Announcing Blue Meridian Partners and More
January 29, 2016
By Nancy Roob
President and Chief Executive Officer of the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation, and the CEO of Blue Meridian Partners.

…Today, I’m pleased to announce that the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation (EMCF) and nine other donors are joining together to raise the collaborative-funding model to a level more in keeping with the scale of the challenges we face. Together we are launching Blue Meridian Partners to invest at least $1 billion in high-performance nonprofits that are poised to have truly national impact for economically disadvantaged children and youth.

Private funders have worked together to marshal resources of this scale in areas such as global health and land conservation. But this level of concentration has rarely been attempted or achieved to help nonprofits in the dramatically undercapitalized field serving disadvantaged children and youth in the U.S.

In this column, I will describe this new venture in greater detail and explain how it complements the work we’re doing at EMCF…

… Blue Meridian Partners has secured $750 million toward our goal of investing at least $1 billion to help high-performance nonprofits achieve much greater scale.

Six General Partners, listed in alphabetical order, have committed $50 million or more:
:: The Ballmer Group, Philanthropy
:: The Edna McConnell Clark Foundation
:: Stanley and Fiona Druckenmiller
:: The Duke Endowment (with a focus on North Carolina and South Carolina)
:: George Kaiser Family Foundation (with a focus on Tulsa, Oklahoma)
:: The Samberg Family Foundation.

Four Limited Partners intend to commit $10 million or more:
The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
The JPB Foundation
The David and Lucile Packard Foundation
The Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation…

…Blue Meridian’s investments will be big bets. They will be flexible, unrestricted, long-term (5-10 years), tied to performance, and total up to $200 million for each grantee. They will help grantees to expand their impact directly, by allowing them to strengthen their work, grow and serve greater numbers of youth, as well as indirectly, by helping them increase their influence on the child welfare, educational, judicial, and other systems that affect children’s lives.

In addition to its size, what differentiates Blue Meridian Partners from EMCF’s previous ventures is its decision-making structure. All six of the General Partners will share decision-making authority. This includes deciding where and how to invest, and overseeing and monitoring performance. EMCF’s board will cast one among six votes…

Blue Meridian Partners is a new capital aggregation collaboration that plans to invest at least $1 billion in high-performance nonprofits that are poised to have truly national impact for economically disadvantaged children and youth.
http://www.emcf.org/capital-aggregation/blue-meridian-partners/

New global design challenge will make life better for refugees
February 19, 2016 – IKEA Foundation
The IKEA Foundation is challenging designers and creative thinkers from around the world to come up with new design solutions which will help refugees in urban areas.

The What Design Can Do Refugee Challenge, launched today, calls for innovative solutions to support refugees arriving in urban areas, and to help them integrate.

The IKEA Foundation is teaming up with What Design Can Do, an Amsterdam-based design platform, and the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) to run the challenge. The five winning ideas, to be announced on 1 July, will receive funding up to €10,000 and expert support to develop their ideas into feasible plans and working prototypes.

How design can help
According to UNHCR, more than 60% of the world’s 19 million refugees live in urban areas, a figure set to rise. The challenges society faces in accommodating and integrating refugees are complex, which is where designers and creative thinkers can help by using their skills to come up with new solutions.

“IKEA Foundation supports refugees and the poorest communities all over the world, but given the size of the problem, much more is needed,” says Jonathan Spampinato, Head of Strategic Planning and Communications at IKEA Foundation. “We are in a unique position to facilitate innovation by bringing together unlikely partners and advancing solutions to pressing societal issues.”

The international jury will include Marcus Engman, Head of Design at IKEA, along with other renowned design professionals. Marcus says: ““Design is a great tool to make things better. Let’s put it into use for something more than just doing things. Let’s put it in the hands of the great talents of today and then give them the toughest challenge of them all – solving the needs of the many who have almost nothing. That is what Democratic Design is all about to me – making form, function, quality, sustainability accessible for the many, not just for the few.”

More about the challenge: whatdesigncando.com/challenge

Zika virus [to 20 February 2016]
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
http://www.who.int/emergencies/zika-virus/en/

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Zika Strategic Response Framework Announcement
Zika Outbreak: WHO’s Global Emergency Response Plan
Global prevention and control strategy
16 February 2016
WHO has launched a global Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan to guide the international response to the spread of Zika virus infection and the neonatal malformations and neurological conditions associated with it.

