Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 24 July 2019
Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan — three WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria —two circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2)-positive environmental samples;
:: Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) — four cVDPV2 cases.

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DRC – Ebola
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)

Disease Outbreak News (DONs}
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
25 July 2019
The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces in Democratic Republic of the Congo is ongoing amidst a complex crisis, and we continue to observe sustained local transmission and a high number of cases. Most notably, Beni Health Zone accounted for over half of all new cases reported in the last three weeks, as well as a number of cases and contacts that travelled to other health zones. This is the second wave of the outbreak in Beni Health Zone, and it is larger in case numbers and longer in duration than the first. New healthcare worker and nosocomial infections continue to be reported in Beni and other affected health zones, despite substantial infection prevention and control by multiple agencies during the last wave of the outbreak; a total of 141 (5% of total cases) have been reported to date.
The intensive follow-up of contacts of the confirmed case who arrived in Goma on 14 July (see the 18 July Disease Outbreak News) will continue until the end of the 21-day period. In response to this case, 19 health workers were deployed from other posts to Goma to provide support. Rumours of his contacts travelling to Bukavu, South Kivu, were investigated and ruled out by response teams. No new cases have been reported in Goma to date. There are currently no confirmed cases of EVD outside of the Democratic Republic of the Congo…

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World Bank Mobilizes US$300 Million to Finance the Ebola Response in Democratic Republic of Congo
WASHINGTON, July 24, 2019—The World Bank Group today announced that it is mobilizing up to US$300 million to scale up support for the global response to the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The announcement follows the declaration by the World Health Organization (WHO) that the current outbreak constitutes a Public Health Emergency of International Concern.
The US$300 million in grants and credits will be largely financed through the World Bank’s International Development Association (IDA) and its Crisis Response Window, which is designed to help countries respond to severe crises and return to their long-term development paths. The financing package will cover the Ebola-affected health zones in DRC and enable the government, WHO, UNICEF, WFP, IOM and other responders to step up the frontline health response, deliver cash-for-work programs to support the local economy, strengthen resilience in the affected communities, and contain the spread of this deadly virus…

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The United States Announces More Than $38 Million in Additional Assistance to Contain the Ebola Outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo
July 24, 2019
The United States, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is providing more than $38 million in additional assistance to help end the ongoing Ebola outbreak in the Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), including $15 million in new funding to the World Health Organization. This brings the total USAID funding for the response to Ebola to more than $136 million since the beginning of the outbreak in August 2018.

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Summary of new polio viruses this week:
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Four cases of circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) have been reported this week in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DR Congo): two from Kalonda-Ouest and one from  Nyanga, Kasai province, with onset of paralysis on 3, 7, and 5 June 2019; one from Tshumbe, Sankuru province, with onset of paralysis on 14 June 2019.  There are 15 reported cases of cVDPV2 in 2019. The total number of cVDPV2 cases reported in 2018 is 20.  DRC is currently affected by eight separate cVDPV2 outbreaks; one each originated in Haut Katanga, Mongala, Sankuru, two in Haut Lomami and three in Kasai provinces.

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Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.
WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 27 Jul 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
[See DRC Ebola+ above for detail]

Cyclone Idai – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 27 Jul 2019]

Iraq
:: WHO Regional Director in Iraq to reinforce WHO support as country enters transition to development phase 15 July 2019

Myanmar
:: Bi‐weekly Situation Report 14 – 18 July 2019 pdf, 737kb

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Measles in Europe – No new digest announcements identified
MERS-CoV – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017)
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 27 Jul 2019]

Chad
:: Partner meeting for the eradication of poliomyelitis in the Lake Chad Basin under the coordination and leadership of the WHO African region [in French] 30 June 2018

Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018 – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Humanitarian Update Syrian Arab Republic – Issue 04 | 25 July 2019
Upsurge in violence endangers 3 million people in northwest
The United Nations remains gravely concerned by the dramatic escalation of violence in northwest Syria which has resulted in over 400 civilians confirmed dead and hundreds of thousands of women, children and men displaced since the upsurge in violence began almost three months ago…

Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 20 July 2019

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

PDF-The Sentinel_ period ending 20 Jul 2019

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities   [see PDF]
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

DRC – Ebola/Cholera/Polio/Measles

Disease Outbreak News (DONs}
Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
18 July 2019
…The outbreak of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in North Kivu and Ituri provinces continued this past week with similar transmission intensity to recent weeks. While the stability of the transmission intensity of the outbreak is an indication of the strong response efforts to limit local transmission in affected health zones, the spread of EVD into new geographical areas and continued insecurity in the affected regions continue to complicate the control of the outbreak.

A salient example of this is the confirmed case of EVD that was reported in Goma, a city of approximately two million inhabitants close to the Rwandan border, on 14 July 2019. The case was a man who travelled to the city from Beni by bus, visiting a local health centre on arrival where the alert was raised. He transferred the same day to the Ebola Treatment Centre (ETC) in Goma, and died while being transferred to the ETC in Butembo. The case’s full travel history is known, and all contacts are being identified and followed-up. Vaccination of his contacts, and contacts of contacts, in Goma commenced on 15 July 2019. The confirmation of a case of EVD in the city of Goma had been long anticipated. Preparation activities, including the vaccination of health workers, intensive training in infection prevention and control, and heightened surveillance have been ongoing for more than six months. Neighbouring Rwanda is also conducting preparedness activities. Rumours of his contacts travelling to Bukavu, South Kivu, have been investigated and ruled out by response teams…

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Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern
17 July 2019 News release Geneva
WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus today declared the Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC).

“It is time for the world to take notice and redouble our efforts. We need to work together in solidarity with the DRC to end this outbreak and build a better health system,” said Dr. Tedros. “Extraordinary work has been done for almost a year under the most difficult circumstances. We all owe it to these responders — coming from not just WHO but also government, partners and communities — to shoulder more of the burden.”…

“It is important that the world follows these recommendations. It is also crucial that states do not use the PHEIC as an excuse to impose trade or travel restrictions, which would have a negative impact on the response and on the lives and livelihoods of people in the region,” said Professor Robert Steffen, chair of the Emergency Committee…

“This is about mothers, fathers and children – too often entire families are stricken. At the heart of this are communities and individual tragedies,” said Dr. Tedros. “The PHEIC should not be used to stigmatize or penalize the very people who are most in need of our help.”…

Migration Governance

United Nations Launches Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office to Support Cooperation on Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration
2019-07-17
New York – UN Member States and UN entities Tuesday (16/07) unveiled a new trust fund in support of achieving safe, orderly and regular migration.

