The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health ::
Holistic Development :: Sustainable Resilience
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Week ending 30 January 2016

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor &
Founding Managing Director
GE2P2 – Center for Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

pdf version: The Sentinel_ week ending 30 January 2016

blog edition: comprised of the 35+ entries  posted below on 3 February 2016

WHO statement on the first meeting of the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations
WHO statement
1 February 2016

The first meeting of the Emergency Committee (EC) convened by the Director-General under the International Health Regulations (2005) (IHR 2005) regarding clusters of microcephaly cases and other neurologic disorders in some areas affected by Zika virus was held by teleconference on 1 February 2016, from 13:10 to 16:55 Central European Time.

The WHO Secretariat briefed the Committee on the clusters of microcephaly and Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS) that have been temporally associated with Zika virus transmission in some settings. The Committee was provided with additional data on the current understanding of the history of Zika virus, its spread, clinical presentation and epidemiology.

The following States Parties provided information on a potential association between microcephaly and/or neurological disorders and Zika virus disease: Brazil, France, United States of America, and El Salvador.

The Committee advised that the recent cluster of microcephaly cases and other neurologic disorders reported in Brazil, following a similar cluster in French Polynesia in 2014, constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

The Committee provided the following advice to the Director-General for her consideration to address the PHEIC (clusters of microcephaly and neurologic disorders) and their possible association with Zika virus, in accordance with IHR (2005).

Microcephaly and neurologic disorders
:: Surveillance for microcephaly and GBS should be standardized and enhanced, particularly in areas of known Zika virus transmission and areas at risk of such transmission.
:: Research into the etiology of new clusters of microcephaly and neurologic disorders should be intensified to determine whether there is a causative link to Zika virus and/or other factors or co-factors.

As these clusters have occurred in areas newly infected with Zika virus, and in keeping with good public health practice and the absence of another explanation for these clusters, the Committee highlights the importance of aggressive measures to reduce infection with Zika virus, particularly among pregnant women and women of childbearing age.

As a precautionary measure, the Committee made the following additional recommendations:
Zika virus transmission
:: Surveillance for Zika virus infection should be enhanced, with the dissemination of standard case definitions and diagnostics to at-risk areas.
:: The development of new diagnostics for Zika virus infection should be prioritized to facilitate surveillance and control measures.
:: Risk communications should be enhanced in countries with Zika virus transmission to address population concerns, enhance community engagement, improve reporting, and ensure application of vector control and personal protective measures.
:: Vector control measures and appropriate personal protective measures should be aggressively promoted and implemented to reduce the risk of exposure to Zika virus.
:: Attention should be given to ensuring women of childbearing age and particularly pregnant women have the necessary information and materials to reduce risk of exposure.
:: Pregnant women who have been exposed to Zika virus should be counselled and followed for birth outcomes based on the best available information and national practice and policies.

Longer-term measures
:: Appropriate research and development efforts should be intensified for Zika virus vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics.
:: In areas of known Zika virus transmission health services should be prepared for potential increases in neurological syndromes and/or congenital malformations.

Travel measures
:: There should be no restrictions on travel or trade with countries, areas and/or territories with Zika virus transmission.
:: Travellers to areas with Zika virus transmission should be provided with up to date advice on potential risks and appropriate measures to reduce the possibility of exposure to mosquito bites.
:: Standard WHO recommendations regarding disinsection of aircraft and airports should be implemented.

Data sharing
:: National authorities should ensure the rapid and timely reporting and sharing of information of public health importance relevant to this PHEIC.
:: Clinical, virologic and epidemiologic data related to the increased rates of microcephaly and/or GBS, and Zika virus transmission, should be rapidly shared with WHO to facilitate international understanding of the these events, to guide international support for control efforts, and to prioritize further research and product development.

Based on this advice the Director-General declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) on 1 February 2016. The Director-General endorsed the Committee’s advice and issued them as Temporary Recommendations under IHR (2005). The Director-General thanked the Committee Members and Advisors for their advice.

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List of Members of, and Advisers to, the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee on Zika virus and observed increase in neurological disorders and neonatal malformations

Life-Saving Aid Still Locked Out of Besieged, Hard-to-Reach Areas in Syria, Top United Nations Humanitarian Official Tells Security Council
Security Council 7612th Meeting (AM)
27 January 2016 SC/12223

Despite repeated calls to the Security Council and the parties to the conflict in Syria, the humanitarian community remained without access to the majority of the estimated 4.6 million people living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas, the senior United Nations humanitarian official said today during a briefing to the 15-member body.

Stephen O’Brien, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, said the continued suffering of the Syrian people could not be blamed on humanitarian organizations and staff, who stood ready to scale up assistance as soon as security conditions and more sustainable access would allow it. Rather, it was the failure of the parties and the international community, all of whom had allowed the conflict to continue for far too long…

Humanitarian missions to that town and to the similarly besieged areas of Zabadani, Foah and Kefraya — undertaken by the United Nations, International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Syrian Arab Red Crescent over the last two weeks — had delivered sufficient food, medical and other aid to help more than 60,000 people for one month. However, medical supplies and teams were still urgently needed and humanitarian conditions in those areas remained severe, and the situation in Madaya was only the “tip of the iceberg”.