The strategy focuses on mobilizing and coordinating partners, experts and resources to help countries enhance surveillance of the Zika virus and disorders that could be linked to it, improve vector control, effectively communicate risks, guidance and protection measures, provide medical care to those affected and fast-track research and development of vaccines, diagnostics and therapeutics.

WHO says $56 million is required to implement the Strategic Response Framework and Joint Operations Plan, of which $25 million would fund the WHO/AMRO/PAHO response and $31 million would fund the work of key partners. In the interim, WHO has tapped a recently established emergency contingency fund to finance its initial operations.

As part of WHO’s new emergency programme, the agency’s headquarters activated an Incident Management System to oversee the global response and leverage expertise from across the organization to address the crisis.

WHO’s Regional Office for the Americas (AMRO/PAHO) has been working closely with affected countries since May 2015, when the first reports of Zika virus disease emerged from northeastern Brazil. AMRO/PAHO and partner specialists were deployed to help health ministries detect and track the virus, contain its spread, advise on clinical management of Zika and investigate the spikes in microcephaly and Guillain-Barré syndrome in areas where Zika outbreaks have occurred. AMRO/PAHO will continue to work with partners to manage the response in the Americas.

WHO is issuing regular information and guidance on the congenital and neurological conditions associated with Zika virus disease, as well as related health, safety and travel issues.

Working with partners, WHO is also mapping efforts to develop vaccines, therapies, diagnostic tests and new vector control tactics and putting in place mechanisms to expedite data sharing, product development and clinical trials…

Editor’s Note:
We generally do not include media reports in this Week in Review section, but the implications of the front-page Financial Times story below for NGOs and humanitarian actors involved in Syria and the larger region suggested inclusion.

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Russia steps up Syria cyber assault
Financial Times, February 19, 2016 8:40 pm
Sam Jones, Defence and Security Editor

Russia is mounting a far-reaching cyber espionage campaign against Syrian opposition groups and NGOs, as Moscow seeks to influence the flow of information on the country’s humanitarian crisis and obscure the full extent of its military operations there.

Targets include some of the most important human rights organisations and aid groups operating in the country, such as the Syrian Observatory of Human Rights, which reports on military incidents and is frequently cited in western media outlets, the Financial Times has learnt. The operation shares many of the hallmarks of Moscow’s sustained hacking campaign against the Ukrainian government in 2013 and 2014.

Details of the Syrian campaign were discussed with two senior intelligence officials, one from Europe and one from a country neighbouring Syria. The operation was large in scale and systematic in nature, one of them said, speaking on condition of anonymity, adding that the campaign was directed by the FSB, Russia’s state security agency.

Governmental and private sector groups have also been heavily targeted in Turkey, reflecting Ankara’s role as a protagonist in the battle for Syria. “There’s a major Russian cyber response right now because of a worsening relationship [with Ankara],” the regional intelligence official said, citing Turkey’s shooting down of a Russian jet in November as a turning point.

It is unclear just how many organisations have been compromised, but the malware used by the Russian agents could be used to erase data, propagate disinformation from official accounts or gather intelligence on highly sensitive targets gleaned from NGOs’ contact book…

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage

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18 February 2016
SC/12249
Onus on Both Sides of Middle East Conflict to Shape Their Future as Violence Rages Unabated, Special Coordinator for Peace Process Tells Security Council
The Israeli-Palestinian-Israeli conflict had reached a pivotal point, and with no signs of an end to the violence that erupted in October, the onus was on both sides to shape their future before the opponents of peace decided their fate for them, the Secretary-General’s Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process told the Security Council today.

18 February 2016
GA/11762
Honouring Boutros Boutros-Ghali, General Assembly Says Former Secretary-General Instrumental in Shaping United Nations Response to Post-Cold War Realities
The General Assembly held a plenary meeting this morning to pay tribute to the memory of the United Nations’ sixth Secretary-General, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.

16 February 2016
SC/12243
Security Council Urged to Impress Importance of Facilitating ‘Unconditional’ Humanitarian Access, Protecting Civilians upon Warring Parties in Yemen
After nearly a year of fighting that had caused immeasurable suffering in Yemen, it was more urgent than ever to address the human catastrophe unfolding in that war-torn country, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator Stephen O’Brien told the Security Council today, urging it to impress upon the warring parties the importance of facilitating unconditional humanitarian access and protecting civilians.

