New Multi-country Initiative will Protect Millions of Girls from Child Marriage – UNICEF/UNFPA
Joint Press Release
8 March 2016
NEW YORK — A new multi-country initiative to accelerate action to end child marriage will help protect the rights of millions of the world’s most vulnerable girls, UNICEF and UNFPA said on International Women’s Day.

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage announced today will involve families, communities, governments and young people. This is part of a global effort to prevent girls from marrying too young and to support those already married as girls in 12 countries across Africa, Asia and the Middle East where child marriage rates are high.

“Choosing when and whom to marry is one of life’s most important decisions. Child marriage denies millions of girls this choice each year,” said Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. “As part of this global programme, we will work with governments of countries with a high prevalence of child marriage to uphold the rights of adolescent girls, so that girls can reach their potential and countries can attain their social and economic development goals.”

The new global programme will focus on proven strategies, including increasing girls’ access to education and health care services, educating parents and communities on the dangers of child marriage, increasing economic support to families, and strengthening and enforcing laws that establish 18 as the minimum age of marriage. The programme will also emphasize the importance of using robust data to inform policies related to adolescent girls.

“The world has awakened to the damage child marriage causes to individual girls, to their future children, and to their societies,” said UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake. “This new global programme will help drive action to reach the girls at greatest risk – and help more girls and young women realize their right to dictate their own destinies. This is critical now because if current trends continue, the number of girls and women married as children will reach nearly 1 billion by 2030 – 1 billion childhoods lost, 1 billion futures blighted.”

Child marriage is a violation of the rights of girls and women. Girls who are married as children are more likely to be out of school, suffer domestic violence, contract HIV/AIDS and die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth. Child marriage also hurts economies and leads to intergenerational cycles of poverty.

The global community demonstrated strong commitment to end child marriage by including a target on eliminating it and other harmful practices in the Sustainable Development Goals. UNICEF and UNFPA call on governments and partner organizations to support the new Global Programme to help eliminate child marriage by 2030.

The UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to Accelerate Action to End Child Marriage is being supported by Canada, the European Union, Italy, Netherlands, and the UK.

Bangkok Principles for the implementation of the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030
11 March 2016 “” 3 pages
The International Conference on the Implementation of the Health Aspect of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, held on 10-11 March 2016, in Bangkok, Thailand, adopted the “Bangkok Principles” which articulates measures that could assist countries in implementing the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

The Bangkok Principles are organized under seven recommendation themes:
1. Promote systematic integration of health into national and sub-national disaster risk reduction policies and plans and the inclusion of emergency and disaster risk management programmes in national and sub-national health strategies.

2. Enhance cooperation between health authorities and other relevant stakeholders to strengthen country capacity for disaster risk management for health, the implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005) and building of resilient health systems.

3. Stimulate people-centered public and private investment in emergency and disaster risk reduction, including in health facilities and infrastructure.

4. Integrate disaster risk reduction into health education and training and strengthen capacity building of health workers in disaster risk reduction.

5. Incorporate disaster-related mortality, morbidity and disability data into multi-hazards early warning system, health core indicators and national risk assessments

6. Advocate for, and support cross-sectoral, transboundary collaboration including information sharing, and science and technology for all hazards, including biological hazards.

7. Promote coherence and further development of local and national policies and strategies, legal frameworks, regulations, and institutional arrangements.

Full text: http://www.preventionweb.net/files/47606_bangkokprinciples.pdf

Editor’s Note:
We are reflect on the milestone represented below through a UN Women “partnership” facilitating integration a national identity card program with a branded “electronic payments functionality.”

MasterCard and UN Women join to advance empowerment of women
Partnership designed to drive financial inclusion of women, beginning with Nigerian pilot

Purchase, N.Y., 8 March – Around the world, nearly 2.4 billion people live without any form of official personal identification, and the majority of them are women. As part of broader International Women’s Day activities, MasterCard and UN Women signed a Memorandum of Understanding to address this imbalance and advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

The first initiative in this relationship is the launch of a pilot programme in Nigeria, which aims to provide half a million Nigerian women with ID cards enabled with electronic payments functionality.

