CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.cbd.int/press-releases/

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2016-03-02
Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Braulio Ferreira De Souza Dias, on the occasion of Africa Environment Day/Wangari Maathai Day

2016-03-01
Message of the Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, on the occasion of World Wildlife Day

USAID [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases

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March 3, 2016
USAID Deploys Disaster Assistance Response Team to Ethiopia for Drought Response
U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Gayle Smith announced today that the United States is dispatching a Disaster Assistance Response Team (DART) to Ethiopia to help avert a crisis triggered by El Niño. The drought follows successive poor rainy seasons and is one of the worst to hit the country in decades. The DART, an elite team of disaster experts, will provide technical assistance to the Government of Ethiopia, conduct humanitarian assessments, and coordinate with the Ethiopia Government and humanitarian organizations on the ground to bring vital humanitarian aid – including emergency food assistance, seeds to plant new crops, safe drinking water, and nutrition treatments – to those in need. Administrator Smith also announced $4 million in drought-tolerant seeds that will help ensure that over 226,000 households can grow additional life-saving food in the coming months.

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United States Announces Additional $20 Million in Food Assistance for Iraq
February 29, 2016
The United States is providing an additional $20 million in emergency food assistance for Iraq to address the humanitarian crisis resulting from the ongoing conflict, U.S. Ambassador to Iraq Stuart E. Jones announced today.

ECHO [to 5 March 2016]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

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04/03/2016
EU activates ‘Refugee Facility’ to help more than 800,000 Syrians in Turkey
The European Commission has today announced the first funding allocation to activate the ‘Refugee Facility for Turkey’, a multi-billion fund which will support humanitarian aid and development projects for refugees residing in Turkey.Of the total €…

London hosts major European disaster training exercise
03/03/2016
Firefighters, police officers and ambulance personnel from across London, as well as emergency teams from Italy, Hungary and Cyprus, participated this week in a four-day-long exercise aimed at reinforcing civil protection teams’ preparedness for…

Commission proposes new Emergency Assistance instrument for faster crisis response within the EU
02/03/2016
Today the European Commission has proposed an ‘Emergency Assistance Instrument’ to be used within the European Union to provide a faster, more targeted response to major crises, including helping Member States cope with large numbers of refugees…

African Union [to 5 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 03, 2016
Benin makes the Declaration to allow NGOs and individuals to directly access the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights

March 03, 2016
The African Union Commission marks the Black History month

March 01, 2016
Africa stands with the Saharawi people until attainment of liberation and independence

European Union [to 5 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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Back to Schengen: Commission proposes Roadmap for restoring fully functioning Schengen system
Date: 04/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 4 March 2016 Back to Schengen: Commission proposes Roadmap for restoring fully functioning Schengen system The Commission today presented a detailed Roadmap of the concrete steps needed to return order to the management of the EU’s external and internal borders.

EU announces first projects under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey: €95 million to be provided for immediate educational and humanitarian assistance
Date: 04/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 4 March 2016 Today the European Commission announced the first projects under the Facility for Refugees in Turkey, pledging €55 million to address the immediate needs of Syrian school-children in Turkey for access to formal education, and €40 million in humanitarian aid through the…

Major increase in EU’s contribution to improve global health
Date: 03/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 3 March 2016 EU increases its contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria EU Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development, Neven Mimica, will today announce the EU’s contribution of €470 million to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria…

Commission proposes new Emergency Assistance instrument for faster crisis response within the EU
Date: 02/03/2016
European – Press release Commission Brussels, 2 March 2016 As the refugee crisis continues to put pressure on many European Member States, the Commission proposes a faster way for support to be provided to tackle wide-ranging humanitarian crises within the EU.

EU renews its support to Palestinian Authority and Palestinian refugees with a first 2016 assistance package totalling €252.5 million
Date: 01/03/2016
European Commission – Press release Brussels, 1 March 2016 Today, the European Commission has approved a €252.5 million assistance package supporting the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian refugees. It is the first part of the EU’s 2016 annual support package in favour of Palestine.

Commission launches Action Plan to crack down on wildlife trafficking
Date: 26/02/2016
European – Press release Commission Brussels, 26 February 2016 Today the European Commission adopted an EU Action Plan to tackle wildlife trafficking within the EU and to strengthen the EU’s role in the global fight against these illegal activities.

OECD [to 5 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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4-March-2016
Spain needs to fulfil its commitment to reverse decline in development aid
Spain’s gradual economic recovery should enable it to start reversing the sharp decline in its development assistance since 2010 and focus more of its aid budget on the neediest countries, according to an OECD Review.