He went on to say that increasing numbers of people were living in areas that were besieged or hard to reach, and the continuing use of siege and starvation as weapons of war was “reprehensible”. In addition, the indiscriminate use of weapons against civilians, residential areas, aid supply routes, as well as civilian infrastructure protected under international law continued, “outrageously”, with total impunity, he noted, recalling that he had repeatedly asked the Council to demand that the parties to the conflict facilitate unhindered, unconditional and sustained access across Syria.

“But, this is simply not happening,” he continued. In 2015, just over 10 per cent of the 113 requests for interagency convoys had been successful. A further 10 per cent had been approved in principle, but could not proceed due to a lack of final approval, insecurity or lack of agreement on safe passage. Almost 75 per cent of requests had gone unanswered by the Government. “Such inaction is unacceptable for a Member State of the United Nations and a signatory of the United Nations Charter,” he stressed…

World: UN emergency fund releases US$100 million to assist millions of displaced and vulnerable people in nine underfunded crises
(Addis Ababa/New York, 29 January 2016) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today released US$100 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for severely underfunded aid operations in nine neglected emergencies. The funds will enable life-saving help for millions of people forced from their homes in Central and Eastern Africa, those affected by conflict and food insecurity in Libya and Mali, and the most vulnerable and at risk of malnutrition in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.

“I am allocating US$100 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund to meet critical humanitarian needs in nine underfunded emergencies,” said the Secretary-General. “This funding is a lifeline for the world’s most vulnerable people. It is a concrete demonstration of our shared commitment to leave no one behind.”

Some $64 million from the CERF allocation will allow humanitarian partners to respond to the displacement crises in Central and Eastern Africa caused by conflict and violence in South Sudan, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Urgently needed funds will help an estimated 1.7 million refugees, internally displaced people and host communities in Burundi ($13 million), Ethiopia ($11 million), Kenya ($4 million), Sudan ($7 million), Tanzania ($11 million), and Uganda ($18 million).

A further $28 million will help relief agencies address the humanitarian needs of up to 350,000 people affected by conflict and food insecurity in Libya ($12 million); and in Mali ($16 million), where an estimated 300,000 people will be assisted, especially in the North.

An allocation of $8 million will support urgent life-saving humanitarian assistance for more than 2.2 million vulnerable people in DPR Korea, including 1.8 million children who need urgent nutrition assistance.

“With so many crises competing for attention around the world many people in need are forgotten. These CERF grants will help sustain life-saving assistance and protection in emergencies where the needs of the most vulnerable communities are alarmingly high but the resources enabling us to respond remain low,” said the Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien. “I thank our donors for their support to CERF so far in 2016. A strong and well-resourced CERF will help us focus on addressing the most critical needs.”

CERF is one of the fastest and most effective ways to support rapid humanitarian response. The Fund pools donor contributions into a single fund so money is available to start or continue urgent relief work anywhere in the world at the onset of emergencies and for crises that have not attracted sufficient funding. Since 2006, 125 UN Member States and observers, private-sector donors and regional governments have supported the Fund. To date, CERF has allocated almost $4.2 billion for humanitarian operations in 94 countries and territories.

OECD and UNHCR call for scaling up integration policies in favour of refugees
Watch: press conference with OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría and UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi
28/01/2016 – The heads of the OECD and UNHCR, at a joint high-level Conference on the integration of beneficiaries of international protection in Paris today, have called on governments to scale up their efforts to help refugees integrate and contribute to the societies and economies of Europe.

In 2015, more than 1 million people crossed the Mediterranean Sea to look for international protection in Europe. In total, about 1.5 million claimed asylum in OECD countries in 2015. This is almost twice the number recorded in 2014 and the highest number ever. At the same time, asylum seekers represent only about 0.1% of the total OECD population, and, even in Europe, they represent less than 0.3% of the total EU population.

The OECD and UNHCR stressed not only the moral imperative but also the clear economic incentive to help the millions of refugees living in OECD countries to develop the skills they need to work productively and safely in the jobs of tomorrow.

“Far from a problem, refugees can and should be part of the solution to many of the challenges our societies confront,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría at the joint Conference in Paris today. “They bring Hope: the hope of a better life and a better future for their children and ours. But to realise this potential, a substantial investment is needed to provide immediate support and help the refugees settle and adapt and develop their skills. It is a difficult and costly task in the short term, with a high pay-off for all in the medium to longer term” he said. “Our analysis demonstrates the benefits that well-managed migration can bring to the economies and societies of OECD countries. But this will largely depend on how well integration measures are designed and implemented. The earlier refugees get the required support, the better their integration prospects” Mr. Gurría added. (Read the full speech here)

“Integration is a dynamic two-way process which requires both the individual and society to make considerable efforts,” UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said. “In order to play a full role in the social, economic, and cultural life of their host country, refugees need to achieve equality of rights and opportunities. States have an important role in this process, ensuring that refugees play a positive and active part in the integration process, particularly in terms of the services provided to them and in ensuring that they are received by welcoming communities.”

The OECD also released today a report Making Integration Work: Refugees and others in need of protection, which provides the main lessons from the experience of OECD countries in fostering the integration of refugees. The report highlights many good practices to tackle key barriers and support lasting integration of refugees and their children. It stresses the importance of early intervention, including providing access to language courses, employment programmes and integration services as soon as possible, including for asylum seekers with high prospects to remain. It also stresses the need to help migrants settle where jobs are and not necessarily where housing is cheaper. The report also underlines the need to adapt integration programmes to reflect migrants’ diversity in terms of skills and the specific needs of refugees.

