International Organization for Standardization (ISO) [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.iso.org/iso/home/news_index.htm

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18 March 2016
Three billion people at risk from cooking emissions
There is a dark side to cooking that half the world population knows only too well as it costs the lives of four million people every year – that’s three times the number of deaths from HIV/AIDS. Most are women and children.

UNWTO World Tourism Organization [to 19 March 2016]
http://media.unwto.org/news

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18 March 2016
Swedish private sector commits to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism
Visita and Svensk Turism AB have become the latest private sector signatories to the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics. The signature of the commitment to the Code took place on the occasion of Sweden’s Hospitality Industry Congress, held in Gothenburg (17 March 2016).

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15 March 2016
Private sector committed to fight child exploitation in tourism
The 31st Meeting of the World Tourism Network on Child Protection, held on the occasion of ITB Berlin, focused on the role and initiatives of the private sector to fight Child Exploitation in tourism. Awareness raising, training of staff and the implementation of measures along the whole value chain of tourism were pointed out as critical.

…Carol Bellamy, Chair of the Network, recalled the role of the Network as a platform to share research and good practices in the fight against the exploitation of children in tourism.

At the meeting, the Chair of the High Level Global Task Force to End Sexual Exploitation of Children in Travel and Tourism, Najat Maalla M’jid, shared the first findings of the Global Study carried out by the Task Force. Lack of reporting, weak legislation and the anonymity of the Internet were pointed out as some of the main challenges in child protection from sexual exploitation in the sector. The report aims to also address the chronic lack of robust evidence and comparable data on this issue…

…The World Tourism Network on Child Protection is an open-ended network facilitated by UNWTO featuring the multi-stakeholder participation of a range of tourism stakeholders – governments, international organisations, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), tourism industry groups and media associations. Its mandate is to prevent all forms of youth exploitation in the tourism sector (i.e. sexual exploitation, child labour and child trafficking). The Network’s meetings, held annually at the worlds’ foremost Travel and Tourism Fairs, serve as a platform to exchange experiences and best practices, present awareness-raising materials and capacity building tools, and promote the adoption of professional codes of conduct or other responsible practices in line with the UNWTO Global Code of Ethics for Tourism.

ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

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9 March 2016
UN Broadband Commission to government leaders: broadband can be your most powerful development catalyst
High-speed networks and services essential to meet UN Sustainable Development Goals

Dubai, 14 March 2016 – The Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development’s 13th full meeting, held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, yesterday, reached consensus on the need for a new set of connectivity targets to help governments more effectively harness broadband networks and services to drive progress towards the 17 Sustainable Development Goals.

Commissioners agreed that broadband networks, services and applications have enormous potential to deliver dramatic results in education, health and socio-economic growth. A recent informal meeting of Commissioners at the World Economic Forum in Davos emphasized that connecting the unconnected and generating sufficient investment opportunities for the universal deployment of broadband networks, services and applications will be a key factor in achieving all 17 global goals.

Debate in Dubai around potential new targets focused on the importance of adding targets to measure the utilization of selected broadband-enabled public services, the choice of statistical indicators to accurately gauge broadband access at the country and community levels, as well as the choice of data sources and methodologies for generating accurate, reliable measurement. The Commission also agreed on the importance of developing National Digital Scorecards to measure national progress towards achieving broadband targets….

WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/

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Mar 17, 2016 PR/2016/789
Cybersquatting Cases Up in 2015, Driven by New gTLDs
Amid the roll-out of hundreds of new generic Top-Level Domains (gTLDs) such as .GURU, .NINJA and .NYC, trademark owners filed 2,754 cases under the Uniform Domain Name Dispute Resolution Policy (UDRP) with WIPO in 2015, an increase of 4.6 % over the previous year.

Mar 16, 2016 PR/2016/788
U.S. Extends Lead in International Patent and Trademark Filings
The United States of America (U.S.) extended its long-standing position as the top source of international patent applications via WIPO amid another strong year of worldwide intellectual property (IP) filing growth, as an electronics manufacturer displaced a watch maker as the leading depositor of international industrial design applications.

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.cbd.int/press-releases/

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2016-03-14
Canada and the United States of America Affirm Partnership on Climate Action, Clean Energy, and the Arctic and its Biodiversity
The Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, applauds the Arctic Partnership announced Thursday by United States President Barack Obama and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in Washington, D.C. Although focused on climate action, the partnership has far-reaching consequences for biodiversity in the Arctic, including the role of indigenous peoples and their traditional knowledge.

