United Nations – Selected Meetings Coverage and Press Releases [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.un.org/en/unpress/

UN Meetings
Survivor Tells How Rebel Group Stole His Youth before Security Council Unanimously Adopts Resolution 2143 (2014) Condemning Child Recruitment in Armed Conflict (7 March 2014)
SC/11309

Speakers in Fifth Committee Commend Organization’s Emergency Management, Saying Storm Sandy Underlined Importance of Fully Operational System (6 March 2014)
GA/AB/4098

Warning Security Council of ‘Extremely Grave’ Situation in Central African Republic, Top Officials Urge Speedy Authorization of United Nations Operation (6 March 2014)
SC/11308

Security Council, Adopting Resolution 2142 (2014), Partially Lifts Weapons Ban on Somalia, Agreeing to End or Suspend It on Basis of Full Compliance (5 March 2014)
SC/11307

Security Council, Adopting Resolution 2141 (2014), Extends Mandate of Expert Panel Assisting Sanctions Committee on Democratic Republic of Korea (5 March 2014)
SC/11306

Ukraine, in Emergency Meeting, Calls on Security Council to Stop Military Intervention by Russian Federation (1 March 2014)
SC/11302

.
Press Releases
Progress on Gender Equality Fuels Progress across Entire United Nations Agenda, Secretary-General Says at Closing of General Assembly High-level Session (7 March 2014)
SG/SM/15696-GA/11488

Secretary-General, Commemorating International Women’s Day, Says ‘Equality for Women is Progress for All’ (7 March 2014)
SG/SM/15694-OBV/1304-WOM/1978

Secretary-General Tells Security Council ‘Children Should be Armed with Pens and Textbooks, Not Guns and Grenades’ (7 March 2014)
SG/SM/15692-SC/11310

Secretary-General, in Video Message to Human Rights Council, Appeals for Universal Ban on Capital Punishment (5 March 2014)
SG/SM/15688-HRC/17

Family Farming Plays Key Role in Sustainable Development, Meeting Zero Hunger Challenge, Secretary-General Says in Message to Global Forum (4 March 2014)
SG/SM/15685-DEV/3073

UNDP Management’s Responsibilities Demand Highest Standards of Transparency, Accountability, Effectiveness, Secretary-General Says in Message (3 March 2014)
SG/SM/15682-DEV/3072

UNICEF [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unicef.org/media/media_71508.html

Media Releases [selected]
UNICEF: Progress for children in Philippines after typhoon; long road ahead
MANILA, 7 March 2014 – Four months after Super Typhoon Haiyan ripped through the central Philippines on 8 November 2013, a growing sense of recovery is notable in the reopening of health centres, clean water flowing again through community taps, children back to learning in temporary schools.

Recruitment and use of children in government forces in conflict must end
NEW YORK, 6 March 2014 – Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Children and Armed Conflict Ms Leila Zerrougui and UNICEF Executive Director Anthony Lake today unveiled a new effort to end the recruitment and use of children in government forces in conflict by 2016.

Central African Republic: Drinking water restored to over 183,000 people ahead of the rainy season
BANGUI, Central African Republic/DAKAR, Senegal 5 March 2014 – Just ahead of the onset of the rainy season, which increases the risk of water-borne diseases like cholera, UNICEF and its partners have restored safe and chlorinated drinking water for more than 183,000 displaced people across the Central African Republic (CAR).

Over 76,000 people displaced from Central African Republic into Chad facing crisis
N’DJAMENA, Chad/DAKAR, Senegal, 4 March 2014 – As the humanitarian crisis in Central African Republic continues to spill over into neighboring countries, UNICEF is raising the alert that more than 76,000 people, mostly women and children, fleeing the violence from CAR into Chad are in urgent need of additional assistance.

Abducted children reunited with family in Central African Republic
BANGUI, Central African Republic, 3 March 2014 – Four children – two girls and two boys – were reunited with their father by officials from UNICEF and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA), after being abducted by a militia, during which time they were threatened to be killed.