UNHCR and partners seek over US$500mill for Nigeria and CAR refugee crises
25 January 2016
UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, and its partners on Monday called on donor nations for more than half-a-billion dollars this year to help hundreds of thousands of people forced to flee conflicts in Nigeria and the Central African Republic (CAR) and the host communities providing them with shelter and other basic services.

The two Regional Refugee Response Plans (RRRP), presented at a donor briefing in Yaoundé, Cameroon, include US$198.76 million for 230,000 Nigerian refugees and some 284,300 members of host communities in Niger, Chad and Cameroon as well as US$345.7 million for 476,300 CAR refugees and some 289,000 people hosting them in Chad, Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Republic of Congo.

Both RRRPs cover needs in sectors such as protection, education, food security, health and nutrition, livelihoods, shelter, basic aid and water, hygiene and sanitation. The CAR appeal is being made by 25 organizations, including UNHCR and other UN agencies as well as NGOs. The Nigeria appeal is made by 28 organizations. UNHCR alone is seeking US$189.54 million under the Central African Republic RRRP and US$62.33 million for the Nigeria one…

The Regional Refugee and Migrant Response Plan for Europe: Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans route :: January – December 2016
IOM, UNHCR and 65 other organizations
2016 :: 110 pages
Report pdf: http://rmrp-europe.unhcr.org/2016_RMRP_Europe.pdf

[Report excerpt}
p.12
Response Strategy
The regional RMRP presents a framework for an inter-agency response to the refugee and migrant mass flows into Europe through the Eastern Mediterranean and Western Balkans route. It sets out the overall strategic direction at the regional level, while building upon specific country chapters.

Besides cooperation with Governments, the RMRP will be implemented in close cooperation with the European Commission and relevant EU Agencies, including the European Agency for the Management of Operational Cooperation at the External Borders of the Member States of the EU (FRONTEX) and the European Asylum Support Office (EASO).

This response plan includes both a strategy and an appeal. The latter covers financial requirements to address major concerns in the areas of access to territory and asylum, to improve reception conditions and provide a protection-centered emergency assistance to people of concern, and to enable access to effective protection systems and durable solutions.

The RMRP will cover the needs of an integrated emergency response in Europe for twelve months in 2016, utilizing a planning figure of one million refugees and migrants arriving via sea from Turkey to Greece. It represents a coherent and predictable package of interventions based on standardized approaches and comparative advantages of involved partners.

The RMRP is also part of a comprehensive approach which includes a number of response plans and programmatic activities in refugee producing and transit countries.

Recognizing the primary leadership and responsibility of host governments, the strategic goals are:
1. To design and implement a response that supports, complements and builds Governments’ existing capacity to ensure effective and safe access to asylum, protection and solutions in relevant countries, as well as manage migration in an orderly and dignified manner while protecting the human rights of all refugees and migrants.

2. To ensure that refugee and migrant women, girls, boys and men have access to protection and assistance in a participatory manner, with particular attention to specific needs. Protection-centred assistance should be delivered in a manner that respects the principle of non-discrimination; age, gender and diversity; is appropriate to the specific characteristics of the movement; and takes into account the needs of the local communities.

3. To strengthen national and local capacities and protection systems and ensure safe access to longer-term solutions for refugees and migrants who may become stranded, may want to apply for asylum, or may want to return voluntarily to their countries of origin. This includes a robust and protection-centred relocation scheme, as well as reinforced alternative legal pathways to protection, such as family reunification and resettlement.

4. To strengthen partnership and coordination within the humanitarian community and with governments, both in setting common goals and in establishing national-level coordination
structures and information analysis, that ensure an efficient and coordinated response, including coordinated channels for citizen engagement to support the reception and integration of refugees and migrants….

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Press Release
IOM, UNHCR, Partners Seek USD 550 Million for Europe’s Refugees and Migrants
01/26/16
Switzerland – As continuing conflict in the Middle East and elsewhere drives people to seek refuge in Europe, IOM, UNHCR and some 65 other organizations yesterday appealed in Geneva to donors for USD 550 million to support the ongoing humanitarian response.

With global forced displacement at a record high of some 60 million people and increasingly impacting countries of the Global North, 2015 saw over a million refugees and migrants arriving in Europe by boat.

Around 850,000 of these crossed from Turkey to Greece, with most continuing through the Balkans and towards Austria, Germany, Sweden and other western European countries.

The appeal aims at funding humanitarian operations in 2016 across the affected countries, with approximately half of the funds allocated for Greece.

Humanitarian operations will include aid and protection activities where people are arriving, including identifying those at heightened risk, registration, shelter, water and sanitation to bolster the capacity of frontline responders, including coastguards, border guards, police and support for affected communities. Help with relocation, resettlement and other regular solutions was also part of the appeal.

UNICEF launches US$2.8 billion humanitarian appeal for children
Syria crisis causes spike in need for education in emergencies
GENEVA, 26 January 2016 – UNICEF is launching a US$2.8 billion appeal to reach 43 million children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

For the first time ever, the largest portion of the appeal – 25 per cent – is going towards educating children in emergencies. This year UNICEF plans to dramatically increase the number of children in crises who are given access to education – from 4.9 million at the beginning of 2015 to 8.2 million in 2016. More than half – 5 million – will be Syrian children inside the country or in neighbouring countries.