15 February 2016
SC/12241
Speakers in Security Council Urge Balance between UN Role in State Sovereignty, Human Rights Protection, But Differ over Interpretation of Charter Principles
Speakers today called for the United Nations to strike a balance between the fundamental principle of State sovereignty and the need to protect human rights, as the Security Council held a day-long debate on the tenets of the Organization’s Charter.

15 February 2016
SG/SM/17541
Secretary-General Welcomes Presidential Election Results in Haiti
The Secretary-General welcomes the 14 February election by the National Assembly of Haiti of a Provisional President of the Republic. This election stems from the agreement signed on 6 February between Haitian stakeholders to preserve institutional continuity and further the electoral process.
Welcoming this crucial first step, the Secretary-General encourages all parties to work together towards the implementation of the road map contained in the agreement to ensure the return to constitutional normality.
The Secretary-General expresses his confidence that the stabilization of Haiti and the democratic process will continue in a peaceful and collaborative manner.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
Selected Press Releases

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UN Human Rights Chief deeply concerned by China clampdown on lawyers and activists
GENEVA (16 February) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein said on Tuesday he had raised concerns and sought clarifications from the Chinese authorities about the recent arrests of lawyers, and harassment and intimidation of Government critics and NGO workers.

“We are seeing a very worrying pattern in China that has serious implications for civil society and the important work they do across the country,” the High Commissioner said. “Civil society actors, from lawyers and journalists to NGO workers, have the right to carry out their work, and it is the States’ duty to support and protect them,” he said.

The High Commissioner said he appreciated the opportunity to raise such cases with Chinese officials in Geneva, and acknowledged their efforts to clarify the matters at issue. However, the responses he received indicate that the authorities “too often reflexively confuse the legitimate role of lawyers and activists with threats to public order and security.”…

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Afghanistan: civilian casualties hit new high in 2015
KABUL/GENEVA (14 February 2016) – The number of civilian casualties in Afghanistan during 2015 are the highest recorded, the UN said today on the release of its 2015 Annual Report on Protection of Civilians in Armed Conflict.

The annual report, produced by the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) in coordination with the UN Human Rights Office, shows that increased ground fighting in and around populated areas, along with suicide and other attacks in major cities, were the main causes of conflict-related civilian deaths and injuries in 2015.

“This report records yet another rise in the number of civilians hurt or killed. The harm done to civilians is totally unacceptable,” said Nicholas Haysom, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan and head of UNAMA. “We call on those inflicting this pain on the people of Afghanistan to take concrete action to protect civilians and put a stop to the killing and maiming of civilians in 2016.”

UNAMA documented 11,002 civilian casualties (3,545 deaths and 7,457 injured) in 2015, exceeding the previous record levels of civilian casualties that occurred in 2014. The latest figures show an overall increase of four per cent during 2015 in total civilian casualties from the previous year. UNAMA began its systematic documentation of civilian casualties in 2009.

SRSG/CAAC Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict [to 20 February 2016]
https://childrenandarmedconflict.un.org/virtual-library/press-release-archive/

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19 Feb 2016
Afghanistan Reiterates Commitment to End Recruitment and Use of Children in National Security Forces

15 Feb 2016
Human Rights Council Report: Increasingly Complex and Widening Conflicts Take Huge Toll on Children in 2015

UN OCHA [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases

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20 Feb 2016
Iraq: Thousands of civilians are trapped in Iraq and in desperate need of humanitarian assistance
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Iraq Country: Iraq (Baghdad/Erbil, 20 February 2016): The United Nations is deeply worried about thousands of civilians who are trapped in Fallujah and in Sinjar district. “Urgent steps need to be taken to alleviate the suffering of people struggling to survive in Iraq. As humanitarians, we have a common responsibility to save lives…

19 Feb 2016
South Sudan: South Sudan: Humanitarian Coordinator Condemns Death and Destruction in Malakal Protection of Civilians Site
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: South Sudan (Juba, 19 February 2016): The Humanitarian Coordinator for South Sudan is deeply saddened by the tragic killing of at least 18 people, including two aid workers, and appalled by the destruction of humanitarian facilities and civilian shelters, during the violence in Malakal Protection of Civilians (PoC) site.