“Research has shown that as soon as a person has a formal identity and access to electronic payments, they can prosper in ways they haven’t imagined before,” said Martina Hund-Mejean, Chief Financial Officer of MasterCard. “Our relationship with UN Women will help make a real difference in these women’s lives as they are more fully empowered to achieve their true potential.”…

… “One of UN Women’s main objectives is to increase women’s economic empowerment. The partnership with MasterCard will help pave the way to economic freedom and financial inclusion for women, initially in Nigeria,” says Lakshmi Puri, United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women. “We look forward to working together and see the potential of expanding the model to benefit women also in other countries. It is also encouraging that we will collaborate on knowledge generation, advocacy and resource mobilization for greater investment in gender equality and women’s empowerment—reflecting MasterCard and its CEO’s deep commitment to a Planet 50/50 and to supporting UN Women’s efforts,” she added.

Under the programme, MasterCard and UN Women will further explore how and when Nigerians have signed up for the country’s national identity card programme. Based on these insights, a targeted programme will be launched to educate women on the benefits of the programme and enrol them for the identity card.

“This campaign will help at least half a million women in Nigeria gain access to financial services, many for the first time, and the support they need to enter the country’s formal economy,” says Omokehinde Ojomuyide, Vice-President and business lead for West Africa at MasterCard.

Do environmental policies affect global value chains?
A new perspective on the pollution haven hypothesis
OECD 10 Mar 2016
Tomasz Koźluk 1, Christina Timiliotis
1: OECD, France
No. 1282 64 pages:
DOI: 10.1787/5jm2hh7nf3wd-en
Abstract
Increasing international fragmentation of production has reinforced fears that industrial activity may flee to countries with laxer environmental policies – in line with the so-called Pollution Haven Hypothesis (PHH). If PHH effects are strong, domestic responses to environmental challenges may prove ineffective or meet strong resistance. Using a gravity model of bilateral trade in manufacturing industries for selected OECD and BRIICS countries over 1990s-2000s, this paper studies how exports are related to national environmental policies. Environmental policies are not found to be a major driver of international trade patterns, but have some significant effects on specialisation. More stringent domestic policies have no significant effect on overall trade in manufactured goods, but are linked to a comparative disadvantage in “dirty” industries, and a corresponding advantage in “cleaner” industries. The effects are stronger for the domestic component of exports than for gross exports, yet notably smaller than the effects of e.g. trade liberalisation.

Press Release
Tougher environmental laws do not hurt export competitiveness – OECD study
10/3/16 – Countries that implement stringent environmental policies do not lose export competitiveness when compared against countries with more moderate regulations, according to a new OECD study that examines trade in manufactured goods between advanced and emerging economies.

The findings suggest that emerging economies with strong manufacturing sectors like China could strengthen environmental laws without denting their overall share in export markets. High-pollution or energy-intensive industries like chemicals, plastics and steel making, whether in the BRIICS or in Europe or North America, would suffer a small disadvantage from a further tightening of regulations, but this would be compensated by growth in exports from less-polluting activities.

Do Environmental Policies Affect Global Value Chains? challenges the conventional wisdom that regulations to curb pollution and energy use hurt businesses by creating new costs. The so-called Pollution Haven Hypothesis suggests that tightening environmental laws often prompts manufacturers to simply relocate some production stages to countries with laxer regulations.

“Environmental policies are simply not the major driver of international trade patterns,” said OECD Chief Economist Catherine L. Mann, presenting the study at the London School of Economics. “We find no evidence that a large gap between the environmental policies of two given countries significantly affects their overall trade in manufactured goods. Governments should stop working on the assumption that tighter regulations will hurt their export share and focus on the edge they can get from innovation.”…

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage

11 March 2016
SC/12277
Security Council Asks Secretary-General to Replace Contingents from Countries Failing to Hold Sexual Predators Accountable
7643rd Meeting (PM)
Members Adopt Resolution 2272 (2016) while Rejecting Proposed Amendment
The Security Council, expressing its deep concern over allegations of sexual exploitation and abuse by United Nations peacekeepers, today asked the Secretary-General to replace all military or police units from any contributing country that had failed to hold perpetrators accountable.