2-March-2016
Consumer Prices, OECD – Updated: 2 March 2016
OECD annual inflation up to 1.2% in January 2016

1-March-2016
Environment & trade: do stricter policies hurt export competitiveness? OECD Chief Economist Catherine Mann – Thursday 10 March 2016, London School of Economics

1-March-2016
International trade statistics: trends in fourth quarter 2015
Global trade slowdown continues in Q4 2015

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

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04/03/2016
The OIC co-organizes a Regional Workshop on Advanced Technologies for Digital Inclusion and a Session on Inclusive Broadcasting with the ABU in Kuala Lumpur
The Organization of Islamic Cooperation co-organized and supported convening of a session on Advanced Solutions for Inclusive Broadcasting at the Digital Broadcasting Symposium (DBS) 2016 and a Regional Training Workshop on Advanced Technologies for Digital Inclusion with the Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) respectively on 3rd and 4th March 2016 at Istana Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A two-member delegation from the OIC General Secretariat participated in these two events…

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03/03/2016
OIC Steering Committee on Health decides to expedite the implementation of the OIC Strategic Health Programme of Action 2014-2023
The 11th meeting of the OIC Steering Committee on Health (SCH) was held at the OIC Headquarters in Jeddah on 02-03 March 2016. The meeting was attended by Mr. Hesham AL Khashan, Deputy Minister of Health, Saudi Arabia , senior health officials from Indonesia, Kazakhstan ,Malaysia ,Sudan , Saudi Arabia ,Turkey, Oman, high-level officials from the relevant OIC institutions (COMSTECH, SESRIC, ISESCO, IDB) and international organizations ( GAVI and UNFPA )…

IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.ipu.org/english/news.htm

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29 FEBRUARY 2016
World MPs meet at UN to focus on ending discriminatory laws
An international meeting of MPs at UN Headquarters next month will focus on the ability of legislation to empower women and deliver sustainable development. The event on 15 March will look at the many forms of legal discrimination that persist around the world and how they hamper delivery of the sustainable development agenda. Participants will discuss the best routes to enacting, implementing and enforcing equality laws. Sessions will focus on the role of parliaments in ending discriminatory laws and the importance of women’s political leadership and representation in legislative bodies. The event is being hosted by IPU and UN Women to coincide with the 60th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the main global intergovernmental body exclusively dedicated to the promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment. It will be webcast live via a link on the IPU website. IPU is also organizing a panel discussion with the UN Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia and the Office for North Africa of the UN Economic Commission for Africa, on 14 March on how UN Security Council resolution 1325 on women, peace and security can be implemented in Arab countries. IPU is strongly committed to working for gender equality in the world’s parliaments, empowering female MPs, and strengthening parliamentary work to achieve gender equality.

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29 FEBRUARY 2016
African MPs propose fresh action on migration
Members of Parliament at a conference on African migration have recommended a series of steps to help ensure the maximum benefit migrants could provide to their countries of origin and destination. The MPs from 15 African countries proposed action, including safeguarding migrants’ rights, combating racism and intolerance, supporting victims of forced migration, reducing the risk and impact of natural disasters and enforcing existing policies and laws on migration. They also suggested reducing the cost of remittance transfers, boosting migrants’ economic literacy, promoting equality of opportunity for men and women, and improving international cooperation, such as using existing African Union mechanisms fully and creating systems to exchange information to combat human trafficking. The benefits of educating people on the good practices and risks of migration were also highlighted. Participants at the event in Djibouti, organized by the African Parliamentary Union and supported by IPU and others, shared their experiences, examples of good practice, and views on the governance of migration in promoting the sustainable development agenda.

International Criminal Court (ICC) [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.icc-cpi.int/en_menus/icc/Pages/default.aspx

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04/03/2016
El Salvador ratifies the Rome Statute and the Kampala Amendments on war crimes and the crime of aggression
The President of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute (“the Assembly”), Minister Sidiki Kaba (“the President) welcomed the deposit by the Republic of El Salvador, on 3 March 2016, of the instrument of accession to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, and of the instruments of ratification of the amendments to the Rome Statute on war crimes and on the crime of aggression.

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Case Information Sheet:: ICC – The Prosecutor v. Ahmad Al Faqi Al Mahdi
Situation in the Republic of Mali
Destruction of cultural heritage

World Bank [to 5 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 partners with Leonard Cheshire Disability to promote and protect inclusion for persons with disabilities
WASHINGTON, March 1, 2016 – The World Bank and Leonard Cheshire Disability are joining forces to put persons with disabilities at the heart of social and economic development, and to contribute…
Date: March 3, 2016 Type: Press Release Language: English

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Caribbean countries renewing commitment to sustainable growth
New milestone for the Caribbean Growth Forum
We, the representatives of the countries engaged in the Caribbean Growth Forum initiative, reaffirm our commitment to shape a new agenda for sustainable and…
Date: March 1, 2016 Type: Press Release Language: English

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Remarks by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim at the Fragility Forum 2016
Date: March 1, 2016 Type: Speeches and Transcripts Language: English

African Development Bank Group [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

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04/03/2016
Agriculture Fast Track Fund makes a call for concept notes for project grants
The Agriculture Fast Track Fund (AFT), a multi-donor fund contributed by United States Agency for International Development (USAID), Danish International Development Agency (DANIDA), and Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), and hosted and managed by the African Development Bank, has announced an Ongoing Call for Concept Notes for Project Grants.

