The Elders [to 12 December 2015]

The Elders [to 12 December 2015]
http://theelders.org/news-media

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9 December 2015
Do you actually know your human rights?
In 1950 the UN General Assembly proclaimed 10 December as Human Rights Day, to bring attention to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights as the common standard for all peoples and all nations. But do you know them? The Elders challenge you to find out.
Take the quiz

Press release 8 December 2015
Venezuelans to be congratulated for their deep commitment to democratic practice
The Elders congratulate the Venezuelan people on the recent election result and calls on all parties to address challenges that arise through appropriate legal channels.

Opinion Hina Jilani 8 December 2015
A stronger UN means empowered human rights defenders
To mark Human Rights Day on 10 December, Hina Jilani argues that a stronger UN would deliver more universally implemented human rights. And this year, both are needed more than ever.

Global Fund [to 12 December 2015]

Global Fund [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/news/

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Global Fund Encourages People to Speak Out against Fraud and Corruption
08 December 2015
GENEVA – On International Anti-Corruption day, 9 December, the Global Fund’s Office of the Inspector General is launching a campaign to raise awareness about fraud and abuse. Called ‘I Speak Out Now!’, the campaign is designed to encourage people to denounce any wrongdoing that prevents the medicines, health products and services from reaching those who need them.

By the end of 2015, the Office of the Inspector General, the Global Fund’s independent assurance structure, estimates it will have received around 200 allegations of fraud and abuse. This represents an increase of 30 percent compared to last year, largely attributable to better visibility of its whistle-blowing channels. On average, over a third of allegations become investigations, which result in recommendations to recover misspent funds and actions to strengthen the Global Fund’s impact in the fight against AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria.

The objective of the campaign is to improve the quality and timeliness of allegations that the Office of the Inspector General receives so that the Global Fund can intervene earlier to prevent small scale irregularities from becoming systemic cases of wrongdoing. Targeted audiences include Global Fund staff and grant implementers. Anti-fraud and corruption materials will also be piloted in three countries representative of the Global Fund portfolio: Ukraine, Côte d’Ivoire and Malawi. The Office of the Inspector General plans to extend the campaign to other countries in 2016…

CHS International Alliance [to 12 December 2015]

CHS International Alliance [to 12 December 2015]
http://chsalliance.org/news-events/news

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11/12/2015
Core Humanitarian Standard Training Handbook now available in English and French
The handbook used by trainers in our two-day Introduction to the CHS workshop is now available to download for those who want to design and/or deliver training on the CHS.

10/12/2015
New resources: key tools for people management free to members
Three key tools for people management have been revised in line with the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS) to support human resources (HR) practitioners in development and humanitarian organisations.

08/12/2015
New online resource centre launches
Our new resource centre has launched with over 1000 quality, accountability, and people management resources to support humanitarian and development practitioners. The centre brings together the extensive HAP International and People In Aid online libraries following their merger, as well as new resources aligned to the Core Humanitarian Standard (CHS).

EHLRA/R2HC [to 12 December 2015]

EHLRA/R2HC [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.elrha.org/resource-hub/news/

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3D Printing Part of Sustainable Humanitarian Aid to Refugees
07.12.2015
According to leading authority Kilian Kleinschmidt refugee camps need to be reconceptualised and new approaches for aid must be explored.

For Killian the fact that refugee camps are conceptualised as a temporary resettlements is problematic “The average stay today in a camp is 17 years. That’s a generation”. The ability to empower refugees and enable them to meet their needs.

3D printing is one key aspect due to the capacity it hold for low cost production. In recent years he has been working to set up the Fab Lab in a Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan in order to enable refugees to produce the items they need, generate their own energy and much more. But it’s a slow process. [See the full article by Hannah Rose Mendoza on 3D Print]

Center for Global Development [to 12 December 2015]

Center for Global Development [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.cgdev.org/page/press-center
Selected Press Releases, Blog Posts, Publications

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Focus on FY2016: Which Countries Will MCC Select This Year?
12/8/15
Sarah Rose
The Millennium Challenge Corporation’s (MCC’s) board of directors is scheduled to meet on December 16. When it does, the members will vote on which countries will be eligible for MCC assistance for fiscal year (FY) 2016. As always, the board is faced with some hard decisions.

