UNOCHA [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.unocha.org/

Press Releases
04 Apr 2014
Lebanon: UN Humanitarian Chief calls for greater support for affected Lebanese communities and Syrian refugees in Lebanon
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Lebanon, Syrian Arab Republic (Beirut/New York, 4 April 2014) UN Humanitarian Chief Valerie Amos ended her visit to Lebanon today calling for greater support for the people of Lebanon who are experiencing increasing challenges as a result of the Syria crisis, as well as continuing support to Syrian refugees. As the crisis enters its fourth year, Lebanon is now home to a million registered Syrian refugees, about half of…

02 Apr 2014
Myanmar: Hundreds of thousands of people severely affected by disruption of humanitarian assistance in Rakhine State, Myanmar [EN/MY]
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Myanmar (Yangon, 2 April 2014): Humanitarian operations in Rakhine State have been interrupted after attacks on UN and NGO premises in Sittwe one week ago led to the relocation of more than 170 staff and severe damage to more than a dozen humanitarian premises. Life-saving assistance to displaced people, isolated villages, and Rakhine communities have been seriously disrupted. The provision of water, health services, food…

01 Apr 2014
World: OCHA Report: Humanitarian Aid System in Need for Change
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: World Almaty, 2 April – Humanitarian aid system can no longer focus on emergency response only, it must shift to anticipating risks, concludes a new report launched by the United Nations Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA) today in Almaty. The report “Saving lives today and tomorrow: Managing the Risk of Humanitarian Crises” warns that increasingly more people are being affected by more and different…

01 Apr 2014
Sudan: Darfur: New Humanitarian Needs and Aid Delivery Fact Sheet
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Sudan A new wave of violence across Darfur has generated enormous additional humanitarian needs since early 2014. Hostilities and violence involving Government forces supported by the Rapid Support Force, a Government-affiliated militia, and armed movements in Darfur have expanded and the conflict has spread across much of North and South Darfur, with some spillover effects to Central, West and East Darfur states….

01 Apr 2014
South Sudan: Funding shortfall jeopardizes aid operation to help 3.2 million people in South Sudan
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: South Sudan Juba, 1 April 2014: Aid agencies in South Sudan warn of even more dire humanitarian consequences if urgently needed funds are not raised in the coming weeks. The South Sudan Crisis Response Plan, which covers January to June 2014, is only 30 per cent funded. Of the US$887 million shortfall in funding, $232 million is the bare minimum required for the next three months to avoid the humanitarian situation…

WHO & Regionals [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.who.int/en/
GPEI Update: Polio this week – As of 2 April 2014
Global Polio Eradication Initiative
Full report: http://www.polioeradication.org/Dataandmonitoring/Poliothisweek.aspx
[Editor’s extract and bolded text]
:: The Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization (SAGE) has met in Geneva on 1-3 April to discuss measures to prevent further international spread of polio, progress in eliminating wild and vaccine derived poliovirus and the status of the preparation for global OPV2 withdrawal. Final recommendations will be published in the Weekly Epidemiological Record.
:: The outbreak in North Waziristan, Pakistan, continues, with three new cases of wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) and two new circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases reported this week. In the Middle East, Syria reported two new WPV1 cases, one each from Aleppo and Hama provinces.

UNDP United Nations Development Program [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.us.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

04 Apr 2014
Mine Action Day 2014 – A Roundup of UNDP’s Demining Efforts
On Mine Action Day on 4 April, the UN will help raise awareness of the devastating toll that explosive remnants of war continue to exact upon communities, sometimes decades after conflicts come to an end.

04 Apr 2014
Building the link to healthcare, Naya Jeevan joins the Business Call to Action
Innovative social enterprise Naya Jeevan has announced it will join the Business Call to Action (BCtA) with a commitment to ensure that more than 39,000 low-income workers in Pakistan have access to affordable, quality healthcare by 2015.

04 Apr 2014
Women Working for a Mine-free Mozambique

03 Apr 2014
UNDP-OECD report finds strong commitment to improve development cooperation
Efforts to open up an opportunity for developing countries to have a bigger voice in development are starting to make a tangible difference to how development co-operation is carried out, a new UNDP-OECD report finds.