The initiative, The Multi-Partner Trust Fund Office (MPTF), was called for by the Global Compact on Migration (GCM), adopted by the UN General Assembly in December 2018. The aim is to provide financing for innovative programmes designed to support States’ migration priorities, ensure the better protection of migrants, foster cooperation, and further the promotion of migration governance that benefits all.

“The Migration Fund can provide the impetus for all of us to take the next step; to bring the Migration Compact to life, to move us closer to realizing the SDGs, and to effect positive change in the field of migration,” explained Amina Mohammed, UN Deputy Secretary-General, at the launch held at the UNICEF’s New York headquarters.

For his part, António Vitorino—Director General of the International Organization for Migration and chair of the UN Network on Migration—compared the positive impacts of safe and regular migration with the ‘tremendous human and economic losses incurred when migration is poorly managed. DG Vitorino noted that migrants make up 3.4 per cent of the world population and contribute 10 per cent of global GDP, with 85 per cent of migrants’ earnings contributing to their host countries’s economies, and only a small proportion being remitted back to their homelands.

Nonetheless, migration today continues to be a life-threatening transaction for far too many men, women and children. According to UN figures, since 2014, over 32,000 migrants worldwide have lost their lives or gone missing along migratory routes. Many have fallen victim to trafficking, arbitrary detention and exploitative or forced labour. Many more victims remain unaccounted for.

Migration governance, DG. Vitorino added, is “one of the most urgent and profound tests of international cooperation in our time.”

DG Vitorino noted, too, that social discourse on migration currently is too often framed in binary terms: those in favour or against migration. Research shows, however, that migration is overwhelmingly positive for migrants and communities of origin, transit and destination–when managed in a safe, regular and orderly manner.

The Multi-Partner Trust Fund is open for contributions, with a target of USD 25 million for its first year of operations. Under the aegis of a representative Steering Committee comprising States, the UN system, and a broad range of partners, the Fund will facilitate the exchange of best practices and evidence-based migration policies.

The event was organized by the Chairs of the Friends of Migration group and the UN Migration Network, which brings together all UN entities working on migration. Find more information on the Migration MPTF here.

Global Health – Child Immunization

20 million children missed out on lifesaving measles, diphtheria and tetanus vaccines in 2018
New estimates find dangerous stagnation of global vaccination rates, due to conflict, inequality and complacency
NEW YORK/GENEVA, 15 July 2019 – 20 million children worldwide – more than 1 in 10 – missed out on lifesaving vaccines such as measles, diphtheria and tetanus in 2018, according to new data from WHO and UNICEF.

Globally, since 2010, vaccination coverage with three doses of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis (DTP3) and one dose of the measles vaccine has stalled at around 86 per cent. While high, this is not sufficient. 95 per cent coverage is needed – globally, across countries, and communities – to protect against outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases.

“Vaccines are one of our most important tools for preventing outbreaks and keeping the world safe,” said Director-General of the World Health Organization Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “While most children today are being vaccinated, far too many are left behind. Unacceptably, it’s often those who are most at risk– the poorest, the most marginalized, those touched by conflict or forced from their homes – who are persistently missed,” he said.

Most unvaccinated children live in the poorest countries and are disproportionately in fragile or conflict-affected states. Almost half are in just 16 countries – Afghanistan, the Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria and Yemen…

Food Security/Nutrition

Press release
Joint statement by the Principals of FAO, WHO, UNHCR, UNICEF, WFP and UN OCHA
14/07/2019 [
As principals of the United Nations humanitarian system, we have all looked into the blank stare and nearly lifeless body of a badly malnourished child, whose ever-so shallow breathing is often the only sign of life.

We have all been deeply affected when a child could not be saved.

But we have also witnessed the tireless work that United Nations staff and partners do every day – often in dangerous environments – so that children on the brink of death can recover and so that hungry children lacking enough nutritious food never fall to that level.

Every year, the United Nations provides 10 million children suffering from acute malnutrition (“wasting”) with services they need to recover, including nutrition treatment, treatment of infections such as diarrheal diseases, hygiene and sanitation services, and access to clean water and the nutritious diets needed for heathy growth. Two million malnourished pregnant women and new mothers received food supplementation to improve their nutrition and that of their baby.

Furthermore, the United Nations also supports millions more children every year so that they do not fall into a state of malnutrition, by promoting, protecting and supporting breastfeeding and adequate access to healthy and nutritious diet at all times.

Yet, after decades of falling, the number of hungry people in the world has increased in recent years. Now they number 820 million. In addition, nearly 50 million of children under the age of five are “wasted” – that is children suffering from acute malnutrition, marked by their being underweight for their height. And 149 million are “stunted” – that is suffering stunted growth in height and development caused by malnutrition.

For many children, undernutrition begins in the womb due to mothers not being able to access the healthy diets they need. The children who survive these risky pregnancies and the first critical months of life are more likely to have some form of malnutrition – being stunted or wasted – and millions suffer both forms at the same time. These children are much more likely to die before the age of 5 because their immunity to infections is weakened by a lack of nutrients. Those who survive may go on to suffer poor growth and mental development.

In many cases, their cognitive development is permanently impaired, and they perform worse in school and are less productive as adults. They are at greater risk of living a life in poverty, which means their children will be more likely to suffer the same fate. Breaking the intergenerational transmission cycle of malnutrition is key to eradicating malnutrition in all its forms and to reach Sustainable Development Goals by 2030.

The United Nations is working to put a more unified response in place. To draw attention to the growing problem of malnutrition and bring the international community together for an integrated response, the United Nations will launch the State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World tomorrow to share the latest information on the number of individuals in the world suffering from hunger and more importantly the number of children still wasted and stunted.

The United Nations is learning from existing studies to improve the tools we have to treat and prevent malnutrition. We are supporting research to ensure improvements to existing treatment guidelines are based on the best possible evidence.

In the light of that, the World Health Organization will publish comprehensive, updated guidelines on treating acute malnutrition (“wasting”) by the middle of 2021. We are working to build environments that ensure access to healthy and nutritious diets at all times and ensure families with acutely malnourished children can access life-saving treatments, including in their communities and outreach clinics so they do not have to travel up to hundreds of miles to get a child to a clinic.

More importantly, the United Nations is also working to prevent malnutrition with increased efforts, especially for households with infants and children, in livelihood development, social protection measures, and accessible health services that can result, increased consumption of healthy and nutritious diets, and healthy growth and development.

With conflict driving much of the growth in hunger and malnutrition in recent years, we are streamlining treatment and prevention for acute malnutrition in complex emergencies. Recognizing, however, that the larger burden of malnutrition in terms of absolute numbers affected is outside of conflict, we are also working with governments to enhance prevention and treatment programmes for all forms of malnutrition.