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Doing Business Differently with Subnationals: Recommendations for Global Health Donors in Highly Decentralized Countries
12/8/15
Amanda Glassman and Anit Mukherjee
In the big decentralized countries where global disease burden is concentrated, such as India and Indonesia, most public money for health isn’t spent by the national ministry of health, the traditional counterpart for global health funders and technical agencies. Instead, most money is programmed and spent subnationally.
Greater subnational public spending reflects growing democratization, power-sharing, and local self-determination. It also responds to the conviction that local decision-makers understand local realities better than a bureaucrat sitting in the capital city. Yet evidence on the effectiveness of subnational spending on health care and outcomes is mixed at best, and incentives for greater spending and better performance can be weak.

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MCC Testimony: Lessons Learned after a Decade and Outlook for the Future
12/8/15
Nancy Birdsall
On December 8, 2015, CGD President Nancy Birdsall testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee at a hearing about the Millennium Challenge Corporation: Lessons Learned after a Decade and Outlook for the Future.

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Modernizing US Security and Development Assistance in the Middle East
12/7/15
Nazanin Ash and Allison Grossman
US strategy in the Middle East and North Africa has not changed in the past 40 years, favoring security approaches over political and economic development, narrow partnerships with select regime elements over broader engagement with governments and people, and short-term responses and interventions over long-term vision. Symptomatic of this strategy is the fact that US security assistance vastly outstrips economic assistance.

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Power to the States: Making Fiscal Transfers Work for Better Health
12/7/15
Intergovernmental Fiscal Transfers for Health Working Group
Most money and responsibility for health in large federal countries like India rests with subnational governments — states, provinces, districts, and municipalities. The policies and spending at the subnational level affect the pace, scale, and equity of health improvements in countries that account for much of the world’s disease burden: India, Indonesia, Nigeria, and Pakistan.

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Global Public Goods That Matter for Development: A Path for US Leadership
12/6/15
Nancy Birdsall and Anna Diofasi
The United States has been at the forefront of providing several development-related global public goods, including peace and security via its contributions to international peacekeeping, the monitoring of international sea trade routes, its engagement in forums such as the Financial Action Task Force to stem flows of funding to terrorist organizations, and more. Yet it has not fully capitalized on its comparative advantage in research and development at home that matters especially for the world’s poor, or on its opportunities for globally transformative investments abroad in such areas as clean power and disease surveillance. We propose two areas where the United States should lead on providing even more transformative global public goods.

ODI [to 12 December 2015]

ODI [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.odi.org/media

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Carbon capture and storage provides no justification for new coal-fired electricity, says ODI
News | 9 December 2015
Analysis published by the ODI warns the added cost of CCS will simply push up electricity prices at a time when new coal-fired power is already struggling to compete with cleaner technologies.

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Rebuilding adolescent girls’ lives: mental health and psychosocial support in conflict-affected Gaza, Liberia and Sri Lanka, synthesis report research tools
Research reports and studies | December 2015 | Fiona Samuels, Nicola Jones, Bassam Abu Hamad, Janice Cooper, Ananda Galappatti
This output details the data collection instruments relating to the ReBUILD synthesis report with the same title.

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Climate extremes and resilient poverty reduction
Research reports and studies | December 2015 | Emily Wilkinson, Katie Peters, Thomas Tanner, Catherine Simonet, Florence Pichon, Roop Kamal Singh, Erin Coughlan de Perez, Janot Mendler de Suarez, Blane Harvey, Amy Kirbyshire, Robert Muir-Wood
This report explores the relationship between climate change and poverty, focusing on climate extreme disasters.

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Imagining a new negotiation strategy for LDCs at the WTO
Briefing papers | December 2015 | Maximiliano Mendez-Parra, Neil Balchin and Linda Calabrese
This brief provides insight into how changes in the world economy and in global trade have affected the negotiation positions of least developed countries (LDCs).