03 Apr 2014
As Syrian Refugees in Lebanon Reach the One Million Mark, UNDP and the UK Department for International Development Boost Cooperation in Support of Host Communities
Today according to UNHCR estimates the number of refugees who have fled Syria and registered in Lebanon has surpassed the milestone of one million, leaving the country to Syria’s west with the highest population of refugees-per-capita worldwide.

02 Apr 2014
“Nashville” star Connie Britton appointed as UNDP’s newest Goodwill Ambassador
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) today appointed American actress Connie Britton as its newest Goodwill Ambassador, with a special focus on poverty eradication and women’s empowerment.

01 Apr 2014
Women pivotal to bringing lasting peace to countries in conflict
Women activists from 11 countries across the Arab region convened today to identify means to support women’s participation in peace making and ensure women’s protection from all forms of violence during times of conflict and emergency.

01 Apr 2014
Helen Clark: Lecture at University of Auckland Law School on the Role of the Rule of Law and Access to Justice in Development
Auckland, New Zealand

01 Apr 2014
The world celebrates first ever International Day of Sport for Development and Peace
The UN General Assembly has declared 6 April as the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace. Created at the initiative of the International Olympic Committee and officially announced at the United Nations headquarters last August, the International Day of Sport for Development and Peace promotes the role of sport as a tool at the service of society and a universal tool for peace.

31 Mar 2014
UNDP announces strategy to empower youth for a sustainable future
Calling young people “more connected, better informed and with greater creativity than any previous generation”, UNDP Assistant Administrator Sima Bahous today kicked off a three-day event focusing on UNDP’s work on youth and development with the presentation of UNDP’s first youth strategy entitled “Empowered Youth, Sustainable Future”.

UN Women [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/

Lakshmi Puri speech on mine action
Posted on April 4, 2014
On the occasion of the International Day of Mine Awareness and Assistance in Mine Action, remarks by UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri at a panel discussion on “Empowering Women in Mine Action”, organized by the Permanent Mission of Japan and the United Nations Mine Action Service, New York, 4 April 2014. More

Equality for Women Is Progress for All
Posted on April 2, 2014
In the words of Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women More

New partnership between the Secretariat of the ACP Group of States and UN Women to enhance gender equality and women’s empowerment
Posted on April 1, 2014
A new partnership between the Secretariat of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) and UN Women was signed on 1 April by ACP Secretary-General Alhaji Muhammad Mumuni and UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka. More

Speech by Executive Director at a Dialogue on “Increasing Inclusion of Women and Girls in the Social Protection System”
Posted on April 1, 2014
Speech by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, at a Dialogue on “Increasing Inclusion of Women and Girls in the Social Protection System: A Development Priority”, Hanoi, 30 March 2014. More

Saturday night in Viet Nam, migrant women market workers take the floor
Posted on April 1, 2014
During a three-day visit to Viet Nam, UN Women’s Executive Director visited the Long Bien night market to spotlight the daily challenges faced by migrant women workers. More

UNFPA United Nations Population Fund [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/
04 April 2014 – Statement
Speech: Human Progress and Sustainability for All
UNFPA Executive Director Babatunde Osotimehin address the High Level Debate on ICPD Beyond 2014. In his speech he stresses that this is a crucial time in the evolution of the global development agenda. The MDGs are coming to an end; new sustainable development goals are being defined, and amidst these two processes is an ongoing agenda that is vital to both: the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) Programme of Action.

04 April 2014 – Dispatch
Women and Girls Must Top the Development Agenda
UNITED NATIONS, New York – Heads of state, dignitaries and other leaders participated today in a high-level debate at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, addressing the central role of human rights, dignity, equality and health to sustainable development. Moderated by Rajesh Mirchandani, the anchor of BBC World News, the debate focused on the progress made and challenges remaining 20 years after the historic adoption of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo, Egypt. The ICPD brought the world to a consensus recognizing women and girls as individuals entitled to the same opportunities, choices and rights as men.

02 April 2014 – Feature Story
Indigenous Girls in Guatemala Break the Cycle of Poverty
XESACMALJA, Guatemala – The tiny town of Xesacmalja, four hours west of the capital, Guatemala City, is nestled between pine forests and surrounded by streams. The streets are usually quiet in this poor Mayan village, but last November they were bustling with activity as elders and dignitaries arrived to attend an event held by the community’s girls. The celebration, hosted at a local civic centre, showcased all that the girls had achieved through the Abriendo Oportunidades – ‘Opening Opportunities’ – Programme.