Fresh attacks in South Sudan squeeze humanitarian efforts
JUBA, South Sudan, 3 March 2014 – With fresh outbreaks of fighting in South Sudan likely to displace tens of thousands of additional people, UNICEF said today the emergency in the world’s newest nation risks becoming overwhelming. Nearly 900,000 people – half of them children – have already been forced from their homes in South Sudan.

UNHCR [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unhcr.org/cgi-bin/texis/vtx/home

Press Releases and Latest News
UNHCR condemns deadly attack in Homs on collective shelter
Press Releases, 8 March 2014
UNHCR learned this morning of an attack in Homs that has resulted in one death and others being wounded at a shelter in which scores of evacuees are being held.

The attack on the Al Andalus collective shelter – an abandoned school – occurred just after midnight local time, when mortars hit a wall. A local resident was killed, and some 10 people in the centre were wounded. All were hospitalized. UNHCR is awaiting further word on their conditions and those of others still in the shelter.

“We are taking this extremely seriously,” said Amin Awad, UNHCR’s Director for the Middle East and North Africa. “All parties to Syria’s conflict have obligations under international law relating to the protection of people not involved in the conflict.

In early-mid February, UN staff and volunteers from the Syrian Arab Red Crescent assisted more than 1,400 people to leave the Old City of Homs during a three-day “humanitarian pause”. However not everyone was able to leave, and 336 men and boys were kept behind at the Al Andalus centre for screening.

Information on the attack is still sparse. It is not fully clear at this stage whether the shelter was deliberately targeted and who the perpetrators were…

Continuing conflict in Iraq’s province displaces thousands, some for second time
During the past week the number of displaced people in the town of Heet and surrounding areas has increased by some 25,000-30,000 people.

Innovation: New Rwanda site a pilot for refugee camp planning and design
UNHCR is moving 9,000 refugees from a crowded transit centre to the new Mugombwa camp, Rwanda’s fifth, built on government-allocated land.

International Women’s Day: Raped girl’s education dreams go up in smoke
UNHCR puts a priority on spreading awareness about sexual and gender-based violence and at preventing a scourge that affects millions around the world.

International Women’s Day: UNHCR pledges to advance gender equality programme
António Guterres pledges progress on gender equality and female empowerment while noting that forced displacement exacerbates the risks that women and girls face.

UNHCR concerned about getting food deliveries to refugees in South Sudan
The health and nutrition status of refugees is at risk and the problem is not just food shortages but the safe passage of other humanitarian relief supplies too.

Briefing Notes
Refugee information presented in twice-weekly press briefings in Geneva.
:: 7 March 2014 – UNHCR highlights urgency of need for safe passage of food deliveries in South Sudan Pakistan begins issuing new cards to 1.6 million Afghan refugees

:: 7 March 2014 – Displacement of people continues to rise in Anbar, Iraq

:: 4 March 2014 – UNHCR appeals for accelerated help for refugees fleeing CAR, South Sudan

UNOCHA [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unocha.org/

Press Releases
07 Mar 2014
Central African Republic: Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos Remarks to the press on the Central African Republic and Philippines – Geneva, 7 March 2014
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Philippines I have just had an opportunity to brief Member States here about the humanitarian situations in the Central African Republic and also in the Philippines, two crises that obviously demand our urgent and sustained attention. Yesterday, I also briefed the Security Council on the unfolding situation in the Central African Republic…

06 Mar 2014
Central African Republic: Under-Secretary-General Valerie Amos – Remarks to the Security Council on the Central African Republic, 6 March 2014
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Central African Republic
Thank you for the opportunity to brief the council on the situation in the Central African Republic (CAR) following my recent visit with the Executive Director of UNAIDS, Michel Sidibé, the ASG of the Department of Security and Safety, Mbaranga Gasarabwe, and the African Union Political Affairs Commissioner Aisha Abdullahi. The situation in CAR remains extremely grave, and urgent action by all –…