Before the end of the year, we will launch the UN Global Plan of Action on Wasting to underscore our commitment to global action over the next decade to stop malnutrition before it occurs and to give children the chance to reach their full potential, while ensuring that all children and women suffering from acute malnutrition receive the treatment they need.

To succeed, the United Nations is ready to support the member states to further develop and implement their policies, programmes and strategies, to address the burden of all forms of malnutrition. For success, we need the world’s commitment to be matched by the required funding. It is a good investment – for every dollar spent on preventing child malnutrition there is a US$16 return in reduced health costs and increase productivity.

The future of millions of children hangs in the balance. We must not let them down.

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The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2019
SAFEGUARDING AGAINST ECONOMIC SLOWDOWNS AND DOWNTURNS
FAO, 2019 :: 239 pages
Key Messages
:: Analysis of household and individual level data from selected countries across all regions shows that food insecurity plays an important role as a determinant of many different forms of malnutrition. In upper-middle and high-income countries in particular, living in a food-insecure household is a predictor of obesity in school-age children, adolescents, and adults.

:: Previous editions of this report show how conflict and climate variability and extremes are exacerbating the above trends. This year the report shows that the uneven pace of economic recovery and continuing poor economic performance in many countries after the 2008–2009 global economic downturn are also undermining efforts to end hunger and malnutrition. Episodes of financial stress, elevated trade tensions and tightening financial conditions are contributing to uncertain global economic prospects.

:: Hunger has increased in many countries where the economy has slowed down or contracted, mostly in middle-income countries. Furthermore, economic shocks are contributing to prolonging and worsening the severity of food crises caused primarily by conflict and climate shocks.

:: Out of 65 countries where recent adverse impacts of economic slowdowns and downturns on food security and nutrition have been strongest, 52 countries rely heavily on primary commodity exports and/or imports.

:: Economic slowdowns or downturns disproportionally undermine food security and nutrition where inequalities are greater. Income inequality increases the likelihood of severe food insecurity, and this effect is 20 percent higher for low-income countries compared with middle income countries. Income and wealth inequalities are also closely associated with undernutrition, while more complex inequality patterns are associated with obesity.

:: To safeguard food security and nutrition, it is critical to already have in place economic and social policies to counteract the effects of adverse economic cycles when they arrive, while avoiding cuts in essential services, such as health care and education, at all costs. In the longer term, however, this will only be possible through fostering pro-poor and inclusive structural transformation, particularly in countries that rely heavily on trade in primary commodities.

:: To ensure that structural transformation is pro-poor and inclusive requires integrating food security and nutrition concerns into poverty reduction efforts, while ensuring that reducing gender inequalities and social exclusion of population groups is either the means to, or outcome of, improved food security and nutrition.

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Press Release
World hunger is still not going down after three years and obesity is still growing – UN report
More than 820 million people are hungry globally
15 July 2019 News release
An estimated 820 million people did not have enough to eat in 2018, up from 811 million in the previous year, which is the third year of increase in a row. This underscores the immense challenge of achieving the Sustainable Development Goal of Zero Hunger by 2030, says a new edition of the annual The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report released today.

The pace of progress in halving the number of children who are stunted and in reducing the number of babies born with low birth weight is too slow, which also puts the SDG 2 nutrition targets further out of reach, according to the report.

At the same time, adding to these challenges, overweight and obesity continue to increase in all regions, particularly among school-age children and adults.

The chances of being food insecure are higher for women than men in every continent, with the largest gap in Latin America.

“Our actions to tackle these troubling trends will have to be bolder, not only in scale but also in terms of multisectoral collaboration,” the heads of the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the World Food Programme (WFP) and the World Health Organization (WHO) urged in their joint foreword to the report.

Hunger is increasing in many countries where economic growth is lagging, particularly in middle-income countries and those that rely heavily on international primary commodity trade. The annual UN report also found that income inequality is rising in many of the countries where hunger is on the rise, making it even more difficult for the poor, vulnerable or marginalized to cope with economic slowdowns and downturns.

“We must foster pro-poor and inclusive structural transformation focusing on people and placing communities at the centre to reduce economic vulnerabilities and set ourselves on track to ending hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition,” the UN leaders said.

Key facts and figures
:: Number of hungry people in the world in 2018: 821.6 million (or 1 in 9 people)  in Asia: 513.9 million
in Africa: 256.1million
in Latin America and the Caribbean: 42.5 million
:: Number of moderately or severely food insecure: 2 billion (26.4%)
:: Babies born with low birth weight: 20.5 million (one in seven)
:: Children under 5 affected by stunting (low height-for-age): 148.9 million (21.9%)
:: Children under 5 affected by wasting (low weight-for-height): 49.5 million (7.3%)
:: Children under 5 who are overweight (high weight-for-height): 40 million (5.9%)
:: School-age children and adolescents who are overweight: 338 million
:: Adults who are obese: 672 million (13% or 1 in 8 adults)

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 17 July 2019
:: In Central African Republic, a series of previously-detected/reported VDPV2s have now been officially classified as ‘circulating’.  Since initial detection of the viruses in May, the country had already operationally considered these viruses to represent an outbreak and implemented emergency outbreak response and declared the event to be a national public health emergency.
:: A cVDPV2 originating in Jigawa, Nigeria, continues to spread.  Genetically-linked virus has been confirmed from an environmental sample in Ghana.
:: In Myanmar, a cVDPV1 has been reported and response measures are being implemented.  Neighbouring countries have been informed of the confirmed cVDPV1, and surveillance for polioviruses is being strengthened across the region.  Myanmar had previously successfully stopped a cVDPV2 outbreak in 2015.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Afghanistan — one wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case and one WPV1-positive environmental sample;
:: Pakistan— four WPV1 cases and three WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Nigeria —three circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) cases, two cVDPV2-positive environmental samples, and one cVDPV2 isolated from a healthy contact;
:: Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) — five cVDPV2 cases;
:: Central African Republic (CAR) — three cVDPV2 cases, one case classified cVDPV2 based on a positive contact, and ten cVDPV2 community/close contacts ;
:: Angola — one cVDPV2 isolated from healthy child;
:: Ghana — one cVDPV2-positive environmental sample linked to Jigawa/Nigeria outbreak;
:: Myanmar — two cVDPV1 cases and two cVDPV1 positive contacts.