Adopting resolution 2272 (2016) by 14 votes in favour to none against, with 1 abstention (Egypt), the Council requested that the Secretary-General ensure that the replacement of personnel from troop- or police-contributing countries upheld standards of conduct and discipline, and appropriately addressed allegations or confirmed acts of sexual exploitation and abuse by their personnel…
[Full text of resolution available from title link above]

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UN Peacekeeping operations and sexual exploitation and abuse – Security Council, 7642nd meeting
10 Mar 2016 – United Nations peacekeeping operations.
Sexual exploitation and abuse
[Video:: 2:40:49]
Security Council: United Nations peacekeeping operations – Sexual exploitation and abuse (7643rd meeting)
Resolution Adopted [Video not yet posted]

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10 March 2016
SC/12274
Repatriation of Commanders, Units among Steps to Tackle Sexual Exploitation, Abuse by Peacekeepers, Secretary-General Tells Security Council
Briefing the Security Council today, Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon laid out a number of steps to address “the shameful issue” of sexual exploitation and abuse by peacekeepers, amid disagreement over a draft resolution aimed at addressing the matter.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
Selected Press Releases

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11 March 2016
South Sudan: UN report contains “searing” account of killings, rapes and destruction

SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [to 12 March 2016]
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/virtual-library/press-release-archive/

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11 Mar 2016
Joint Statement on Syria

08 Mar 2016
Human Rights Council: Increasingly complex conflicts had a devastating impact on children in 2015

07 Mar 2016
Central African Republic: Report Describes Children Victims of Relentless Violence in a Climate of Total Impunity

UN OCHA [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases

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11 Mar 2016
Syrian Arab Republic: Joint Statement on Syria

10 Mar 2016
Sudan: Jebel Marra Crisis Fact Sheet Issue 4 I 10 March 2016
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Sudan KEY FACTS • Over 105,000 civilians have been reportedly displaced from the Jebel Marra area in Sudan’s Darfur region since mid-January 2016 as a result of increased hostilities between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Abdul Wahid faction of the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA/AW). Official government estimates for the newly displaced in North Darfur, at 23 February, are 72,727.

09 Mar 2016
occupied Palestinian territory: Remarks by Robert Piper, Coordinator for Humanitarian and UN Development Activities for the occupied Palestinian territory – Launch on the Humanitarian Response Plan, Gaza

08 Mar 2016
World: Humanitarian Private Sector Partnership Platform (HPPP) launched in East Africa
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Kenya, World Nairobi, 8 March 2016: The world is currently facing an unprecedented number of humanitarian crises, putting more strain on responders. The number of people targeted for assistance has more than doubled over the past decade, with the global funding requirements increasing at a much faster rate. An estimated US$20 billion is needed in 2016 to meet the needs of some 87 million people in need…

UNICEF [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_89711.html
Selected Press Releases

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Race for survival as South Sudan’s children struggle in forgotten crisis
JUBA, South Sudan, 11 March 2016 – Humanitarian funding for the world’s youngest country has collapsed, UNICEF said today, putting the lives of tens of thousands of children at risk.

UNICEF responds to EU and Turkey summit, calls for protection of refugee and migrant children
GENEVA, 8 March, 2016 – With regard to the outcome of the EU Summit with Turkey, UNICEF reiterates that in the implementation of such decisions the fundamental humanitarian principle of ‘do no harm’ must guide authorities across Europe, the Balkans and Turkey at every step when it comes to the care of refugee and migrant children.

New multi-country initiative will protect millions of girls from child marriage – UNICEF/UNFPA
NEW YORK, 8 March 2016 – A new multi-country initiative to accelerate action to end child marriage will help protect the rights of millions of the world’s most vulnerable girls, UNICEF and UNFPA said on International Women’s Day.

Agnes Chan named UNICEF Regional Ambassador for East Asia and Pacific Region
BANGKOK/TOKYO, 7 March 2016 – UNICEF today announced the appointment of Agnes Chan Miling as its newest Regional Ambassador for East Asia and the Pacific Region.

