect users’ rights, over which they have any influence or control.

All companies evaluated in the Index can make many changes immediately, even in the absence of legal and policy reform. Detailed recommendations are listed throughout the Index report and in the individual company report cards. They fall under seven broad categories:

1. Strengthen corporate governance. Companies should not only articulate clear commitments to respect users’ freedom of expression and privacy, but also disclose concrete evidence that they have institutionalized these commitments through board and executive oversight, company-wide training, internal reporting, and
whistleblowing programs.

2. Get serious about risk assessment. Companies should implement comprehensive due diligence processes to ensure they can anticipate and mitigate any negative impact that their products, services, and business operations may have on users’ rights.

3. Provide meaningful grievance and remedy mechanisms. Companies should have channels for users and other affected parties to file grievances if their rights have been violated as a result of company actions. Companies should also have clearly disclosed processes for responding to complaints and providing appropriate redress.

4. Be transparent and accountable. Companies should publish regular information and data on their official websites that helps users and other stakeholders
understand the circumstances under which personal information is accessed by third parties, speech is censored or restricted, and access to a service is blocked or
restricted.

5. Strengthen privacy. Companies should clearly inform users about what happens to their information, minimize collection and use of data to what is necessary
for provision and service, and provide users with maximum control over what information they provide and with whom it is shared.

6. Strengthen security. Companies should disclose credible evidence of their efforts to secure users’ information. Specifically, they should show that they maintain
industry standards of strong encryption and security, conduct security audits, monitor employee access to information, and have an established process for
handling data breaches.

7. Innovate for human rights. Collaborate with government and civil society. Invest in the development of new technologies and business models that strengthen human rights, and maximize individual control and ownership over personal data and content.

Innovation/IP – Gender

World Intellectual Property Day 2018 Celebrates Women’s Accomplishments: New WIPO Figures Show Highest-Ever Rate of Women Inventors, but Gender Gap Persists
Geneva, April 26, 2018
PR/2018/817
The fields of biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and chemistry show the highest rates of women named as inventors in international patent applications filed via WIPO, new figures indicate, as World IP Day 2018 celebrates women driving positive change across the globe.

New data reveal that in total, women were listed in 31 percent of the 243,500 international patent applications published by WIPO in 2017, up from 23 percent a decade WIPO Director General Francis Gurry said these new data show positive trends and underlined this year’s World IP Day theme “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity.” But he noted that a pronounced gender gap exists.

“Today we celebrate the innovative, creative accomplishments of women around the globe and across history who expand the frontiers of knowledge and culture,” said Mr. Gurry. “However, international patent applications are an important benchmark for measuring innovative activity in the contemporary, global economy – and anything less than full parity between men and women is an obvious cause for concern.”…

Development – Agricultural Value Chains

The Future of Food: Maximizing Finance for Development in Agricultural Value Chains
April 24, 2018 :: 4 pages Working Paper
PDF: https://openknowledge.worldbank.org/bitstream/handle/10986/29686/125295-WP-PUBLIC-futureoffoodpaperweb.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y
Highlights
:: To achieve the SDGs, more effort needs to be made to attract private sector investment and make sure it works for developing countries and poor people.
:: Maximizing investment in agricultural value chains can improve the lives of hundreds of thousands of poor people, who rely mainly on agriculture to make a living.
:: Improving the enabling environment for private sector investment, smart use of public financing and promoting responsible investment can help maximize finance for agricultural development
This report highlights financing gaps, identifies a range of potential funding sources, and suggests possible actions to help crowd-in more private investment, while optimizing the use of public resources.
The recommended actions are aligned with the aim to address the market failures that lead to inadequate levels of privately provided goods and services to achieve global development goals. Implementation of MFD in agricultural value chains will require an approach to diagnostics that is more oriented to the private sector, as well as structured, inclusive public-private dialogue to help inform the design of a robust reform and investment program.

Main Messages:
:: Current levels of investment in agricultural value chains are insufficient to achieve key development goals including ending poverty and hunger and boosting shared prosperity through more and better jobs.
:: Crowding-in private investment in the agriculture sector can help achieve development goals and optimize the use of scarce public resources
:: Sources of finance for private sector investments in agricultural value chains are expanding. Sources include own-savings, local and international banks, value chains actors, impact investors, development financing institutions, private sector foundations, and agricultural investment funds.
:: Factors that can help maximize finance for agricultural development include: Improving the enabling environment for the private sector, promoting responsible investment, improving the policy and regulatory environment; using public financing to improve private incentives and to reduce transaction costs and risks—including through blended finance.
:: There is still a critical need for public resources to finance essential public goods and services such as human capital, agricultural research, and complementary public infrastructure.