DFID [to 7 June 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development
Edinburgh charity to help thousands in Senegal
5 June 2014 DFID and Scotland Office Press release
UK supports host communities in South Lebanon
4 June 2014 DFID and FCO Press release
ECHO [to 7 June 2014]
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/index_en.htm
We can prepare better for disasters: Commissioner Georgieva returns to the Philippines
5/06/2014 – Seven months after Typhoon Haiyan, EU Commissioner for Humanitarian Aid, International Cooperation and Crisis Response Kristalina Georgieva is again visiting the areas
ODI [to 7 June 2014]
http://www.odi.org.uk/
Booming grain production in poor countries ends fears of high and extremely volatile prices
June 2014
Grain prices are likely to settle down for the first time since the 2008 price shock, largely thanks to boosting production in developing countries, reveals a new report by the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) – the UK’s leading think tank on development issues.
Poorer countries have added 240 million tonnes of cereals since the 2008 crisis, representing three-quarters of the global increase, saving the world from feared prolonged periods of instability and huge price rises of the three main grains – maize, wheat and rice.
Publication
Shockwatch: food prices annual review
03 Jun 2014
Program: Pathways to progress in health: lessons from leading performers
:: Publication – Neglected tropical diseases: the case of Cambodia 05 Jun 2014
:: Publication – No longer neglected: tackling Sierra Leone’s neglected tropical diseases 05 Jun 2014
:: Publication – Against the odds: Mozambique’s gains in primary health care 05 Jun 2014
:: Opinion – Universal health coverage – but mind the equity gaps 04 Jun 2014
World Trade Organisation [to 7 June 2014]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/news13_e.htm
Azevêdo discusses trade issues affecting poorest countries in visit to Nepal
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, on 4-5 June 2014 during the first visit of the head of the WTO to Nepal since the country’s accession to the organization ten years ago, discussed with authorities and businesspeople trade issues affecting least-developed countries (LDCs). In his meeting with Prime Minister Sushil Koirala, the Director-General thanked Nepal for its key role in the success of the Bali Package as coordinator of the LDC Group within the WTO.
WTO issues 2014 Annual Report
The WTO’s Annual Report 2014, published on 28 May, provides a comprehensive overview of the WTO’s activities over the past year. The Report is available as an app — for downloading to your tablet — as a PDF and in printed format.
Azevêdo underlines leadership role of Bangladesh in post-Bali work
Director-General Roberto Azevêdo, in a speech to Bangladesh textile manufacturers and exporters in Dhaka on 3 June, said that “Bangladesh’s substantive input and continued active engagement can help the LDC Group realize the full potential from the Bali package and the Doha Development Agenda”. He expressed confidence that “under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina whom I just met, Bangladesh can continue to consolidate its economic and social advancement”.
IMF [to 7 June 2014]
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
Empowerment—the Amartya Sen Lecture
By Christine Lagarde, Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
London, June 6, 2014
Excerpt
Good evening. What an immense pleasure to come to this intellectual powerhouse to honor one of the greatest intellectuals of our time. Let me especially thank Professor Craig Calhoun for his kind introduction—I know that Professor Calhoun is a great leader in his field, and a great leader of the LSE.
The LSE is one of the world’s most prestigious universities. Its alumni include 34 world leaders and 16 Nobel Prize winners.
One of these Nobel Prize winners is, of course, the luminous Amartya Sen. There are few economists today who can match his reach—from the complex mathematics of social choice to the lofty speculation of moral philosophy; combining deep theoretical rigor with a heartfelt concern for the poor and the marginalized.
Amartya Sen has always understood that the concerns of economics are closely related to the concerns of justice and fairness. In that, he follows in the footsteps of the great economic thinkers of the past.
Today, especially in the wake of the global crisis, members of the profession are asking the kinds of questions that Amartya has spent his whole life pondering. His was a prophetic voice, and he can rightfully be called the conscience of economics.
Tonight, the topic I want to talk about sits at the intersection of justice and economics—the issue of empowerment. Empowerment is about economic opportunity, the ability to freely choose one’s own path in life in accordance with one’s distinctive talents and abilities. It is about cutting away obstacles to true human flourishing.
I want to address three distinct layers of empowerment:
:: First, the empowerment of the individual—and what that means for economic policies.
:: Second, what is needed to help individual empowerment—the empowerment of institutions.
:: Third, what is needed in turn to help national economies flourish—the empowerment of multilateralism….
World Bank [to 7 June 2014]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all
Strengthening Disaster Risk Management in African, Caribbean and Pacific countries
Since its inception in 2011, the African, Caribbean and Pacific-European Union Natural Disaster Risk Reduction Program (ACP-EU NDRR) has come a long way in addressing its objectives of prevention, mitigation and preparedness to natural hazards in ACP countries. Only in the last six months, the Program launched four projects worth around $4.5 million, and supported four post-disaster response activities in Burundi, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Lucia and Tonga, adding to the growing Program portfolio totaling 50 projects across Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.The ACP-EU NDRR is an initiative of the ACP Group of States, funded by the EU, and managed by the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR), a World Bank-housed partnership of 37 countries and 7 international organizations committed to helping developing countries reduce their vulnerability to natural hazards and adapt to climate change…
BMC Public Health
(Accessed 7 June 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content
Research article
Qualitative study of the feasibility of HPV vaccine delivery to young adolescent girls in Vietnam: evidence from a government-implemented demonstration program
D Scott LaMontagne, Nguyen Quy Nghi, Le Thi Nga, Amynah Janmohamed, Dang Thi Huyen, Nguyen Tran Hien, Vivien Davis Tsu
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Introduction of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in national programs has proceeded apace since 2006, mostly in high-income countries. Recently concluded pilots of HPV vaccination in low-income countries have provided important lessons learned for these settings; however, rigorous evaluations of the feasibility of these delivery strategies that effectively reach young adolescents have been few. This paper presents results from a qualitative evaluation of a demonstration program which implemented school-based and health center-based HPV vaccinations to all girls in grade 6, or 11 years of age, for two years in four districts of Vietnam.
Methods
Using semi-structured interviews of 131 health and education staff from local, district, province, and national levels and 26 focus-group discussions with local project implementers (n = 153), we conducted a qualitative two-year evaluation to measure the impact of HPV vaccinations on the health and education systems.
Results
HPV vaccine delivery at schools or health centers was made feasible by: a. close collaboration between the health and education sectors, b. detailed planning for implementation, c. clearly defined roles and responsibilities for project implementers, d. effective management and supervision of vaccinations during delivery, and e. engagement with community organizations for support. Both the health and education systems were temporarily challenged with the extra workload, but the disruptions were short-lived (a few days for each of three doses) and perceived as worth the longer-term benefit of cervical cancer prevention.