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Conrad N. Hilton Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.hiltonfoundation.org/news

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The Power of Effective Messaging
By Tenille Metti, December 9, 2015
On November 10 and 11, we hosted our third annual Substance Use Prevention grantee and stakeholder convening in Washington, D.C. Grantees and partners came together to learn about progress in advancing screening and early intervention approaches for youth, as well as to discuss emerging issues, and network with practitioners and experts in the field…

MacArthur Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

MacArthur Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.macfound.org/

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Publication
Tracking Cyber Attacks on Journalists, Civil Society
Published December 10, 2015
A number of journalists, activists, politicians, and public figures in Latin America have been targeted by a large-scale hacking campaign since 2008, according to a report from the Citizen Lab, recipient of the MacArthur Award for Creative and Effective Institutions. The report highlights the threats that journalists and civil society face from determined adversaries. According to the report, the nature and geographic spread of the targets indicates that the responsible party has regional political interests and is focused on political opposition and independent press in these regions.

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
https://www.moore.org/newsroom/press-releases

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Open science finds new home south of Market
By Peter Sand and Ken McGary Manylabs
December 11, 2015
“The Bay Area is overflowing with money and incubators for startups. We want to provide something different — a home for ideas, projects, and people that don’t fit into other places,” says Manylabs founder Peter Sand. The educational non-profit opened their new open science workspace…

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Tacana Indigenous People of Bolivia Win Prestigious Equator Prize
Wildlife Conservation Society
December 10, 2015
Bolivia’s Tacana indigenous council has been awarded the Equator Prize for its efforts to reduce deforestation. For 14 years, the group has worked in the Madidi landscape to implement a community-based land-use vision for their ancestral territory.

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How do agricultural and food production, distribution and consumption offer solutions to some of the world’s most pressing environmental concerns?
By David Diaz Martin UNEP TEEB ]
December 6, 2015
The UN Environment Programme’s initiative ‘The Economics of Ecosystems and Biodiversity’ (TEEB) has initiated a project aiming to show how different food systems and practices can impact the environment, health outcomes and culture.

Open Society Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Open Society Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.opensocietyfoundations.org/termsearch/8175/listing?f[0]=type%3Anews

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Engaging the Arab League in Promoting Human Rights
December 8, 2015News
AMMAN—Following the Arab uprisings, the League of Arab States seemed poised to play a much-needed role on many regional issues, including promoting human rights and increasing member states’ compliance with international conventions. However, the League’s approach in this regard has been far from consistent. This, coupled with waning revolutionary euphoria, has dampened civil society’s aspirations that the League could assume such a role. But a closer look at the organization reveals a slow shift in its positioning. Only through deeper understanding of the League can civil society engage with it to advance human rights in the region.

Today, the Open Society Foundations and the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies (CIHRS) jointly launched The League of Arab States: A Manual for Practioners. This essential guide provides civil society organizations with a solid understanding of the League’s structures, standards, and mechanisms relating to human rights to allow them to engage better with this important organization for a stronger impact on its decision-making mechanisms…

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 12 December 2015]

Pew Charitable Trusts [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/about/news-room/press-releases

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Pew: States Should Be Clear on Purpose of Rainy Day Savings
Press Release
December 08, 2015 States’ Fiscal Health
Many states struggle with how much to save because their purpose for doing so is unclear, according to a new report from The Pew Charitable Trusts. Why States Save: Using Evidence to Inform How Large Rainy Day Funds Should Grow examines budget stabilization funds—often called rainy day funds—and offers recommendations to determine optimal savings goals and create enhanced budgetary flexibility over the course of the ups and downs of economic activity.

Rockefeller Foundation [to 12 December 2015]

Rockefeller Foundation [to 12 December 2015]
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700+ Organizations in 116 Countries Say Universal Health Coverage is Right, Smart, and Overdue
December 11, 2015
Global leaders urged to ensure all people can access essential health services without facing financial hardship

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Harvard University, Wildlife Conservation Society launch new ‘Planetary Health Alliance’ with support from The Rockefeller Foundation
December 11, 2015
Unprecedented effort to address major public health threats caused by human impacts on the natural world

Wellcome Trust [to 12 December 2015]

Wellcome Trust [to 12 December 2015]
http://www.wellcome.ac.uk/News/2015/index.htm

