UN Women [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.unwomen.org/news/stories

.
Selected Press Releases
“We have identified men and boys as critical contributors to the struggle for gender equality” – Executive Director
Date : June 19, 2015
Opening remarks by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at the launch of the HeForShe campaign in Stockholm, Sweden, on 18 June 2015

UN Women announces bold commitments to gender equality from 18 partners
Date : June 18, 2015
UN Women’s HeForShe campaign today announced the commitments of 18 IMPACT champions (eight Heads of State, five global companies and five universities), completing the initial slate of 30 global partners, following the launch of the pilot initiative in January.

Africa must rise with and through women, says UN Women Executive Director
Date : June 16, 2015
While attending the 25th African Union Summit in Johannesburg, UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka called on both the public and private sector to invest in women in order to achieve sustainable development in Africa.

“We – you – will accept nothing less than a 50-50 Planet” – Executive Director
Date : June 16, 2015
Lecture delivered by UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, on 11 June, addressing the Gender Equality: 50-50 by 2030 commitment, at Chatham House, London

Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues [to 20 June 2015]
http://undesadspd.org/IndigenousPeoples.aspx

.
Report on 14th session of Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
June 19, 2015
The report on the Fourteenth Session of the Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is out. The report contains conclusions and recommendations

WHO & Regionals [to 20 June 2015]
Nepal Earthquake – Global Health Cluster
Health Cluster Bulletin No. 6 pdf, 1.11Mb
19 June 2015

Global Alert and Response (GAR) – Disease Outbreak News (DONs)
20 June 2015 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Republic of Korea
20 June 2015 – Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia
5 June 2015 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Republic of Korea
4 June 2015 – Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Republic of Korea
4 June 2015 – Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – Saudi Arabia

The Weekly Epidemiological Record (WER) 19 June 2015, vol. 90, 25 (pp. 309–320) includes:
:: Update on vaccine-derived polioviruses worldwide, January 2014–March 2015

.
:: WHO Regional Offices
WHO African Region AFRO
:: WHO mobilizes 164 500 doses of oral cholera vaccine to help control the cholera outbreak in Tanzania
Kigoma, 18 June 2015 – The cholera risk remains high in villages around entry points for asylum seekers in Kigoma region, Western Tanzania. The daily influx of asylum seekers has caused the population in the Nyarugusu camp in Tanzania to swell to over 55,500.
:: Rural mothers in Namibia given access to quality maternal and newborn care – 17 June 2015
:: Experts meet to discuss a range of public health issues in the African Region – 16 June 2015

WHO Region of the Americas PAHO
No new digest content identified

WHO South-East Asia Region SEARO
:: WHO calls for stepping up vigil for MERS, Thailand confirms case
18 June 2015

WHO European Region EURO
:: Stepping up action on migrant and refugee health 18-06-2015
:: Health a priority for European Development Days 17-06-2015

WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region EMRO
:: Kuwait donation supports scaling up of health care services to displaced populations and host communities in Iraq
18 June 2015
:: WHO airlifts from Damascus medical supplies to the besieged Deir ez-Zor city and Qamishly
18 June 2015
:: WHO welcomes new Kuwait donation for Syrians in need
15 June 2015

WHO Western Pacific Region
:: WHO recommends continuation of strong disease control measures to bring MERS-CoV outbreak in Republic of Korea to an end
MANILA, 13 JUNE 2015 – A joint mission by the World Health Organization and the Republic of Korea’s Ministry of Health and Welfare to review the outbreak of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus (MERS CoV) in the Republic of Korea has recommended that continuing strengthening of contact tracing, monitoring and quarantine as well as expanded laboratory testing will prevent further spread of the virus.

UNDP United Nations Development Programme [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/presscenter.html

.
Selected Press Releases
Helen Clark: Statement on Pope Francis Encyclical on the Environment and the Poor
Jun 18, 2015

Gina Casar: Opening Remarks, High-Level Event: Financing for Development: The Critical Role of Risk and Resilience
Jun 15, 2015 New York, USA

UNEP United Nations Environment Programme [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.unep.org/newscentre/?doctypeID=1

.
Selected Press Releases
IEA Report Offers Strategy for Peak in Global Energy Emissions by 2020
The report by the International Energy Agency highlights the need for COP 21 climate pledges to be viewed as the basis from which to create a “virtuous circle” of increasing ambition.
19/06/2015

UNEP Chief Achim Steiner Welcomes Papal Encyclical on Environment
18/06/2015

UN Leaders React to Pope Francis’ Release of Encyclical on Climate and Environment
In September, countries will gather in New York at the UN General Assembly to agree on a new set of sustainable development goals and chart a path towards a sustainable future that decouples human growth from pollution and environmental degradation.
18/06/2015