Conclusion
The learning from Vietnam has identified critical elements for successful vaccine delivery that can provide a model for other countries to consider during their planning of national rollout of HPV vaccine.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 92, Number 6, June 2014, 385-464
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/92/6/en/
Special theme: BRICS and global health
EDITORIALS
BRICS and global health
Shambhu Acharya, Sarah-Louise Barber, Daniel Lopez-Acuna, Natela Menabde, Luigi Migliorini, Joaquín Molina, Bernhard Schwartländer & Pascal Zurn
doi: 10.2471/BLT.14.140889
Commodities for better health in Africa – time to invest locally
Michel Sidibé, LI Yong & Margaret Chan
doi: 10.2471/BLT.14.140566
BRICS cooperation in strategic health projects
Jarbas Barbosa da Silva, Keshav Desiraju, Precious Matsoso, Ren Minghui & Oleg Salagay
doi: 10.2471/BLT.14.141051
Making fair choices on the path to universal health coverage
Trygve Ottersen, Ole F Norheim & on behalf of the World Health Organization Consultative Group on Equity and Universal Health Coverage
doi: 10.2471/BLT.14.139139
RESEARCH
Relative health performance in BRICS over the past 20 years: the winners and losers
Dennis Petrie & Kam Ki Tang
doi: 10.2471/BLT.13.132480
Socioeconomic inequalities and mortality trends in BRICS, 1990–2010
Oscar J Mújica, Enrique Vázquez, Elisabeth C Duarte, Juan J Cortez-Escalante, Joaquin Molina & Jarbas Barbosa da Silva
doi: 10.2471/BLT.13.127977
Impact of BRICS’ investment in vaccine development on the global vaccine market
Miloud Kaddar, Julie Milstien & Sarah Schmitt
Abstract
Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa – the countries known as BRICS – have made considerable progress in vaccine production, regulation and development over the past 20 years. In 1993, all five countries were producing vaccines but the processes used were outdated and non-standardized, there was little relevant research and there was negligible international recognition of the products. By 2014, all five countries had strong initiatives for the development of vaccine technology and had greatly improved their national regulatory capacity. South Africa was then the only BRICS country that was not completely producing vaccines. South Africa is now in the process of re-establishing its own vaccine production and passing beyond the stage of simply importing, formulating and filling vaccine bulks. Changes in the public sector’s price per dose of selected vaccines, the global market share represented by products from specific manufacturers, and the attractiveness, for multinational companies, of partnership and investment opportunities in BRICS companies have all been analysed. The results indicate that the BRICS countries have had a major impact on vaccine price and availability, with much of that impact attributable to the output of Indian vaccine manufacturers. China is expected to have a greater impact soon, given the anticipated development of Chinese vaccine manufacturers in the near future. BRICS’ accomplishments in the field of vaccine development are expected to reshape the global vaccine market and accelerate access to vaccines in the developing world. The challenge is to turn these expectations into strategic actions and practical outcomes.
The economic and social benefits of childhood vaccinations in BRICS
Andrew J Mirelman a, Sachiko Ozawa a & Simrun Grewal a
a. Department of International Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, 615 N Wolfe St, E8132, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, United States of America.
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2014;92:454-456. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.13.132597
Initial text
The international community has successfully promoted childhood vaccination as an essential public health intervention. This has been accomplished through efforts such as the World Health Organization’s (WHO) Expanded Programme on Immunization and more recently, the establishment of the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI Alliance), a global health partnership committed to ensuring access to low-cost immunization in developing countries. While such global efforts have resulted in large increases in vaccine coverage worldwide, there is still a large population that remains uncovered. Inadequate immunization coverage is apparent among middle-income countries. As middle-income countries do not receive support from the GAVI Alliance, lack of funds may account for low coverage, and vaccine delivery in these settings may suffer from inefficiencies that have been resolved in high-income countries.1
The potential benefits of expanded vaccine coverage are evident among the following five emerging economies: Brazil, the Russian Federation, India, China and South Africa – often referred to as BRICS. These countries have seen high economic growth in recent years – expanding their capacity to produce, procure and provide health care. The countries represent a range of lower-middle-income (India), upper-middle-income (Brazil, China and South Africa) and high-income (Russian Federation) countries. They include the two most populous countries in the world – China and India. Collectively, BRICS have a population of nearly 239 million children under the age of five years…
Disasters
July 2014 Volume 38, Issue 3 Pages 451–671
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/disa.2014.38.issue-2/issuetoc
Papers
Does need matter? Needs assessments and decision-making among major humanitarian health agencies
Martin Gerdin1,*, Patrice Chataigner2, Leonie Tax3, Anne Kubai4 and Johan von Schreeb5
Article first published online: 6 JUN 2014
DOI: 10.1111/disa.12065
Abstract
Disasters of physical origin, including earthquakes, floods, landslides, tidal waves, tropical storms, tsunamis, and volcanic eruptions, have affected millions of people globally over the past 100 years. Proportionately, there is far greater likelihood of being affected by such disasters in low-income countries than in high-income countries. Furthermore, low-income countries are in need of international assistance following disasters more often than high-income countries. The funding of international humanitarian assistance has increased from USD 12.9 billion in 2006 to an estimated USD 16.7 billion in 2010. The majority of this funding is channelled through humanitarian agencies and is supposed to be distributed based on the need of those affected, as assessed using needs assessments. Such needs assessments may be used to inform decisions internally, to influence others, to justify response decisions, and to obtain funding. Little is known about the quality of needs assessments in practical applications. Consequently, this paper reports on and analyses the views of operational decision-makers in major health-related humanitarian agencies on needs assessments.
Papers
The adoption of a Climate Disaster Resilience Index in Chennai, India
Jonas Joerin1,*, Rajib Shaw2, Yukiko Takeuchi3 and Ramasamy Krishnamurthy4
Article first published online: 6 JUN 2014
Abstract
Results derived from the Climate Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI)—consisting of five dimensions (economic, institutional, natural, physical, and social), 25 parameters, and 125 variables—reflect the abilities of people and institutions to respond to potential climate-related disasters in Chennai, India. The findings of this assessment, applied in the 10 administrative zones of the city, reveal that communities living in the northern and older parts of Chennai have lower overall resilience as compared to the flourishing areas (vis-à-vis economic growth and population) along the urban fringes. The higher resilience of communities along the urban fringes suggests that urbanisation may not necessarily lead to a deterioration of basic urban services, such as electricity, housing, and water. This indication is confirmed by a strong statistical correlation between physical resilience and population growth in Chennai. The identification of the resilience of different urban areas of Chennai has the potential to support future planning decisions on the city’s scheduled expansion.