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Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.
WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 20 Jul 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo declared a Public Health Emergency of International Concern 19 July 2019
:: High-level meeting on the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of the Congo affirms support for Government-led response and UN system-wide approach 15 July 2019
:: 50: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 16 July 2019
:: Disease Outbreak News (DONs} Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
18 July 2019
[See DRC Ebola+ above for detail]

Syrian Arab Republic
:: Elizabeth Hoff: Seven years of tireless work in war-torn Syria 15 July 2019

Cyclone Idai – No new digest announcements identified
Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Nigeria – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 20 Jul 2019]

Measles in Europe
:: Vaccination against measles increases amid ongoing measles outbreaks in Europe 15-07-2019

MERS-CoV
:: Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) – The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
16 July 2019
From 1 through 31 May 2019, the National International Health Regulations (IHR) Focal Point of Saudi Arabia reported 14 additional cases of Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS-CoV) infection, including five deaths…

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
HIV in Pakistan – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Libya – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sao Tome and Principe Necrotizing Cellulitis (2017)
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified

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WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 20 Jul 2019]

Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018 – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

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UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth – No new digest announcements identified
EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

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The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 13 July 2019

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

PDF-The Sentinel_ period ending 13 Jul 2019

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities   [see PDF]
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

U.S. Detention of Migrants and Refugees – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights

Bachelet appalled by conditions of migrants and refugees in detention in the US
GENEVA (8 July 2019) – UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet said on Monday she is appalled by the conditions in which migrants and refugees – children and adults – are being held in detention in the United States of America after crossing the southern border. She stressed that children should never be held in immigration detention or separated from their families.

The High Commissioner stated that several UN human rights bodies have found that the detention of migrant children may constitute cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment that is prohibited by international law.*”

“As a paediatrician, but also as a mother and a former head of State, I am deeply shocked that children are forced to sleep on the floor in overcrowded facilities, without access to adequate healthcare or food, and with poor sanitation conditions,” High Commissioner Bachelet said.

“Detaining a child even for short periods under good conditions can have a serious impact on their health and development – consider the damage being done every day by allowing this alarming situation to continue.” The High Commissioner noted that immigration detention is never in the best interests of a child.

Noting the disturbing report by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General on the conditions in migrant centres along the southern border, Bachelet urged the authorities to find non-custodial alternatives for migrant and refugee children – and adults.

“Any deprivation of liberty of adult migrants and refugees should be a measure of last resort,” she said. If detention does take place, the High Commissioner emphasized, it should be for the shortest period of time, with due process safeguards and in conditions that fully meet all relevant international human rights standards.

“States do have the sovereign prerogative to decide on the conditions of entry and stay of foreign nationals. But clearly, border management measures must comply with the State’s human rights obligations and should not be based on narrow policies aimed only at detecting, detaining and expeditiously deporting irregular migrants,” she added.

“In most of these cases, the migrants and refugees have embarked on perilous journeys with their children in search of protection and dignity and away from violence and hunger. When they finally believe they have arrived in safety, they may find themselves separated from their loved ones and locked in undignified conditions. This should never happen anywhere.”

The UN Human Rights Office’s presences in Mexico and Central America have documented numerous human rights violations and abuses against migrants and refugees in transit, including the excessive use of force, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, family separation, denial of access to services, refoulement, and arbitrary expulsions.

The High Commissioner recognised the complexity of the situation and the challenges faced by States of origin, transit and destination. She called on them to work together to address the root causes compelling migrants to leave their homes by implementing crosscutting policies that take into account the complex drivers of migration. These include insecurity, sexual and gender-based violence, discrimination, poverty, the adverse impacts of climate change and environmental degradation.

Bachelet also paid tribute to individuals and civil society organisations that have been providing migrants with the most basic of rights, such as the rights to water, food, health, adequate shelter and other such assistance.

“The provision of lifesaving assistance is a human rights imperative that must be respected at all times and for all people in need – it is inconceivable that those who seek to provide such support would risk facing criminal charges,” she said.

* See relevant standards adopted by various UN human rights bodies, including the CMW, CRC, the Special Rapporteur on migrants and torture:
https://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session28/Documents/A_HRC_28_68__Add_3_ENG.doc and
https://tbinternet.ohchr.org/_layouts/15/treatybodyexternal/Download.aspx?symbolno=CRC/C/GC/22&Lang=en

Development Aid – Media Freedom

UK aid “bold new support” to promote media freedom around the world
UK aid will help media experts, charities, the private sector and academics, to pioneer new approaches to keeping media outlets free and independent.
From: Department for International Development
Updated: 10 July 2019
A new UK aid package is to help promote media freedom in developing countries around the world, International Development Minister Harriet Baldwin has announced today (10 July 2019)…

Last year was the worst on record for violence and abuse against journalists. In more than half of such attacks over the year journalists were deliberately targeted. There was also a 15% increase in the killing of journalists in 2018, compared to 2017, according to Reporters without Borders.

In the last 15 years, over 1,000 professional journalists have been killed for doing their job around the world.

This, combined with political and commercial pressures, has led to a global crisis in independent media outlets in developing countries.

International Development Minister Harriett Baldwin said:
:: At a time when journalists are attacked in record numbers, and too many independent media organisations are collapsing or threatened by political interests, today’s aid package could not be more crucial.

:: UK aid will help media experts, charities, the private sector and academics, to pioneer bold new approaches to keeping media outlets free and independent, and give them the power to report the truth.

:: This is in everyone’s interests. If people are able to hold their governments to account using reliable information, they can better understand their rights and demand better services, such as healthcare and education…

This new support will build on DFID’s existing work to protect media freedom in developing countries, which has already helped to give 283.5 million people in 15 fragile, poor and conflict affected countries access to TV, radio, and online outlets, whilst supporting 135 stations to strengthen their content to help citizens understand their rights and hold government and other power holders to account…

Governance – International Standards Around Sexual Exploitation, Abuse, Harassment in Development Contexts

Donor countries set international standard for preventing sexual exploitation, abuse, and harassment in development sector
13/07/2019 – Members of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) – 29 donor countries and the EU – agreed on a comprehensive set of recommendations aimed at preventing sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment in the aid sector.

The DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance: Key Pillars of Prevention and Response sets out a first international standard in this area for governments to apply to national aid agencies when working with civil society, charities, and other bodies running development programs or delivering humanitarian aid. It should help countries become better equipped to improve systems to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct in the development sector, with a clear framework that puts survivors and victims first.

“Today is momentous for the DAC and for the entire development community. The DAC is the first multilateral body to agree to hold ourselves to account in the battle to eradicate sexual exploitation and abuse,” said DAC Chair Susanna Moorehead, after the 30 DAC members adopted the text on 12 July 2019. “But success depends on DAC members actually implementing this Recommendation, as well as a cultural shift in organisations and a permanent behavioural change by perpetrators.”

“This is a clear acknowledgement that the entire development co-operation community is accountable for the deplorable abuses by some aid workers against people in the most vulnerable contexts,” said Jorge Moreira da Silva, OECD Director of Development Co-operation. “Long-overdue fixes need to be made at every point of the responsibility chain – in aid policies, aid delivery, and support for victims and survivors.”