“Millions of children are being robbed of their education,” says Afshan Khan, UNICEF’s Director of Emergency Programmes. “Education is a life-saving measure for children, providing them with the opportunity to learn and play, amidst the carnage of gunfire and grenades. This year, a quarter of our appeal is devoted to education. By educating the minds of children and young people we are building hope so they can envisage a better future for themselves, their families and their societies and help break the cycle of chronic crisis.”

UNICEF’s 2016 appeal has doubled since this time three years ago. The twin drivers of conflict and extreme weather are forcing growing numbers of children from their homes and exposing millions more to severe food shortages, violence, disease, abuse, as well as threats to their education.

Around 1 in 9 of the world’s children is now living in conflict zones. In 2015, children living in countries and areas affected by conflict were twice as likely to die of mostly preventable causes before they reached the age of five, than those in other countries.

Climate change is a growing threat, with over half a billion children living in extremely high flood occurrence zones and nearly 160 million living in high or extremely high drought severity zones. One of the strongest El Niño weather events on record poses further risk.

The number of people forced from their homes continues to grow, with Europe alone receiving more than 1 million refugees and migrants in 2015.

“In the past few months I have seen with my own eyes children pushed beyond the boundaries of human suffering in Burundi, northeast Nigeria and along the migrant and refugee route in Europe,” says Khan. “Across the world, millions of children have been forced to flee their homes due to violence and conflict. The global refugee crisis is also a protection crisis for children on the move, who are at increased risk of abuse, exploitation and trafficking.”

UNICEF’s Humanitarian Action for Children 2016 appeal targets a total of 76 million people, in 63 countries…

Corruption Perceptions Index – 2015
Transparency International – Support provided by Ernst & Young
2016 :: 20 pages
Report and Infographics: http://files.transparency.org/content/download/1952/12820/file/2015_CPI_ReportInfographicsZIP.zip

Press Release
Corruption Perceptions Index 2015: Corruption still rife but 2015 saw pockets of hope
27 January 2016
Transparency International calls on people everywhere to speak out against corruption

2015 showed that people working together can succeed in the battle against corruption. Although corruption is still rife globally, more countries improved their scores in the 2015 edition of Transparency International’s Corruption Perceptions Index than declined.

Overall, two-thirds of the 168 countries on the 2015 index scored below 50, on a scale from 0 (perceived to be highly corrupt) to 100 (perceived to be very clean).

Yet in places like Guatemala, Sri Lanka and Ghana, citizen activists in groups and on their own worked hard to drive out the corrupt, sending a strong message that should encourage others to take decisive action in 2016…

The results –
:: The index covers perceptions of public sector corruption in 168 countries.
:: Denmark took the top spot for the 2nd year running, with North Korea and Somalia the worst performers, scoring just 8 points each.
:: Top performers share key characteristics: high levels of press freedom; access to budget information so the public knows where money comes from and how it is spent; high levels of integrity among people in power; and judiciaries that don’t differentiate between rich and poor, and that are truly independent from other parts of government.
:: In addition to conflict and war, poor governance, weak public institutions like police and the judiciary, and a lack of independence in the media characterise the lowest ranked countries.
:: The big decliners in the past 4 years include Libya, Australia, Brazil, Spain and Turkey. The big improvers include Greece, Senegal and UK.
:: The Corruption Perceptions Index is based on expert opinions of public sector corruption. Countries’ scores can be helped by open government where the public can hold leaders to account, while a poor score is a sign of prevalent bribery, lack of punishment for corruption and public institutions that don’t respond to citizens’ needs.

Global Risks Report 2016
World Economic Forum
11 Edition :: 103 pages
Pdf: http://www3.weforum.org/docs/GRR/WEF_GRR16.pdf

Overview
Now in its 11th edition, The Global Risks Report 2016 draws attention to ways that global risks could evolve and interact in the next decade.
The Global Risks Report 2016 features perspectives from nearly 750 experts on the perceived impact and likelihood of 29 prevalent global risks over a 10-year timeframe. The risks are divided into five categories: economic, environmental, geopolitical, societal and technological.
The report also examines the interconnections among the risks, and through that analysis explores three areas where global risks have the greatest potential to impact society. These are the concept of the “(dis)empowered citizen”, the impact of climate change on food security, and the potential of pandemics to threaten social cohesion.
The report also takes an in-depth look at the how the global security landscape could evolve in the future; sharing the outcomes of a year-long study to examine current trends and possible driving forces for the future of international security.

Introduction
Over the past decade, The Global Risks Report has expanded its scope from analysing the interconnected and rapidly evolving nature of global risks to also putting forward actionable solutions and calling for public-private collaboration in strengthening resilience. Now in its 11th edition, the Report describes a world in which risks are becoming more imminent and have wide-ranging impact: tensions between countries affect businesses; unresolved, protracted crises have resulted in the largest number of refugees globally since World War II; terrorist attacks take an increasing toll on human lives and stifle economies; droughts occur in California and floods in South Asia; and rapid advances in technologies are coupled with ever-growing cyber fragilities and persistent unemployment and underemployment.