19 Feb 2016
Pakistan: International Donor mission observes the resilience of the returnees of Bara
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Pakistan Mr. Neil Buhne, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Pakistan, and humanitarian donors representing Canada and Sweden respectively, visited return areas in Bara, Khyber Agency, on 18 February, 2016. The objective of the visit was to observe the delivery of humanitarian assistance to returnees and meet officials and implementing partners of the Pakistan Humanitarian Pooled Fund (PHPF),,,

18 Feb 2016
World: Latin America and the Caribbean: Sustained support needed as El Nino batters fragile region
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Colombia, Haiti, World (New York, 18 February 2016): The Director of Operations for the Office of the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, John Ging, urged the international community to maintain support for Latin American countries facing the devastating impacts of El Nino, extreme poverty and political fragility.

18 Feb 2016
Yemen: Yemen humanitarian response plan requests US$1.8 billion to assist over 13 million people with live-saving assistance [EN/AR]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Yemen (Geneva and Sana’a, 18 February 2016) – The humanitarian community in Yemen is today launching an appeal for US$1.8 billion to provide critical and life-saving assistance to 13.6 million people who have been affected by the escalation in conflict across the country. “Yemen’s plight has often been overshadowed by crises elsewhere in the region and the world,” said Jamie McGoldrick, the Humanitarian Coordinator.

17 Feb 2016
Sudan: Number of civilians displaced by recent Darfur conflict increases to 73,000 [EN/AR]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Sudan Khartoum, 17 February 2016. The number of civilians displaced as a result of the recent conflict in Darfur’s Jebel Marra area has increased from 38,000 to 73,000, according to the latest estimates by the United Nations. Civilians have been fleeing the Jebel Marra since hostilities between the government and a faction of the Sudan Liberation Army escalated mid-January, and have been arriving in three main locations…

17 Feb 2016
occupied Palestinian territory: Humanitarian Coordinator calls on Israel to halt demolitions in the occupied West Bank immediately and to respect international law [EN/HE]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for the oPt Country: occupied Palestinian territory Jerusalem, 17 February 2016 The Coordinator for Humanitarian and UN Development Activities for the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), Robert Piper, today called for an immediate halt to the destruction of Palestinian-owned property in the occupied West Bank and for respect for international law.

UNICEF [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_89711.html
Selected Press Releases

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With growing numbers of child deaths at sea, UN agencies call for enhancing safety for refugees and migrants
GENEVA, 19 February 2016
[see Week in Review above for details]

Two years on, Ukraine conflict affects over half a million children – UNICEF
GENEVA/ NEW YORK/KYIV, Ukraine, 19 February 2016 – The conflict in Ukraine has deeply affected the lives of 580,000 children living in non-government controlled areas and close to the front line in eastern Ukraine, UNICEF said today. Of these, 200,000 – or one in three – need psychosocial support.

UNICEF: Malnutrition mounts as El Niño takes hold
JOHANNESBURG/NAIROBI, Kenya, 17 February 2016 – Almost one million children are in need of treatment for severe acute malnutrition in Eastern and Southern Africa, UNICEF said today. Two years of erratic rain and drought have combined with one of the most powerful El Niño events in 50 years to wreak havoc on the lives of the most vulnerable children.

Strikes against children in a hospital in Syria – Statement by the Executive Director of UNICEF, Anthony Lake
NEW YORK, 15 February, 2016 – We at UNICEF are appalled by reports of attacks against four medical facilities in Syria – two of which were supported by UNICEF. One is a child and maternal hospital where children were reportedly killed and scores evacuated.

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40
Press Releases

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19 February 2016
With growing numbers of child deaths at sea, UN agencies call for enhancing safety for refugees and migrants
[see Week in Review above for details]

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19 February 2016
UNHCR stresses right to asylum of Mozambicans crossing into Malawi
As the number of Mozambicans fleeing to Malawi continues to grow, UNHCR is calling on all parties to respect their right to seek asylum amid signs of pressure to return. More than 6,000 have arrived in Malawi since mid-December, citing clashes between armed elements of the opposition RENAMO and government forces.