05 Mar 2014
occupied Palestinian territory: New figures indicate an estimated 300,000 Palestinians reside in Area C of the West Bank
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: occupied Palestinian territory Jerusalem, 5 March 2014 Today, the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) released new information relating to affected populations in Area C of the West Bank. According to data from an inter-agency humanitarian profiling exercise, the Vulnerability Profile Project (VPP), an estimated 300,000 Palestinians reside…

04 Mar 2014
Chad: Tens of thousands in Chad need life-saving assistance after fleeing violence in Central African Republic
Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Country: Central African Republic, Chad (N’Djamena, 4 March 2014): Tens of thousands of people who have fled from violence in the Central African Republic (CAR) to neighbouring Chad remain in dire need of humanitarian assistance. “These vulnerable people continue to suffer after surviving the carnage we are witnessing in CAR. We urgently need more resources to help them,” said Thomas Gurtner, Humanitarian Coordinator in Chad….

Latest Map: Mozambique: Mozambique: Flooding (25 Feb 2014)

UNDP  United Nations Development Program [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.us.undp.org/content/undp/en/home.html

08 Mar 2014
Statement by UNDP Administrator Helen Clark on International Women’s Day
This year’s International Women’s Day theme – Equality for Women is Progress for All – states a simple truth. No country will reach its full potential if its female citizens do not enjoy full equality.

08 Mar 2014
Focus on Women
This year’s theme for International Women’s Day, “Equality for women is progress for all” emphasizes how gender equality, empowerment of women, women’s full enjoyment of human rights and the eradication of poverty are essential to economic and social development. It also stresses the vital role of women as agents of development.

06 Mar 2014
Meeting calls for local social innovators to be key actors in global and local development efforts
More than 20 participants from over 15 countries explored, during a three-day meeting, how mobile technologies are propelling innovation in the global South, enabling the generation of solutions that address local needs and promote human development.

04 Mar 2014
Post-2015: the global conversation continues with new dialogues in 50 countries
The United Nations Development Group (UNDG) which unites 32 UN funds and programmes, including the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), announced today its plan to launch Dialogues on Implementation of the Post-2015 development agenda in initially 50 countries.

UN Women  [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unwomen.org/

UN Women and Intel aim to connect 5 million women in Africa
Posted on March 7, 2014
On the eve of International Women’s Day, officials gathered at the United Nations to discuss Intel® She Will Connect, a new programme poised to drive economic and social transformation for the women of Africa for decades to come. It seeks to expand digital literacy skills to 5 million young women over the next three years and reduce the gender gap by 50 per cent. More

UN commemoration of IWD 2014: Speech by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
Posted on March 7, 2014
Speech by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon for UN commemoration of International Women’s Day 2014 More

UN commemoration of International Women’s Day 2014: Speech by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka
Posted on March 7, 2014
Speech by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka for International Women’s Day, at the UN, New York, 7 March 2014 More

High-powered call for women’s full participation in shaping global future
Posted on March 7, 2014
At a high-powered UN event today to commemorate International Women’s Day, top international leaders called for full realization of women’s rights in the 21st century. More

“Contributions of women, the young, and civil society to the post-2015 Agenda” – Executive Director remarks at PGA event
Posted on March 7, 2014
Speech by UN Women Executive Director Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka at the President of the General Assembly’s High-level event “Contributions of women, the young, and civil society to the Post-2015 Agenda” More

Press release: Development in jeopardy as gaps in progress for women and girls persist
Posted on March 6, 2014
As the internationally agreed Millennium Development Goals draw to a close, the Commission on the Status of Women — the annual gathering of countries to address critical issues related to gender equality and women’s rights — will spotlight the achievements and the gaps made since 2000 in the lives of the world’s women and girls. More

Press release: Targeted actions required to increase and improve women’s work opportunities
Posted on March 6, 2014
Nearly 700 companies champion the Women’s Empowerment Principles, commit to advance gender equality, reduce discrimination and monitor progress More