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Scientists genetically engineer patients’ own cells to attack cancer
In a pioneering trial taking place in London, doctors are harnessing patients’ own immune systems in an effort to find a new effective treatment for resistant head and neck cancer.
10 December 2015

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Progressing clinical academic careers in the UK
A review exploring the experiences of early-career clinical academics across the UK has highlighted that while many successfully advance to research leadership positions, widespread barriers to both clinical and academic progression are faced by many of those aspiring to pursue a clinical academic career.
9 December 2015

Incidence of Pneumococcal Pneumonia Among Adults in Rural Thailand, 2006–2011: Implications for Pneumococcal Vaccine Considerations

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
December 2015; 93 (6)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

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Incidence of Pneumococcal Pneumonia Among Adults in Rural Thailand, 2006–2011: Implications for Pneumococcal Vaccine Considerations
Barameht Piralam, Sara M. Tomczyk, Julia C. Rhodes, Somsak Thamthitiwat, Christopher J. Gregory, Sonja J. Olsen, Prabda Praphasiri, Pongpun Sawatwong, Sathapana Naorat, Somrak Chantra, Peera Areerat, Cameron P. Hurst, Matthew R. Moore, Charung Muangchana, and Henry C. Baggett
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2015 93:1140-1147; Published online October 26, 2015, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.15-0429
Abstract
The incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia among adults is a key driver for the cost-effectiveness of pneumococcal conjugate vaccine used among children. We sought to obtain more accurate incidence estimates among adults by including results of pneumococcal urine antigen testing (UAT) from population-based pneumonia surveillance in two Thai provinces. Active surveillance from 2006 to 2011 identified acute lower respiratory infection (ALRI)–related hospital admissions. Adult cases of pneumococcal pneumonia were defined as hospitalized ALRI patients aged ≥ 18 years with isolation of Streptococcus pneumoniae from blood or with positive UAT. Among 39,525 adult ALRI patients, we identified 481 pneumococcal pneumonia cases (105 by blood culture, 376 by UAT only). Estimated incidence of pneumococcal pneumonia hospitalizations was 30.5 cases per 100,000 persons per year (2.2 and 28.3 cases per 100,000 persons per year by blood culture and UAT, respectively). Incidence varied between 22.7 in 2007 and 43.5 in 2010, and increased with age to over 150 per 100,000 persons per year among persons aged ≥ 70 years. Viral coinfections including influenza A/B, respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), and adenovirus occurred in 11% (44/409) of pneumococcal pneumonia cases tested. Use of UAT to identify cases of pneumococcal pneumonia among adults in rural Thailand substantially increases estimates of pneumococcal pneumonia burden, thereby informing cost-effectiveness analyses and vaccine policy decisions.

A systematic review of factors that affect uptake of community-based health insurance in low-income and middle-income countries

BMC Health Services Research
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
(Accessed 12 December 2015)

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Research article
A systematic review of factors that affect uptake of community-based health insurance in low-income and middle-income countries
Esther Adebayo, Olalekan Uthman, Charles Wiysonge, Erin Stern, Kim Lamont, John Ataguba BMC Health Services Research 2015, 15:543 (8 December 2015)

Cost-effectiveness analysis of human papillomavirus vaccination in South Africa accounting for human immunodeficiency virus prevalence

BMC Infectious Diseases
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcinfectdis/content
(Accessed 12 December 2015)