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Pilot city project to guide achievement of universal water supply and sanitation access in Zimbabwe
04/03/2016 – The implementation of an Integrated Urban Water Management (IUWM) Masterplan will help Marondera city of Zimbabwe reach universal access to drinking water and sanitation by 2025. The design of Marondera’s IUWM masterplan is supported by a EUR 2 million grant from the African Water Facility (AWF) with a view to ensuring sustainable management of water and sanitation services for the region’s population.

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African Legal Support Facility receives US $22 million from the AfDB
01/03/2016 – The Africa Legal Support Facility (ALSF) welcomed the announcement from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Board of the release of US $22 million to support legal advisory and capacity building initiatives in fragile states under the African Development Fund window

Asian Development Bank [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.adb.org/news

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04 Mar 2016 | News Release
ADB Signs $1 Billion Cofinancing Agreement with Eurasian Development Bank
MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed a $1 billion framework agreement with the Eurasian Development Bank (EDB) to expand their cofinancing activities in Armenia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyz Republic, and Tajikistan.
Under the agreement, EDB will provide $1 billion in cofinancing of ADB projects from 2016 to 2021…

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29 Feb 2016 | News Release
ADB Backs First Climate Bond in Asia in Landmark $225 Million Philippines Deal.

Amref Health Africa [to 5 March 2016]
http://amref.org/news/news/

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Published: 02 March 2016 Denis
Amref Health Africa to Train Health Workers for First Lady’s Mobile Clinics
Amref Health Africa will train over 400 health workers for mobile clinics donated by First Lady Margaret Kenyatta to counties across Kenya.

BRAC [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.brac.net/#news

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BRAC USA Newsletter – February 2016
Using tablets to learn: Bangladesh schools go digital
This month, the Bangladesh Prime Minister launched a new digital primary school curriculum for students to use in the classroom. Designed by BRAC and Save the Children, the curriculum is already being used in more than five thousand schools.

Partnering for global prosperity
On Feb. 4th, Sir Fazle Hasan Abed, BRAC Founder and Chairperson, Chelsea Clinton, and Carolyn Miles, President and CEO of Save the Children, discussed dynamic partnerships that have spurred multi-sector action worldwide at the Clinton Global Initiative 2016 Winter Meeting.
Watch the session…

CARE International [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.care-international.org/news/press-releases

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2nd Mar 2016
Band-Aid solutions to Cyclone Winston not enough, focus must be on building resilience
Fiji
As communities in Fiji start to pick up the pieces after the destruction left by Cyclone Winston, attention must also focus on improving people’s resilience to climate shocks.

Danish Refugee Council [to 5 March 2016]
https://www.drc.dk/news

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02.03.2016
A mine free world is possible
It is possible to fully implement the Anti-Personnel Mine Ban Convention, but it requires political will, commitment and sufficient resources, the Danish Demining Group (DDG) said in a statement today ahead of the High-level Panel on the Ottawa Convention held on March 2nd in Geneva.

Ahead of today’s Pledging Conference in Geneva, leading global personalities who can generate a debate on the most efficient way to achieve a mine-free world are attending a High-level Panel. The Danish Demining Group is represented as the only operator in the panel and the message is clear.

“Back in the 1990s people spoke about years and not decades, for a complete ban on anti-personnel mines. This was perhaps a bit over the top, but now we once again have the momentum, and we’re aiming at addressing State Party obligations under the Convention by 2025, before another decade goes by. We are reaching the last stretch and what is now needed is a credible commitment and enough resources to be channeled towards demining –-then we can make it happen,” says Tammy Hall, Head of the Danish Demining Group, who will be speaking at the panel – including, among others, former UN Secretary General, Mr. Kofi Annan, and the chair, Chile’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Heraldo Muñoz…

ICRC [to 5 March 2016]
https://www.icrc.org/en/whats-new
Selected News Releases and Articles

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Israel and the occupied territories: Facts and figures from 2015
In 2015, our work in Israel and the occupied territories focused on the protection of civilians, the welfare of detainees held in Israeli and Palestinian jails, and providing help for the most needy.
02-03-2016 | Article