Implications of sweeping digitization (also termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution”), ranging from transformations that are the result of rising cyber connectivity to the potential effects of innovations on socioeconomic equality and global security, remain far from fully understood. At the same time, climate change is unequivocally happening, and there is no turning back time.

The increasing volatility, complexity and ambiguity of the world not only heightens uncertainty around the “which”, “when, “where” and “who” of addressing global risks, but also clouds the solutions space. We need clear thinking about new levers that will enable a wide range of stakeholders to jointly address global risks, which cannot be dealt with in a centralized way.

Taken together, this calls for a resilience imperative – an urgent necessity to find new avenues and more opportunities to mitigate, adapt to and build resilience against global risks and threats through collaboration among different stakeholders.

By putting the resilience imperative at its core, this year’s Global Risks Report combines four parts to present an analysis of different aspects of global risks – across both global risks and stakeholders – focused as much on the search for solutions as on the analysis of the risks themselves.

Part 1 analyses the difference in risk perceptions over different time horizons and the perceived interconnections among risks, as visualized in the Global Risks Landscape 2016, all based on the Global Risks Perception Survey, which combines the views of different stakeholders. Three risk interconnection clusters stand out:
:: climate change in relation to water and food crises;
:: the growing challenges of the rising number of displaced people worldwide; and,
:: what the Fourth Industrial Revolution means in an era of economic risks.

Part 2 discusses the implications of a changing international security landscape and identifies the drivers that are at work and the implications for addressing global risks. Inspired by the results of The Global Risks Report 2015 and the continued instability of the global security situation, it lays out alternative and plausible futures that could materialize unless there is a change in how we respond and manage the forces at play.

Part 3 explores three risks clusters that have the potential to challenge social stability. For each of these “Risks in Focus”, it describes three existing, practical initiatives that could help to build resilience. The concept of the (dis)empowered citizen is introduced to describe the tensions created by growing cyber connectivity that empowers citizens at the same time as they feel increasingly disenfranchised from traditional decision-making processes. The second contribution further explores one impact of climate change: coupled with rising population growth, it is threatening food security. Finally, in the wake of the Ebola crisis, the potential of pandemics to threaten social cohesion is discussed.

Part 4 applies the resilience imperative to one specific stakeholder – the business community – with an analysis at country and regional levels. Drawing on a unique data set of more than 13,000 business leaders in 140 economies, it explores the differing landscape of global risks across regions and offers a deep-dive into five of the six most cited global risks worldwide. Its aim is to inform the discussion of which risks to prioritize in order to build resilience within businesses.

World Economic Forum – 2016

Editor’s Note:
The annual World Economic Forum generates a good number of strategic announcements, new research studies and commentary. We provide additional selected press releases below – see initial aggregation in last week’s edition.

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Bank CEOs and Policy-makers Join Taskforce to Study Future of Global Financial System at Davos
News 26 Jan 2016
:: Mark Carney, Governor, Bank of England and Chairman of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), and Professor Klaus Schwab, Founder and Executive Chairman, World Economic Forum, announced on the 26th January the creation of a high-level Taskforce to address the future of the global financial system
:: The Taskforce, which met for the first time in Davos, comprises eight senior decision-makers from Citigroup, BlackRock, HSBC, Bank of America, Reserve Bank of India, IMF, Chinese University of Hong Kong
:: The group will focus on the inclusion of emerging market economies in the global financial system, technology-enabled innovation and the economic cost-benefit of post-crisis regulatory reforms as outlined here

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A Key Challenge of the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Staying Human – and Humane
News 23 Jan 2016
:: Rapid technological advances, including the proliferation of artificial intelligence, challenge individuals to maintain their essential humanity
:: More than 2,500 business, government and civil society leaders from over 100 countries participated in the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2016, which drew to a close

Davos-Klosters, Switzerland, 23 January 2016 – As the world surges into the Fourth Industrial Revolution – a new age of interactive technologies, artificial intelligence and automation – a key challenge for individuals will be to understand and retain their very essence, their humanity, leading scientists and thought leaders on society and law said in the closing panel session of the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting 2016. Being able to master the technologies of the Fourth Industrial Revolution must be an essential part of that, the panellists agreed. Said Henry T. Greely, the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law at Stanford University in the US: “All of us need to begin to understand and grapple with how we want to shape these technologies.”

“We are competing with artificial intelligence,” asserted Meeting Co-Chair Amira Yahyaoui, Founder and Chair of citizens action group Al Bawsala in Tunisia and a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shaper community of leaders in their twenties. “We really have to show we are the good ones. So the discussion of ethics and value has never been more essential than it is today.” Justine Cassell, Associate Dean, Technology, Strategy and Impact, in the School of Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon University in the US, countered: “I don’t think of robots as competitors. I think of them as collaborators to help us do what we wish to do but can’t do alone and help us to be part of a larger community.”