Nearly all of the new arrivals are staying in a settlement in Kapise village, Mwanza district, some 100 kilometres south of Malawi’s capital, Lilongwe, with others scattered throughout the neighbouring district of Chikwawa.

Mozambican government officials have visited Kapise at least three times since mid-January to ask people why they fled, discuss the possibility of returning to their places of origin and monitor the humanitarian situation of their fellow citizens. The Mozambican government has offered to provide socio-economic assistance should they return.

UNHCR has expressed concern to both governments that the right to seek asylum and the principle of voluntary repatriation, as enshrined in the UN and Organization for African Union (OAU) conventions on refugees, should not be compromised. Both governments were reminded of their international obligations toward refugees and asylum seekers and the principles of voluntary return as regards this caseload. UNHCR calls upon all parties to respect the humanitarian nature of the influx of Mozambicans into Malawi…

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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02/19/16
With Increasing Child Deaths at Sea, IOM and UN Partner Agencies Urge Greater Protection for Migrants and Refugees
Switzerland – An average of two children have drowned every day since September 2015 as families try to cross the Mediterranean.

Mediterranean Migrant and Refugee Arrivals Top 90,000 in 2016
02/19/16
Greece – Cold weather contributed to a sharp drop in arrivals in Greece from Turkey, although the number topped 3,350 on February 17th, after many days of slow movement.

IOM Responds to Humanitarian Needs after Fighting in Malakal, South Sudan
02/19/16
South Sudan – IOM is responding to urgent humanitarian needs after heavy fighting erupted between armed actors in a UN protection of civilians (PoC) site.

IOM, Mozambique Launch a Diaspora Engagement Project
02/19/16
Mozambique – In September 2015, IOM Mozambique and the National Institute for Mozambican Communities in the Diaspora (INACE) received funding from the IOM Development Fund (IDF) to further involve the Mozambican diaspora in Mozambique’s development process.

IOM, ICMPD, Latin American Governments Meet to Discuss Migrants Caught in Crises
02/19/16
Costa Rica – Officials from 20 Latin America and Caribbean governments have met in San José, Costa Rica, to share ideas on how to support migrants caught in countries affected by conflict or natural disasters.

Indonesia National Police Chief Launches Two-Year IOM Training Programme for 7,000 Female Officers
02/19/16
Indonesia – Indonesia’s half-million strong national police force (INP) will train thousands of female officers (polwan) in the second phase of its latest collaboration with IOM, launched this week in Lampung province on the island of Sumatra.

UN Women [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

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Date: 19 February 2016
Pakistan’s Fiza Farhan appointed Member of the UN’s first-ever High-Level Panel on Women’s Economic Empowerment

Women’s Situation Room to contribute to a peaceful electoral process in Uganda
Date: 17 February 2016
The official opening of the Uganda Women’s Situation Room was held on 15 February 2016 at the Sheraton Hotel in Kampala. The Women’s Situation Room is an early warning and rapid response mechanism against violence arising before, during and after elections.

“Youth must be at the centre of achieving the 2030 Agenda” — Lakshmi Puri
Date: 17 February 2016
Remarks by UN Assistant Secretary-General and UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at the Youth Annual Assembly of the United Nations on 17 February, in New York.

Strengthening the capacity of networks of women with disabilities on humanitarian action
Date: 16 February 2016
Women leaders with disabilities from the Network of African Women with Disabilities (NAWWD) representing 10 African countries, and refugee women with disabilities met in Nairobi, Kenya from February 11-12 to participate in the workshop “Enhancing the Network’s Humanitarian Advocacy at Regional and Global Events”.

“Sport has huge potential to empower women and girls” — Lakshmi Puri
Date: 16 February 2016
Remarks by Ms. Lakshmi Puri, UN Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of UN Women at “The Value of Hosting Mega Sport Events as a Social, Economic and Environmental Sustainable Development Tool” event on 16 February, 2016.