UN DESA United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.un.org/en/development/desa/news.html

.
Negotiations on financing for sustainable development agenda enter critical phase
18 June 2015, New York
Negotiations over proposals that would finance the ambitious sustainable agenda that world leaders will adopt this September are entering a critical phase, ahead of the Third International Conference on Financing for Development that will be held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 13-16 July

Keeping up momentum following successful Water for Life Decade
16 June 2015, New York
Heads of state and United Nations leaders gathered last week in Dushanbe, Tajikistan to celebrate the achievements of the Decade for Action: Water for Life 2005-2015, and to begin looking at proposals for moving forward with the Decade’s work.

On World Day, UN chief shines spotlight on once-taboo topic of elder abuse
15 June 2015, New York
The distressing crime of elder abuse often occurs in quiet, private settings, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said today on World Elder Abuse Awareness Day, as he reminded people around the world of the importance of making “a vocal, public response” to support the rights of older persons to a life free of violence and abuse.

UNODC United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/press/allpress.html?ref=fp

.
Successful operation highlights growing international cooperation to combat wildlife crime
Vienna, 18 June 2015 – The International Consortium on Combating Wildlife Crime (ICCWC) welcomed today the results achieved during Operation COBRA III, an international law enforcement operation conducted in May 2015 with the aim of combating wildlife crime and bringing the criminals involved to justice.

Operation COBRA III resulted in 139 arrests and more than 247 seizures, which included elephant ivory, medicinal plants, rhino horns, pangolins, rosewood, tortoises and many other plant and animal specimens. Key successes during the operation included the arrest of a Chinese national believed to have been coordinating rhino horn smuggling from Namibia, the arrest of a notorious elephant poacher in India and the seizure of 340 elephant tusks and 65 rhino horns in Mozambique. Over 50,000 illegal wildlife items were seized in the United Kingdom, as well as an additional 10,000 in Austria and 5,000 in Germany, which included large volumes of illegal supplement capsules containing wildlife products. Other countries where large numbers of illegal items were seized include China, Singapore and South Africa. In total, 37 countries reported seizures and/or arrests during the operation…

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.fao.org/news/archive/news-by-date/2015/en/

.
More than $20 million urgently needed to help Nepal’s farmers recover from earthquake
Some $20 million is urgently needed to support farmers in earthquake-hit Nepal resume agricultural activities and stave off the threat of prolonged food insecurity facing an estimated one million people.
19-06-2015

FAO Director-General welcomes Papal Encyclical
FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva has welcomed the Papal Encyclical Laudato Si on Climate Change and Environment, released by Pope Francis.
18-06-2015

A body of evidence: What climate change implies for global food security and trade
“Climate Change and Food Systems” collects the findings of a group of scientists and economists who have taken stock of climate change impacts on food and agriculture at global and regional levels over the past two decades.
18-06-2015

FAO hunger report shows changing face of food insecurity in Europe, Central Asia
Multiple trends are shaping the nutrition map for Europe and Central Asia, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s first-ever report on food insecurity and malnutrition in Europe and Central Asia, released today. The problems of food insecurity have changed away from that of caloric sufficiency toward the quality of peoples’ diets – a trend that will likely continue in this way.
18-06-2015

Survival kits provide lifeline to displaced in South Sudan
United Nations agencies and Non-governmental Organizations in South Sudan have undertaken an emergency airlift operation to deliver survival kits, containing lifesaving supplies, to internally displaced persons (IDPs) in hard-to-reach areas of Unity State.
16-06-2015

FAO launches digital platform on family farming
Recognizing the contributions of family farmers to food security and poverty eradication worldwide, FAO today launched a new digital platform that aims to become a “one-stop shop” for information, data and legislation on the sector that produces some 80 percent of the world’s food.
16-06-2015

New guide on preventing child labour in agriculture
A new guide by FAO aims to help ensure anti-child labour measures are included in agricultural and rural development programmes, in particular those targeting family farmers.
15-06-2015

IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.ifad.org/media/press/index.htm

.
18 June: IFAD awards excellence in remittances for social and economic development

16 June: International Day of Family Remittances to be observed for the first time

15 June: Remittances from Europe top $109 billion, providing lifeline to millions worldwide

WMO World Meteorological Organization [to 20 June 2015]
https://www.wmo.int/media/?q=news

.
Norwegian partnership adds new capacity for climate services
19 June 2015
The Norwegian Refugee Council has signed an agreement with the World Meteorological Organization to send experts into the field to increase the capacity of national institutions to develop climate information and products that will help vulnerable African countries to cope with climate change, extreme weather and uncertain rainfall patterns.
Under the Memorandum of Understanding, the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) will loan meteorologists, hydrologists and other qualified personnel to help with the practical operationalization of the Global Framework for Climate Services (GFCS). This is a multi-partner international initiative, spearheaded by WMO, to improve the provision and use of climate services like seasonal outlooks and drought monitors. The priority focus is on agriculture and food security, disaster risk reduction, water management, health and energy.