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

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Press Releases
12 March 2016
Joint United Nations statement on Syria

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11 March 2016
UNHCR and World Taekwondo Federation partner on training in camps
Joint WTF, UNHCR Press Release
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has signed an agreement in Geneva with the World Taekwondo Federation (WTF) that will make it easier for thousands of refugees across the Middle East, Asia, Africa and Europe to enjoy the Olympic sport and martial art of taekwondo and keep healthy.

The WTF, through a newly created Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, will provide coaches and equipment for pilot taekwondo programmes already launched in two camps for Syrian refugees – Kilis in Turkey, and Jordan’s Za’atari.

New projects will also bring taekwondo to male and female refugees of all ages in Colombia, Ethiopia, Ghana and Greece…

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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03/12/16
IOM-UN Relief Arrives in Cyclone-stricken Fiji
Fiji – More than 80 metric tons of IOM relief supplies have arrived in Fiji to alleviate the suffering of tens of thousands of Fijians severely affected by Cyclone Winston.

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IOM Condemns Wednesday Attack at Migrant Response Point in Hodeidah, Yemen
03/11/16
On 9 March 2016, at 3:00 PM, an armed group stormed the IOM Migrant Response Point (MRP) in Hodeidah, Yemen and fired automatic weapons inside the premises.

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Mediterranean Migrant Arrivals in 2016 Approach 150,000; Deaths Reach 455
03/11/16
Greece – Through March 10, 2016, IOM reports arrivals of migrants and refugees to Italy and Greece via Mediterranean Sea routes have topped 150,000.

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IOM, UNHCR Joint Statement on Yemen Crisis
03/08/16
Yemen – IOM and UNHCR have expressed growing concern about the nearly one-year-old conflict in Yemen, which has left 2.4 million people forcibly displaced by fighting.

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IOM Receives USD 10 Million from USAID to Fight Human Trafficking in Afghanistan
03/08/16
Afghanistan – USAID has announced it will contribute USD 10 million to IOM to help end human trafficking in Afghanistan.

UN Women [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

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Date: 10 March 2016
Press release: Implementation of 2030 Agenda to be the focus at single largest forum on women and girls
UN Commission on the Status of Women to outline robust set of actions for translating ambitious development roadmap into reality for women and girls

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Date: 08 March 2016
MasterCard and UN Women join to advance empowerment of women
Around the world, nearly 2.4 billion people live without any form of official personal identification, and the majority of them are women. As part of broader International Women’s Day activities, MasterCard and UN Women signed a Memorandum of Understanding to address this imbalance and advance gender equality and women’s economic empowerment.

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Date: 07 March 2016
Press release: International Women’s Day celebrations champion a Planet 50-50 by 2030
International Women’s Day celebrations on 8 March will mobilize people around the world to call for a Planet 50-50 by 2030. UN Women is organizing a series of diverse, high-profile events in over 40 countries, where ordinary citizens, activists, musicians, athletes, students, security personnel, scholars and stock exchange officials will be among those who commit to “Stepping It Up for Gender Equality.”

WHO & Regionals [to 12 March 2016]

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Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: 10 March 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
:: 10 March 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Qatar
:: 10 March 2016 – Dengue Fever – Uruguay
:: 7 March 2016 – Guillain-Barré syndrome – France – French Polynesia
:: 7 March 2016 – Zika virus infection – Argentina and France

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More than numbers: how better data is changing health systems
March 2016
The Health Data Collaborative, launched by WHO and partner development agencies, countries, donors and academics, will strengthen countries’ capacity to collect, analyse and use reliable health data, thereby reducing administrative burden. A list of 100 core health indicators has been produced, and 60 low income and lower-middle income countries, and their supporting donors, will be using common investment plans to strengthen their health information systems by 2024.
:: Health Data Collaborative website
Editor’s Note:
The core health indicator referencing immunization is here:
Pdf: Immunization coverage rate by vaccine for each vaccine in the national schedule

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WHO Highlights
Fukushima five years on
March 2016 — On 11 March 2011, a magnitude 9 earthquake occurred off the east coast of Japan, generating a tsunami that severely damaged coastal areas. These 10 questions and answers address WHO’s current response and next steps to mitigate the public health impact of the Fukushima accident.