UNFPA  United Nations Population Fund [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unfpa.org/public/

06 March 2014 – Statement
International Women’s Day: Progress for Women and Girls is Progress for All
As we commemorate International Women’s Day and celebrate the many achievements of women and girls, we should also remember that for far too many, the ability to live a healthy, productive life free from violence, to fully enjoy their rights, remains an aspiration. So today is also a time to recommit ourselves to delivering once and for all on the promise of gender equality, women’s empowerment and sexual and reproductive health and rights for all women and girls everywhere. more

04 March 2014 – Dispatch
“Sexual and Reproductive Health is a Fundamental Human Right”: UNFPA Executive Director Addresses Human Rights Council
UNITED NATIONS, Geneva – Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin addressed the 25th Regular Session of the Human Rights Council where he emphasized that sexual and reproductive health is a fundamental human right and that empowering women and girls is one of the most reliable pathways to improved well-being for all. more

FAO Food & Agriculture Organization [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.fao.org/home/en/

Closing the gender gap in agriculture  
7 March 2014, Rome – Tomorrow will mark International Women’s day, and with that, high-level experts from the UN and partner organizations met today at FAO Headquarters in Rome to discuss the theme “Closing the gender gap in agriculture”. Women play a remarkably strong role in Agriculture while facing an equally remarkable array of challenges. In this dialogue – jointly organized by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the World Food Programme (WFP), the International Development Law Organization (IDLO), the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) and the World Farmers’ (…)

FAO Food Price Index  
6 March 2014, Rome – Weather-related trends and increased demand came into play as the FAO Food Price Index registered its sharpest increase since mid-2012, averaging 208.1 points in February 2014. The new level was 5.2 points, or 2.6 percent, above a slightly revised index for January, but was still 2.1 percent lower than last year at the same time. The figures were released amid news reports of spikes in wheat and corn prices in response to recent developments in Ukraine, but the February increase in the Index cannot be attributed to those events. Changing conditions in Ukraine and Russia, (…)

Zimbabwe: smallholder farmers receive support  
6 March 2014, Harare – The European Union (EU) has given $19 million USD to help smallholder farmers in communal and old resettlement areas of Zimbabwe. The funds, channelled through the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), will enable smallholder farmers to receive support through two programs: Irrigation Support and livestock assistance. According to FAO, the programmes will be rolled out over a 48 month period, with the goal of sustainably increasing production and productivity in the targeted areas, as well as, assisting smallholders to engage in commercial agriculture through integrated farming approaches.

UNESCO  [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.unesco.org/new/en/media-services/for-the-press/all-news//

7 Mar 2014 – HOPE calls for a Sustainable Development Goal on the Ocean

7 Mar 2014 – Feedback sought for UNESCO’s research on the Internet

6 Mar 2014 – Gender equality – a breakthrough strategy for sustainable development

6 Mar 2014 – UNWTO, UNODC and UNESCO launch anti-trafficking campaign

6 Mar 2014 – Report Details Troubling Toll of Gender-Based Violence in Asia-Pacific Schools

6 Mar 2014 – Launch of the global campaign against illegal trafficking in tourism

6 Mar 2014 – UNESCO and partners launch Women Make the News 2014

5 Mar 2014 – Just 30% of the world’s researchers are women. What’s the situation in your country?

UNCTAD  [to 8 March 2014]
http://unctad.org/en/Pages/Home.aspx

UNCTAD-ITC Partnership on Trade faciliation
Jointly issued by UNCTAD and ITC
Geneva, Switzerland, (04 March 2014)
The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the International Trade Centre (ITC) are joining forces to assist developing countries in the implementation of the recent WTO Trade Facilitation Agreement. The two agencies have today signed a Memorandum of Understanding reaffirming this collaboration.
‘The Trade Facilitation Agreement is a real opportunity for developing countries, but only if they can put its provisions into practice,’ said Arancha González, ITC’s Executive Director.
‘The two agencies complement each other very well and can offer meaningful support to developing countries together, ‘said UNCTAD Secretary-General Mukhisa Kituyi. UNCTAD already has a successful programme in building institutional capacity around effective trade facilitation, while ITC has experience in building the capacity of the private sector and increasing their export competitiveness’, he added.
The programme which the agencies will develop will focus particularly on Least Developed Countries…