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Research article
Cost-effectiveness analysis of human papillomavirus vaccination in South Africa accounting for human immunodeficiency virus prevalence
Xiao Li, Martinus Stander, Georges Van Kriekinge, Nadia Demarteau
BMC Infectious Diseases 2015, 15:566 (11 December 2015)
Abstract
Background
This study aims at evaluating the cost-effectiveness of a 2-dose schedule human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination programme of HPV and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) naïve 12-year-old girls, in addition to cervical cancer (CC) screening alone, in South Africa. The study aims to account for both the impact of the vaccine among girls who are HIV-positive (HIV+) as well as HIV-negative (HIV-) population.
Methods
A previously published Markov cohort model was adapted to assess the impact and cost-effectiveness of a HPV vaccination programme in girls aged 12 years (N = 527 900) using the AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine from a public payer perspective. Two subpopulations were considered: HIV- and HIV+ women. Each population followed the HPV natural history with different transition probabilities. Model input data were obtained from the literature, local databases and Delphi panel. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 5 %. Extensive sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the evaluation.
Results
Implementation of the AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine in combination with current cytological screening in South African girls could prevent up to 8 869 CC cases and 5 436 CC deaths over the lifetime of a single cohort. Without discounting, this HPV vaccine is dominant over screening alone; with discounting, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio is ZAR 81 978 (South African Rand) per quality-adjusted life years (QALY) gained. HPV vaccination can be considered cost-effective based on World Health Organization (WHO) recommended threshold (3 x gross domestic product/capita = ZAR 200 293). In a scenario with a hypothetical targeted vaccination in a HIV+ subpopulation alone, the modelled outcomes suggest that HPV vaccination is still cost-effective, although the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio increases to ZAR 102 479. Results were sensitive to discount rate, vaccine efficacy, HIV incidence and mortality rates, and HPV-related disease transition probabilities.
Conclusions
The AS04-adjuvanted HPV-16/18 vaccine can be considered cost-effective in a South African context although the cost-effectiveness is expected to be lower in the HIV+ subpopulation than in the overall female population. With improved access to HIV treatment, the HIV mortality and incidence rates are likely to be reduced, which could improve cost-effectiveness of the vaccination programme in South Africa.

Psychological distress and its associations with past events in pregnant women affected by armed conflict in Swat, Pakistan: a cross sectional study

Conflict and Health
http://www.conflictandhealth.com/
[Accessed 12 December 2015]

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Research
Psychological distress and its associations with past events in pregnant women affected by armed conflict in Swat, Pakistan: a cross sectional study
Khan MN, Chiumento A, Dherani M, Bristow K, Sikander S and Rahman A Conflict and Health 2015, 9:37 (10 December 2015)
Abstract
Background
The public health significance of maternal mental health is well established. Armed conflicts expose populations to events that could have long-term negative consequences for mental health of pregnant women and their children. This study explores the prevalence and associated risk factors for psychological distress of women during pregnancy, including exposure to past conflict-related potentially traumatic events, in a population exposed to armed conflict in the Swat region of Pakistan.
Methods
A community-based cross-sectional survey of 349 pregnant women in two union councils in Swat was conducted. Psychological distress was measured using the Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ). Conflict-related potentially traumatic events (PTEs) were measured through an adapted version of the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire. Information was also collected on major life events (Life Events Checklist), social support (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support), and demographic and socio-economic variables.
Results
Prevalence of current psychological distress was 38.1 % (95 % CI: 33.1, 43.3). Psychological distress was significantly associated with three or more potentially traumatic events (PTEs) experienced during the conflict (OR = 2.62, 95 % CI: 1.22, 5.61); three or more major life events in the year following the conflict (OR = 3.25, 95 % CI: 1.82, 5.82) and inversely associated with family support (OR = 0.91, 95 % CI: 0.88, 0.95).
Conclusion
This is one of the first community based cross sectional surveys in Swat valley, Pakistan to assess the prevalence of psychological distress during pregnancy in an area affected by conflict. Over a third of women show evidence of significant psychological distress. Exposure to potentially traumatic events remained independently associated with psychological distress 1 year after conflict ended, suggesting that conflict exposure may have long-term impacts upon maternal mental health. Combining this with findings relating to the cumulative impact of major life-events, and the protective factor of family support highlights the importance of developing culturally appropriate psychological interventions accessible to pregnant women rebuilding their lives following conflict.

Integrated disaster relief logistics: a stepping stone towards viable civil–military networks?

