ODI [to 29 March 2014]
http://www.odi.org.uk/
Biofuels and local food security: what does the evidence say?
Publication – Briefing papers – 28 March 2014
ODI Briefings 86
Anna Locke and Giles Henley
As EU governments debate how to increase the volume of low-carbon fuels in the energy mix, they must ensure that adding more biofuels does not worsen hunger in poor countries. While modelling research indicates that rising demand for biofuels can increase global food prices, existing evidence does not allow us to state categorically that biofuels projects worsen local food security in developing countries.

Zero poverty… think again: the impact of climate change on development efforts
Publication – Research reports and studies – 24 March 2014
ODI Working Papers
Miren Gutiérrez, Will McFarland and Lano Fonua
Climate change will affect the achievability of any future development goals through its impacts on areas such as agriculture, water and health, and through its many indirect impacts. This paper reviews what is known about the impacts of climate change on potential post-2015 development goal areas and shows that it is essential for climate change to be addressed in order not to compromise development efforts.

BMC Health Services Research
(Accessed 29 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmchealthservres/content
Research article
Disaster resilience in tertiary hospitals: a cross-sectional survey in Shandong Province, China
Shuang Zhong, Xiang-Yu Hou, Michele Clark, Yu-Li Zang, Lu Wang, Ling-Zhong Xu and Gerard FitzGerald
Author Affiliations
Open Access
BMC Health Services Research 2014, 14:135 doi:10.1186/1472-6963-14-135
Published: 25 March 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6963/14/135/abstract
Abstract (provisional)
Background
Hospital disaster resilience can be defined as a hospital’s ability to resist, absorb, and respond to the shock of disasters while maintaining critical functions, and then to recover to its original state or adapt to a new one. This study aims to explore the status of resilience among tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China.
Methods
A stratified random sample (n = 50) was derived from tertiary A, tertiary B, and tertiary C hospitals in Shandong Province, and was surveyed by questionnaire. Data on hospital characteristics and 8 key domains of hospital resilience were collected and analysed. Variables were binary, and analysed using descriptive statistics such as frequencies.
Results
A response rate of 82% (n = 41) was attained. Factor analysis identified four key factors from eight domains which appear to reflect the overall level of disaster resilience. These were hospital safety, disaster management mechanisms, disaster resources and disaster medical care capability. The survey demonstrated that in regard to hospital safety, 93% had syndromic surveillance systems for infectious diseases and 68% had evaluated their safety standards. In regard to disaster management mechanisms, all had general plans, while only 20% had specific plans for individual hazards. 49% had a public communication protocol and 43.9% attended the local coordination meetings. In regard to disaster resources, 75.6% and 87.5% stockpiled emergency drugs and materials respectively, while less than a third (30%) had a signed Memorandum of Understanding with other hospitals to share these resources. Finally in regard to medical care, 66% could dispatch an on-site medical rescue team, but only 5% had a ‘portable hospital’ function and 36.6% and 12% of the hospitals could surge their beds and staff capacity respectively. The average beds surge capacity within 1 day was 13%.
Conclusions
This study validated the broad utility of a framework for understanding and measuring the level of hospital resilience. The survey demonstrated considerable variability in disaster resilience arrangements of tertiary hospitals in Shandong province, and the difference between tertiary A hospitals and tertiary B hospitals was also identified in essential areas.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
Volume 8 – Issue 01 – February 2014
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=DMP&tab=currentissue
Concepts in Disaster Medicine
Enhancing the Translation of Disaster Health Competencies Into Practice
Lauren Walsha1 c1, Brian A. Altmana1, Richard V. Kinga2 and Kandra Strauss-Riggsa1
a1 Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc; National Center for Disaster Medicine and Public Health, Rockville, Maryland
a2 Henry M. Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine, Inc; the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, Texas
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9214264&fulltextType=RA&fileId=S193578931400007X
Abstract
Objectives Disaster health workers currently have no common standard based on a shared set of competencies, learning objectives, and performance metrics with which to develop courses or training materials relevant to their learning audience. We examined how existing competency sets correlate within the 2012 pyramidal learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health criteria and describe how this exercise can guide curriculum developers.
Methods We independently categorized 35 disaster health-related competency sets according to the 4 levels and criteria of the pyramidal learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health.
Results Using the hierarchical learning framework of competency sets in disaster medicine and public health criteria as guidance, we classified with consistency only 10 of the 35 competency sets.
Conclusions The proposed series of minor modifications to the framework should allow for consistent classification of competency sets. Improved education and training of all health professionals is a necessary step to ensuring that health system responders are appropriately and adequately primed for their role in disasters. Revising the organizing framework should assist disaster health educators in selecting competencies appropriate to their learning audience and identify gaps in current education and training. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2014;8:70-78)