The DAC Recommendation, which non-DAC donor countries can also adhere to, states that countries should:
:: Develop policies, strategies and work plans to prevent sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, designed to meet set goals and standards. It should be made clear that failure to respond appropriately to incidents of abuse will not be tolerated.

:: Develop Codes of Conduct or Ethical Standards that provide explicit standards and regulations to prevent and respond to sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and ensure they are communicated to staff and senior management in developing agencies, as well as to developing country partners.

:: Develop reporting and response protocols with clear guidelines for staff on when and to whom to report, and how senior management can respond in a confidential and sensitive manner that puts victims and survivors first.

:: Provide integrated and safe response and protection for those who report sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment, and develop guidance and minimum standards for assisting victims and survivors, including with financing support.

:: Establish reporting and response systems and procedures for the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. These should include internal complaint and investigation procedures, anonymous reporting mechanisms, protection from retaliation for whistleblowers and those affected by abuse, and human resources practices that prevent the hiring of perpetrators, for example through enhanced background screening.

While not legally binding, DAC Recommendations – such as the DAC Recommendation on the Humanitarian-Development-Peace Nexus – represent a strong political commitment to the principles and policy recommendations they contain on behalf of DAC members. In addition, the DAC Recommendation instructs the OECD’s Network on Gender Equality to monitor its implementation and report thereon to the DAC no later than five years following its adoption and at least every ten years thereafter.

The full text of the DAC Recommendation, together with relevant background information, is available on the OECD Compendium of Legal Instruments: DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Harassment in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance.

The OECD’s DAC is a forum for donor countries to agree on international principles, rules and other standards for international development. The DAC also publishes data and analysis on official aid flows, carries out Peer Reviews of DAC members’ performance in delivering development assistance and prepares policy guidance through its networks and partnerships.

Heritage Stewardship – Wildlife

Wildlife trafficking: Organized crime hit hard by joint WCO-INTERPOL global enforcement operation
10 July 2019
A joint worldwide customs and police operation has resulted in the seizure of large quantities of protected flora and fauna across every continent.

From 4 to 30 June, the World Customs Organization (WCO) and INTERPOL coordinated Operation Thunderball, with police and customs administrations leading joint enforcement operations against wildlife crime across 109 countries.

A team of customs and police officers together coordinated global enforcement activities from an Operations Coordination Centre at INTERPOL’s Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore.

Intelligence and risk indicators compiled prior to the Operation assisted Customs administrations to perform improved case selection, and guided frontline Customs and Police officers, as well as wildlife authorities, to target specific high-risk routings, conveyances and commodities, with a specific focus on unlawful activities with a transnational dimension.

Worldwide environmental impact
Initial results have led to the identification of almost 600 suspects, triggering arrests worldwide. Further arrests and prosecutions are foreseen as ongoing investigations progress.

1,828 seizures were made during the Operation, including:
23 live primates;
30 big cats and large quantities of animal parts;
440 pieces of elephant tusks and an additional 545 Kg of ivory;
Five rhino horns;
More than 4,300 birds;
Just under 1,500 reptiles and nearly 10,000 turtles and tortoises;
Almost 7,700 wildlife parts from all species;
2,550 cubic metres of timber (equivalent to 74 truckloads);
More than 2,600 plants;
Almost 10,000 marine wildlife items…

Governance – Corruption

Global Corruption Barometer – Africa 2019 – CITIZENS’ VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF CORRUPTION
The 10th edition of the Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, reveals that while most people in Africa feel corruption increased in their country, a majority also feel optimistic that they, as citizens, can make a difference in the fight against corruption.
Transparency International 2019 :: 68 pages
PDF: https://www.transparency.org/files/content/pages/2019_GCB_Africa.pdf

Key Findings
01 Corruption is on the rise
More than half (55 per cent) of all citizens think that corruption increased in the previous 12
months. Only 23 per cent think it declined.

02 Many governments are failing to do enough
Only one in three citizens (34 per cent) thinks their government is doing a good job at fighting corruption, while 59 per cent rate their government’s performance as bad.

03 Concerns about the integrity of public officials remain high
Among key public institutions, police are most widely seen as corrupt: 47 per cent of people say most or all police are corrupt. But also almost four in 10 citizens think most or all government officials (39 per cent) and parliamentarians (36 per cent) are corrupt. These results are consistent with the last
round of findings in 2015, where citizens similarly thought that the police were the most corrupt institution.

04 Bribery demands are a regular occurrence for many
More than one in four citizens who accessed public services, such as health care and education, paid a bribe in the previous year. This is equivalent to approximately 130 million people.

05 People’s experience with bribery varies
Men are slightly more likely to pay a bribe than women, the poorest people are twice as likely to pay a bribe as the richest people, and young people aged 18-34 are more likely to pay a bribe than people
aged 55 and over.

06 Despite fears of retaliation, citizens can make a difference
Two-thirds of citizens fear retaliation if they report corruption. Yet, despite this, more than half of citizens surveyed (53 per cent) think ordinary people can make a difference in the fight against corruption…

.

Press Release
One in four people in Africa pay bribes to access services, survey says
Corruption disproportionately affects the poor and young
11 Jul 2019 Issued by Transparency International Secretariat

The tenth edition of Global Corruption Barometer (GCB) – Africa, released on African Anti-Corruption Day by Transparency International in partnership with Afrobarometer, reveals that more than half of all citizens surveyed in 35 African countries think corruption is getting worse in their country. Fifty-nine per cent of people think their government is doing badly at tackling corruption.
The largest and most detailed survey of citizens’ views on bribery and other forms of corruption in Africa, the survey asked 47,000 citizens in 35 countries about their perceptions of corruption and direct experiences of bribery.

The results show more than 1 in 4 people who accessed public services, such as health care and education, paid a bribe in the previous year. This is equivalent to approximately 130 million people.
The report also highlights that corruption disproportionately affects the most vulnerable, with the poorest paying bribes twice as often as the richest. Young people pay more bribes than those over 55 years old.