Planet 50-50 by 2030: Step It Up for Gender Equality
March 2016 — This year’s International Women’s Day focuses on accelerating the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, especially goal number 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls and goal 4 – Ensure inclusive and quality education for all and promote lifelong learning.

Consultation for adolescent health
March 2016 — In response to the health needs of adolescents, WHO and partners are developing a Global Framework for Accelerated Action for the Health of Adolescents (the Global AA-HA! Framework). Initial input is now requested from governments, civil society, the private sector, academia, youth groups and citizens.

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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Angola immunizes 6.7 million people against yellow fever
WHO experts remain at the frontline Luanda, 9 March 2016 – Angolan health authorities and national and international partners continue making tireless efforts to immunize 6.7 million people in Luanda Province and to stop the yellow fever outbreak the country has been facing since December 2015.WHO is supporting the procurement of 7.4 million doses of vaccine that will allow the vaccination of the entire population of Luanda above the age of 6 months.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: PAHO and OAS partner with University of Miami to offer online courses on good research practices and standards (03/11/2016)
:: Scientists studying intensified vector control measures to combat Zika, dengue and chikungunya in the Americas (03/11/2016)
:: Misión de la OPS en El Salvador destaca oportunidad del país para aportar a la investigación internacional sobre el zika (03/11/2016)
:: International mission convened by PAHO visits El Salvador to exchange experiences and support the response to Zika (03/08/2016)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Media statement on International Women’s Day 8 March 2016

WHO European Region EURO
:: E-health in practice 10-03-2016
:: E-health – when, not if 10-03-2016
:: Outcome of the 2nd meeting of IHR Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations 09-03-2016
:: Towards a European strategy for women’s health 08-03-2016

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Yemen’s national oncology centre struggles to continue functioning
10 March 2016 – In late 2015, the national oncology centre in Yemen appealed to the humanitarian community and international bodies to save cancer care services in Yemen from the brink of complete collapse. They warned of the looming health disaster brought about by lack of life-saving chemotherapy drugs, laboratory reagents, and even simple pain killers. The lack of availability of medicines and diagnostic supplies is a direct result of the defacto blockade on Yemen since March 2015, which shows few signs of lifting. Since its establishment in 2005, the national oncology centre has diagnosed and treated more than 60 000 patients.
:: Women working for polio eradication in Pakistan 9 March 2016

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: International Women’s Day 2016: Stand up against gender-based violence
8 March 2016 —Violence affects women and girls in epidemic proportions across the Western Pacific Region – with severe consequences for their health and well-being. Women and girls are at greatest risk of violence in their homes from someone they know. On International Women’s Day (8 March), the World Health Organization (WHO) enjoins everyone to protect and promote gender equality and women’s empowerment.

UNAIDS [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unaids.org/en/resources/presscentre/

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11 March 2016
UNAIDS welcomes South Africa’s groundbreaking National Sex Worker HIV Plan
GENEVA—UNAIDS welcomes the roll-out of South Africa’s National Sex Worker HIV Plan, 2016–2019. Launched by the Deputy President of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa, in his role as the Chairperson of the South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), this unique plan will ensure equitable access to health and legal services for sex workers in South Africa.

Sex workers experience a disproportionate burden of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, tuberculosis, violence, and stigma and discrimination. This progressive plan outlines a comprehensive and nationally coordinated response that is tailored to their specific needs and includes a core package of services for sex workers, their partners, their clients and their families.

As well as delivering access to health services to prevent and treat HIV, sexually transmitted infections and tuberculosis, the plan also aims to provide sex workers with access to justice and legal protection services. These services will be made available through a combination of peer educators, community-driven outreach and referrals, and specialized clinics, as well as through primary health-care clinics, with training for all health workers.