Globalization and Health
[Accessed 7 June 2014]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
Review
The role of law and governance reform in the global response to non-communicable diseases
Roger S Magnusson and David Patterson
Author Affiliations
Globalization and Health 2014, 10:44 doi:10.1186/1744-8603-10-44
Published: 5 June 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Addressing non-communicable diseases (“NCDs”) and their risk-factors is one of the most powerful ways of improving longevity and healthy life expectancy for the foreseeable future – especially in low- and middle-income countries. This paper reviews the role of law and governance reform in that process. We highlight the need for a comprehensive approach that is grounded in the right to health and addresses three aspects: preventing NCDs and their risk factors, improving access to NCD treatments, and addressing the social impacts of illness. We highlight some of the major impediments to the passage and implementation of laws for the prevention and control of NCDs, and identify important practical steps that governments can take as they consider legal and governance reforms at country level. We review the emerging global architecture for NCDs, and emphasise the need for governance structures to harness the energy of civil society organisations and to create a global movement that influences the policy agenda at the country level. We also argue that the global monitoring framework would be more effective if it included key legal and policy indicators. The paper identifies priorities for technical legal assistance in implementing the WHO Global Action Plan for the Prevention and Control of NCDs 2013-2020. These include high-quality legal resources to assist countries to evaluate reform options, investment in legal capacity building, and global leadership to respond to the likely increase in requests by countries for technical legal assistance. We urge development agencies and other funders to recognise the need for development assistance in these areas. Throughout the paper, we point to global experience in dealing with HIV and draw out some relevant lessons for NCDs.
Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly
June 2014; 43 (3)
http://nvs.sagepub.com/content/current
The Impact of Capacity-Building Programs on Nonprofits – A Random Assignment Evaluation
Amy Minzner1, Jacob A. Klerman2, Carrie E. Markovitz3, Barbara Fink4
1Senior Associate, Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
2Principal Associate, Abt Associates Inc., Cambridge, MA, USA
3Senior Research Scientist, National Opinion Research Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
4Senior Research Associate, Branch Associates, Inc., Philadelphia, PA, USA
Amy Minzner, Senior Associate, Abt Associates Inc., 55 Wheeler Street, Cambridge, MA 02148,
Abstract
Nonprofit organizations (NPOs) play an important role in delivering social services to those in need. Capacity-building efforts for NPOs derive from funders’ desire to increase NPOs’ effectiveness and redress problems associated with limited administrative and organizational capacity. Through technical assistance, training, and grant funds, funders aim to enhance NPO functioning and ultimately improve client outcomes. Despite a general consensus about the importance of capacity building, little high-quality evidence exists on the impact of capacity-building investments. This article presents the findings from the first random assignment evaluation to be conducted in the field of nonprofit capacity building. The subject of the evaluation was one of country’s largest organizational capacity-building initiatives, the federal government’s Compassion Capital Fund (CCF) Demonstration Program. Findings from the evaluation provide clear evidence that capacity-building efforts increase capacity in each of five critical areas of capacity.
PLoS One
[Accessed 7 June 2014]
http://www.plosone.org/
Research Article
Direct Effect of 10-Valent Conjugate Pneumococcal Vaccination on Pneumococcal Carriage in Children Brazil
Ana Lucia Andrade mail, Yves Mauro Ternes, Maria Aparecida Vieira, Weslley Garcia Moreira, Juliana Lamaro-Cardoso, André Kipnis, Maria Regina Cardoso, Maria Cristina Brandileone,
Iaci Moura, Fabiana C. Pimenta, Maria da Gloria Carvalho, Fabricia Oliveira Saraiva, Cristiana Maria Toscano, Ruth Minamisava
Published: June 03, 2014
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0098128
Abstract
Background
10-valent conjugate pneumococcal vaccine/PCV10 was introduced in the Brazilian National Immunization Program along the year of 2010. We assessed the direct effectiveness of PCV10 vaccination in preventing nasopharyngeal/NP pneumococcal carriage in infants.
Methods
A cross-sectional population-based household survey was conducted in Goiania Brazil, from December/2010-February/2011 targeting children aged 7–11 m and 15–18 m. Participants were selected using a systematic sampling. NP swabs, demographic data, and vaccination status were collected from 1,287 children during home visits. Main outcome and exposure of interest were PCV10 vaccine-type carriage and dosing schedules (3p+0, 2p+0, and one catch-up dose), respectively. Pneumococcal carriage was defined by a positive culture and serotyping was performed by Quellung reaction. Rate ratio/RR was calculated as the ratio between the prevalence of vaccine-types carriage in children exposed to different schedules and unvaccinated for PCV10. Adjusted RR was estimated using Poisson regression. PCV10 effectiveness/VE on vaccine-type carriage was calculated as 1-RR*100.
Results
The prevalence of pneumococcal carriage was 41.0% (95%CI: 38.4–43.7). Serotypes covered by PCV10 and PCV13 were 35.2% and 53.0%, respectively. Vaccine serotypes 6B (11.6%), 23F (7.8%), 14 (6.8%), and 19F (6.6%) were the most frequently observed. After adjusted for confounders, children who had received 2p+0 or 3p+0 dosing schedule presented a significant reduction in pneumococcal vaccine-type carriage, with PCV10 VE equal to 35.9% (95%CI: 4.2–57.1; p = 0.030) and 44.0% (95%CI: 14.–63.5; p = 0.008), respectively, when compared with unvaccinated children. For children who received one catch-up dose, no significant VE was detected (p = 0.905).
Conclusion
PCV10 was associated with high protection against vaccine-type carriage with 2p+0 and 3p+0 doses for children vaccinated before the second semester of life. The continuous evaluation of carriage serotypes distribution is likely to be useful for evaluating the long-term effectiveness and impact of pneumococcal vaccination on serotypes reduction.
Revista Panamericana de Salud Pública/Pan American Journal of Public Health (RPSP/PAJPH)
April 2014 Vol. 35, No. 4
http://www.paho.org/journal/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=143&Itemid=236&lang=en
Contribution of Mexico’s Universal Immunization Program to the Fourth Millennium Development Goal [Contribución del Programa de Vacunación Universal de México al cuarto Objetivo de Desarrollo del Milenio]
Vesta Richardson,1 Edgar Sánchez-Uribe,1 Marcelino Esparza-Aguilar,1, Alejandra Esteves-Jaramillo,1 and Lorena Suárez-Idueta1
Abstract
Objective. To identify and describe 1) progress achieved thus far in meeting the commitments of the Fourth Millennium Development Goal (MDG 4) in Mexico, mainly the contribution of the Universal Immunization Program (UIP) over the last 20 years, and 2) new opportunities for further reducing mortality among children under 5 years old.
Methods. An observational, descriptive, retrospective study was carried out to examine registered causes of death in children under 5 between 1990 and 2010. Indicators were built according to the recommendations of the United Nations.
Results. In 2010, deaths among children under 5 decreased 64.3% compared to the baseline (1990) figure. Of the total deaths of the children under 5, the neonatal period was the most affected (52.8%), followed by the 1 to 11 months (30.9%), and the 12 to 59 months (16.2%) groups. A 34% overall mortality reduction was observed after the universalization of immunization against influenza, rotavirus, and pneumococcus in children under 5.
Conclusions. Despite a significant reduction in under-5 mortality in Mexico over the last 20 years, largely due to the successes of the UIP, several challenges remain, particularly in improving preventive and curative services during pre- and postnatal care.