Globalization and Health
[Accessed 29 March 2014]
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/
Debate
Mutual learning and reverse innovation–where next?
Nigel Crisp
Author Affiliations
http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/10/1/14
Abstract
There is a clear and evident need for mutual learning in global health systems. It is increasingly recognized that innovation needs to be sourced globally and that we need to think in terms of co-development as ideas are developed and spread from richer to poorer countries and vice versa. The Globalization and Health journal’s ongoing thematic series, “Reverse innovation in global health systems: learning from low-income countries” illustrates how mutual learning and ideas about so-called “reverse innovation” or “frugal innovation” are being developed and utilized by researchers and practitioners around the world. The knowledge emerging from the series is already catalyzing change and challenging the status quo in global health. The path to truly “global innovation flow”, although not fully established, is now well under way. Mobilization of knowledge and resources through continuous communication and awareness raising can help sustain this movement. Global health learning laboratories, where partners can support each other in generating and sharing lessons, have the potential to construct solutions for the world. At the heart of this dialogue is a focus on creating practical local solutions and, simultaneously, drawing out the lessons for the whole world.

Health Economics, Policy and Law
Volume 9 / Issue 02 / April 2014
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=HEP&tab=currentissue
Articles
Trends in health and health inequalities among major states of India: assessing progress through convergence models
Srinivas Golia1 c1 and Perianayagam Arokiasamya2
a1 Assistant Professor, Department of Development Studies, Giri Institute of Development Studies, Uttar Pradesh, India
a2 Professor, Department of Development Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Abstract
Convergence in health and health inequalities reflects not only a sense of equity, but also provides a critical assessment tool for monitoring the health progress of differently placed individuals. This study examines convergence hypothesis for health and health inequalities across major Indian states, using both standard and cutting-edge convergence metrics. The findings lend support to the convergence in average health status among the states and the socioeconomic group of India, examined through select health indicators. However, results also suggest a setback in convergence in decline of health inequalities in recent times, particularly in life expectancy at birth, child immunization and underweight. Evidence signals that from the late 1990s, convergence in decline of health inequalities are replaced by emerging divergence. This paper contributes to health policy and planning by identifying areas where, India needs to work to achieve efficiency with equity in health status across geographical divisions and social groups.

Infectious Diseases of Poverty

[Accessed 29 March 2014]
Research Article
A qualitative exploration of Pakistan’s street children, as a consequence of the poverty-disease cycle
Muhammad Ahmed Abdullah1*, Zeeshan Basharat2, Omairulhaq Lodhi1, Muhammad Hisham Khan Wazir1, Hameeda Tayyab Khan1, Nargis Yousaf Sattar1 and Adnan Zahid3
Author Affiliations
Infectious Diseases of Poverty 2014, 3:11 doi:10.1186/2049-9957-3-11
Published: 24 March 2014
http://www.idpjournal.com/content/3/1/11/abstract
Abstract
Background
Street children are a global phenomenon, with an estimated population of around 150 million across the world. These children include those who work on the streets but retain their family contacts, and also those who practically live on the streets and have no or limited family contacts. In Pakistan, many children are forced to work on the streets due to health-related events occurring at home which require children to play a financially productive role from an early stage. An explanatory framework adapted from the poverty-disease cycle has been used to elaborate these findings.
Methods
This study is a qualitative study, and involved 19 in-depth interviews and two key informant interviews, conducted in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, from February to May 2013. The data was audio taped and transcribed. Key themes were identified and built upon. The respondents were contacted through a gatekeeper ex-street child who was a member of the street children community.
Results
We asked the children to describe their life stories. These stories led us to the finding that street children are always forced to attain altered social roles because health-related problems, poverty, and large family sizes leave them no choice but to enter the workforce and earn their way. We also gathered information regarding high-risk practices and increased risks of sexual and substance abuse, based on the street children’s increased exposure. These children face the issue of social exclusion because diseases and poverty push them into a life full of risks and hazards; a life which also confines their social role in the future.
Conclusion
The street child community in Pakistan is on the rise. These children are excluded from mainstream society, and the absence of access to education and vocational skills reduces their future opportunities. Keeping in mind the implications of health-related events on these children, robust inter-sectoral interventions are required