CBD (Convention of Biological Diversity) [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.cbd.int/

South Sudan becomes 194th Party to Convention on Biological Diversity
Montreal, 7 March 2014 – South Sudan deposited its instrument of accession to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on 17 February 2014, thus becoming the 194th Party to the global treaty on biodiversity and sustainable development. With this accession, the CBD will enter into force for South Sudan on 18 May 2014.

Iraq to become 167th Party to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Montreal, 7 March 2014 – Iraq deposited its instrument of accession to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety to the Convention on Biological Diversity on 3 March 2014 and will become the 167th Party to the Cartagena Protocol on 1 June 2014.

USAID [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.usaid.gov/

Administrator Shah Delivers Remarks at the US-ASEAN Business Council
USAID to Release Women’s Lives and Challenges Report
March 7, 2014
Today the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Demographic and Health Surveys Program released Women’s Lives and Challenges: Equality and Empowerment since 2000, a report that assesses gains in women’s status and gender equality worldwide.
Women’s Lives and Challenges: Equality and Empowerment since 2000

Launch of US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs
March 4, 2014
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and US-ASEAN Business Council signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today to create the US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive Small and Medium Sized Enterprises (SMEs). The MOU was signed by USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah, Council President Alexander Feldman, and Procter & Gamble Vice President Carolyn Brehm as the representative of the Council’s ASEAN committee.

DFID  [to 8 March 2014]
https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/department-for-international-development

The Coca-Cola company and the UK government strengthen girls’ education and economic opportunities in Nigeria
7 March 2014
DFID Press release

Greening: it’s time to break the silence on early and forced marriage
5 March 2014
DFID Press release

OECD  [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.oecd.org/

7-March-2014
New approach needed to boost strong and sustainable tourism growth, says OECD
Governments should recognise tourism’s role as an essential driver of jobs and growth and boost their support for the sector. The industry today accounts for 4.7% of GDP and 6.0% of employment in the developed world, according to a new OECD report.

World Trade Organisation [to 8 March 2014]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news13_e/news13_e.htm

6 March 2014
ENHANCED INTEGRATED FRAMEWORK
New UNCTAD-EIF report says improved trade policies in fish sectors could address gender inequalities
The expansion of the fisheries sector could help lift Gambians from poverty, in particular women, a new UNCTAD-EIF report has found, concluding that the inclusion of gender considerations in trade policy is a useful way to achieve greater prosperity for all. The case study warns that without built-in gender perspectives, the promotion of fish exports in The Gambia could in some cases actually worsen inequality between men and women…

American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
March 2014; 90 (3)
http://www.ajtmh.org/content/current

Importance of Cholera and Other Etiologies of Acute Diarrhea in Post-Earthquake Port-au-Prince, Haiti
Macarthur Charles, Glavdia G. Delva, Jethro Boutin, Karine Severe, Mireille Peck, Marie Marcelle abou, Peter F. Wright, and Jean W. Pape
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:511-517; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0514
Abstract

Pre-Travel Preparation of US Travelers Going Abroad to Provide Humanitarian Service, Global TravEpiNet 2009–2011
Rhett J. Stoney, Emily S. Jentes, Mark J. Sotir, Phyllis Kozarsky, Sowmya R. Rao, Regina C. LaRocque, Edward T. Ryan, and the Global TravEpiNet Consortium
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:553-559; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.13-0479
Abstract

