Heritage Stewardship :: Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability

Posted on 8 October 2017 by davidrcurry

Heritage Stewardship

Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability
FishWise, the U.S. Agency for International Development, Walton Family Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation have partnered to create a new Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability (SALT), which will be managed by FishWise.

SALT is a global initiative for knowledge exchange and action to promote legal and sustainable fisheries through improved transparency in seafood supply chains. SALT will bring together the seafood industry, governments and nongovernmental organizations to accelerate learning and collaborate on innovative solutions for legal and sustainable seafood, with a particular focus on traceability, or the ability to track the movement of seafood through supply chains.

New Alliance Aims to Tackle Illegal Fishing by Improving Seafood Supply Chains
Backed by major donors and a conservation NGO, the Seafood Alliance for Legality and Traceability will improve transparency in seafood supply chains and promote sustainable fisheries

October 6, 2017 (ST. JULIAN’S, MALTA) –
…More than 3.1 billion people rely on fish for food, yet illegal fishing and inadequate management jeopardize livelihoods, threaten security, contribute to human trafficking and undermine the sustainability of the world’s fisheries. For example, annual illegal and unreported marine fishing generates US$15-36 billion in illicit profits.

To address this challenge, SALT will bring together the seafood industry, governments and nongovernmental organizations to accelerate learning and collaborate on innovative solutions for legal and sustainable seafood. By improving seafood traceability, or the ability to track the movement of seafood through supply chains, businesses and governments can help ensure that seafood is legally sourced and fisheries are sustainably managed.

“Traceability is a critical component of an efficient, modern and sustainable seafood industry,” said Teresa Ish, Oceans Program Officer at the Walton Family Foundation. “This is an exciting collaboration that we hope will incentivize and support seafood companies to implement best practices, more effectively self-regulate and play a role in stronger fisheries management.”

“While fisheries management and the seafood industry are facing some challenges—including fundamental, long-term resource constraints in business-as-usual scenarios—we recognize better traceability and legality as a bright-light opportunity for businesses and for conservation,” explained Sabine Miltner, program director for the Moore Foundation’s conservation and markets initiatives. “For businesses, full traceability can address and mitigate supply chain risk and foster trust among clients and consumers.”

The approach will be designed over the next twelve months to meet the needs of key stakeholder groups, and SALT will provide the collaborative space for these groups to exchange information and expertise…

“Seafood is the most widely traded food commodity in the world. The global nature of the industry poses unique challenges to sustainability,” said Tobias Aguirre, Chief Executive Officer at FishWise. “If we can more effectively document and trace our seafood and use that information to empower fisheries managers, we will be one big step closer to long-term sustainability of the industry.”

“Poor transparency and supply chain traceability are major impediments to achieving our goals around ending illegal fishing,” said Meg Caldwell, Deputy Director for Oceans at the David and Lucile Packard Foundation. “Our hope is that this learning network will enable better information to improve seafood transparency and traceability policies and practices, which are needed as we work together toward responsible and evidence-based marine resource management around the world.”

Health :: “Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030”

Posted on 8 October 2017 by davidrcurry

Health

Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030
Global Task Force on Cholera Control
3 October 2017 :: 32 poges
:: Summary: Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030 pdf, 3.07Mb
:: Ending Cholera – A Global Roadmap to 2030 pdf, 6.20Mb

Ending Cholera—A Global Roadmap to 2030 operationalises the new global strategy for cholera control at the country level and provides a concrete path toward a world in which cholera is no longer a threat to public health. By implementing the strategy between now and 2030, the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC) partners will support countries to reduce cholera deaths by 90 percent. With the commitment of cholera-affected countries, technical partners, and donors, as many as 20 countries could eliminate disease transmission by 2030.
With input and support from the following partners: the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation; the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); Global Health Visions; Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance; International Federation of the Red Cross (IFRC); Johns Hopkins University; Medecins Sans Frontières (MSF); The Mérieux Foundation; the Task Force for Global Health; UNICEF; the Veolia Foundation; WaterAid; and from the WHO Health Emergencies Programme (WHE); Immunization, Vaccines and Biologicals (IVB); and Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants (PHE) departments as well as the regional offices at the World Health Organization.

Media Release
Partners commit to reduce cholera deaths by 90 per cent by 2030
Joint press release – UNICEF, WHO and others join in renewed push on deadly disease
Geneva, 03 October 2017 – An ambitious new strategy to reduce deaths from cholera by 90 per cent by 2030 will be launched tomorrow by the Global Task Force on Cholera Control (GTFCC), a diverse network of more than 50 UN and international agencies, academic institutions, and NGOs that supports countries affected by the disease.

Cholera kills an estimated 95 000 people and affects 2.9 million more every year. Urgent action is needed to protect communities, prevent transmission and control outbreaks.

The GTFCC’s new plan, Ending Cholera: A Global Roadmap to 2030, recognizes that cholera spreads in endemic “hotspots” where predictable outbreaks of the disease occur year after year.

The Global Roadmap aims to align resources, share best practice and strengthen partnerships between affected countries, donors and international agencies. It underscores the need for a coordinated approach to cholera control with country-level planning for early detection and response to outbreaks. By implementing the Roadmap, up to 20 affected countries could eliminate cholera by 2030.

“The World Health Organization is proud to be part of this new joint initiative to stop deaths from cholera. The disease takes its greatest toll on the poor and the vulnerable – this is quite unacceptable. This roadmap is the best way we have to bring this to an end,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization.

“Every death from cholera is preventable with the tools available today, including use of the Oral Cholera Vaccine and improved access to basic safe water, sanitation and hygiene as set out in the Roadmap,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Gebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organization. “This is a disease of inequity that affects the poorest and most vulnerable. It is unacceptable that nearly two decades into the 21st century, cholera continues to destroy livelihoods and cripple economies. We must act together. And we must act now.”

Advances in the provision of water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services have made Europe and North America cholera-free for several decades. Today, although access to WASH is recognized as a basic human right by the United Nations, over 2 billion people worldwide still lack access to safe water and are potentially at risk of cholera. Weak health systems and low early detection capacity further contribute to the rapid spread of outbreaks.

“It is intolerable that so many of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable children should die as a result of cholera,” said Ted Chaiban, Director of UNICEF’s global programmes. “We know how to prevent it. This requires the commitment and action from all sides, including investment in safe water and sanitation, key health interventions and engaging communities on basic health and hygiene behaviours. We can make a difference.”

Cholera disproportionally impacts communities already burdened by conflict, lack of infrastructure, poor health systems, and malnutrition. Protecting these communities before cholera strikes is significantly more cost-effective than continually responding to outbreaks.

The introduction of the oral cholera vaccine has been a game-changer in the battle to control cholera, bridging the gap between emergency response and longer-term control. Two WHO-approved oral cholera vaccines are now available and individuals can be fully vaccinated for just US$6 per person, protecting them from the disease for up to three years.

The Global Roadmap provides an effective mechanism to synchronize the efforts of countries, donors, and technical partners. It underscores the need for a multi-sectoral approach to cholera control with country-level planning for early detection and response to outbreaks.

By strengthening WASH in endemic “hotspots”, cholera outbreaks can be prevented. By detecting cholera outbreaks early, and responding immediately, large-scale uncontrolled outbreaks like the one observed in Yemen can be avoided – even in crisis situations.

Posted on 1 October 2017 by davidrcurry

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
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Week ending 30 September 2017

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