01 April 2014 – Media Advisory
How Critical are Human Rights, Equality to Development?
UNITED NATIONS, New York—Inaugurating the Commission on Population and Development, global opinion leaders and stakeholders will hold an interactive high-level debate about the centrality of human rights and dignity, good health, and freedom of mobility to a sustainable world.

USAID [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.usaid.gov/

Press Releases
USAID names GRAMMY-WINNING Carlos Vives as Its First INCLUSION AMBASSADOR
April 4, 2014
Partnership to promote racial & ethnic diversity in Colombia
MIAMI, FL – The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) today named international Latin pop singer/song writer Carlos Vives as the Agency’s first Inclusion Ambassador. In this role, Vives will promote social and economic inclusion of Afro-Colombian and indigenous communities in Colombia, which is essential to overcome decades of conflict and move towards peace.

Statement in reference to the Associated Press article on “Cuban Twitter” on April 3, 2014
April 3, 2014
It is longstanding U.S. policy to help Cubans increase their ability to communicate with each other and with the outside world. Working with resources provided by Congress for exactly this purpose, USAID is proud of its work in Cuba to provide basic humanitarian assistance, promote human rights and universal freedoms, and to help information flow more freely to the Cuban people.

U.S. Agency for International Development and 32 Partner Organizations Launch U.S. Global Development Lab to Help End Extreme Poverty by 2030
April 3, 2014
On April 3, U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Rajiv Shah unveiled the U.S. Global Development Lab. The Lab will foster science-and technology-based solutions to help end extreme poverty by 2030.

USAID Applauds Confirmation of Deborah L. Birx as the New Global AIDS Coordinator for PEPFAR
April 3, 2014
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) congratulates Deborah L. Birx on her confirmation as the new Global AIDS Coordinator for the Office of the Global AIDS Coordinator (OGAC) in the Department of State. OGAC is responsible for implementing the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), of which USAID is a key implementing agency.

USAID Administrator Shah to moderate panel on disaster relief with ASEAN defense ministers in Hawaii
April 1, 2014
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel hosts ministerial with focus on enhancing the effectiveness of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts in Asia
On April 2, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah, at the request of Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, will help to kick-off the first-ever U.S.-hosted meeting of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) defense ministers in Honolulu, Hawaii. Ten defense ministers from the ASEAN nations will be in attendance. Officials from the Commerce Department’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) will also participate.

DFID [to 5 April 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

3 April 2014 DFID Press release
Greening: United we have the greatest impact on world poverty

3 April 2014 DFID Press release
UK warns more must be done to alleviate humanitarian crisis in CAR

31 March 2014 DFID Press release
UK to provide seeds and fishing kits to avoid starvation in South Sudan

31 March 2014 DFID and FCO Press release
UK makes £3m contribution to Syrian Recovery Fund

IMF [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.imf.org/external/index.htm
Speech: The Road to Sustainable Global Growth—the Policy Agenda
By Christine Lagarde
Managing Director, International Monetary Fund
School of Advanced International Studies
Washington, DC, April 2, 2014

World Bank [to 5 April 2014]
http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/all

April 4, 2014
Savings of $44 billion: Impacts of the global target of a reduction of remittances cost through effective interventions at the global, country and municipality levels
Challenge -Forcing migrant workers to pay as much as $50 to send $200 is wrong, especially when they are sending salaries they have earned in the hope of supporting their families back home. $200 often is a very significant sum for migrants’ family income. There was little price transparency and no global effort to address this problem until the World Bank helped form a coalition to monitor the process and create a “one-stop shop” information system to help remittance-senders compare services and costs. The high cost of transferring remittances internationally has typically been caused by a combination of obstacles in each local market, both in sending and receiving countries, including a lack of transparency and consumer protection, legal and regulatory obstacles, a lack of payment system infrastructures and access to payment systems, a weak market environment without a proper competition, and weak risk-management and governance practices. These problems were discussed as the World Bank…