The plan includes making HIV testing available and accessible for sex workers. Sex workers who test HIV-positive will be offered antiretroviral therapy. Sex workers who are HIV-negative will be offered antiretroviral medicines to prevent HIV infection—pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP)—in combination with other HIV prevention services…

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08 March 2016
UNAIDS to collaborate on new mobile technology platform to improve data collection and advance the response to HIV
GENEVA, 8 March 2016—UNAIDS and telecommunications operator Orange have signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on a new project to strengthen links between health-care providers and people living with and affected by HIV through the use of mobile technology.

Mobile technology will be used to improve HIV services to ensure patient retention in care and treatment adherence and to help break down stigma and discrimination. Data will be collected and analyzed, gaps in services identified and action taken to improve the quality of health care for people living with and affected by HIV. The information collected will be anonymous and full confidentiality will be maintained.

“To achieve UNAIDS’ ambitious Fast-Track Targets by 2020, countries need to innovate,” said Michel Sidibé, Executive Director of UNAIDS. “This partnership with Orange will allow countries to benefit from state-of-the-art technology that is cost-effective and simple to use, to ensure they can provide the highest quality of services for people living with and affected by HIV.”

UNAIDS and partners will use Orange Mobile Training EveryWhere (M-Tew), a web-based platform that has been designed to be fully integrated into health systems and implemented on a large scale. The M-Tew platform will enable health workers to communicate with people enrolled in care through text messages or by phone and voice messages. Health professionals will be able to send messages, conduct text or voice surveys to evaluate user perceptions on quality of services and answer questions through a virtual call centre…

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07 March 2016
Respecting women’s human rights is key to creating a safer, fairer and healthier world

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unfpa.org/press/press-release

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11 March 2016
Press Release
Unleash the Power of Adolescent Girls of the SDG Generation to Propel Progress for People, Planet, Says UNFPA
UNITED NATIONS, New York—Despite advances in recent years, girls continue to suffer from discrimination and exclusion just because they are young and female, warned Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, Executive Director of UNFPA…

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8 March 2016
Press Release
New Multi-country Initiative will Protect Millions of Girls from Child Marriage – UNICEF/UNFPA
NEW YORK — A new multi-country initiative to accelerate action to end child marriage will help protect the rights of millions of the world’s most vulnerable girls, UNICEF and UNFPA said on International Women’s Day.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Mar 10, 2016
Helen Clark: Speech on “Sustainable development for all – how will the vision become reality?”
Mar 10, 2016 Polhemssalen, Ingenjörshuset, City Konferens – Stockholm, Sweden.

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Additional EUR 59 million boost fight against malaria in Chad
Mar 10, 2016
A new funding agreement, totaling EUR 59 million, has been signed between UNDP and the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). With a focus on young children, pregnant women, nomads and refugees, the grant will roll out community healthcare sites in Chad and intensify efforts to prevent and treat malaria, the leading cause of illness and death in the country.

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Helen Clark: Speech on SDGs at the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Mar 9, 2016 Copenhagen – Denmark

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Helen Clark: Speech at the “Women – the Key to a Sustainable World” event
Mar 8, 2016 Oslo – Norway

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Helen Clark: Statement on International Women’s Day 2016
Mar 8, 2016

UN Statistical Commission :: UN Statistics Division [to 12 March 2016]
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/default.htm
http://unstats.un.org/unsd/statcom/commission.htm
http://unstats.un.org/sdgs/
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Third meeting of the IAEG-SDGs
30 MAR – 1 APR 2016 Mexico City
The third meeting of the Inter-agency and Expert Group on Sustainable Development Goal Indicators (IAEG-SDGs), will be held from 30 March to 1 April 2016 in Mexico City, Mexico. The meeting will be hosted jointly by the National Institute of Statistics and Geography (INEGI) and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mexico.
Meeting objectives
:: Establishment of a tier system for indicators
:: Establishment of procedures for the methodological review of indicators, including approval mechanisms of needed revisions
:: Development of global reporting mechanisms, including identifying entities responsible for compiling data for global reporting on individual indicators and discussing data flow from the national to the global level
:: Discussion of the work plan and next steps

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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10/03/2016
Countries Take Final Step to Put Global Mercury Agreement Into Force
Minamata Convention to Protect Millions Worldwide from Health Threats of Mercury
Amman, 10 March 2016 – Over 550 governments representatives, stakeholders and experts gathered at the Dead Sea in Jordan today to put the final touches to one of the most important legally-binding international agreements – the Minamata Convention on Mercury – which has the potential to end a serious threat to the health of millions of people.