Effects of Malnutrition on Children’s Immunity to Bacterial Antigens in Northern Senegal
Lobna Gaayeb, Jean B. Sarr, Cecile Cames, Claire Pinçon, Jean-Baptiste Hanon, Mamadou O. Ndiath, Modou Seck, Fabien Herbert, Andre B. Sagna, Anne-Marie Schacht, Franck Remoue,
Gilles Riveau, and Emmanuel Hermann
Am J Trop Med Hyg 2014 90:566-573; Published online January 20, 2014, doi:10.4269/ajtmh.12-0657
Abstract

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 8 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Factors associated with non-utilization of child immunization in Pakistan: evidence from the Demographic and Health Survey 2006-07
Ayesha Siddiqa Bugvi, Rahla Rahat, Rubeena Zakar, Muhammad Zakria Zakar, Florian Fischer, Muazzam Nasrullah and Riffat Manawar
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:232  doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-232
Published: 6 March 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/232/abstract

Abstract (provisional)
Background
The proportion of incompletely immunized children in Pakistan varies from 37-58%, and this has recently resulted in outbreaks of measles and polio. The aim of this paper is to determine the factors associated with incomplete immunization among children aged 12-23?months in Pakistan.

Methods
Secondary analysis was conducted on nationally representative cross-sectional survey data from the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 2006-07. The analysis was limited to ever-married mothers who had delivered their last child during the 23?months immediately preceding the survey (n?=?2,435). `Complete immunization? was defined as the child having received twelve doses of five vaccines, and `incomplete immunization? was defined if he/she had missed at least one of these twelve doses. The association between child immunization status and determinants of non-utilization of vaccines was assessed by calculating unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals using a multivariable binary logistic regression.

Results
The findings of this research showed that nearly 66% of children were incompletely immunized against seven preventable childhood diseases. The likelihood of incomplete immunization was significantly associated with the father’s occupation as a manual worker (AOR = 1.47; 95% CI: 1.10-1.97), lack of access to information (AOR = 1.35; 95% CI: 1.09-1.66), non-use of antenatal care (AOR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.07-1.66), children born in Baluchistan region (AOR = 1.74; 95% CI: 1.12-2.70) and delivery at home (AOR = 1.39; 95% CI: 1.14-1.69).

Conclusions
Despite governmental efforts to increase rates of immunization against childhood diseases, the proportion of incompletely immunized children in Pakistan is still high. Targeted interventions are needed to increase the immunization rates in Pakistan. These interventions need to concentrate on people with low socioeconomic and educational status in order to improve their knowledge of this topic.

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 8 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
From the parents’ perspective: a user-satisfaction survey of immunization services in Guatemala
Lissette Barrera, Silas Pierson Trumbo, Pamela Bravo-Alcántara, Martha Velandia-González and M Carolina Danovaro-Holliday
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:231  doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-231
Published: 6 March 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/231/abstract

Abstract (provisional)
Background
Immunization coverage levels in Guatemala have increased over the last two decades, but national targets of >=95% have yet to be reached. To determine factors related to undervaccination, Guatemala’s National Immunization Program conducted a user-satisfaction survey of parents and guardians of children aged 0-5 years. Variables evaluated included parental immunization attitudes, preferences, and practices; the impact of immunization campaigns and marketing strategies; and factors inhibiting immunization.

Methods
Based on administrative coverage levels and socio-demographic indicators in Guatemala’s 22 geographical departments, five were designated as low-coverage and five as high-coverage areas. Overall, 1194 parents and guardians of children aged 0-5 years were interviewed in these 10 departments. We compared indicators between low- and high-coverage areas and identified risk factors associated with undervaccination.