International Migration Review
Spring 2014 Volume 48, Issue 1 Pages 3–279
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imre.2013.47.issue-4/issuetoc
Original Article
Competing for Lebanon’s Diaspora: Transnationalism and Domestic Struggles in a Weak State
Wendy Pearlman
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014
DOI: 10.1111/imre.12070
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/imre.12070/abstract
Abstract
Just as state strength influences relationships between state and society and among social forces within a national territory, so does it shape relationships between states and their emigrants and diasporas across territorial borders. Scholars debate how transnational migration affirms or challenges the dominance of the nation-state. When sending states are weak, however, diaspora–homeland linkages can undermine the role of the state in a way that is not transformative, but sustaining of the status quo. Examining Lebanon, this paper explores how domestic actors extend their struggles to vie over and through kin abroad. Three realms of competition are paramount: demography, votes, and money. The resulting transnational outreach reproduces a politics in which both expatriates and the state function as resources as much as actors.
SPECIAL COLLECTION OF ORIGINAL ARTICLES: INTERNATIONAL MIGRATIONS IN THE GLOBAL SOUTH
Introduction to the Special Collection: South–South Migrations: What is (Still) on the Research Agenda? (pages 103–112)
Philippe De Lombaerde, Fei Guo and Helion Póvoa Neto
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12083

Everyday Restriction: Central American Women and the State in the Mexico-Guatemala Border City of Tapachula (pages 113–143)
Lindsey Carte
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12072

“Those who come to do harm”: The Framings of Immigration Problems in Costa Rican Immigration Law (pages 144–180)
Caitlin E. Fouratt
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12073

“Big Fish in a Small Pond”: Chinese Migrant Shopkeepers in South Africa (pages 181–215)
Edwin Lin
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12074

Inducing Development: Social Remittances and the Expansion of Oil Palm (pages 216–242)
Marvin Joseph F. Montefrio, Yasmin Y. Ortiga and Ma. Rose Cristy B. Josol
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12075

Social Capital and Livelihoods in Johannesburg: Differential Advantages and Unexpected Outcomes among Foreign-Born Migrants, Internal Migrants, and Long-Term South African Residents (pages 243–273)
Tyler W. Myroniuk and Jo Vearey
Article first published online: 25 MAR 2014 | DOI: 10.1111/imre.12076

The Lancet
Mar 29, 2014 Volume 383 Number 9923 p1099 – 1182 e15
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current

Viewpoint
Responding to the Syrian crisis: the needs of women and girls
Samira Sami, Holly A Williams, Sandra Krause, Monica A Onyango, Ann Burton, Barbara Tomczyk
Preview |
Women and girls are disproportionately affected by conflict because of a lack of access to essential services, as learnt from humanitarian crises in recent years.1,2 Poor access to sexual assault treatment and emergency obstetric care can contribute to negative health outcomes.1 In Syria, women and girls are strongly affected by the recent conflict and, according to the UN Population Fund, about 1•7 million women and girls might need access to reproductive health services.3 Because women often have an essential role in postconflict reconstruction, their basic needs should be met so they can emerge from this ongoing crisis as essential stakeholders in the recovery process.