WHO & Regionals [to 20 February 2016]

Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 19 February 2016, vol. 91, 7 (pp. 73–88) –
:: Zika virus infection: global update on epidemiology and potentially associated clinical manifestations
:: Risk communication – A moving target in the fight against infectious hazards and epidemics
:: Monthly report on dracunculiasis cases, January– December 2015

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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Experts wrap up workshop on cancer registries
Brazzaville 12 February 2016 – Cancer control experts from nineteen French-speaking countries in Africa wrapped up a five-day workshop aimed at building their capacity to tackle the rising tide of cancer in the Region. The workshop which began on 8 February 2016, in Brazzaville, Congo brought together over forty high-level participants from ministries of health. It was organized by the World Health Organization Regional Office for Africa in collaboration with the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), African Cancer Registries Network (AFCRN) and the Registre des cancers de Brazzaville…

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: PAHO defines excess levels of sugar, salt and fat in processed food and drink products (02/19/2016)
:: PAHO and EQUATOR Network provide tools in Portuguese to promote excellence in research reporting
(02/19/2016)
:: PAHO aims for faster diagnosis, more integration in combat against Zika, Dengue and Chikungunya viruses
(02/15/2016)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
No new digest content identified.

WHO European Region EURO
:: Newly updated training aims to improve quality of care for mothers and newborns 19-02-2016
:: Risk assessment of the 2015–2016 influenza season confirms that A(H1N1) is circulating as a seasonal virus but is included in the vaccine 18-02-2016

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: WHO reaches 5 besieged areas in Syria with life-saving medicines
19 February 2016
:: WHO condemns multiple attacks on health facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic
17 February 2016 – WHO is appalled at the recent attacks on health care facilities in the Syrian Arab Republic. These attacks have resulted in at least 14 people being killed, including 4 health care workers, and have left many others severely injured. Sadly, such attacks on health facilities and health workers are increasing in both frequency and scale. These attacks have severe immediate and long-term consequences, depriving Syria’s most vulnerable populations of life-saving health care.
:: Is Zika on our doorstep?
17 February 2016

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

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Feb 19, 2016
UNDP at 50: Global Ministers meet to chart course for future
In 2016, UNDP will celebrate 50 years at the heart of international development. To mark the occasion, Ministers from across the world will meet in New York on February 24 to chart a course for the future of global development.

Colombia: The Government, the UN and the international community launch new fund for stabilization and post-conflict peacebuilding
Feb 17, 2016
A new Multi-Donor Trust Fund, “Colombia in Peace”, rooted in the financial structure established by the country, aims to catalyse resources in order to generate, from this very day, favorable conditions for peace, and eventually, support the implementation of the peace agreements.

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

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18/02/2016
From Asthma to Zika: UNEP tackles links between health and environment
…UN Environment Programme Executive Director Achim Steiner stressed that the links between health and environment are fundamental, and that international action can have a profound impact.

“The spread of Zika, just as with Ebola, has sent a strong signal to the international community that there is a need for increased attention to the linkages between environment and health,” he said. “There is a growing awareness that humans, through their intervention in the environment, play a vital role in exacerbating or mitigating health risks.”

Mr. Steiner was addressing UNEP’s Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR), a group of 300 delegates representing over 140 countries and major groups. The CPR is meeting at UNEP’s Nairobi headquarters this week to prepare for the United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), the world’s highest-level decision-making body on the environment, which will convene at the end of May…

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

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18 February 2016, New York
New website shares tools to strengthen sustainable development capacities
“Upon the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development last September, the demand for the use of modelling tools to support national governments to adapt their national plans or policies to the sustainable development goals has increased,” said Lenni Montiel, UN DESA’s Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development. “With this in mind, we are launching today the website Modelling Tools for Sustainable Development Policies,” he said, presenting the new platform at a workshop at UN headquarters in New York.
Website: https://unite.un.org/analytics/desa/modellingtools

UNESCO [to 20 February 2016]
http://en.unesco.org/news
Selected Press Releases/News

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19 February 2016
UNESCO Director-General calls on all parties to protect Yemeni heritage

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17 February 2016
Italy creates a UNESCO Emergency Task Force for Culture

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16 February 2016
UNESCO Director-General: “Protecting culture is a moral responsibility and a security issue”
On 16 February 2016, UNESCO’s Director-General, Ms Irina Bokova, and the Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Paolo Gentiloni, signed an agreement for the establishment of an Italian Task Force for the protection of cultural heritage, in the framework of UNESCO Global Coalition “Unite4Heritage”. The Task Force members will be ready to deploy, at the request of UNESCO, to assist in safeguarding cultural heritage at risk.