April 4, 2014
Innovations to Finance a Sustainable Urban Future
As cities grow, the effect of urban sprawl on pollution, poverty, and shared prosperity is an increasing concern, underscoring the need for long-term planning to ensure urban areas are low-carbon and livable, inclusive, competitive, and resilient in the face of climate change, disasters, and other shocks. How to finance these vast needs in a rapidly urbanizing world will be discussed this week at the World Urban Forum in Medellin, Colombia. If managed well, urbanization has tremendous potential to accelerate poverty reduction and advance many development goals. Financing that growth is a challenge. Over $1 trillion a year is necessary to bridge the infrastructure gap between what is needed and what is being built in developing countries, and that figure is higher for low-carbon infrastructure. Official development assistance (ODA) stands at about $125 billion today, and financing options through municipal governments’ revenues, debt, or national government transfers are not enough…

April 3, 2014
New Funding to Help Poor Countries Manage Debt
BRUSSELS, April 3, 2014 – A successful multi-donor trust fund launched a new phase today with commitments from donors for close to US$20 million. The Debt Management Facility II (DMF II) program builds on previous success in debt-management advisory work and marks the beginning of a new partnership between the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The partnership will be dedicated to strengthening the capacity of developing countries to manage their debt in a manner that is sustainable and encourages economic development. The facility expects to raise $40 million, and the new pot of money will extend the work of the first DMF, a US$22 million trust fund that the World Bank launched in November 2008.The initiative was born out of a recognition that low-income countries graduating from debt-relief programs, such as the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC), might continue to struggle. There was a worry that they might fall into a vicious cycle of debt and assistance..

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 5 April 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content
Research article
Two year mortality and associated factors in a cohort of children from rural Uganda
Patrick Nabongo, Suzanne Verver, Elizabeth Nangobi, Ronald Mutunzi, Anne Wajja, Harriet Mayanja-Kizza, Dan Kadobera, Edward Galiwango, Robert Colebunders and Philippa Musoke
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:314 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-314
Published: 5 April 2014
Abstract (provisional)
Background
As part of site development for clinical trials in novel TB vaccines, a cohort of infants was enrolled in eastern Uganda to estimate the incidence of tuberculosis. The study introduced several mortality reduction strategies, and evaluated the mortality among study participants at two years. The specific of objective of this sub-study was to estimate 2 year mortality and associated factors in this community-based cohort.
Methods
A community based cohort of 2500 infants was enrolled from birth up to 8 weeks of age and followed for 1-2 years. During follow up, several mortality reduction activities were implemented to enhance cohort survival and retention. The verbal autopsy process was used to assign causes of death.
Results
A total of 152 children died over a median follow up period of 2.0 years. The overall crude mortality rate was 60.8/1000 or 32.9/1000 person years with 40 deaths per 1000 for children who died in their first year of life. Anaemia, malaria, diarrhoeal diseases and pneumonia were the top causes of death. There was no death directly attributed to tuberculosis. Significant factors associated with mortality were young age of a mother and child’s birth place not being a health facility.
Conclusion
The overall two year mortality in the study cohort was unacceptably high and tuberculosis disease was not identified as a cause of death. Interventions to reduce mortality of children enrolled in the cohort study did not have a significant impact. Clinical trials involving infants and young children in this setting will have to strengthen local maternal and child health services to reduce infant and child mortality.

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 5 April 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Factors associated with place of delivery in rural Nepal
Sudesh Raj Sharma, Amod Kumar Poudyal, Bharat Mani Devkota, Sarswoti Singh BMC Public Health 2014, 14:306 (3 April 2014)
Abstract | Provisional PDF
Background
Promotion of institutional delivery is a key intervention in reducing maternal mortality and improving maternal and neonatal health. This study explored factors associated with institutional delivery in rural Nepal.
Method
A household survey was conducted in three rural Village Development Committees of Kavrepalanchowk district to identify the individual, household and health service factors associated with the institutional delivery. All 240 eligible mothers from the study area were interviewed during the study period. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to establish the factor associated with the institutional delivery, the outcome variable.
Results
Antenatal care practice, adverse pregnancy outcome, ethnicity and time taken to reach the health institution were significantly associated with the institutional delivery. Utilization of an antenatal care service had the greatest effect on institutional delivery.
Conclusion
Universal antenatal care service utilization may be a critical intervention for increasing institutional delivery. There is a need to raise awareness in hard-to-reach areas where adverse pregnancy outcomes is not considered a serious event.