The Lancet
Mar 29, 2014 Volume 383 Number 9923 p1099 – 1182 e15
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/issue/current
Early Online Publication, 12 March 2014
Efficacy of a monovalent human-bovine (116E) rotavirus vaccine in Indian infants: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial
Nita Bhandari PhD a, Temsunaro Rongsen-Chandola MSc a, Ashish Bavdekar DNB b, Jacob John MD c, Kalpana Antony MBA d, Sunita Taneja PhD a, Nidhi Goyal DPH a, Anand Kawade MD b, Prof Gagandeep Kang PhD c, Sudeep Singh Rathore MBBS a, Sanjay Juvekar PhD b, Prof Jayaprakash Muliyil DrPH c, Alok Arya MPharm a, Hanif Shaikh MPharm b, Vinod Abraham MPH c, Prof Sudhanshu Vrati PhD e, Michael Proschan PhD f, Robert Kohberger PhD g *, Georges Thiry PhD h, Roger Glass PhD f, Prof Harry B Greenberg MD i, George Curlin MD f, Krishna Mohan PhD j, G V J A Harshavardhan BVSc j, Sai Prasad MBA j, T S Rao PhD k, John Boslego MD m, Dr Prof Maharaj Kishan Bhan MD l, for the India Rotavirus Vaccine Group
Summary
Background
Rotavirus is the most common cause of severe dehydrating gastroenteritis in developing countries. Safe, effective, and affordable rotavirus vaccines are needed in these countries. We aimed to assess the efficacy and tolerability of a monovalent human-bovine rotavirus vaccine for severe rotavirus gastroenteritis in low-resource urban and rural settings in India.
Methods
We did a randomised double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial at three sites in Delhi (urban), Pune (rural), and Vellore (urban and rural) between March 11, 2011, and Nov 5, 2012. Infants aged 6—7 weeks were randomly assigned (2:1), via a central interactive voice or web response system with a block size of 12, to receive either three doses of oral human-bovine natural reassortant vaccine (116E) or placebo at ages 6—7 weeks, 10 weeks, and 14 weeks. Infants’ families, study investigators, paediatricians in referral hospitals, laboratory staff, and committee members were all masked to treatment allocation. The primary outcome was incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis (≥11 on the Vesikari scale). Efficacy outcomes and adverse events were ascertained through active surveillance. Analysis was by intention to treat and per protocol. The trial is registered with Clinical Trial Registry—India (CTRI/2010/091/000102) and ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT01305109).
Findings
4532 infants were assigned to receive the 116E vaccine and 2267 to receive placebo, of whom 4354 (96%) and 2187 (96%) infants, respectively, were included in the primary per-protocol efficacy analysis. 71 events of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis were reported in 4752 person-years in infants in the vaccine group compared with 76 events in 2360 person-years in those in the placebo group; vaccine efficacy against severe rotavirus gastroenteritis was 53•6% (95% CI 35•0—66•9; p=0•0013) and 56•4% (36•6—70•1; p<0•0001) in the first year of life. The number of infants needed to be immunised to prevent one severe rotavirus gastroenteritis episode was 55 (95% CI 37—97). The incidence of severe rotavirus gastroenteritis per 100 person-years was 1•5 in the vaccine group and 3•2 in the placebo group, with an incidence rate ratio of 0•46 (95% CI 0•33—0•65). Prevalence of immediate, solicited, and serious adverse events was similar in both groups. One case of urticaria in the vaccine group and one each of acute gastroenteritis and suspected sepsis in the placebo group were regarded as related to the study product. We recorded six cases of intussusception in the vaccine group and two in the placebo group, all of which happened after the third dose. 25 (<1%) infants in the vaccine group and 17 (<1%) in the placebo group died; no death was regarded as related to the study product.
Interpretation
Monovalent human-bovine (116E) rotavirus vaccine is effective and well tolerated in Indian infants.
Funding
Department of Biotechnology and the Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council, Government of India; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to PATH, USA; Research Council of Norway; UK Department for International Development; National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, USA; and Bharat Biotech International, Hyderabad, India.

The Lancet Global Health
Apr 2014 Volume 2 Number 4 e182 – 241
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/issue/current
Comment
Why are economic growth and reductions in child undernutrition so weakly correlated—and what can public policy do?
Abhijeet Singh
Preview |
Child undernutrition in developing countries remains a persistent problem. It contributes importantly to child mortality and carries long-term consequences for malnourished children, including reduced cognitive development, worse economic outcomes, and lower offspring birthweight.1 In 2011, an estimated 165 million children in developing countries were stunted and 101 million children were underweight.2