Robots and artificial intelligence will force people to hone human skills that were much more important generations ago in the days of very low tech. “Empathy, respect – those skills will be effective for the workplace of the future,” Cassell reckoned. “It is through comparison with robots that we will know what it is to be human.”…

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Improving the Outlook for Science Depends on Basic Research and Better Use of Talent
News 23 Jan 2016
:: Sustaining basic research requires more support from business, academia and government
:: Improving opportunities for women and interdisciplinary connections can better leverage existing science knowledge

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Cautious Optimism for 2016 Global Economy
News 23 Jan 2016
:: Despite a new year marked by volatility, global growth will be modest and uneven
:: Modest optimism is accompanied by significant downside risks
:: Monetary policy divergence is not a major concern
:: Markets overreacted to China’s transition

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Redefine the Future by Using Technology to Create Opportunities and Bridge Gaps
News 23 Jan 2016
:: The central challenge in the Fourth Industrial Revolution is whether technology can be harnessed for systems change and drive progress towards a zero-carbon, zero-poverty world
:: Short-termism and the narrow shareholder approach should be replaced by management and decision-making that take into account the long view and the broader interests of all stakeholders

United Nations – Secretary General, Security Council, General Assembly  [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/
Selected Press Releases/Meetings Coverage

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29 January 2016
SC/12229
Security Council Press Statement on Haiti
The following Security Council press statement was issued today by Council President Elbio Rosselli (Uruguay):
The members of the Security Council expressed their strong concern regarding the developments leading to the indefinite postponement of the final round of elections in Haiti, scheduled to have taken place on 27 December 2015 and postponed, for the second time, to 24 January.

The members of the Security Council expressed their concern that the delay in elections may undermine Haiti’s ability to address the security, economic and social challenges it faces, and strongly encouraged the Executive, the Parliament and the relevant political actors to come to an agreement by 7 February, providing a Haitian-led and owned road map for the swift conclusion of the current electoral cycle to allow the Haitian pople the opportunity to vote for their elected representatives in a free, fair, inclusive and transparent contest…

The members of the Security Council reiterated their strong condemnation of any attempt to destabilize the electoral process, in particular by force, and urged all candidates, their supporters, political parties and other political actors to remain calm, refrain from unlawful violence or any action that can further disrupt the electoral process and political stability, resolve any electoral disputes through established legal mechanisms and to hold those responsible for such violence accountable…

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29 January 2016
SG/SM/17499-AFR/3315
Secretary-General Stresses Development, Good Governance Can Prevent Terrorism, in Remarks to African Union Peace and Security Council

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29 January 2016
SC/12227
President Put Optimistic, Positive ‘Spin’ on Situation in Burundi, Security Council Visiting Mission to Africa Reports
President Pierre Nkurunziza of Burundi had portrayed an optimistic and positive picture of recent developments in his country, while the radical opposition camp had expressed concern that “genocide was in the making”, France’s representative told the Security Council today during a briefing on its visiting mission to Burundi and Ethiopia from 21 to 23 January.

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27 January 2016
GA/PAL/1358
Palestinian Rights Committee Critical to Keeping International Spotlight on Troubling Situation, Secretary-General Says at Start of 2016 Session
Palestinians were losing hope after nearly 50 years of occupation by Israel, but despite the challenges, the United Nations remained committed to creating the conditions for the resumption of meaningful negotiations, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told the Palestinian Rights Committee today as it opened its 2016 session.

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27 January 2016
SC/12223
Life-Saving Aid Still Locked Out of Besieged, Hard-to-Reach Areas in Syria, Top United Nations Humanitarian Official Tells Security Council
Despite repeated calls to the Security Council and the parties to the conflict in Syria, the humanitarian community remained without access to the majority of the estimated 4.6 million people living in besieged or hard-to-reach areas, the senior United Nations humanitarian official said today during a briefing to the 15-member body.

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26 January 2016
SC/12219
Act Now to Prevent Two-State Solution from ‘Slipping Away Forever’, Secretary-General Warns during Security Council Debate
With a relentless wave of extremist terror gripping the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians had an opportunity to restore hope to a region torn apart by intolerance and cruelty, Secretary-General Ban-Ki Moon told the Security Council today, urging it to “act now” to prevent the two-State solution from slipping away forever.

UN OHCHR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/media.aspx?IsMediaPage=true
Selected Press Releases

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More allegations of sexual abuse of children by foreign soldiers in the Central African Republic
29 January 2016

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UN expert group urges the US to address legacies of the past, police impunity and racial injustice crisis
WASHINGTON D.C. (29 January 2016) – The legacy of enslavement in the United States of America remains a serious challenge as there has been no real commitment to recognition and reparations for people of African descent, a United Nations expert panel has said today at the end of its second official visit* to the country.
From 9 to 29 January, a delegation of the UN Working Group of experts on people of African descent visited Washington D.C., Baltimore, Jackson- Mississippi, Chicago, and New York City to address current concerns, and assess progress made in the fight agains racial discrimination, Afrophobia, xenophobia, and protecting and promoting the human rights of African- Americans.

“Despite substantial changes since the end of the enforcement of Jim Crow and the fight for civil rights, ideology ensuring the domination of one group over another continues to negatively impact the civil, political, economic, social, cultural and environmental rights of African Americans today,” said human rights expert Mireille Fanon Mendes France, who currently heads the group of experts…

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South Korea’s democracy project threatened by regression on assembly and association rights – UN expert
SEOUL (29 January 2016) – United Nations Special Rapporteur Maina Kiai today commended the Republic of Korea’s “impressive achievements,” but underlined that its journey to democracy is not yet over. At the end of his first official visit* to the country, Mr. Kiai warned that the democracy project is still being threatened by a decline on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association.