British Medical Journal
05 April 2014 (Vol 348, Issue 7952)
http://www.bmj.com/content/348/7952
Editorial
Introducing a new group B meningococcus vaccine
BMJ 2014; 348 doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmj.g2415 (Published 2 April 2014)
Cite this as: BMJ 2014;348:g2415
Many forces affect the final decision
The introduction of a new vaccine is highly complex, particularly a new category of vaccine with no biological precedent. The new group B meningococcus vaccine Bexsero (4CMenB),1 developed using a genomic based reverse vaccinology approach,2 is a case in point. When a vaccine is targeted against a relatively common disease, the company usually sponsors a large randomised controlled trial to show that the vaccine works. Group B meningococcal infection is sufficiently rare, however, that such a trial is not feasible.
In most countries, advice on vaccines and immunisation programmes is given to governments by independent committees. This advice includes data on vaccine effectiveness, the likelihood that the vaccine will confer herd immunity (protect some unimmunised people by reducing carriage or spread of disease), safety, and cost effectiveness. In the United Kingdom, the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has such a role. In the UK,3 and in Australia, Canada, the United States, and many European countries, the government is not permitted in law to fund an immunisation programme unless the immunisation advisory committee says it is cost effective.
Different countries allow different assumptions in the modelling, so they do not always reach the same decision…

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 92, Number 4, April 2014, 229-308
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/92/4/en/
Editorial
Human rabies in India: a problem needing more attention
Alakes Kumar Kole a, Rammohan Roy a & Dalia Chanda Kole b
a. Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases Hospital 57, Beliaghata Main Road, Kolkata-700010, West Bengal, India.
b. BP Poddar Hospital & Medical Research Institute, Kolkata, India.
Correspondence to Alakes Kumar Kole
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2014;92:230. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.136044
Initial text
Rabies is fully preventable. About 563 million United States dollars are spent annually in the world on measures to prevent rabies,1 yet in countries of south-eastern Asia the disease is still an important public health problem. An estimated 45% of all deaths from rabies occur in that part of the world.2 The situation is especially pronounced in India, which reports about 18 000 to 20 000 cases of rabies a year and about 36% of the world’s deaths from the disease.3 Rabies incidence in India has been constant for a decade, without any obvious declining trend, and reported incidence is probably an underestimation of true incidence because in India rabies is still not a notifiable disease.4 This situation is rooted in a general lack of awareness of preventive measures, which translates into insufficient dog vaccination, an uncontrolled canine population, poor knowledge of proper post-exposure prophylaxis on the part of many medical professionals, and an irregular supply of anti-rabies vaccine and immunoglobulin, particularly in primary-health-care facilities

Bulletin of the World Health Organization
Volume 92, Number 4, April 2014, 229-308
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/92/4/en/

Editorial
The lack of progress in reducing anaemia among women: the inconvenient truth
Francesco Branca a, Lina Mahy a & Thahira Shireen Mustafa a
a. United Nations System Standing Committee on Nutrition, c/o World Health Organization, avenue Appia 20, 1211 Geneva 27, Switzerland.
Correspondence to Francesco Branca
Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2014;92:231. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.14.137810
Initial text
Most of the 1.62 billion people currently affected by anaemia are women or young children. Since 1995, the global prevalences of anaemia among non-pregnant women, pregnant women and children aged less than 5 years have fallen only slightly: from 33 to 29%, 43 to 38% and 47 to 43%, respectively.1 Although the corresponding prevalences of severe anaemia have shown more substantial declines over the same period –from 1.8 to 1.1%, 2.0 to 0.9% and 3.7 to 1.5%, respectively – the global prevalence of anaemia only fell by 0.2 to 0.3 percentage points per year between 1993 and 2013.2 Anaemia in women – especially among non-pregnant women in central, northern and western Africa, central Asia and the Middle East and among pregnant women in southern Africa and southern Asia – is a particularly persistent problem…