Association between economic growth and early childhood undernutrition: evidence from 121 Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 low-income and middle-income countries
Prof Sebastian Vollmer PhD a d, Kenneth Harttgen PhD b, Malavika A Subramanyam DSc c, Jocelyn Finlay PhD d, Prof Stephan Klasen PhD a, Prof S V Subramanian PhD d
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/langlo/article/PIIS2214-109X%2814%2970025-7/abstract
Summary
Background
Economic growth is widely regarded as a necessary, and often sufficient, condition for the improvement of population health. We aimed to assess whether macroeconomic growth was associated with reductions in early childhood undernutrition in low-income and middle-income countries.
Methods
We analysed data from 121 Demographic and Health Surveys from 36 countries done between Jan 1, 1990, and Dec 31, 2011. The sample consisted of nationally representative cross-sectional surveys of children aged 0—35 months, and the outcome variables were stunting, underweight, and wasting. The main independent variable was per-head gross domestic product (GDP) in constant prices and adjusted for purchasing power parity. We used logistic regression models to estimate the association between changes in per-head GDP and changes in child undernutrition outcomes. Models were adjusted for country fixed effects, survey-year fixed effects, clustering, and demographic and socioeconomic covariates for the child, mother, and household.
Findings
Sample sizes were 462 854 for stunting, 485 152 for underweight, and 459 538 for wasting. Overall, 35•6% (95% CI 35•4—35•9) of young children were stunted (ranging from 8•7% [7•6—9•7] in Jordan to 51•1% [49•1—53•1] in Niger), 22•7% (22•5—22•9) were underweight (ranging from 1•8% [1•3—2•3] in Jordan to 41•7% [41•1—42•3] in India), and 12•8% (12•6—12•9) were wasted (ranging from 1•2% [0•6—1•8] in Peru to 28•8% [27•5—30•0] in Burkina Faso). At the country level, no association was seen between average changes in the prevalence of child undernutrition outcomes and average growth of per-head GDP. In models adjusted only for country and survey-year fixed effects, a 5% increase in per-head GDP was associated with an odds ratio (OR) of 0•993 (95% CI 0•989—0•995) for stunting, 0•986 (0•982—0•990) for underweight, and 0•984 (0•981—0•986) for wasting. ORs after adjustment for the full set of covariates were 0•996 (0•993—1•000) for stunting, 0•989 (0•985—0•992) for underweight, and 0•983 (0•979—0•986) for wasting. These findings were consistent across various subsamples and for alternative variable specifications. Notably, no association was seen between per-head GDP and undernutrition in young children from the poorest household wealth quintile. ORs for the poorest wealth quintile were 0•997 (0•990—1•004) for stunting, 0•999 (0•991—1•008) for underweight, and 0•991 (0•978—1•004) for wasting.
Interpretation
A quantitatively very small to null association was seen between increases in per-head GDP and reductions in early childhood undernutrition, emphasising the need for direct health investments to improve the nutritional status of children in low-income and middle-income countries.
Funding
None.

PLoS One
http://www.plosone.org/
[Accessed 29 March 2014]
Research Article
Designing and Piloting a Program to Provide Water Filters and Improved Cookstoves in Rwanda
Christina K. Barstow, Fidele Ngabo, Ghislaine Rosa, Fiona Majorin, Sophie Boisson, Thomas Clasen, Evan A. Thomas mail
http://www.plosone.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0092403
Abstract
Background
In environmental health interventions addressing water and indoor air quality, multiple determinants contribute to adoption. These may include technology selection, technology distribution and education methods, community engagement with behavior change, and duration and magnitude of implementer engagement. In Rwanda, while the country has the fastest annual reduction in child mortality in the world, the population is still exposed to a disease burden associated with environmental health challenges. Rwanda relies both on direct donor funding and coordination of programs managed by international non-profits and health sector businesses working on these challenges.
Methods and Findings
This paper describes the design, implementation and outcomes of a pilot program in 1,943 households across 15 villages in the western province of Rwanda to distribute and monitor the use of household water filters and improved cookstoves. Three key program design criteria include a.) an investment in behavior change messaging and monitoring through community health workers, b.) free distributions to encourage community-wide engagement, and c.) a private-public partnership incentivized by a business model designed to encourage “pay for performance”. Over a 5-month period of rigorous monitoring, reported uptake was maintained at greater than 90% for both technologies, although exclusive use of the stove was reported in only 28.5% of households and reported water volume was 1.27 liters per person per day. On-going qualitative monitoring suggest maintenance of comparable adoption rates through at least 16 months after the intervention.
Conclusion
High uptake and sustained adoption of a water filter and improved cookstove was measured over a five-month period with indications of continued comparable adoption 16 months after the intervention. The design attributes applied by the implementers may be sufficient in a longer term. In particular, sustained and comprehensive engagement by the program implementer is enabled by a pay-for-performance business model that rewards sustained behavior change.