“The project of building democracy and human rights in South Korea is not over; indeed it never truly is, in any nation,” said the independent expert mandated by the UN Human Rights Council to monitor and promote the realization of the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association worldwide. “What we have is a structure, and our solemn task as governments and citizens is to continually build upon that structure, strengthening the foundation and cultivating its resilience.”

While the Special Rapporteur applauded the Government’s many human rights achievements, he also highlighted “a trend of gradual regression on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and of association – not a dramatic shutdown of these rights, but a slow, creeping inclination to degrade them.”

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UN and African experts urge Sierra Leone’s President to save millions of women’s lives by signing the 2015 Safe Abortion Bill
GENEVA (28 January 2016) – A group of United Nations and African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights Commission human rights experts* today urge the President of Sierra Leone, Ernest Bai Koroma, to sign the 2015 Safe Abortion Bill for it to enter into force without further delay. They warned that reluctance towards the decriminalization of abortion by some parties, including religious organizations, has resulted in delays in signing the Bill, as the President sent it back to Parliament for reconsideration.

The 2015 Safe Abortion Bill, passed by Parliament last December, is aimed at ensuring women’s and adolescents’ access to safe services regarding abortion and authorizes the termination of a pregnancy under any circumstances up to 12 weeks and in cases of incest, rape, fetal impairment as well as when the woman’s health is at risk, up to 24 weeks.

UN OCHA [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.unocha.org/media-resources/press-releases

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29 Jan 2016
World: UN emergency fund releases US$100 million to assist millions of displaced and vulnerable people in nine underfunded crises [EN/AR]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: World, Burundi, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Libya, Mali, South Sudan, Sudan, Uganda, United Republic of Tanzania (Addis Ababa/New York, 29 January 2016) – United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today released US$100 million from the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for severely underfunded aid operations in nine neglected emergencies.

27 Jan 2016
Eritrea: Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Kyung-wha Kang, concludes visit to Eritrea, urging greater support for vulnerable communities

27 Jan 2016
Syrian Arab Republic: Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien Statement to the Security Council on Syria, New York, 27 January 2016

27 Jan 2016
Sudan: Statement attributable to the United Nations Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator in Sudan, Ms. Marta Ruedas, on the recent conflict in Darfur [EN/AR]

27 Jan 2016
Afghanistan: Humanitarian Community Appeals for US$393 Million in 2016 to Target 3.5 Million Afghans in Need [EN/Dari/Pashto]

25 Jan 2016
Cameroon: Launch of response plans to help people in Cameroon & refugees across the region

UNICEF [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_89711.html

Series from “The Lancet” provides more evidence that breastfeeding is lifesaving – UNICEF
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, 29 January 2016 – A new series of papers just published by The Lancet provides evidence that improving breastfeeding practices could save the lives of over 820,000 children a year, 9 out of 10 of them infants under 6 months.

UNICEF launches US$2.8 billion humanitarian appeal for children
GENEVA, 26 January 2016 – UNICEF is launching a US$2.8 billion appeal to reach 43 million children in humanitarian emergencies worldwide.

UNHCR Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/search?page=&comid=4a0950336&cid=49aea93a7d&scid=49aea93a40

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Press Releases
28 January 2016
UNHCR alarmed at the plight of refugees and migrants at Bulgaria borders
The UN Refugee Agency is extremely alarmed at reports of two dead bodies being found on the Bulgarian border with Serbia, last week. UNHCR is seeking further details after being alerted about the deaths by the Bulgarian Border Police. The two men, apparently, have died of cold while trying to cross into Serbia from Western Bulgaria.

25 January 2016
OECD and UNHCR call for scaling up integration policies in favour of refugees

25 January 2016
UNHCR and partners seek over US$500mill for Nigeria and CAR refugee crises

IOM / International Organization for Migration [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.iom.int/press-room/press-releases

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01/29/16
Migrant Arrivals in Europe in 2016 Top 55,000, Over 200 Deaths
Greece – IOM estimates that 55,528 migrants and refugees crossed the Mediterranean to enter Europe during the first 28 days of 2016 – a rate of nearly 2,000 per day.

IOM to Cooperate with Business Advisory Firm on Migrant Labour Standards
01/29/16
Thailand – IOM has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with global accounting firm Grant Thornton, focussing on bringing together the best of both organisations to assist migrant labourers across Southeast Asia.

IOM Holds Policy Dialogue in South Korea on Nepali Remittances
01/29/16
Republic of Korea – A policy dialogue and capacity building workshop on how to better use remittances for sustainable development in Nepal brought together Nepali and South Korean government officials, academics and civil society in Seoul on 26-28 January.

IOM, UNHCR, Partners Seek USD 550 Million for Europe’s Refugees and Migrants
01/26/16
Switzerland – IOM, UNHCR and some 65 other organizations appealed in Geneva to donors for USD 550 million to support the ongoing humanitarian response.

Migrant Arrivals in Greece Top 45,000 through January 25: IOM
01/26/16
Greece – Since the beginning of 2016, IOM estimates that 45,361 migrants and refugees have arrived in Greece by sea.

Irregular Migration in Horn of Africa Increases in 2015
01/26/16
Kenya – In 2015 five countries in the Horn of Africa experienced a marked increase in irregular migration by land and sea from a year earlier.