New Renewable Energy App
17 June 2015
Smartphone users can now access the most reliable data on global renewable energy potential, for free, thanks to an application launched today by the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA). The Global Atlas pocket, now available on all platforms including BlackBerry® 10, iOS, Android™ and Windows Phone®, is the only global tool of its kind, combining 1,000 maps from 67 governments and 50 data centres to provide information on renewable energy resources anywhere in the world. “One of the major hurdles to worldwide renewable energy deployment is to mobilise investment flows commensurate with global needs,” said Adnan Z. Amin, IRENA Director-General. “The Global Atlas pocket helps bring more investment certainty to renewable energy prospectors and investors. Users can freely access data from geothermal potentials in the Caribbean to solar potentials in the Middle East and anything in between. It is an incredibly powerful tool.”

UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.unido.org/en/news-centre/news.html

.
Sustainable energy crucial for inclusive development and action on climate change, say participants of Vienna event
VIENNA, 18 June 2015 – Sustainable energy is the golden thread that connects both inclusive development and efforts to combat climate change, said participants at the Vienna Energy Forum (VEF) that opened in the capital of… The three-day major international event brought together over 1,000 participants, including high-ranking government officials and experts in the field. It precedes the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs) Summit in New York and the UNFCCC Conference of the Parties (COP 21) in Paris. By emphasizing the multiple benefits of both the post-2015 development and the climate agendas and showcasing best practices and actions on the ground, the VEF 2015 aims to contribute to both the SDGs Summit and COP21…

World Investment Conference supports inclusive and sustainable industrialization
MILAN, 16 June 2015 – Participants at the 20th annual World Investment Conference, a flagship event of the World Association of Investment Promotion Agencies (WAIPA), which ended in Milan today, voiced support for inclusive and sustainable industrialization.
The three-day event brought together over a hundred leading Investment Promotion Agencies (IPAs), heads of financial institutions, some leading political figures, private sector leaders, prominent economists and researchers…

ITU International Telecommunications Union [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.itu.int/net/pressoffice/press_releases/index.aspx?lang=en#.VF8FYcl4WF8

.
ITU defines vision and roadmap for 5G mobile development
Future mobile technologies usher in new paradigms for connected society
Geneva, 19 June 2015 – ITU has established the overall roadmap for the development of 5G mobile and defined the term it will apply to it as “IMT-2020”…

CBD Convention on Biological Diversity [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.cbd.int/press-releases/

.
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity welcomes Pope Francis’ call to action in the face of global biodiversity loss, climate change and environmental degradation.
2015-06-18

Statement of the CBD Executive Secretary, Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, on the occasion of the Encyclical Letter Laudato Si’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for Our Common Home
2015-06-18

USAID [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.usaid.gov/news-information/press-releases

.
USAID, DFID Partner to Advance Girls’ Education Worldwide
June 16, 2015
Commitment includes up to $180 million for girls education—particularly adolescent girls— in conflict-affected areas of the DRC
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) announced today an expanded partnership with the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) to advance girls’ education around the world. As part of that commitment, USAID and DFID announced a new partnership of up to $180 million over five years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) (£36M committed by DFID; up to $125M by USAID) that will enable girls who are not in school to access accelerated and alternative learning programs in conflict-affected areas (North and South Kivu and Katanga). This program will benefit more than 755,000 girls ages 10-18 over the next five years.

ECHO [to 20 June 2015]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/en/news

.
World Refugee Day: Nearly 60 million people displaced worldwide
19/06/2015
Every year natural disasters, conflicts and human rights violations force millions of people to leave their homes and to flee to save their lives. Today, there are more than 59.5 million people in need of help and protection as a consequence of…

EU and UN mobilise fresh humanitarian aid for South Sudan amid worsening crisis
16/06/2015
Around €245 million were pledged today in support of the victims of the deepening humanitarian crisis in South Sudan and the region.The funding will translate into vital assistance for the most vulnerable people affected by the crisis.The European…

Boko Haram: More EU funds to help the affected populations
18/06/2015
In response to the growing humanitarian consequences of the Boko Haram attacks, the European Commission is providing €21 million to help the populations in Nigeria and the neighbouring countries who are affected by the violence inflicted by the…

African Union [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.au.int/en/
.