Results
Of the 1593 children studied, 29 (1.8%) were determined to be unvaccinated, 458 (28.8%) undervaccinated, and 1106 (69.4%) fully vaccinated. In low-coverage areas, children of less educated (no education: RR = 1.49, p = 0.01; primary or less: 1.39, p = 0.009), older (aged >39 years: RR =1.31, p = 0.05), and single (RR = 1.32, p = 0.03) parents were more likely to have incomplete vaccination schedules. Similarly, factors associated with undervaccination in high-coverage areas included the caregiver’s lack of education (none: RR = 1.72, p = 0.0007; primary or less: RR = 1.30, p = 0.05) and single marital status (RR = 1.36, p = 0.03), as well as the child’s birth order (second: RR = 1.68, p = 0.003). Although users generally approved of immunization services, problems in service quality were identified. According to participants, topics such as the risk of adverse events (47.4%) and next vaccination appointments (32.3%) were inconsistently communicated to parents. Additionally, 179 (15.0%) participants reported the inability to vaccinate their child on at least one occasion. Compared to high-coverage areas, participants in low-coverage areas reported poorer service, longer wait times, and greater distances to health centers. In high-coverage areas, participants reported less knowledge about the availability of services.

Conclusions
Generally, immunization barriers in Guatemala are related to problems in accessing and attaining high-quality immunization services rather than to a population that does not adequately value vaccination. We provide recommendations to aid the country in maintaining its achievements and addressing new challenges.

BMC Public Health
(Accessed 8 March 2014)
http://www.biomedcentral.com/bmcpublichealth/content

Research article
Vaccination coverage of children aged 12-23 months in Gaziantep, Turkey: comparative results of two studies carried out by lot quality technique: what changed after family medicine?
Birgul Ozcirpici, Neriman Aydin, Ferhat Coskun, Hakan Tuzun and Servet Ozgur
Author Affiliations
BMC Public Health 2014, 14:217  doi:10.1186/1471-2458-14-217
Published: 3 March 2014
http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/14/217/abstract

Abstract (provisional)
Background
Health care systems in many countries are changing for a variety of reasons. Monitoring of community-based services, especially vaccination coverage, is important during transition periods to ensure program effectiveness. In 2005, Turkey began a transformation from a “socialization of health services” system to a “family medicine” system. The family medicine system was implemented in the city of Gaziantep, in December, 2010.

Methods
Two descriptive, cross-sectional studies were conducted in Gaziantep city center; the first study was before the transition to the family medicine system and the second study was one year after the transition. The Lot Quality Technique methodology was used to determine the quality of vaccination services. The population studied was children aged 12-23 months. Data from the two studies were compared in terms of vaccination coverage and lot service quality to determine whether there were any changes in these parameters after the transition to a family service system.

Results
A total of 93.7% of children in Gaziantep were fully vaccinated before the transition. Vaccination rates decreased significantly to 84.0% (p <0.005) after the family medicine system was implemented. The number of unacceptable vaccine lots increased from 5 lots before the transition to 21 lots after the establishment of the family medicine system.

Cocclusions
The number of first doses of vaccine given was higher after family medicine was implemented; however, the numbers of second, third, and booster doses, and the number of children fully vaccinated were lower than before transition. Acceptable and unacceptable lots were not the same before and after the transition. Different health care personnel were employed at the lots after family medicine was implemented. This result suggests that individual characteristics of the health care personnel working in a geographic area are as important as the socioeconomic and cultural characteristics of the community.

Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayIssue?jid=DMP&tab=currentissue
2014 Feb 27:1-7. [Epub ahead of print]

Editorial
Conversations in Disaster Medicine and Public Health: The Profession
Frederick M. Burkle Jr
Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, Harvard University and Harvard School of Public Health, Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington, DC.
http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=9187305&fulltextType=ED&fileId=S1935789314000111
Abstract
Using historical and research examples of disaster and crisis science, I argue here for the professionalization of disaster medicine and public health as a unique and essential discipline in support of global public health security. Questions about clinical competencies of providers and reports of unacceptable practices and the limited scope of guidelines for foreign medical teams have persisted for years. The professionalization movement endorses a standard route to certification through the completion of a competency-based curriculum, demonstrating competency through examination or experience to produce a learning and development portfolio, document competency through the acquisition of experience and added training, and develop professional associations. These programs devise certification criteria for entry, mid-level, and higher level candidates who serve in domestic and global humanitarian crises.