Forum for Development Studies
Volume 41, Issue 1, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfds20/current
Rebels and Aid in the Context of Peacebuilding and Humanitarian Disaster: A Comparison of the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Tamil Tigers (LTTE)
DOI: 10.1080/08039410.2013.832704
Gyda Marås Sindrea*
pages 1-21
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2013.832704#.U0Gbh1cWNdc
Abstract
Development aid and humanitarian assistance are increasingly subject to conditionalities aimed to secure progress in peace talks and curb rebel predatory behaviour. Comparing how Free Aceh Movement (GAM) in Aceh and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) in Sri Lanka strategised on the basis of aid before and after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami disaster, this article shows that rebel leaderships use peace negotiations to push for control over the administration of aid as a means to expand their governance capacities as de facto state actors. I argue that while peace conditionalities may encourage peace talks and ceasefires that provide space for humanitarian assistance to reach those in need, it is a poor tool to curb rebel predatory behaviour and encourage peace settlements. Yet, as is illustrated by the GAM case, conditionalities may have positive effects on long-term peace in the immediate post-settlement phase. The findings suggest that at this stage of the peacebuilding process, inclusion of rebels into the formal aid bureaucracy may work to encourage the transformation of militarist structures to secure political stability.

Forum for Development Studies
Volume 41, Issue 1, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/sfds20/current

Food Security in the Riverine Rural Communities of the Lower Mekong Basin, Cambodia
Serey Sokab*, Xiaojiang Yua & Koon-Kwai Wonga
pages 53-74
DOI: 10.1080/08039410.2013.858077
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/08039410.2013.858077#.U0GcT1cWNdc
Abstract
Food security is a major issue in the struggle to attain sustainable development and poverty reduction in the Lower Mekong Basin (LMB). In this article, we aim to determine food security situation in the rural riverine communities of the LMB, Cambodia. The degree and frequency of – and local responses to – food shortages and past, current and future trends in employment opportunities are analysed. In our detailed study of the Upper, Middle and Lower stretches along the LMB, we found that: (1) food insecurity exists in all three areas and has been mostly concentrated among the poor over the last decade; (2) there is a close association between food shortages and poverty, but no relationship between food shortages and its consequences; (3) local responses to food insecurity have proven ineffective leaving the villagers to deal with it by simply reducing their food consumption; and, (4) the existing local employment could not ensure food security and sustainable livelihoods of the villagers. The findings suggest that food security should be improved by rural economy and local employment; agriculture and irrigation advancement; social safety nets and community-based projects; and, distinction between chronic and transitory food insecurity in development programmes.

Globalization and Health
[Accessed 5 April 2014]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
Review
Noncommunicable diseases among urban refugees and asylum-seekers in developing countries: a neglected health care need
Ahmed Hassan Amara and Syed Mohamed Aljunid
Author Affiliations
Globalization and Health 2014, 10:24 doi:10.1186/1744-8603-10-24
Published: 3 April 2014
Abstract (provisional)
With the increasing trend in refugee urbanisation, growing numbers of refugees are diagnosed with chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). However, with few exceptions, the local and international communities prioritise communicable diseases. The aim of this study is to review the literature to determine the prevalence and distribution of chronic NCDs among urban refugees living in developing countries, to report refugee access to health care for NCDs and to compare the prevalence of NCDs among urban refugees with the prevalence in their home countries. Major search engines and refugee agency websites were systematically searched between June and July 2012 for articles and reports on NCD prevalence among urban refugees. Most studies were conducted in the Middle East and indicated a high prevalence of NCDs among urban refugees in this region, but in general, the prevalence varied by refugees’ region or country of origin. Hypertension, musculoskeletal disease, diabetes and chronic respiratory disease were the major diseases observed. In general, most urban refugees in developing countries have adequate access to primary health care services. Further investigations are needed to document the burden of NCDs among urban refugees and to identify their need for health care in developing countries.

Journal of International Development
April 2014 Volume 26, Issue 3 Pages 303–408
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.v26.3/issuetoc
Special Issue: Rethinking Gender Mainstreaming
EXPLORING THE TRANSFORMATIVE POTENTIAL OF GENDER MAINSTREAMING IN INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT INSTITUTIONS
Jane L. Parpart*
Article first published online: 14 OCT 2013
DOI: 10.1002/jid.2948
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/jid.2948/abstract
Abstract
Gender mainstreaming, with its promise of gender transformation, equality and empowerment, has become a central pillar of development discourse, policy and practice. Yet, the implementation of these promises has largely been disappointing. Proposed ‘solutions’ have brought little new to the table. This article suggests that we need to rethink the link between policy and implementation, recognising that both are political processes and that while policies set agendas, both policies and their implementation are deeply influenced by societal factors. Drawing on critical development analysis and feminist writings, the article explores the transformative potential of gender mainstreaming in international development organisations in an increasingly complex, unequal and gendered world.