IOM Aids Most Vulnerable Displaced Families from Yemen’s Taizz City
01/26/16
Yemen – IOM Yemen reports that the security situation in Yemen’s Taizz governorate continues to deteriorate, with continuous armed clashes through residential areas, especially in an enclave comprising three districts in Taizz City.

IOM Provides Cash Aid to Flood-Displaced Households in Malawi
01/26/16
Malawi – IOM Malawi, with funding from the European Commission’s Humanitarian Aid and Civil Protection Department (ECHO), is distributing cash grants this week to complement Malawi Government efforts to support families affected by the 2015 floods.

UN Women [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

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Date: 29 January 2016
Landless women farmers receive land tenancy for the first time in Pakistan
UN Women Pakistan, in collaboration with local partners Baanhn Beli and Gorakh Foundation, is working with 1,214 vulnerable rural women farmers to acquire land tenancy rights from their feudal and tribal landholders.

Women mediators promote peace in Burundi
Date: 25 January 2016
As political turmoil intensifies, over 500 Burundian women are working as community peace mediators, actively helping to avert over 5,000 conflicts.

Statement by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on the establishment of a High-Level Panel for Women’s Economic Empowerment
Date: 25 January 2016
UN Women welcomes this strong commitment to work together to provide thought leadership and mobilize action on the critical issues of improving economic outcomes for women, and promoting women’s leadership in driving sustainable, inclusive and environmentally sensitive economic growth.

WHO & Regionals [to 30 January 2016]

Increased breastfeeding could save 800,000 children and US$ 300 billion
29 January 2016 — New studies find that despite strong health and economic benefits from breastfeeding, few children are exclusively breastfed until 6 months, as recommended by WHO. Globally, an estimated 1 in 3 infants under 6 months are exclusively breastfed – a rate that has not improved in 2 decades.

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Libya conflict leaves nearly 2 million in need of health care
January 2016 — Peace talks have stalled in Libya, leaving millions of people in urgent need of health care. A total of US$ 50 million is required to meet critical health needs.

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Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 29 January 2016, vol. 91, 4 (pp. 33–52) –
Contents:
33 Malaria vaccine: WHO position paper – January 2016

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Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
:: 29 January 2016 – Zika virus infection – United States of America – United States Virgin Islands
:: 29 January 2016 – Circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus – Lao People’s Democratic Republic
:: 29 January 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Thailand
:: 27 January 2016 – Lassa Fever – Nigeria
:: 27 January 2016 – Zika virus infection – Dominican Republic
:: 26 January 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
:: 26 January 2016 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – United Arab Emirates
:: 26 January 2016 – Human infection with avian influenza A(H5N6) virus – China

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:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: Workshop on Exchange of Best Practices to Reaching Every District/Community, equity and integration of child survival interventions in ESA commences
Cape Town, 25 January 2016 – A historic five-day workshop organized jointly by WHO, UNICEF and JSI, MCSP/USAID on Exchange of Best Practices to Reaching Every District/Community (REC), equity and integration of child survival interventions in East and Southern African (ESA) kicked off on Monday 25 January, 2016 in Cape Town, South Africa.

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
:: New evidence in The Lancet shows more benefits of breastfeeding (01/30/2016)
:: PAHO urges governments to implement public policies that can prevent more than one-third of cancers (01/29/2016)
:: PAHO Director briefs global health authorities on Zika virus in the Americas (01/28/2016)

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: Thailand confirms MERS CoV in traveler, WHO cautions against continued risk of importation 24 January 2016:

WHO European Region EURO
:: Zika virus: risk of importation increases, but risk of spread in Europe remains extremely low during winter 29-01-2016
:: Food marketing, children’s rights and Professor Cyrus Cooper on the life-course approach in the latest Public Health Panorama 28-01-2016
:: Statement – After causing the 2009 pandemic, A(H1N1) circulates as a seasonal human influenza virus. The influenza vaccine will protect against it 26-01-2016
:: Global recommendations to stop childhood obesity launched 25-01-2016

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Optimism on Pakistan’s progress on polio 30 January 2016
:: WHO acknowledges Saudi progress in control of Middle East respiratory syndrome 26 January 2016

WHO Western Pacific Region
No new digest content identified.

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 30 January 2016]
http://www.unfpa.org/press/press-release

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Press Release
25 January 2016
Global leaders call for greater access to family planning
UNITED NATIONS, New York – President Joko Widodo, of the Republic of Indonesia, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, the Executive Director of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, and numerous global leaders at the International Conference on Family Planning in Nusa Dua, Indonesia, called for urgent action to increase access to family planning services worldwide, which will support the implementation of the new development agenda.

“I wish that at this conference we can discuss the main foundations necessary to build the planet that we want by 2030,” said President Widodo. “A future that ensures all women and girls are empowered to choose whether and when they want to have children and space their births, so that mothers and their babies have better opportunities for better lives.”

“Family planning is about women’s right and their capacity to take decisions about their health and well-being, contributing to the objectives of FP2020,” said Dr. Osotimehin. “It is a most significant investment to promote human capital development, combat poverty and harness a demographic dividend, thus contributing to equitable and sustainable economic development within the context of the Sustainable Development Goals.”…