La desigualdad en salud de grupos vulnerables de México: adultos mayores, indígenas y migrantes [Health inequality among vulnerable groups in Mexico: older adults, indigenous people, and migrants]
Clara Juárez-Ramírez, Margarita Márquez-Serrano, Nelly Salgado de Snyder, Blanca Estela elcastre-Villafuerte, María Guadalupe Ruelas-González y Hortensia Reyes-Morales
Synopsis
Health vulnerability refers to a lack of protection for specific population groups with specific health problems, as well as the disadvantages they face in solving them in comparison with other population groups. This major public health problem has multiple and diverse causes, including a shortage of trained health care personnel and the lack of family, social, economic, and institutional support in obtaining care and minimizing health risks. Health vulnerability is a dynamic condition arising from the confluence of multiple social determinants. This article attempts to describe the health situation of three vulnerable groups in Mexico—older adults, indigenous people, and migrants—and, after defining the needs of each, explore measures that could contribute to the design and implementation of public health policies better tailored to their respective needs.
Science
6 June 2014 vol 344, issue 6188, pages 1057-1196
http://www.sciencemag.org/current.dtl
Special Issue: Rethinking the Global Supply Chain
Introduction to Special Issue
Rethinking the global supply chain
Brad Wible, Jeffrey Mervis, Nicholas S. Wigginton
We are all part of a global economy, capable of producing and transporting seemingly anything, from anywhere, to anyone. Its lifeblood is an interconnected network of suppliers and producers, retailers and consumers, spanning the planet. But the public typically knows far more about Apple, Nike, and other brands than the logistics empires many tiers below, where firms such as Foxconn and Pou Chen connect vast underlying commodity and labor markets that are relatively hidden from the public eye. This sprawling web of supply chains can raise living standards, improve conditions for workers, and help alleviate poverty. But feeding its unquenchable thirst for energy, water, and other resources puts a strain on the planet. Finding ways to relieve that strain is an enormous challenge and will undoubtedly require greater traceability and transparency.
One step forward is providing better measurements and models and making efforts to standardize and coordinate their use. Researchers are intensely studying how to account for supply-chain demands on ecosystems by integrating carbon, water, energy, and other “footprints” into coordinated schemes (see Hoekstra and Wiedmann, p. 1114). They are also developing better ways to inventory material and energy inputs, from the conception of a product to its grave, via life-cycle assessment tools (see Hellweg and Milà i Canals, p. 1109).
Yet academic insights alone cannot solve these problems. The large-scale cooperation of industry is essential. Many companies and industries are seeking to improve how they collect, synthesize, standardize, and communicate supply-chain data to better inform decision-making (see O’Rourke, p. 1124). A study of the Brazilian Amazon shows how supply-chain initiatives in the beef and soy industries, interacting with economic, social, and policy drivers, can slow deforestation of one of the world’s major sources of biodiversity and carbon sequestration (see Nepstad et al., p. 1118).
Logistics and transportation are also ripe for improvement. One approach is drawing inspiration from the digital Internet to create a Physical Internet. The initiative envisions using standardized “packets” and protocols for shipping, and forging the types of industry-wide partnerships that are normally anathema to a free-market system, but perhaps necessary to reduce the congestion, pollution, and inefficiency that make the current system ultimately unsustainable (see Mervis, p. 1104). Although many companies may initially be motivated by improved efficiencies and profit margins, such improvements in supply chains hold out the hope of improving conditions for humanity (see Dooley, p. 1108).
Online: Podcast at www.sciencemag.org/special/supply
From Google Scholar+ [to 7 June 2014]
Selected content from beyond the journals and sources covered above, aggregated from a range of Google Scholar monitoring algorithms and other monitoring strategies.
The Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research
http://link.springer.com/journal/11414/41/2/page/1
The Resilience Activation Framework: a Conceptual Model of How Access to Social Resources Promotes Adaptation and Rapid Recovery in Post-disaster Settings
David M. Abramson PhD MPH, Lynn M. Grattan PhD, Brian Mayer PhD, Craig E. Colten PhD, Farah A. Arosemena MPH, Ariane Bedimo-Rung PhD MPH, Maureen Lichtveld MD
Abstract
A number of governmental agencies have called for enhancing citizens’ resilience as a means of preparing populations in advance of disasters, and as a counterbalance to social and individual vulnerabilities. This increasing scholarly, policy, and programmatic interest in promoting individual and communal resilience presents a challenge to the research and practice communities: to develop a translational framework that can accommodate multidisciplinary scientific perspectives into a single, applied model. The Resilience Activation Framework provides a basis for testing how access to social resources, such as formal and informal social support and help, promotes positive adaptation or reduced psychopathology among individuals and communities exposed to the acute collective stressors associated with disasters, whether human-made, natural, or technological in origin. Articulating the mechanisms by which access to social resources activate and sustain resilience capacities for optimal mental health outcomes post-disaster can lead to the development of effective preventive and early intervention programs.
BMC Medical Ethics
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcmedethics/content
Debate
Authorship ethics in global health research partnerships between researchers from low or middle income countries and high income countries
Elise Smith, Matthew Hunt and Zubin Master
BMC Medical Ethics 2014, 15:42 doi:10.1186/1472-6939-15-42
Published: 28 May 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Over the past two decades, the promotion of collaborative partnerships involving researchers from low and middle income countries with those from high income countries has been a major development in global health research. Ideally, these partnerships would lead to more equitable collaboration including the sharing of research responsibilities and rewards. While collaborative partnership initiatives have shown promise and attracted growing interest, there has been little scholarly debate regarding the fair distribution of authorship credit within these partnerships.
Discussion
In this paper, we identify four key authorship issues relevant to global health research and discuss their ethical and practical implications. First, we argue that authorship guidance may not adequately apply to global health research because it requires authors to write or substantially revise the manuscript. Since most journals of international reputation in global health are written in English, this would systematically and unjustly exclude non-English speaking researchers even if they have substantially contributed to the research project. Second, current guidance on authorship order does not address or mitigate unfair practices which can occur in global health research due to power differences between researchers from high and low-middle income countries. It also provides insufficient recognition of “technical tasks” such as local participant recruitment. Third, we consider the potential for real or perceived editorial bias in medical science journals in favour of prominent western researchers, and the risk of promoting misplaced credit and/or prestige authorship. Finally, we explore how diverse cultural practices and expectations regarding authorship may create conflict between researchers from low-middle and high income countries and contribute to unethical authorship practices. To effectively deal with these issues, we suggest: 1) the need for further empirical and conceptual research regarding authorship in global health research; 2) raising awareness on authorship issues in global health research; and 3) developing specific standards of practice that reflect relevant considerations of authorship in global health research.
Summary
Through review of the bioethics and global health literatures, and examination of guidance documents on ethical authorship, we identified a set of issues regarding authorship in collaborative partnerships between researchers from low-middle income countries and high income countries. We propose several recommendations to address these concerns.