Stability: International Journal of Security & Development
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/articles
[accessed 29 March 2014]
Special Collection: Surviving Violence: The Politics of (Self) Protection
“A refugee is someone who refused to be oppressed”: Self-Survival Strategies of Congolese Young People in Uganda
Christina Clark-Kazak
http://www.stabilityjournal.org/article/view/sta.dj
Abstract
Drawing on Ruth Lister’s conceptual approach to agency, this paper shows how Congolese young people in refugee contexts in Uganda ‘get by’, ‘get (back) at’, ‘get out’, and/or ‘get organized’. These purposeful responses to violence and structural constraints contrast with dominant discourses about refugee young people as inherently vulnerable and in need of protection from outside agencies. The article thus concludes with some suggestions of how researchers, policy-makers, and practitioners can better recognize and support young people’s own survival strategies in contexts of violence and displacement.

Climate and Development
Volume 6, Issue 1, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/tcld20/current#.Uzg0pFcWNdc
Disasters and climate change in the Pacific: adaptive capacity of humanitarian response organizations
Anna Geroa*, Stephanie Fletcherb, Michele Rumseyb, Jodi Thiessenb, Natasha Kuruppua, James Buchanb, John Dalyb & Juliet Willettsa
DOI: 10.1080/17565529.2014.899888
Published online: 24 Mar 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/17565529.2014.899888#.Uzg0TlcWNdc
Abstract
Climate change is likely to affect the pattern of disasters in the Pacific and, by extension, the organizations and systems involved in disaster response. This research focused on how immediate humanitarian health-related needs following disasters are met using the concept of adaptive capacity to investigate the resilience of organizations and the robustness of the broader system of disaster response. Four case study countries (Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, and Vanuatu) were chosen for deeper investigation of the range of issues present in the Pacific. Key findings were that adaptive capacity was enhanced by strong informal communication and relationships as well as formal relationships, appropriate participation of traditional leaders and churches, and recognition and support for the critical role national disaster management offices play in disaster coordination. Adaptive capacity was found to be constrained by lack of clear policies for requesting international assistance, lack of coordinated disaster assessments, and limited human resources for health in disaster response. Limitations in psychosocial support and Australian medical services to meet specific needs were observed. Finally, the research revealed that both Pacific and Australian disaster-response agencies would benefit from a strengthened ‘future’ focus to better plan for uncertainty and changing risks.

[PDF] Experiences of National Governments in Expanding Their Role in Humanitarian Preparedness and Response
Jeremy Harkey
Oxfam America and the Feinstein International Center, Tufts University
Janaury 2-14, 96 pages
Executive Summary Excerpt
This paper presents the findings of four case studies of how national governments strengthen capacity to manage natural disasters. It looks at what factors contributed to each country’s decision to strengthen the national system, what the strengthening process has consisted of, and what role different actors have played in the processes. The four case study countries are El Salvador, Mozambique, the Philippines, and
Indonesia….