The Lancet
Apr 05, 2014 Volume 383 Number 9924 p1183 – 1268
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Editorial
Mental health and wellbeing in children and adolescents
The Lancet
Preview | Full Text | PDF
On March 25, an important milestone was reached in making children’s and adolescents’ mental health, wellbeing, and development everyone’s business. A UK consortium, including the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the Royal College of General Practitioners, and others, launched a new website, MindEd, funded by the Department of Health and aimed at any adult who is working with children, young people, and families. It consists of free online information and education modules that support anyone interested in recognising what healthy behaviour and development is, how wellbeing can be supported, and which signs and symptoms need closer attention.
Long-term outcomes of patients with extensively drug-resistant tuberculosis in South Africa: a cohort study
Elize Pietersen, Elisa Ignatius, Elizabeth M Streicher, Barbara Mastrapa, Xavier Padanilam, Anil Pooran, Motasim Badri, Maia Lesosky, Paul van Helden, Frederick A Sirgel, Robin Warren, Keertan Dheda
Preview | Summary | Full Text | PDF
In South Africa, long-term outcomes in patients with XDR tuberculosis are poor, irrespective of HIV status. Because appropriate long-stay or palliative care facilities are scarce, substantial numbers of patients with XDR tuberculosis who have failed treatment and have positive sputum cultures are being discharged from hospital and are likely to transmit disease into the wider community. Testing of new combined regimens is needed urgently and policy makers should implement interventions to minimise disease spread by patients who fail treatment.
Viewpoint
Scaling up of family planning in low-income countries: lessons from Ethiopia
Daniel T Halperin
Preview | Full Text | PDF
Previous analyses have emphasised the crucial importance of family planning to achieve a range of health and other development objectives in developing countries. This Viewpoint focuses on the successful implementation of services in Ethiopia, Africa’s second most populous country. Ethiopia’s encouraging experience could challenge the widely held assumption that a decline in fertility must be preceded by sweeping economic and educational advancement, and offers other useful policy and programmatic lessons for other low-income countries, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.

Pediatrics
April 2014, VOLUME 133 / ISSUE 4
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/current.shtml
Article
Prenatal Nutrient Supplementation and Postnatal Growth in a Developing Nation: An RCT
Hermann Lanou, MD, MSca,c, Lieven Huybregts, PhDb, Dominique Roberfroid, MD, PhDc, Laetitia Nikièma, MD, MSca, Séni Kouanda, MD, PhDa, John Van Camp, PhDb, and Patrick Kolsteren, MD, PhDb,c
Author Affiliations
aInstitut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé, Ministry of Scientific Research and Innovation, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso;
bDepartment of Food Safety and Food Quality, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium; and
cChild Health and Nutrition Unit, Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Prenatal lipid-based nutrient supplements (LNS) have been shown to improve birth anthropometry. However, little is known about the effects of such supplements on infant health. We hypothesized that prenatal LNS compared with multiple micronutrient supplement for pregnant and lactating women would improve survival, growth, and morbidity during infancy.
METHODS: Infants’ weight, length, head, chest, and mid-upper arm circumferences were measured during monthly home visits from birth to 12 months of age in the Micronutriments et Santé de la Mère et de l’Enfant—2 trial. Differences in stunting and wasting episodes between study arms were assessed by Cox regression for recurrent event models. Morbidity signs during the 2 weeks before the visits and death cases were also assessed by multilevel analysis accounting for repeated individual measurements.
RESULTS: Infant length-for-age growth (–0.033 z score/month; 95% confidence interval: –0.601 to –0.006; P = .018) for the LNS group was inferior to that of the control group. We did not find evidence of significant difference in mortality or morbidity between groups.
CONCLUSIONS: The previously reported positive effect of prenatal LNS on birth length was not sustained during the postnatal phase. Prenatal LNS does not appear to make a long-lasting difference in child linear growth.