Journal of International Development
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.v26.4/issuetoc
REVERSING THE TELESCOPE: EVALUATING NGO PEER REGULATION INITIATIVES
Angela M. Crack*
Article first published online: 1 JUN 2014
DOI: 10.1002/jid.3010
Abstract
This article investigates perceptions of the extent to which non-governmental organization (NGO) peer regulation initiatives have been effective in enhancing accountability in the humanitarian sector. It is based upon semi-structured interviews with individuals with responsibility for accountability policy from leading NGOs and focuses on two of the best-known initiatives: Humanitarian Accountability Partnership and Sphere. It finds that the initiatives have prompted positive changes in practice, but there are significant concerns about their deleterious impacts. Participants describe a host of challenges, including the tendency of peer regulation to become excessively bureaucratic and labour intensive. They cast some doubt on the potential of the initiatives to assist NGOs to be more accountable to affected communities.
Home Cultures
Volume 11, Number 2, July 2014, pp. 237-261(25)
Queer Domicide: LGBT Displacement and Home Loss in Natural Disaster Impact, Response, and Recovery
Gorman-Murray, Andrew; McKinnon, Scott; Dominey-Howes, Dale
Abstract:
This article examines lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans (LGBT) experiences of displacement, home loss, and rebuilding in the face of natural disasters. LGBT vulnerability and resilience are little studied in disaster research; this article begins to fill this gap, focusing on LGBT domicide—how LGBT homes are “un made” in disasters. To do this, we critically read a range of non-government, scholarly, and media commentaries on LGBT experiences of natural disasters in various settings over 2004–12, including South Asia, the USA, Haiti, and Japan. Additionally, we utilize preliminary data from pilot work on LGBT experiences of 2011 disasters in Brisbane, Australia, and Christchurch, New Zealand. we find that disaster impacts are the first stage of ongoing problems for sexual and gender minorities. Disaster impacts destroy LGBT residences and neighborhoods, but response and recovery strategies favor assistance for heterosexual nuclear families and elide the concerns and needs of LGBT survivors. Disaster impact, response, and recovery “un makes” LGBT home and belonging, or inhibits homemaking, at multiple scales, from the residence to the neighborhood. we focus on three scales or sites: first, destruction of individual residences, and problems with displacement and rebuilding; second, concerns about privacy and discrimination for individuals and families in temporary shelters; and third, loss and rebuilding of LGBT neighborhoods and community infrastructure (e.g. leisure venues and organizational facilities).
Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration
Vol. 4, No. 1
[PDF] Religious Plurality and the Politics of Representation in Refugee Camps: Accounting for the Lived Experiences of Syrian Refugees Living in Zaatari
p.37
Kat Eghdamian
Abstract
A review of existing literature in forced migration studies and of UNHCR policies on refugee camps reveals a paucity of engagement with issues of religious identity, religious plurality, and religious experience in refugee camp settings. This article asks why this is so and posits that an engagement with these issues is urgently needed. Drawing on the current humanitarian crisis in Syria, it argues for the importance of accounting for the lived experiences of Syrian refugees living in the Zaatari refugee camp in Jordan. An exploration of such lived experiences can re-veal necessary knowledge about the role of religion in forced migration studies for both academics and practitioners in the field, as well as give rise to more meaningful engagement with and effective protection and assistance policies for forced migrants.
The Guardian
Thursday, 29 May 2014
Letters
We must work to ensure that Syrians can get enough aid, wherever they are
For more than three years our organisations have worked to provide aid to Syrians in desperate need against a backdrop of failed international political leadership to end the crisis. More than 6.5 million are internally displaced and half the population (about 10 million) are in need of humanitarian assistance. Together we deliver vital assistance to millions of people whose lives have been shattered by this conflict. Syrian groups have reached many millions more. Humanitarian workers continue to deliver in extraordinary and often dangerous circumstances – this is the job, to serve those in need. It is a job that is getting more treacherous and difficult by the day.
More than 90 days ago the UN security council unanimously adopted a resolution to relieve suffering in Syria by requiring that humanitarian assistance be provided through the most direct routes possible. It is clear that the resolution has failed to achieve this objective: its demands have been ignored by the warring parties and people continue to be deliberately denied access to life-saving aid. The humanitarian situation is deteriorating, violence is escalating and diplomatic efforts to bring about a negotiated solution have failed. With stakes this high, new ideas and determined leadership are needed; the status quo is unacceptable.
The international community must work to ensure Syrians can get enough aid wherever they are, be that through sustainable cross-border or cross-line delivery. Efforts should focus on securing local ceasefires – through meaningful negotiations, not siege tactics and starvation strategies – so that aid can be delivered, economies restarted and dialogue to find a longer-term solution to the crisis renewed. It is not our job to tell politicians how to meet these goals but it is our role to highlight their failure to do so when it is so tragically and lethally costly. The world has stood aghast as Syrians clamour for an end to their suffering. History will be generous to those who answer their call and unforgiving to those who turn away.
Leigh Daynes CEO, Doctors of the World UK
Guido Dost director, Johanniter International Assistance
Jan Egeland secretary general, Norwegian Refugee Council
Rev John L McCullough president and CEO, Church World Service
Justin Forsyth chief executive, Save the Children
David Miliband president and CEO, International Rescue Committee
Manuel Patrouillard executive director, Handicap International Federation
Sven Seifert executive director of the board, Arche noVa
Henrik Stubkjaer general secretary, DanChurchAid
Liv Tørres secretary general, Norwegian People’s Aid
Marie-Pierre Caley CEO, Acted
Neal Keny-Guyer CEO, Mercy Corps
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Reuters
May 29, 2014 3:06pm EDT
U.N. council mulls authorizing cross-border Syria aid access
By Michelle Nichols
Excerpt
U.N. Security Council members are considering a draft resolution to authorize cross-border aid deliveries into Syria at four points without government consent, diplomats said on Thursday, after an earlier council demand for greater access was ignored.
The 15-member Security Council achieved rare unity in unanimously approving a resolution in February that demanded rapid, safe and unhindered aid access in Syria, where a three-year civil war has killed more than 150,000 people.
But deputy U.N. aid chief Kyung-wha Kang told the council on Thursday that the resolution had failed to make a difference. About 9.3 million people in Syria need help and 2.5 million have fled, according to the United Nations.
Council members Australia, Luxembourg and Jordan have drafted a stronger follow-up resolution that U.N. diplomats, speaking on condition of anonymity, said would authorize deliveries into Syria at specific points from Turkey, Iraq and Jordan to reach millions of Syrians in opposition-held areas…
…The draft text is under Chapter 7, diplomats said, which would make it legally binding and enforceable with military action or other coercive measures such as economic sanctions. The February resolution was binding, but not enforceable…
…In a report last week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon demanded the Security Council take urgent action to ensure humanitarian aid reaches more Syrians.
“All delivery routes must be made available to us – both cross-line and cross-border,” Kang told the council, according to a statement after the closed-door briefing on Ban’s report.
“Bureaucratic obstructions on the delivery of assistance must stop. We don’t have the time for arbitrary restrictions on how and to whom we are allowed to deliver aid,” she said.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/29/us-syria-crisis-un-aid-idUSKBN0E923N20140529
Summit: Saving Every Woman and Every Child – Within Arm’s Reach
Government of Canada
28-30 May 2014
Toronto, Canada
Overview
The Summit focused on reducing the preventable deaths of newborns, mothers and children under the age of five in developing countries. It will bring together global leaders and Canadian experts to galvanize support for the next phase of efforts and ensure that maternal, newborn and child health remains a global priority.