“Corruption is hindering Africa’s economic, political and social development. It is a major barrier to economic growth, good governance and basic freedoms, like freedom of speech or citizens’ right to hold governments to account,” said Patricia Moreira, Managing Director of Transparency International. “While governments have a long way to go in regaining citizens’ trust and reducing corruption, these things don’t exist in a vacuum. Foreign bribery and money laundering divert critical resources away from public services, and ordinary citizens suffer most.”…

Featured Journal Content

PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases
http://www.plosntds.org/
(Accessed 13 Jul 2019)
Viewpoints
Globalists versus nationalists: Bridging the divide through blue marble health
Peter J. Hotez
| published 11 Jul 2019 PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0007156

With the launch of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the year 2000, and later continuing through the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) begun in 2016, we have been living in a time of globalism, marked by unprecedented levels of overseas development assistance from wealthy nations, especially the group of seven (G7) nations. A key element of both the MDGs and SDGs is health, with the recognition that poor health represents a major driver of poverty because of its disproportionate impact on economic productivity, child development, and the vitality and security of girls and women. Therefore, perhaps the biggest impact of this 21st century globalism has been the rise of a new era of global health, marked by the creation of new institutions such as the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, and the Vaccine Alliance and an unprecedented level of financial support to provide access to essential medicines and preventive measures for HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria through the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria; the United States President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); and the US President’s Malaria Initiative (PMI). There has also been substantial US government assistance for neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) through the US Agency for International Development (USAID) NTD Program and its United Kingdom counterpart, the Department for International Development (DFID), so that now more than 1 billion people receive treatment annually with a “rapid impact” package of medicines [1, 2].

But as we enter the third decade of this new century, we have also seen the rise of a new nationalism in a number of large and important countries and populations [3, 4]. The most notable example perhaps is the 2016 election of President Donald Trump, whose Make America Great Again initiatives focus on economic protectionism and a transactional foreign policy that emphasizes immediate gains. The US is not alone in its pivot to nationalistic activities and conservatism. The Brazilian government, led by newly elected Jair Bolsonaro, vows to be tough on crime while loosening environmental protections and placing former military leaders in key leadership positions [5]. Similarly, in Europe, we’re seeing new nationalist regimes ascend in Italy and Hungary and in a post-Brexit England, while Steve Bannon, President Trump’s former America First advisor, is regrouping nationalist parties in several countries on the European continent [3]. Globalist–nationalist divides are also deepening across Asia and Africa, in Indonesia, Thailand, and South Africa, and elsewhere [3].

A concern is that these new nationalist trends could curtail or halt the expansions in global health that we have witnessed over the previous 2 decades. Ultimately, there is a fear that retreating from globalism might go hand in hand with abandoning the United Nations Global Goals for health and international development.

However, in a series of articles published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Disease, PLOS Medicine, and elsewhere [6–10], and later in a single-author book [11], I have highlighted a new global health trend, which could still resonate with nationalist regimes. The concept “blue marble health” refers to my findings that most of the world’s poverty-related neglected diseases, including the NTDs and the “big three” diseases—HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria—are in fact most widely prevalent in the group of 20 (G20) economies [6–11]. Specifically, these diseases predominate among the poor living in impoverished areas located near and amid wealth. Such individuals are sometimes also referred to as the “poorest of the rich” [12].

As many of the G20 nations, including the US, Brazil, Indonesia, and the European countries, grow their nationalist movements, it’s worth highlighting the fact that their poorest populations now account for most of the world’s poverty-related neglected diseases. The fact that neglected diseases represent significant drains on national economies and actually have been shown to promote poverty [1] suggests that their control or elimination should become priorities for government leaders and stakeholders. Indeed, one of the most cost-effective means to accelerate G20 economies would be through NTD control and elimination [11]. Because the G20 gross domestic products (GDPs) constitute most of the global economy, neglected disease reductions could become the most straightforward way to promote global economic development.

Could blue marble health become an important theme to mediate the differences between the globalists and nationalists (Fig 1)?

Clearly, the G20 nations, even under nationalist regimes, might benefit from blue marble health policies. However, this can occur only if nationalism does not drive up disease because of political destabilization, emigration, and loss of potential markets due to negative economic consequences.

It’s also critical that nationalism among the G20 nations does not ignore the rest of the world. What about the remaining deeply impoverished and often conflict-ridden nations at the bottom? The fact that roughly two-thirds of the world’s neglected diseases occur among the G20 [11] must not become an excuse to restrict neglected disease elimination efforts exclusively to the enlightened self-interests of nationalist regimes in a new world order. Control of the NTDs and big three diseases in Africa and the poorest countries of Asia still depends heavily on overseas development assistance through mechanisms of USAID; DFID; PEPFAR; PMI; and The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM). Therefore, advancing global health advocacy and policies will need to proceed on two fronts: continuing current assistance activities for the world’s poorest nations while expanding the blue marble health concept among the G20.

G20 outreach and blue marble health also extends to the research and development (R&D) agenda for new drugs, diagnostics, vaccines, and vector control technologies [11]. Currently, the overwhelming global health R&D expenditures arise from the US, UK, and a handful of European nations together with some newer activities through the Japanese Global Health Innovation Technology (GHIT) and Korean Research in Global Health Technology (RIGHT) funds. Accelerating global health R&D expenditures to include the underachievers in this area, such as Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa (the BRICS) is also fundamental to addressing blue marble health.

There are worries that the current nationalist and neoconservative movements could undermine the global health initiatives and outreach that have served us so well since 2000. Blue marble health could become an important health policy framework to mediate the new globalist–nationalist divides.
[References at title link above]

Emergencies

POLIO
Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC)
Polio this week as of 10 July 2019
:: A circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus type 2 (cVDPV2) has been confirmed in China. It is genetically linked to a VDPV2 isolated from an environmental sample from Xinjiang province, collected on 18 April 2018.  WHO is continuing to evaluate the situation and stands ready to support the ongoing investigation and risk assessment by national authorities.

Summary of new viruses this week:
:: Pakistan — nine wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases and 3 WPV1-positive environmental samples;
:: Angola —  one circulating vaccine-derived poliovirus  (cVDPV2) case;
:: China – one cVDPV2 case. See country sections below for more details.

::::::
::::::

Editor’s Note:
WHO has posted a refreshed emergencies page which presents an updated listing of Grade 3,2,1 emergencies as below.
WHO Grade 3 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]

Democratic Republic of the Congo
:: 49: Situation report on the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu 9 July 2019
:: Disease Outbreak News (DONs} Ebola virus disease – Democratic Republic of the Congo
11 July 2019
[See DRC Ebola+ above for detail]

Yemen
:: Outbreak update – Cholera in Yemen, 30 June 2019
8 July 2019 – The Ministry of Public Health and Population of Yemen reported 21,865 suspected cases of cholera with 13 associated deaths during epidemiological week 26 (24 to 30 June) of 2019. Thirteen percent of cases were severe. The cumulative total number of suspected cholera cases from 1 January 2018 to 30 June 2019 is 823,221, with 1210 associated deaths (CFR 0.13%). Children under five represent 23.0% of total suspected cases during 2019. The outbreak has affected 22 of 23 governorates and 299 of 333 districts in Yemen…