…The establishment of a Task Force bringing together cultural heritage experts and members of the Italian Carabinieri specialized in the fight against the illicit trafficking of cultural property constitutes an innovative approach. It marks a significant step to reinforce our capacity to respond to future emergencies.”

The creation of this Task Force by the Italian Government comes as a direct response to the destruction of cultural heritage in the Middle East and across the globe in recent conflicts. UNESCO Member States have adopted a Strategy for the reinforcement of the protection of culture and the promotion of cultural pluralism. The Strategy was adopted by the General Conference in November 2015. It calls on Member States to contribute to its implementation, notably through the establishment of mechanisms for the rapid deployment of national experts in situations of emergency, under the coordination of UNESCO.
Irina Bokova expressed her confidence that “this Task Force, and the agreement signed in Rome with the Italian Government, will become a model for other countries.” The Italian Minister of foreign Affairs, M. Gentiloni undescored that “Terrorists targeting cultural heritage aim to destroy culture, education and the human capacity to grow with the full consciousness of what binds humanity in its cultural diversity and its pluralistic and inclusive vision.”

The recent large-scale and systematic destruction and looting of cultural sites has highlighted the strong connection between the cultural, humanitarian and security responses to conflict and terrorism. Attacks against cultural heritage and diversity are also attacks against people, their rights, and their security. Under the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage is a war crime. In the face of these unprecedented challenges, the need was recognized for new and more effective approaches by UNESCO building on existing international legal instruments, notably the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict, and enhancing the scope of their application, as well as the range of intervention of UNESCO…

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2016/en/

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17-02-2016
Agricultural Biotechnologies: Giving voice to family farmers’ needs and concerns
About 500 scientists, representatives of government, civil society, the private sector, academia, farmers’ associations and cooperatives took part in the symposium discussing agricultural biotechnologies much broader than genetically modified organisms.

FAO Director-General stresses UN agency’s role as a neutral forum
The meeting came following concerns expressed by civil society representatives that not all stakeholders were being given equal opportunity to have their voices heard at the symposium and that participation at the symposium was skewed in favour of the private sector.
16-02-2016

The potential of agricultural biotechnologies in assisting family farmers
Opening the FAO-hosted international symposium “The Role of Agricultural Biotechnologies in Sustainable Food Systems and Nutrition”, Graziano da Silva stressed the need for “a broad portfolio of tools and approaches to eradicate hunger, fight every form of malnutrition and achieve sustainable agriculture.”
15-02-2016

FAO and EL PAÍS join forces to improve coverage of food and agriculture
FAO and Grupo PRISA, publisher of Madrid-based daily EL PAÍS, have agreed to collaborate to improve public awareness of critical issues related to hunger, agriculture and food systems.
15-02-2016

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/index.htm

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18 February 2016 –
Break the chain of desperation that leads to emergencies and humanitarian disasters, IFAD President tells development leaders in Rome
Arabic | French | Italian | Spanish
Rome, 18 February 2016 – Against a backdrop of new reports that show the number of refugees entering Europe has continued to skyrocket, senior government officials attending the final day of the International Fund for Agricultural Development’s 39th Governing Council, renewed their commitment to invest in smallholder agriculture and reduce poverty in developing countries.

Recognizing that rural development plays a fundamental role in stabilizing communities and reducing migration and conflict, IFAD President Kanayo F. Nwanze told leaders that “by working together to deliver on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – starting with zero poverty and zero hunger – we can break the chain of desperation” that leads to emergencies and humanitarian disaster.

Urgent calls for action in support of increased investment in smallholder agricultural to ensure food security, climate change adaptation, equitable prosperity and ultimately to remove the root causes that lead to conflict and migration, were shared throughout the two-day conference, held annually in Rome for senior government officials representing IFAD’s 176 member states…

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17 February 2016 –
Achieving new Global Goals will require increased investments in smallholder agriculture say development leaders at Rome conference
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16 February 2016 –
IFAD-support project in Swaziland helps farmers combat drought and boost food and nutrition security

ILO International Labour Organization [to 20 February 2016]
http://www.ilo.org/global/about-the-ilo/newsroom/news/lang–en/index.htm

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International labour standards
ILO publishes the annual report on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations
05 February 2016
The Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations, whose work constitutes the cornerstone of the ILO’s supervisory system on international labour standards, has just published its annual report.