Canada “is a world leader in the global effort to reduce maternal and child mortality, and improve the health of mothers and children in the world’s poorest countries. As part of the G8 Muskoka Initiative, Canada is providing $2.85 billion in funding between 2010 and 2015 to improve the health and save the lives of women and children in developing countries.” Canada commuted an additional $3.5 billion to this work as part of the summit.
The Summit intended to build consensus on how to scale-up progress on maternal, newborn and child health. The critical issues include:
:: accelerating progress on maternal health
:: reducing newborn mortality
:: saving lives through immunization
:: scaling up nutrition as a foundation for healthy lives
:: building civil registration and vital statistics systems
:: building new partnerships with the private sector to leverage innovation and financing
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Speech by World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim at Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Summit
World Bank Group President Jim Yong Kim
Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Summit
Toronto, Canada
May 30, 2014
As Prepared for Delivery — Excerpt
…We stand today on a critical threshold for global health and development. A quarter century ago, more than half a million women worldwide died annually due to childbirth, and more than 12 million children perished before the age of five, mainly from preventable causes. Today, with the Millennium Development Goals — and thanks to the collective efforts of so many in this room — these numbers have been nearly cut in half.
The 2010 Muskoka G8 Declaration was a pivotal moment in securing high-level political support for maternal, newborn, and child health. Canada’s leadership and commitment was critical for all our current efforts.
And Muskoka, in turn, paved the way for the Every Woman, Every Child partnership, to scale up global advocacy and support for women’s and children’s health. Mr. Secretary-General, thank you for your leadership.
And Prime Minister Harper, I want to thank you for your stunning announcement yesterday that Canada is committing an additional $3.5 billion for maternal, newborn and child health, beyond 2015. Once again, Canada is leading the charge to ensure that we meet our commitment to improve maternal health and reduce child mortality.
Four years after Muskoka, it’s the right time to reflect on how far we’ve come. While we can point to progress, we know that it’s been uneven. Too many women and children are still dying because they lack access to quality health care – especially in the least developed countries.
Over 6 million children under age five died in 2012 – that’s nearly 18,000 every day. The maternal and child mortality rates in the least developed countries are about 30 times those in high-income countries, with half the global burden in sub –Saharan Africa.
It doesn’t have to be this way. A baby in Cameroon and a baby in Canada should have the same opportunity to be born safely, and to have her mother survive childbirth to care for her.
The future should be brighter for every woman and every child. As the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health shows, a global convergence on maternal, newborn, and child health is possible within a generation – that is, if governments and donors invest sufficiently and smartly. And these investments will not only save lives, they will drive economic growth and prosperity.
So what are the smartest investments? The first is results-oriented service delivery. Shifting our focus from inputs to paying for results has been proven to be extremely effective in getting high quality, essential health services to women and children.
Empowering frontline health workers — with the autonomy and resources to develop strategies to improve service delivery — has resulted in transformational changes in access and quality.
This results-oriented approach enables health systems to innovate, and become more efficient and accountable for delivering timely and quality services.
Coupled with independent verification, it ensures accountability and transparency in the use of donor and government resources.
The evidence of this approach speaks for itself:
:: Argentina reduced neonatal mortality by 74 percent.
:: In Zambia, the use of modern family planning increased by 109 percent in just one year.
:: And in Zimbabwe, child immunization rates nearly doubled from 33 to 62 percent in a single year.
I’m proud that the World Bank Group has been able to support mothers and children through our partnership in results–based financing. We’re supporting programs totaling 2.5 billion dollars in 32 countries.
As they view results from our successful pilots, more governments are allocating their own budget resources to sustain and scale up successful programs.
The Republic of Congo, for example, is providing $100 million dollars from its domestic budget to scale up the program nationwide — that’s 80 percent of the total cost.
We’re also excited to see our partners, such as UNICEF, GAVI and the Global Fund, leveraging this approach to provide additional in-country financial support.
Results-based financing is helping us make progress on our promises at Muskoka and the promises of Every Woman, Every Child: More money for women’s and children’s health, and more women’s and children’s health for the money.
So with 580 days to go until the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals, it’s time for all of us to double down.
With an additional 510 million dollars in grant funding linked to IDA, we estimate that by 2020, we can save the lives of an additional 61,000 mothers and 1.1 million children, of which 56,000 are newborns.
With an additional 1 billion dollars in grant funding, we can make an exponential leap and by 2020, save the lives of 183,000 mothers and 3.3 million children, including 1.7 million newborns.
This more than doubles the pace of global death reductions.
I urge every development partner and donor in this room to join with us and follow Canada’s lead to help scale up investments in maternal and child health.
A second smart investment to improve maternal and child health is to build a well-functioning civil registration and vital statistics system. Prime Minister Harper, thank you for bringing much-needed attention to this issue.
To stop mothers and young children from dying, we first need to know who is dying, from what causes, and where.
:: Vital statistics systems are also a keystone of any country’s development infrastructure. Policymakers can’t plan and allocate resources effectively unless they have accurate data on the health and welfare of their citizens.
:: Vital statistics promote accountability by providing a baseline for measuring progress, and for better targeting of health and other development programs — like education and safety nets.
:: And vital statistics provide legal rights to families, for example, in conferring property.
Only 34 developing countries have high quality, easily accessible data on something as important as the causes of death for their citizens.
Two-thirds of all deaths globally are not counted at all.
In some countries, particularly in Africa, as many as 80 percent of deaths go unreported.
Part of the problem lies in outdated, inaccurate definitions. Take the example of birth registration. The current definition of registration “at birth” is children registered by age 5. Only 10 percent of births are registered in the first year. This means that most still births and neonatal deaths go unregistered. This means that those lives are not counted.
This is unacceptable – but it’s a problem that the global community can solve.
:: We have the technology. In 2014, no country should have to rely on passive, paper-based records systems.
:: We have the human resources. Health workers are present at vital events of birth and death, and we can empower them to record these events in real time.
:: We have the know-how. If we can attend every delivery, then we can register every maternal and child outcome.
Our vision is to register every single pregnancy and every single birth by 2030.
In partnership with Canada and many others, we’ve developed a plan to improve and scale up existing registration systems. Every country should have a 21st century, active, digital, and truly “vital” system.
These smart investments in results-oriented service delivery and vital statistics systems will help countries achieve the goal of universal health coverage.
More than one billion people lack access to health care, and about 100 million people fall into poverty every year from paying out-of-pocket costs for health care. Universal health coverage is the progressive pathway that will save lives, increase economic growth, and help millions of people lift themselves out of poverty.
Universal health coverage and saving women’s and children’s lives are mutually reinforcing goals.
Universal health coverage is about ensuring that everyone – women, men, and children – can access a package of essential health services. No one should fall into poverty or be kept in poverty to pay for the health care they need. Universal health coverage is about equity, and delivering on the social contract.