Nigeria
:: Nigeria intensifies cross border immunization, with special focus on nomadic populations 
Kano, 8 July, 2019 – In renewed efforts to vaccinate children traversing in and out of Nigeria, the World Health Organization (WHO) is supporting the government in an initiative to improve supplemental and routine immunization activities in the North Western region, which has a significant nomadic population.
Nomadic pastoralists live beyond the reach of established health care programs that are designed to serve sedentary populations. As a result, these groups are often under-immunized and out of the reach of existing disease surveillance activities.
Speaking on the intervention, Mallam Gwanda Mairakuma of Maiadua local government in Niger Republic said that, “with this intensified commitment, vaccination activities have reduced the number of complications associated with Measles infection on our children”…

Mozambique floods – No new digest announcements identified
Myanmar – No new digest announcements identified
Somalia – No new digest announcements identified
South Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Syrian Arab Republic – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

WHO Grade 2 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]

Libya
:: Medical aid accelerated as Libya crisis intensifies 6 July 2019

MERS-CoV
:: Worldwide reduction in MERS cases and deaths since 2016 8 July 2019
The World Health Organization and colleagues from the University of Oxford, Imperial College London and Institut Pasteur* have estimated that, since 2016, 1 465 cases of Middle East Respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and between 300 and 500 deaths may have been averted due to accelerated global efforts to detect infections early and reduce transmission.
In 2012, a novel virus that had not previously been seen in humans was identified for the first time in a resident from Saudi Arabia. The virus, now known as MERS-CoV, has, as of 31 May 2019, infected more than 2 442 people worldwide. MERS-CoV is a respiratory virus that can cause severe disease and has been fatal in approximately 35% of patients to date. MERS is zoonotic and people are infected from direct or indirect contact with dromedary camels. While the virus has demonstrated limited ability to transmit between people outside of hospitals, it has repeatedly caused large scale outbreaks in health care facilities with severe health, security and economic impacts, most notably in Saudi Arabia in 2014-2016 and the Republic of Korea in 2015. The outbreak in the Republic of Korea in 2015 involved 186 cases and 38 deaths, and had an estimated economic impact of US$12 billion.
In a research letter published in the journal Emerging Infectious Diseases on 8 July 2019, the researchers analyze case-based data on laboratory-confirmed MERS-CoV infections reported to WHO since 2012…

Afghanistan – No new digest announcements identified
Bangladesh – Rakhine conflict – No new digest announcements identified
Cameroon – No new digest announcements identified
Central African Republic – No new digest announcements identified
Cyclone Idai – No new digest announcements identified
Ethiopia – No new digest announcements identified
Iran floods 2019 – No new digest announcements identified
Iraq – No new digest announcements identified
Malawi floods – No new digest announcements identified
Niger – No new digest announcements identified
occupied Palestinian territory – No new digest announcements identified
Sudan – No new digest announcements identified
Ukraine – No new digest announcements identified
Zimbabwe – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

WHO Grade 1 Emergencies [to 13 Jul 2019]

Angola – No new digest announcements identified
Chad – No new digest announcements identified
Djibouti – No new digest announcements identified
Indonesia – Sulawesi earthquake 2018 – No new digest announcements identified
Kenya – No new digest announcements identified
Mali – No new digest announcements identified
Namibia – viral hepatitis – No new digest announcements identified
Tanzania – No new digest announcements identified

::::::
::::::

UN OCHA – L3 Emergencies
The UN and its humanitarian partners are currently responding to three ‘L3’ emergencies. This is the global humanitarian system’s classification for the response to the most severe, large-scale humanitarian crises. 
Syrian Arab Republic
:: Syrian Arab Republic: Recent Developments in Northwestern Syria Situation Report No. 7 – as of 12 July 2019
HIGHLIGHTS
:: …Humanitarian response is ongoing with hundreds of thousands of people receiving critical assistance essential for their survival. Violence in areas directly affected by conflict is driving displacement into denselypopulated areas, putting a strain on service delivery for humanitarian actors. A joint assessment is currently being finalized that will provide an overview of needs in the most affected areas.
:: Civilian infrastructure, including humanitarian facilities, continues to be damaged or destroyed in the violence. In the last two weeks, at least four medical facilities have been impacted by the violence, with several other unconfirmed reports, as well as a water station serving over 80,000 people, and several schools, IDP settlements, markets and bakeries.

Yemen – No new digest announcements identified

::::::

UN OCHA – Corporate Emergencies
When the USG/ERC declares a Corporate Emergency Response, all OCHA offices, branches and sections provide their full support to response activities both at HQ and in the field.
Editor’s Note:
Ebola in the DRC has bene added as a OCHA “Corporate Emergency” this week:
CYCLONE IDAI and Kenneth
:: Southern Africa: Cyclones Idai and Kenneth Snapshot, as of 10 July 2019.

EBOLA OUTBREAK IN THE DRC – No new digest announcements identified

The Sentinel

Human Rights Action :: Humanitarian Response :: Health :: Education :: Heritage Stewardship ::
Sustainable Development
__________________________________________________
Week ending 6 July 2019

This weekly digest is intended to aggregate and distill key content from a broad spectrum of practice domains and organization types including key agencies/IGOs, NGOs, governments, academic and research institutions, consortia and collaborations, foundations, and commercial organizations. We also monitor a spectrum of peer-reviewed journals and general media channels. The Sentinel’s geographic scope is global/regional but selected country-level content is included. We recognize that this spectrum/scope yields an indicative and not an exhaustive product. Comments and suggestions should be directed to:

David R. Curry
Editor
GE2P2 Global Foundation – Governance, Evidence, Ethics, Policy, Practice
david.r.curry@ge2p2center.net

PDF-The Sentinel_ period ending 6 Jul 2019

Contents
:: Week in Review  [See selected posts just below]
:: Key Agency/IGO/Governments Watch – Selected Updates from 30+ entities   [see PDF]
:: INGO/Consortia/Joint Initiatives Watch – Media Releases, Major Initiatives, Research:: Foundation/Major Donor Watch -Selected Updates
:: Journal Watch – Key articles and abstracts from 100+ peer-reviewed journals  [see PDF]

Libya

Secretary-General Condemns Killing of Migrants, Refugees in Libya Air Strikes, Noting United Nations Gave Warring Parties Detention Centre’s Coordinates
3 July 2019 SG/SM/19652
The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General is outraged by reports that at least 44 migrants and refugees, including women and children, have been killed and more than 130 injured following air strikes at the Tajoura migrant detention centre, east of Tripoli. He condemns this horrendous incident in the strongest terms. He expresses his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a quick recovery to those injured.

The Secretary-General calls for an independent investigation of the circumstances of this incident, to ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice, noting that the United Nations had provided exact coordinates of the detention centre to the parties. The Secretary-General further reminds all parties of their obligations under international humanitarian law to take all feasible precautions to avoid, and in any event to minimize, incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects, and to refrain from directing attacks against civilians. This incident underscores the urgency to provide all refugees and migrants with safe shelter until their asylum claims can be processed or they can be safely repatriated.