The Minamata Convention on Mercury – named after the Japanese city where thousands of people were poisoned by mercury-tainted industrial water- provides controls and reductions across a range of products, processes and industries that involve mercury. These range from medical equipment such as thermometers and energy-saving light bulbs to the mining, cement and coal fired power sectors.

The Convention was signed in 2013 under the auspices of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). So far, 23 countries have ratified it out of the 50 required for its entry into force.

Speaking in Jordan, UNEP Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw issued a strong call for countries to accelerate the entry into force and implementation of the Convention…

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08/03/2016
Environmentally friendly stoves reduce risk of sexual assault
…In perhaps one of the most startling examples, a pilot project in Malawi, supported by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) and the UN Development Programme (UNDP), reduces the number of trees cut down for firewood while also decreasing the risk of sexual assault that women suffer when they enter forests to gather wood.
Energy-efficient stoves were made available to residents in four districts of Malawi, a country with the highest rate of deforestation in Southern Africa. The stoves use high-density briquettes that last longer than wood, reducing the number of trees that are chopped down while decreasing negative impacts on the climate and improving women’s health.
The new ceramic stoves, which are made from local clay, have also dramatically cut the number of hours local women spend searching for firewood in the forest…

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08/03/2016
Hacked Afghan stoves boost women’s health and prevent flooding
Backed by UNEP and the Embassy of Finland, the Afghan NGO Conservation Organisation for Afghan Mountain Areas (COAM) has reinvented two traditional Afghan stoves that produce far less of the noxious smoke and are far more fuel efficient.

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08/03/2016
UN Secretary-General’s International Women’s Day Message, “From the Glass Ceiling to a Carpet of Shards”

UNISDR UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [to 12 March 2016]
http://www.unisdr.org/archive

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11 Mar 2016
Bangkok Principles on health risk agreed
The Bangkok Principles were agreed today at the conclusion of the first international conference on the health aspects of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction which was attended by government officials from 54 countries.

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9 Mar 2016
Africa highlights sustainable urbanisation
Delegates from across Africa have met to identify the continent’s priorities for sustainable urban development, addressing a critical component of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction.

UNESCO [to 12 March 2016]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Press Releases/News

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11 March 2016
UNESCO and heritage professionals from France and Switzerland mobilize to safeguard Syrian heritage
With continued news of the destruction of heritage in Syria, UNESCO joined efforts with French and Swiss heritage and archeology professionals in the summer of 2015 to assess the material needs of players on the ground to help them pursue their work. A particular need emerged for packaging materials essential for the evacuation and safekeeping of collections, conservation materials to preserve fragile items and restore damaged parts, as well as study and registration tools to help professionals complete the inventories and scientific documentation of Syria’s heritage to facilitate its identification, management and the safeguarding of data.

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11 March 2016
Syrian teachers use cloud technology to create safe schools for refugee students
A project using cloud technology to teach Syrian refugee teachers how to better work with traumatised students was presented as part of UNESCO’s flagship ICT event, Mobile Learning Week (MLW) at the Organizations headquarters from 7 – 11 March, 2016.

The Connect to Learn pilot project is run by the International Rescue Committee (ICR) in ten pilot schools in Domiz Camp in the Kurdish Region of Iraq (KRI).

The project recognizes the expertise of Syrian refugee teachers, their importance in creating safe and nurturing spaces to learn in and their challenges in dealing with vulnerable students who may have suffered varying degrees and types of trauma.

IRC launched a yearlong pilot project with information and communication company, Ericsson providing a technology platform that gives refugee teachers access to resources to help meet the complex needs of conflict-affected children, specifically social-emotional skills, literacy and numeracy….