ECHO [to 19 March 2016]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

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16/03/2016
EU steps up humanitarian assistance for Ukraine by €20 million
Today, the European Commission is increasing its humanitarian response to help people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with a new humanitarian aid package worth €20 million. The announcement comes as European Commissioner for…

Syria crisis: European Commission announces €445 million in humanitarian aid
15/03/2016
Today the European Commission announces €445 million in humanitarian aid for the Syria crisis in 2016. The support is part of the Commission’s pledge made at the conference ‘Supporting Syria and the Region’ held earlier this year in London, where…

Greece receives new deliveries of material support via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism
14/03/2016
Following a recent increase in contributions to support the country via the EU Civil Protection Mechanism, Greece will receive additional deliveries of aid this week to support refugees in the country. Greece activated the EU Civil Protection…

African Union [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.au.int/en/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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March 17, 2016
Water is critical to achieving Agenda 2063 Development Goals and Aspirations – AUC Chairperson
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 16 March 2016: “Water is the source by which Africa’s development can be driven,” says the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, in her remarks at the closing session of Ministers of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene meeting that held on 15 and16 March 2016 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…

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March 15, 2016
Girls’ education, child protection: UNICEF carves niche in Africa’s Agenda 2063
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – 15 March 2016: The Executive Director of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Mr. Anthony Lake, has expressed UNICEF’s full commitment and support to work with the African Union on the education of girls and protection of children within the framework of Africa’s Agenda 2063. The UNICEF Executive and the African Union Commission Chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, agreed on these focus areas when they met at the AU Headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on Tuesday 15 March 2016.

The UNICEF Executive Director said that he was very impressed with Agenda 2063, which he noted was in sync with the Sustainable Development Goals, Agenda 2030. “Africa’s Agenda 2063 provides an opportunity for the transformation of two generations of girls in Africa,” Mr. Anthony Lake noted, lauding Dr. Dlamini Zuma’s leadership on human rights, particularly on girls’ rights, including the right to education.

“Girls’ education on the continent is very critical. We know the benefits of educated children to families and societies at large. Girls education is paramount, and therefore needs a lot of emphasis.” The AU Commission Chairperson said, adding that, girls should also be assisted beyond basic education so that they can proceed to higher education. “Primary education is important, but no country has developed with primary education alone,” she noted.

Aside from girls’ education, they also discussed the need to focus on nutrition to ensure proper early child growth, as well as give more attention to the protection of children in conflicts. Concurring with the UNICEF Executive Director, the AUC Chairperson highlighted the importance of focusing on the protection of both children and their mothers. This will protect girls from being made wives and boys from being soldiers when they are meant to be just children…

European Union [to 19 March 2016]
http://europa.eu/rapid/search-result.htm?query=18&locale=en&page=1
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]

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EU-Turkey Agreement: Questions and Answers
Date: 19/03/2016
European Commission – Fact Sheet Brussels, 19 March 2016 Factsheet on the EU-Turkey Agreement What has been agreed? On 18 March, following on from the EU-Turkey Joint Action Plan activated on 29 November 2015 and the 7 March EU-Turkey statement, the European Union and Turkey decided to end the irregular…

President Juncker appoints EU Coordinator to organise operational implementation in Greece
Date: 18/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 18 March 2016 President Juncker appoints EU Coordinator to organise operational implementation in Greece President Juncker has today appointed Maarten Verwey to act as the EU Coordinator to implement the EU-Turkey statement.

EU steps up humanitarian assistance for Ukraine by €20 million
Date: 16/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 16 March 2016 €20 million in humanitarian assistance for people in need in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. Today the European Commission is increasing its humanitarian response to help people affected by the conflict in eastern Ukraine, with a new humanitarian aid package worth €20…

Six Principles for further developing EU-Turkey Cooperation in tackling the Migration Crisis
Date: 16/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 16 March 2016 Six Principles for further developing EU-Turkey Cooperation in tackling the Migration Crisis On 7 March, EU leaders agreed that bold moves were needed to close down people smuggling routes, to break the business model of the smugglers, to protect the EU…

Relocation and Resettlement: EU Member States urgently need to deliver
Date: 16/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 16 March 2016 Relocation and Resettlement: EU Member States urgently need to deliver In 2015 the Commission took decisive action to help address the refugee crisis that EU Member States and neighbouring countries are facing.