Jun.19.2015
25th Assembly of the African Union Commits to Mainstreaming Women as the Continent begins to Implement Agenda 2063

Jun.17.2015
African Union Adopts Common Position on Ending Child Marriage Agreement signals AU’s commitment to empower women and girls and protect their human rights

Jun.16.2015
African leaders adopt experts report to end AIDS, TB and malaria by 2030

The African Development Bank Group [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/press-releases/

.
AfDB provides support to strengthen economic governance and management in South Sudan
19/06/2015 – Construction of South Sudan Customs Service headquarters in Juba is underway. Funded by the African Development Bank, the activity is part of support provided through the Public Finance Management and Aid Coordination Project (PFAID).

Africa’s infrastructure drive must take into account health and gender to be sustainable
19/06/2015 – As African countries undertake significant infrastructure development to transform their economies, it is critical that they take into account the impact of these capital projects on the health of workers and nearby communities, and on women and girls in particular, to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth.

Call for Papers – African Economic Conference 2015: “Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda”
From: 02/11/2015
To: 04/11/2015
Location: Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo
Jointly organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Economic Conference (AEC) 2015 will take place in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, from November 2 to 4, 2015 under the following theme: “Addressing Poverty and Inequality in the Post 2015 Development Agenda”.

AfCoP annual meetings conclude with renewed commitment to results-oriented regional integration
16/06/2015 – The second Africa for Results (AfriK4R) Forum and seventh annual meetings of the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results (AfCoP-MfDR) concluded on June 10, 2015 with a renewed commitment to advancing results-oriented regional integration and policy coherence in Africa.

European Union [to 20 June 2015]
http://europa.eu/newsroom/index_en.htm
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives]

.
Joint statement on the occasion of the World Refugee Day
External relations and foreign affairs | 20/06/2015 18:23 | European External Action Service (EEAS)

Questions and answers on how the European Commission helps refugees
External relations and foreign affairs / Justice and citizens rights | 19/06/2015 12:00 | European Commission

EU boosts humanitarian aid to those displaced by Boko Haram violence
19/06/2015 11:36 | European Commission

OECD [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.oecd.org/newsroom/publicationsdocuments/bydate/
[We generally limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

.
Financial sector must promote inclusive growth
Finance is a key ingredient of modern economies, but too much finance may hamper economic growth and worsen income inequality, according to new research from the OECD.
17-June-2015
The OECD’s latest work on Finance and Inclusive Growth analyses 50 years of data to demonstrate the variable effects that further expansion of different types of finance can have on both economic activity and inequality.

“The global financial crisis has raised deep questions about the influence of finance on economic activity and the distribution of income,” OECD Chief Economist Catherine L. Mann said while launching the new research in London. “What our research has shown is that avoiding credit over-expansion and improving the structure of finance can lead to improvements in both economic and social well-being.”

The OECD identifies a number of risks to long-term growth posed by an over-reliance on bank lending, versus other types of market-based finance, such as bonds and equities. These include misallocation of capital, by funding investments with low profitability; magnifying the cost of implicit guarantees for too-big-to-fail banks; drawing highly talented workers away from sectors with greater productive potential; and generating boom-bust cycles.

At today’s level of financial development, further expansion of bank credit to the private sector is shown to slow growth in most OECD countries. A rise of bank credit by 10% of GDP translates into a GDP growth rate that is 0.3 percentage points less than would otherwise be the case, according to the OECD.

Greater levels of stock market financing, on the other hand, are still seen to boost growth. An increase in stock market capitalisation by 10% of GDP is, on average across OECD and G20 countries, associated with a 0.2% rise of GDP growth…

.

Rising diabetes and obesity threaten progress in tackling cardiovascular diseases
Rising levels of obesity and diabetes around the world could halt a trend of decreasing mortality rates for cardiovascular diseases, such as strokes and heart attacks, and even cause rates to start rising again, particularly among younger people, according to a new OECD report.
16-June-2015

Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) [to 20 June 2015]
http://www.oic-oci.org/oicv2/news/

.
Final Communique of The Extraordinary Meeting of The Council of Foreign Ministers on The Situation in The Republic of Yemen
…Proceeding from the strong commitment of the Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation to support the unity, sovereignty, political independence and territorial integrity of Yemen, to reject interference in its internal affairs, and to stand in solidarity with the people of Yemen and their aspirations for freedom, democracy, social justice and comprehensive development; the Council:….[25 points follow]
16/06/2015