Disasters
January 2016 Volume 40, Issue 1 Pages 1–182
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/disa.2016.40.issue-1/issuetoc

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Integrated disaster relief logistics: a stepping stone towards viable civil–military networks? (pages 7–25)
Peter Tatham and Sebastiaan (Bas) Rietjens
Article first published online: 13 AUG 2015 | DOI: 10.1111/disa.12131
Abstract
The twenty-first century has seen a significant rise in all forms of disasters and this has resulted in military and humanitarian organisations becoming more frequently engaged in the provision of support to those affected. Achieving an efficient and effective logistic preparation and response is one of the key elements in mitigating the impact of such events, but the establishment of mechanisms to deliver an appropriately integrated civil–military approach remains elusive. Not least because of the high percentage of assistance budgets spent on logistics, this area is considered to represent fertile ground for developing improved processes and understanding. In practice, the demands placed on civilian and military logisticians are broadly similar, as is the solution space. Speaking a common language and using common concepts, it is argued, therefore, that the logistic profession should be in the vanguard of the development of an improved civil–military interface.

Special Issue: Evidence of the Impact of Human Rights-Based Approaches to Health

Health and Human Rights
Volume 17, Issue 2 December 2015
http://www.hhrjournal.org/

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Special Issue: Evidence of the Impact of Human Rights-Based Approaches to Health

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Editorial
Making the Case: What Is the Evidence of Impact of Applying Human Rights-Based Approaches to Health?
Paul Hunt, Alicia Ely Yamin, and Flavia Bustreo, Guest Editors

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Framing the Issues
Assessing the Impact of a Human Rights-Based Approach Across a Spectrum of Change for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health
Rebekah Thomas, Shyama Kuruvilla, Rachael Hinton, Steven L. B. Jensen, Veronica Magar, and Flavia Bustreo

Ethical and Human Rights Foundations of Health Policy: Lessons from Comprehensive Reform in Mexico
Julio Frenk and Octavio Gómez-Dantés

What Constitutes Evidence in Human Rights-Based Approaches to Health? Learning from Lived Experiences of Maternal and Sexual Reproductive Health
Maya Unnithan

Measuring the Impact of the Human Rights on Health in Global Health Financing
Sara L.M. Davis

The Universal Periodic Review: A Platform for Dialogue, Accountability, and Change on Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights
Kate Gilmore, Luis Mora, Alfonso Barragues, Ida Krogh Mikkelsen

Human Rights Quarterly – November 2015

Human Rights Quarterly
Volume 37, Number 4, November 2015
http://muse.jhu.edu/journals/human_rights_quarterly/toc/hrq.37.4.html

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The Diffusion of Disability Rights in Europe
pp. 831-853
Lisa Vanhala
Abstract
This article examines the spread of disability rights across European countries. Existing theoretical explanations of rights diffusion are unable to account for the pattern of adoption of disability equality norms across Europe over the last twenty years. The article argues top-down explanations need to be complemented by agent-centered approaches to convincingly account for the case of disability rights in Europe. Engagement with social movement theory that takes domestic activists and the meanings they attribute to rights seriously offers a better understanding of how and why we might see the rise of rights in one case and their rejection in another.

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The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking: A Turbulent Decade in Review
pp. 913-940
Anne T. Gallagher, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo
Abstract
In 2004, largely in response to external developments, the predecessor to the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed a Special Rapporteur on trafficking in persons with an explicit mandate to address the human rights aspects of trafficking. This article critically assesses the first decade of that mandate—identifying important achievements but also acknowledging substantial challenges in securing effective responses to trafficking that both protect and advance human rights. In looking ahead it considers the broader lessons that this experience may hold for the emergent global movement against human exploitation—and the place of human rights in the dynamic but often chaotic and schismatic environment that has emerged around trafficking over the past decade.

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Rights Monitoring and Assessment using Quantitative Indicators of Law and Policy: International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights
pp. 1071-1100
Jody Heymann, Kristen McNeill, Amy Raub
Abstract
This article proposes an approach to assessing country action on economic and social rights based on transparent, comparable measures of law and policy. Using a new data set on rights, laws, and policies in 193 UN member states, this article applies a sample set of indicators to ICESCR rights to demonstrate the utility of this approach. For each indicator, we examine whether the 163 UN member states that are states parties to the ICESCR have enacted relevant laws and policies; we then compare their performance with that of countries that have not ratified the ICESCR and examine differences before and after ICESCR ratification within countries.