Syria Crisis: European Commission announces €445 million in humanitarian aid
Date: 15/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 15 March 2016 Today the European Commission announces €445 million in humanitarian aid for the Syria crisis in 2016. The support is part of the Commission’s pledge made at the conference ‘Supporting Syria and the Region’ held earlier this year in London, where the…

European Commission announces €38 million for new development programmes in Sri Lanka
Date: 15/03/2016
– Press release European Commission Brussels, 15 March 2016 Today the European Commission will co-sign two new support programmes worth €38 million in total in the field of rural development and trade with Sri Lanka, as EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, arrives for a three day…

EU supports Zika research with €10 million
Date: 15/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 15 March 2016 The European Commission is today releasing €10 million for research on the Zika virus, currently affecting large parts of Latin America. The most affected country is Brazil, where the World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared that the recent cluster of severe…

OECD [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/publicationsdocuments/bydate/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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16-March-2016
OECD Anti-Bribery Ministerial Declaration
Ministers and representatives from the 41 State Parties to the OECD Anti-Bribery Convention have reaffirmed their commitment to continued implementation of the Convention and called for robust enforcement of their anti-foreign bribery laws.

15-March-2016
Health workers with right skills in right places needed
The number of doctors and nurses has reached record levels in the OECD. Countries should now reform their training and employment strategies to better respond to people’s changing health needs and also reduce their reliance on foreign-trained health workers from developing countries, according to a new OECD report.

14-March-2016
New Global Forum peer reviews highlight ever-increasing compliance with tax transparency standards
The world’s leading forum on tax transparency published 10 new peer review reports today, pointing to ever-increasing compliance with the internationally-recognised standards to curb tax evasion through the exchange of information.

Organization of American States (OAS) [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.oas.org/en/media_center/press_releases.asp

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March 14 2016
IDB and OAS urge Latin America and the Caribbean to strengthen efforts on cybersecurity
– Report shows the region has “potentially devastating” vulnerabilities
– Four out of five countries lack a strategy for cybersecurity

WASHINGTON – Leaders of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and the Organization of American States (OAS) today called on the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean to step up their efforts on cybersecurity after releasing a new study, carried out by the two institutions with the support of Oxford University, that shows the region is highly vulnerable to potentially devastating cyber-attacks.

The 2016 Cybersecurity Report, Are we ready in Latin America and the Caribbean, shows that four out of every five countries in the region do not have a cybersecurity strategy or plans for protecting critical infrastructure. Two out of three countries do not have a command and control center for cybersecurity. And a large majority of prosecutors lack the capacity to punish cybercrimes and face other problems as well.
The report analyzes the state of preparedness of 32 countries based on 49 indicators. It is the first significant examination of the level of preparedness in Latin America and the Caribbean against the growing threat of cybercrime.

Uruguay, Brazil, México, Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Trinidad and Tobago have achieved an intermediate level of preparedness, but remain far from advanced countries like the United States, Israel, Estonia and the Republic of Korea…

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/
[Selected Press Releases, Announcements]

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17/03/2016
OIC Welcomes Moscow’s Decision of Partial Withdrawal from Syria
The Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, Iyad Ameen Madani, said that the OIC welcomes the Russian Federation’s decision, on Monday 14 March 2016, to pull out part of its troops in Syria. He deemed the Russian decision a positive development that would solidify Geneva peace talks, under the auspices of the United Nations, towards a political solution to the Syrian crisis and ending the plight of the Syrian people…

Group of 77 [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.g77.org/

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(New York, 14 March 2016)
“Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”
Statement on behalf of the Group of 77 and China by His Excellency Mr. Adul Sangsingkeo, Minister of Social Development and Human Security of the Kingdom of Thailand, at the Sixtieth Session of the Commission on the Status of Women on Agenda Item 3: Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly.

World Trade Organisation [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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18 March 2016
TRIPS
Nepal, Tanzania and Ukraine accept protocol amending the TRIPS Agreement
Acceptance of the protocol amending the WTO’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) is gaining further momentum. Two least developed countries, Nepal and Tanzania, as well as Ukraine deposited their instruments of acceptance on 11 March, 14 March and 16 March respectively. ..

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

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14 MARCH 2016
IPU team completes Egypt parliament mission
An IPU team has completed a mission to Egypt, assessing the needs of the country’s parliament for the next phase of its development. The team explored a wide number of areas, including how to strengthen MPs in all aspects of their work, how to empower female and young members and the establishment of a parliamentary training institute. The institute would boost good procedure by improving staff efficiency and increasing MPs’ knowledge of parliamentary techniques and topical themes, as well as improving cooperation with other parliaments. While in Egypt, the mission also looked at how to further improve key parliamentary services such as library facilities, documentation and Information and Communications Technology (ICT), as well as the parliament’s structure and its relationships with the executive, citizens and outside organizations.