A growing number of countries at all income levels are pursuing universal health coverage. They are responding to their emerging health needs and disease burdens, closing gaps in access to quality care, and protecting their poorest and most vulnerable populations. As more countries move toward universal coverage, fewer mothers die in childbirth, and more babies are born healthy.
:: Peru has nearly doubled its health coverage from 37 percent to 65 percent of the population, which has helped lead to a significant reduction in maternal and child mortality.
:: Ghana has nearly quintupled its health coverage from 6 percent to 35 percent of the population. Now, 30 percent of insured poor women deliver their babies in a health facility with a skilled birth attendant, as compared to just 10 percent for uninsured households.
The December 2015 Millennium Development Goals deadline, and the emerging post-2015 development framework, present us with some critical choices.
We can continue to invest in a myriad of health programs that are not very well-coordinated and have limited impact — or, we can begin to consolidate and leverage our resources around the most equitable, effective, and efficient initiatives, backed by evidence.
The people in this room have done some extraordinary things. As a global health and development community, we have collectively mobilized once unthinkable resources over the last decade and saved hundreds of millions of lives.
Let’s leave this summit committed to deliver essential, quality health care to every woman, every child, every family, everyone, everywhere. Thank you very much.
Interpress Service, 30 May 2014
OP-ED: Why Ending Child Marriage in Africa Can No Longer Wait
By Julitta Onabanjo, Benoit Kalasa, and Mohamed Abdel-Ahad
Dr. Julitta Onabanjo is regional director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) East and Southern Africa Region. Benoit Kalasa is regional director of UNFPA West and Central Africa, and Mohamed Abdel-Ahad is the regional director of UNFPA North Africa and Arab States
JOHANNESBURG, May 28 2014 (IPS)
Excerpt
…The African continent has tolerated child marriage for too long, based on a host of ill-conceived justifications and arguments… Child marriage should not be allowed to continue. Not one day longer…
…Globally, one in three girls from low and middle income countries is married before the age of 18, and one in nine by age 15. It is estimated that every year, over 15.1 million girls will become brides, if this trend continues.
Of the 41 countries worldwide with a child marriage prevalence rate of 30 percent or more, 30 countries are located in Africa. The practice is most severe in West Africa, where two women out of five are married before age 18; and one woman out of six is married by the time she turns 15.
Several social, cultural, religious and traditional beliefs and norms are known to fuel the continuation of child marriage in Africa.
In addition, the economic dimension is a driving force of the practice. To many families living in poverty, child marriage is a source of income and therefore an economic survival strategy.
The impact of child marriage
Regardless of the contributing factors and justifications cited for the practice, child marriage has a severe and harmful impact on our girls, and on society at large. It compromises the girl child’s health, education and opportunities to realise her potential.
Many ‘child wives’ are exposed to repeated pregnancies and childbirth before they are physically and psychologically ready.
In Sudan, Awatif, now 24, was married off at age 14 while still in school. Against her will, she dropped out of school in the fifth grade and immediately became pregnant. “I went through days of obstructed labour at home; it was painful and I thought I would die. My family took me to the hospital for assistance. I survived but my son didn’t and I contracted obstetric fistula,” she says. As a consequence, her husband abandoned and divorced her.
United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) executive director Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin says that “no society can afford the lost opportunity, waste of talent or personal exploitation that child marriage causes.”
Child marriage is a human rights and public health issue, which cannot be left unchallenged. First and foremost, it is a violation of human rights instruments, such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the African Charter on the Rights and Welfare of the Child.
It is therefore an obligation of policy makers on the continent to protect the rights of the girl child that their governments have committed themselves to uphold. This includes putting an end to child marriage.
If the practice of child marriage is to be halted, action is needed at all levels to change harmful social norms and to empower girls. Specifically, governments, civil society, community leaders and families that are serious about ending child marriage should consider promulgating, enforcing and building community support for laws on the minimum age of marriage.
Ending child marriage would not only help protect girls’ rights but would go a long way towards reducing the prevalence of adolescent pregnancy. Zero tolerance of child marriage should be our goal. Enacting laws that ban child marriage is a good first step – but unless laws are enforced and communities support these laws, there will be little impact.
Great efforts yielding promising results are being undertaken across the continent to challenge the status quo of this harmful practice. We have witnessed good practices such as the Schools of Husbands in Niger and the Adolescent Girls Initiatives in many African countries.
In Mozambique, the initiative known as “Girls’ Forum” has provided a platform for girls to improve their decision-making powers; to increase their sense of empowerment; and to build their understanding regarding questions of marriage and sexual and reproductive health.
Education is not only the key to unlocking girls’ potential; but it also contributes to girls delaying marriage across the continent. Studies have established that girls with low levels of education are more likely to be married early, while those with secondary education are up to six times less likely to marry as children.
Compulsory education for all, especially girls, is therefore a key intervention for policy makers to put into practice.
The African Union and the End Child Marriage campaign
The continent has witnessed renewed political commitment to addressing the problem of child marriage by African Union Commission (AUC) Chairperson Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. “We must do away with child marriage,” she says. “Girls who end up as brides at a tender age are coerced into having children while they are children themselves.” This commitment is being taken into practice through the launch of a new campaign to end child marriage in Africa.
The overall aims of the campaign are to:
:: end child marriage by supporting policy and action in the protection and promotion of human rights,
:: mobilise continental awareness of child marriage,
:: remove barriers to and bottlenecks in law enforcement,
:: determine the socio-economic impact of child marriage, and
:: increase the capacity of non-state actors to undertake evidence-based policy dialogue and advocacy.
Joining forces to commit to girls’ achieving their potential
UNFPA believes the AU campaign to end child marriage represents a turning point in the fight to end child marriage in Africa. It is time that we no longer tolerate children becoming brides. The time has come to commit to ensuring our girls are able to achieve their full potential.
The African continent has tolerated child marriage for too long, based on a host of ill-conceived justifications and arguments. But our young girls, who have borne the brunt of this detrimental practice to date, cannot wait to see it banished forever. Child marriage should not be allowed to continue. Not one day longer.
WHO: Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly [WHA]
[Editor’s Note: The Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly concluded on Saturday, 31 May. Key interviews, video, the WHA Journal and all documentation available here: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/events/2014/wha67/en/.
News release: World Health Assembly closes
Excerpt
24 May 2014 | GENEVA – The Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly closed today, after adopting more than 20 resolutions on public health issues of global importance.
“This has been an intense Health Assembly, with a record-breaking number of agenda items, documents and resolutions, and nearly 3,500 registered delegates,” said Dr Margaret Chan, WHO’s Director-General. “This is a reflection of the growing number of complexity of health issues, and your deep interest in addressing them.”
A number of the Health Assembly resolutions were approved today on the following issues.
:: Antimicrobial drug resistance
The delegates recognized their growing concern of antimicrobial resistance and urged governments to strengthen national action and international collaboration. This requires sharing information on the extent of resistance and the use of antibiotics in humans and animals. It also involves improving awareness among health providers and the public of the threat posed by resistance, the need for responsible use of antibiotics, and the importance of good hand hygiene and other measures to prevent infections.