Vulnerable Children and Youth Studies
An International Interdisciplinary Journal for Research, Policy and Care
Volume 9, Issue 2, 2014
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rvch20/current#.Uzg2bFcWNdc
Indicative evaluation of psychological disturbance amongst young children affected by the January 2010 Haiti earthquake, in Port-au-Prince
Yoram Mouchenikab*, Alexandra Marty-Chevreuilc, Caroline Marquerd, Nephtalie Eva Josephe, Jean Weber Ducassee, Casseus Ryswicke, Alex Dejeane, Rogenette Georgese, Judith Blancf, Daniel Derivoisg, Thierry Baubeth & Marie Rose Moroi
DOI: 10.1080/17450128.2014.901589
Published online: 24 Mar 2014
Abstract
The article presents a research for the indicative evaluation of psychological disturbance amongst young children following the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. We used a new psychological evaluation questionnaire for young children, the PSYCa 3–6. It is a hetero-evaluation tool and is completed on site by the interviewer. The questionnaire was conducted in Port-au-Prince. The average age of the 166 children taking part in the study was 58 months. Psychological disturbance score appears to be high amongst our child population in Port-au-Prince. This corroborates other research into the psychological condition of natural disaster victims. A higher score of psychological disturbance was observed amongst boys and in the youngest group of children. This first application of the PSYCa 3–6, in a natural disaster area, highlights its capacity to identify children in great difficulties, the acceptability of the questionnaire and its appropriateness for use in humanitarian crisis areas.

The Journal of Medical Investigation
Vol. 61 2014
http://medical.med.tokushima-u.ac.jp/jmi/vol61/index_1.html
[PDF] Development of a mutual-assistance capability training program to safeguard the health of local residents in evacuation shelters after a disaster
Michiko Takeda1), 2) and Toshiko Tada3)
Abstract
The purpose of this study is to create and evaluate a program to enhance the mutual-assistance capability of community members to safeguard their health during time spent in evacuation shelters after a disaster. In previous research, “Supporting people in need of assistance after a disaster,” the participants’ awareness of the need for mutual assistance was low and their relevant knowledge and skills were insufficient. Accordingly, this became a priority in the developed program. Twenty-eight people at six different facilities participated in the program. We collected data using a questionnaire survey and group interview with the participants. After conducting the program, the participants’ mean scores of mutual-assistance capability were higher than the mean pre-study scores for 25 out of 26 items. The results of group interview implied that the participants acquired [Realization of issues], and not only shared a [Sense of crisis among participants] but also felt a [Sense of responsibility for mutual assistance in the community]. We considered that our mutual-assistance training program at the time of a disaster is effective for developing mutual assistance for safeguarding health where local residents are unprepared to support those in evacuation shelters requiring assistance after a disaster.

American Journal of Evaluation (AJE)
March 2014; 35 (1)
http://aje.sagepub.com/content/35/1.toc
Why Aren’t Evaluations Working and What to Do About It – A Framework for Negotiating Meaningful Evaluation in Nonprofits
Kellie C. Liket1, Marta Rey-Garcia2. Karen E. H. Maas3
1Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2School of Economics and Business, University of A Coruña, A Coruña, Spain
3Erasmus School of Economics, Erasmus University, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Kellie C. Liket, Erasmus Centre for Strategic Philanthropy, Erasmus University Rotterdam, H10-30, Burgemeester Oudlaan 50 P.O Box 1738, NL-3000 DR Rotterdam, Netherlands.
Abstract
Nonprofit organizations are under great pressure to use evaluations to show that their programs “work” and that they are “effective.” However, empirical evidence indicates that nonprofits struggle to perform useful evaluations, especially when conducted under accountability pressures. An increasing body of evidence highlights the crucial role of a participatory negotiation process between nonprofits and stakeholders on the purpose and design of evaluations in achieving evaluation utility. However, conceptual confusion about the evaluation objectives, unclear evaluation purposes, a lack of appropriate evaluation questions, and normative ideas about superior evaluation designs and methods, complicate the process. In response, we provide practical conceptualizations of the central objectives of evaluations and propose a framework that can guide negotiation processes. It presents the relationships between the evaluation purpose, evaluation question, and the different levels of effects that should be measured. The selection of the evaluation method is contingent on the choices made within this framework.