The team members, who included Australian, British, Egyptian and French experts, will discuss their findings at the forthcoming IPU Assembly in Zambia, before releasing a full report in April. A fully-fledged programme of assistance will then be developed. Last month the Egyptian Speaker, Ali Abd Elall Sayed Ahmed, signed an agreement with IPU Secretary General Martin Chungong, under which IPU will continue to provide assistance to the Egyptian Parliament. IPU has been working with Egypt since 2014, delivering priority assistance during the run-up to the establishment of a fully-fledged parliament. Activities have included training for parliamentary staff, advisory support and recently an induction programme for the new MPs after their election. The new parliament has nearly 600 members, 15 per cent of them women and 29 per cent aged between 25-45 years.

World Bank [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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World Bank, USAID Strengthen Violence Prevention Partnership
WASHINGTON, March 17, 2016 – The gravity of violence and its impact on development in Latin America and the Caribbean was underscored in a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) announced by the World Bank…
Date: March 17, 2016 Type: Press Release

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Leaders Launch New Humanitarian-Development Partnership to Respond To Forced Displacement and Global Crises
WASHINGTON, March 16, 2016 — Signaling a great urgency to address the crisis of millions of people forcibly displaced from their homes, leaders of multilateral development banks, UN agencies and major…
Date: March 16, 2016 Type: Press Release
PRESS RELEASE

IMF [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.imf.org/external/news/default.aspx
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

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March 13, 2016
Press Release: Statement by IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde at the Conclusion of the Conference on “Advancing Asia: Investing for the Future”

African Development Bank Group [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

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17/03/2016
AfDB approves loan for Rwanda’s first regional hydropower public-private partnership project
The African Development Bank Group announced on 16 March a US$ 24 million loan to support Rwanda’s contribution to the development of the Multinational Ruzizi III Hydropower Project. The project is a joint initiative of the three Great Lakes Region countries – Burundi, Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda – and will increase electricity trading within the region and beyond.

15/03/2016
AfDB President commits to support Liberia’s transformation agenda
The President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has pledged to support Liberia’s effort to diversify its economy, with a particular emphasis on the agriculture and power sectors.

Asian Development Bank [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.adb.org/news

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17 Mar 2016 | News Release
Bold Actions Required in Developing Asia to Overcome Impact of PRC’S Growth – ADB Study
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The continued moderation of growth in the People’s Republic of China (PRC) could knock off a third of a percentage point a year in growth for the rest of developing Asia over the next 2 years. Bold actions from policymakers in the region, including structural reforms to attract new investment, are needed to counteract the slowdown, a new Asian Development Bank (ADB) policy brief says.

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17 Mar 2016 | News Release
Emerging East Asian Bond Yields Lower Amid Slowdown in Global Growth

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16 Mar 2016 | News Release
ADB Sanctioned 90 Entities For Integrity Violations in 2015 – OAI
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank’s (ADB) Office of Anticorruption and Integrity (OAI) sanctioned 90 companies and individuals for integrity violations in 2015, more than double the 40 sanctioned the previous year, reflecting expanded efforts to encourage staff and partners to report corrupt activities, a new report says.

OAI’s 2015 Annual Report notes that 106 entities were also cross-debarred in 2015 in line with a cross-debarment agreement with four other multilateral development banks. This is a slight increase from the 99 firms and individuals cross-debarred in 2014. Complaints received in 2015 climbed 18% year-on-year to a record 285.

“Corruption is a direct threat to better lives for millions of poor citizens in our region. It can only be combated by all development stakeholders taking an unequivocal stand that any transgression, no matter how big or small, is unacceptable,” said OAI Head Clare Wee. “OAI stepped up efforts and resources in 2015 to raise awareness on corruption in all its forms, and the rise in complaints reflects increased willingness to report actions that cross the line.”…

BRAC [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.brac.net/#news

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Friday, 18 March 2016 00:00
Two BRAC officials abducted in Afghanistan
18 March 2016, Dhaka. It is with great regret that we announce that Engineer Mohammad Showkat Ali, Chief Engineer, National Solidarities Programme and KM Sirazul Islam, Regional Accountant, Girls Education Challenge (GEC) project were abducted on 17 March 2016 from Shenowari of Baghlan e Markazi district under Baghlan province in Afghanistan. The incident happened when they were returning to Kunduz province BRAC office from a scheduled field visit.

BRAC is fully engaged in dealing with this crisis. BRAC Afghanistan authorities are in constant communication with the law enforcement agencies and the local administration and also has dispatched a team to Baghlan to coordinate the rescue efforts.

In immediate response, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh and Ministry of Interior of Afghanistan have assured their full cooperation…

CARE International [to 19 March 2016]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases

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15th Mar 2016 Syria
Syrian women taking lead roles to survive despite risks
War forcing Syrian women to take a lead role to survive, despite numerous risks, says new CARE report.