Mauritius ratifies Arms Trade Treaty and Convention on Cluster Munitions
International humanitarian law. Mauritius ratifies the Arms Trade Treaty and the Convention on Cluster Munitions
01-03-2016 | Article

Speech given by ICRC president at Human Rights Council
Speech given by Peter Maurer, president of the ICRC, at the 31st session of the Human Rights Council.
01-03-2016 | Article

Philippines: Fighting causes new displacements in Mindanao
Clashes between government security forces and armed groups in the Maguindanao province of Mindanao have continued into their fourth week, causing displacement and casualties.
01-03-2016 | News release

MSF/Médecins Sans Frontières [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/news-stories/press/press-releases

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Press Releases
MSF Response to Possible UN Action on Hospital Attacks
March 04, 2016
“A resolution is a welcome step but only if it shows an unwavering commitment to ensuring that health workers, facilities, and patients never come under attack. Several permanent members of the United Nations Security Council have over recent months been engaged in, or have supported, military activities resulting in destruction of health facilities. Therefore, any new resolution will require states in the security council, notably the permanent members, to lead by example.

Press release
South Sudan: Looting of Pibor Medical Center Leaves Thousands Without Care
March 04, 2016
JUBA, SOUTH SUDAN/BRUSSELS— Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) strongly condemns the looting of its medical center in Pibor, in South Sudan’s Jonglei State, during and after heavy fighting from February 23 to 25 that also destroyed large sections of the town, leaving thousands of people in need of aid.

Press release
MSF Condemns Attack on Protection of Civilians Site in Malakal, South Sudan
March 02, 2016
Thousands of displaced people need protection and aid after widespread destruction and killings.

Press release
Papua New Guinea: “Return to Abuser” Report Examines Shocking Levels of Family and Sexual Violence
March 01, 2016
PORT MORESBY, PAPUA NEW GUINEA/BERLIN—A new report from Doctors Without Borders/Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) examines the shocking levels of family and sexual violence in Papua New Guinea, which are among the highest in the world outside of conflict zones.

Mercy Corps [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.mercycorps.org/press-room/releases

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Syria, March 3, 2016
National Press Club Newsmaker: “Can We Still Save Lives in Syria?”
Remarks of Neal Keny-Guyer, Chief Executive Officer
Full audio from the event can be found here.
[Excerpt]
Washington, DC: Thank you, Tommy. Thank you all for coming today, and thank you to the National Press Club Newsmaker committee for hosting this important conversation.

I am Neal Keny-Guyer, CEO of Mercy Corps. Mercy Corps is a global organization, 5,000 strong, living and working in more than 40 countries around the world. We have been working inside Syria continuously for more than a decade. Since the conflict began, we have built a huge aid operation in Syria, second only to the United Nations, serving 570,000 people each month.

I have two main points I want to make today:
First. The agreement to cease hostilities – while imperfect – represents important progress and we should seize every opportunity to make it work – on all fronts, humanitarian and diplomatic. It has been 110 days since the talks in Vienna, and 748 days – more than two years – since the Geneva II talks. It’s incumbent on all of us to double-down and turn this agreement into a sustainable cease-fire and, ultimately, a lasting peace. For us in the humanitarian community, this means doing everything we can to aggressively push humanitarian assistance into the most besieged and war-affected areas, while reminding everyone that this level of suffering cannot and must not continue.

Second. Unless we in the global community can turn this cessation into a durable cease-fire, we will continue to fail the people of Syria. The fact is, despite diplomatic progress, an end to the misery is still far away…

OXFAM [to 5 March 2016]
http://www.oxfam.org/en/pressroom/pressreleases

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3 March 2016
Oxfam pays tribute to land activist, Berta Cáceres, and calls for justice
Oxfam vehemently condemns the brutal assassination of the Honduran Indigenous and environmental leader, Berta Cáceres, in her home.

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2 March 2016
2.5 billion people at risk of hunger and poverty if land rights are not protected
Indigenous Peoples and local communities protect half the world’s land, but formally own just 10 percent, according to a report released today by a global alliance of NGOs.

The report, “Common Ground: Securing Land Rights and Safeguarding the Earth,” is published by the International Land Coalition (ILC), Oxfam, and the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI). Together with more than 300 organizations and communities from around the world, they have launched the Land Rights Now campaign, calling for the amount of land these communities own to double by 2020.

Mike Taylor, ILC’s Director, said: “Billions of people around the world depend on their land to live; if we do not fight to secure this essential human right, we are turning our backs on them, their cultures, and the environment. The lives of those who depend on community-owned land for their homes and livelihoods are at stake.”
The report and the Land Rights Now campaign highlight the experiences of people who depend on land for their livelihoods as well as their cultural identity…