The resolution urges Member States to strengthen drug management systems, to support research to extend the lifespan of existing drugs, and to encourage the development of new diagnostics and treatment options.
As requested in the resolution, WHO will develop a draft global action plan to combat antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance for presentation to the World Health Assembly for approval next year.
:: Implementation of the International Health Regulations (2005)
Yellow fever is a disease specified in the International Health Regulations (2005) for which countries may require proof of vaccination from travellers as a condition of entry under certain circumstances, and may take certain measures if an arriving traveller does not have this certificate in his possession.
The Health Assembly adopted revised provisions on yellow fever vaccination or revaccination under the International Health Regulations (2005). These include extending the validity of a certificate of vaccination against yellow fever from 10 years to the extent of the life of the vaccinated person. The revised provisions are based on the recommendations of the Strategic Advisory Group of Experts (SAGE) on immunization following its scientific review and analysis of evidence.
Member States reaffirmed their strong and continuous commitment to the implementation of International Health Regulations (2005).
:: Public health impacts of exposure to mercury and mercury compounds: the role of WHO and ministries of public health in the implementation of the Minamata Convention
The World Health Assembly requested the WHO Secretariat provide expert advice to help health ministries implement the Minamata Convention on Mercury. Most mercury is released as a result of human activity, such as burning coal and waste and mining for mercury, gold and other metals. WHO considers mercury one of the top ten chemicals or groups of chemicals of major public health concern.
The 2013 Minamata Convention aims to “protect human health and the environment from anthropogenic emissions and releases of mercury and mercury compounds”. The legally binding convention will enter into force when 50 countries have ratified it. It encourages countries to identify and better protect people who are at particular risk from mercury and highlights the need to provide effective health services for everyone who has been affected by exposed to mercury.
:: Addressing the global challenge of violence, in particular against women and girls
Across the world, each year, nearly 1.4 million people lose their lives to violence. Women and girls experience specific forms of violence that are often hidden. Globally, 1 in 3 women experience physical and/or sexual violence at least once in her life. For every person who dies as a result of violence, many more are injured and suffer from a range of adverse physical and mental health outcomes.
Member States will work to strengthen the role of the health system in addressing violence. WHO will develop a global plan of action to strengthen the role of national health systems within a multi-sectoral response to address interpersonal violence, in particular against women and girls, and against children.
:: Follow up of the Recife Political Declaration on Human Resources for Health: renewed commitments towards universal health coverage
The Recife Political Declaration was formulated and adopted by participants of the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, in November 2013. Rooted in the right to health approach, the Recife Declaration recognizes the centrality of human resources for health in the drive towards universal health coverage. It commits governments to creating the conditions for the inclusive development of a shared vision with other stakeholders and reaffirms the role of the WHO Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel as a guide for action to strengthen the health workforce and health systems.
:: Follow-up of the report of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination
The Heath Assembly approved a resolution that significantly advances the quest for innovative, sustainable solutions for financing and coordinating health research and development (R&D) for diseases that disproportionately affect developing countries. The decision provides a firm go-ahead on the implementation of innovative health R&D demonstration projects.
By virtue of this decision, WHO will take the first steps to establish at the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) a pooled fund for voluntary contributions towards R&D for diseases of the poor. WHO Member States have emphasised the importance of inclusive coordination of these new developments.
:: Access to essential medicines
WHO’s strategy to help countries improve access to essential medicines was approved. Key principles include selecting a limited range of medicines on the basis of the best evidence available, efficient procurement, affordable prices, effective distribution systems, and rational use. The WHO Essential medicines list was recognized as a valuable tool that enables countries to identify a core set of medicines which need to be available to provide quality medical care.
:: Regulatory system strengthening
Effective medicines regulation ensures that medicines and medical products are of the required quality, safety and efficacy; medicines are appropriately manufactured, stored, distributed and dispensed; illegal manufacturing and trade is controlled and prevented; health professionals and patients have the necessary information to enable them to use medicines rationally; promotion and advertising is regulated and fair; and access to medicines is not hindered by unjustified regulatory work.
In order to improve the regulation of medical products globally and ensure that medical products are of assured quality, more emphasis needs to be placed on regulatory strengthening, and promoting collaboration in regulatory systems.
The WHA mandated WHO, in cooperation with national regulators, to continue its important role globally in medicines regulation through establishing necessary norms and standards, supporting regulatory capacity-building and strengthening safety monitoring programmes. Through its Prequalification programme, WHO is requested to continue to ensures the quality, safety and efficacy of selected priority essential medicines, diagnostics and vaccines. A new development endorsed by Member States is the future progressive transition of prequalification to networks of strengthened regulatory authorities.
:: Health intervention and technology assessment in support of universal health coverage
Many countries currently lack the capacity to assess the merits of health technology. Health technology assessment (HTA) involves systematically evaluating the properties, effects, and/or impacts of different health technologies. Its main purpose is to inform technology-related policy-making in health care, and thus improve the uptake of cost-effective new technologies and prevent the uptake of technologies that are of doubtful value for the health system. Wasteful spending on medicines and other technologies has been identified as a major cause of inefficiencies in health service delivery.
Following the adoption of a resolution on HTA at the Health Assembly, WHO will support capacity-building for health technology assessment in countries. It will provide tools and guidance to prioritize health technologies and intensify networking and information exchange among countries to support priority setting.
:: Health in the post-2015 development agenda
Member States approved a resolution on health in the post-2015 development agenda, stressing the need for ongoing engagement in the process of setting the agenda. This includes a need to complete the unfinished work of the health Millennium Development Goals, newborn health, as well as an increased focus on noncommunicable diseases, mental health and neglected tropical diseases. The resolution also stresses the importance of universal health coverage and the need to strengthen health systems.
Accountability through regular assessment of progress by strengthening civil registration, vital statistics and health information systems are crucial. Member States emphasized the importance of having health at the core of the post-2015 development agenda.
:: Newborn health: draft action plan
The first-ever global plan to end preventable newborn deaths and stillbirths by 2035 calls for all countries to aim for fewer than 10 newborn deaths per 1000 live births and less than 10 stillbirths per 1000 total births by 2035.
Every year almost 3 million babies die in the first month of life and 2.6 million babies are stillborn (die in the last 3 months of pregnancy or during childbirth). Most of these deaths could be prevented by cost-effective interventions.
The Plan’s goals will require every country to invest in high-quality care before, during and after childbirth for every pregnant woman and newborn and highlights the urgent need to record all births and deaths.
Amref Health Africa [to 31 May 2014]
Amref Health Africa @AMREFCanada
This frontline health worker is saving the lives of moms & babies in Uganda http://bit.ly/POrGqg #SavingLives pic.twitter.com/sXIWWaYfPF
Amref Health Africa @AMREFUSA • May 28
Through Amref Health Africa, in 2013: 75,408 women delivered babies in the presence of a skilled birth attendant #HealthWorkersCount