[PDF] Integrating science into humanitarian and development planning and practice to enhance community resilience
Full guidelines, January 2014, 49 pages; Numerous sponsors
Lead Author: Melanie Duncan (UCL)
Co-authors: Kate Crowley (CAFOD), Ros Cornforth (AfClix), Stephen Edwards (UCL), Richard Ewbank (Christian Aid), Parisa Karbassi (CAFOD), Charlie McLaren (UKCDS), Jose Luis Penya (Christian Aid), Alice Obrecht (HFP), Susanne Sargeant (BGS), Emma Visman (HFP)
Purpose
These guidelines are for humanitarian and development practitioners looking to effectively integrate relevant scientific understandings of risk within their humanitarian/development planning and practice, for the purpose of enhancing community resilience. Beginning with an introduction to what science is and how it might be used, followed by a breakdown of the key components for integrating science these guidelines encourage practitioners to think about the types of scientific information and expertise that they may need, how to access and use them, and how to ensure that they are applied in an ethical and accountable manner. Each section concludes with a checklist of key questions practitioners should consider throughout the process.
These guidelines are not exhaustive or prescriptive instead the aim is to enable practitioners to ask useful questions that will ultimately help them to apply science in their planning and operational decision-making. While the authors acknowledge that invaluable knowledge resides in communities at risk, the draft guidelines are about how to utilise scientific and technical expertise from external institutions….

World Water Day: World’s poorest have least access to safe water – UNICEF
NEW YORK, 21 March 2014 – Almost four years after the world met the global target set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for safe drinking water, and after the UN General Assembly declared that water was a human right, over three-quarters of a billion people, most of them poor, still do not have this basic necessity, UNICEF said to mark World Water Day.

:: Report: 2014 World Water Development Report [link not yet available]
“Water and energy are among the world’s pre-eminent development challenges and must feature prominently in the post-2015 agenda,” said Michel Jarraud, Chair of UN-Water.  “This fifth World Water Development Report marks a milestone as the first annual edition. The new format responds to the need of the global community for an annual, factual and evidence-based publication with a thematic focus that links to World Water Day. I would like to express my profound appreciation to the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) for hosting and leading the World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), which has been coordinating the production and publication of the report. I am pleased that the United Nations, through UN-Water, is able to now annually deliver up-to date information on an issue that will only become more important to create a sustainable future.”

http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/single-view/news/united_nations_report_warns_rising_energy_demand_will_stress_fresh_water_resources/#.Uy9JsoUWNdc

Statement: UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka on the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women
22 March 2014
UN Women welcomes the outcome of the 58th session of the Commission on the Status of Women. The agreement represents a milestone towards a transformative global development agenda that puts the empowerment of women and girls at its centre. Member States have stressed that while the Millennium Development Goals have advanced progress in many areas, they remain unfinished business as long as gender inequality persists.

The clear analysis of Member States on the shortcomings in the design and implementation of the MDGs provides us with valuable guidance as the international community devises a comprehensive post-2015 agenda. As the Commission points out, structural inequalities such as persistent gender pay gaps, women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care work, low levels of women in decision-making and the persistence of discriminatory attitudes, norms and legal frameworks impede progress.

I commend the Commission for identifying critical issues that were not sufficiently addressed by the MDGs and calling for measures to address these. Notably, Member States highlight the pandemic of violence against women and girls that affects women and girls worldwide. The Commission also points to the urgent need to fully ensure women’s access to opportunities and resources, including quality education, control and ownership of land and other productive assets, as well as women’s sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights, and recommends taking steps, including temporary special measures, to achieve women’s full participation in public- and private-sector decision-making.

The safety, human rights and empowerment of women are pivotal in the post-2015 debate. UN Women is encouraged by the call of a large number of Member States for a stand-alone sustainable development goal that addresses these issues. This will require political will, backed up by commensurate resources. As the Commission rightly points out, funding in support of gender equality and women’s empowerment remains inadequate. Investments in women and girls will have to be significantly stepped up. As Member States underline, this will have a multiplier effect on sustained economic growth.

We know that equality for women means progress for all. Through the development of a comprehensive roadmap for the future, we have the opportunity to realize this premise and promise. The 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women has given important impetus to making equality between men and women a reality.

Statement: UNFPA Welcomes Outcome of the 58th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women

22 March 2014
UNFPA, The United Nations Population Fund, welcomes the agreement by the 58th Session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) that clearly reaffirms the international community’s commitments to gender equality and the empowerment and human rights of women and girls. We also welcome the Commission’s reaffirmation of the importance of the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development.

UN Commission on the Status of Women CSW58 (2014)
Implementing the MDGs for Women and Girls
10-21 March 2014
United Nations Headquarters, New York
Priority theme: Challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals for women and girls
CSW website: http://www.unwomen.org/en/csw/csw58-2014