The Secretary-General reiterates his call for an immediate ceasefire in Libya and a return to political dialogue.

Poverty – Development

The Poverty Alleviation Coalition
In 2019 an unprecedented 71.4 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes. To compound matters, 85% of 25.1 million refugees globally are hosted in developing countries. 25% live in the least developed countries. Here, refugees and host communities alike often find themselves enduring extreme poverty and scarce economic opportunities. Further, the majority of refugees worldwide live in protracted situations for five years or more, making most refugees less suited for emergency relief than for longer term solutions.

With an average of 30 persons being forcibly displaced every minute of every day, both refugees, nationals in host communities, and host country governments experience increasing social and economic pressure. In addition to new and protracted conflicts, climate change impacts will significantly add to the numbers of the forcibly displaced in coming years. Refugees and nationals in host communities are often forced into informal employment without regular earnings and social protection, thus, leaving many with little resilience to shocks and highly dependent on humanitarian aid. In locations where the level of poverty of refugees and host communities is on par, disparities in access to relief, resources and infrastructure often create pressure on refugees and nationals alike. This in turn puts fiscal and political pressures on hosting governments and social services, particularly in low-income countries.

Enabling refugees to work in their host country has received renewed attention in the past years as a way to combine development needs of host communities and countries with the humanitarian needs of refugees. When refugees are able to work, their self-reliance is enhanced, and they are able to provide for themselves and their families, increase resilience, regain dignity, and build independent and meaningful future. Ultimately, access to livelihoods and jobs enables the impoverished to meet their needs for protection, food security, health, housing, and other essential services in a safe, sustainable, and dignified manner. A growing body of evidence suggests that including refugees in local economies contributes to economic growth, and can thus be mutually beneficial for refugees and host communities. Overall, access to work reduces pressure on refugees and hosts locally, contributes to economic growth, and therefore eases pressure on the host country as a whole.

In December 2018 the United Nations adopted the Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) in which member states committed to the objectives of reducing pressure on host countries and enhancing refugee self-reliance. This is to be achieved by increased international burden and responsibility sharing, and by mobilizing the international community and stakeholders as a whole. In line with the 2030 Agenda’s Sustainable Development Goals, the Compact calls for alleviating poverty which is itself a significant root cause of large refugee populations.

In response to the global poverty situation among refugees and nationals in host communities, and in line with the GCR spirit, a coalition between the UNHCR, The World Bank Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) and 11 NGOs has been formed with the goal of alleviating poverty for refugees and host communities in selected countries.

The partners are:
World Vision
Mercy Corps
Concern Worldwide
BOMA Project
Caritas Suisse
GOAL
BRAC
HIAS
Trickle Up
Village Enterprise
Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC).

,

The Poverty Alleviation Coalition
Vision
A coalition of UNHCR, The World Bank Partnership for Economic Inclusion (PEI) and 11 NGOs will work towards the common vision of increasing self-reliance, economic and social inclusion of refugees & host communities by sustainably increasing income-earning opportunities.

500,000 households
Alleviating poverty of half a million households consisting of refugees and host communities as an objective within 5 years. The Coalition will run two cohorts from 2020-2025. This is a direct response to the high levels of poverty among refugees and host communities in low income countries.

The Graduation Approach
The Graduation Approach will guide the coalition’s response. The approach combines humanitarian and development assistance and helps the extremely poor refugees and host communities to become self-reliant. The methodology is developed by BRAC and show impressive results with 95% of participants graduating out of poverty. A programme is typically 18-36 months.

35 countries
The Coalition has a target of reaching 35 countries across Africa, Asia, Europe and Latin America from 2020-2025. Target households are in areas where both refugees and nationals live in poverty and close proximity. Fundraising is ongoing.

Parallel funding
Parallel funding where donors fund implementing NGOs directly is the Coalition’s modality. UNHCR and PEI will be the main conveners by facilitating access to populations, supporting programming and fundraising, as well as monitoring and evaluation of the Coalition’s programmes.

US$ 1,400/household
The approximate cost of alleviating a household of extreme poverty is on average US$ 1,400. To meet the coalition’s goal of alleviating 500,000 households, the annual need is an average of USD 140 million annually for 5 years (totaling US$ 700 million).

SDGs – Health Financing

High-Performance Health-Financing for Universal Health Coverage: Driving Sustainable, Inclusive Growth in the 21st Century
World Bank
Publication June 27, 2019 :: 82 pages
PDF: http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/641451561043585615/
Overview
Just over a decade out from the SDG deadline of 2030, many developing countries are not on track to meet Universal Health Coverage (UHC) targets to ensure access to quality, affordable health services to all. People in developing countries pay over half a trillion dollars annually out-of-pocket for health services, which is pushing about 100 million people into extreme poverty each year. The evidence is strong that progress towards UHC would spur not just better health but also inclusive and sustainable economic growth, yet this report estimates that in 2030 there will be a UHC financing gap of $176 billion in the 54 poorest countries. This threatens decades-long progress on health, endangers countries’ long-term economic prospects, and makes them more vulnerable to pandemic risks. This report, launched to inform the first-ever G20 Finance and Health Ministers session in Osaka, Japan in June 2019, lays out an action agenda for countries and development partners to bridge the UHC financing gap, and makes a strong case for a focus on innovation in health financing over the next decade.

Education

World Bank, UNESCO Institute for Statistics Join Forces to Help Countries Measure Student Learning
PARIS July 4, 2019 – The World Bank and UNESCO Institute for Statistics (UIS) today announced a new partnership to help countries strengthen their learning assessment systems, better monitor what students are learning in internationally-comparable ways and improve the breadth and quality of global data on education.

This partnership is part of a collaborative effort to tackle the global learning crisis marked by the slowdown in the improvement of access to education in recent years – leaving over 262 million children, adolescents and youth out of school— and hundreds of millions who are in school but not learning enough.

“Over half of the world’s children cannot read and understand a simple story by the age of 10 – this is unacceptable. Reading and numeracy are rights and must be tackled, urgently, to ensure children can develop the fundamental skills necessary for building the strong and resilient economies of the future,” said Jaime Saavedra, World Bank Global Director for Education. “Many countries do not undertake the systematic measurement of learning needed to track progress and inform education policies. Without this data, policymakers are flying blind. This partnership will help ensure that countries have the right tools to measure learning and to close the data gaps underpinning the global learning crisis,” said Saavedra.

“Our focus is on supporting developing countries to strengthen their national assessments and on working with other international partners and countries to generate the necessary consensus to produce the best education statistics necessary for an evidence-based policymaking process,” said Stefania Giannini, Assistant Director-General for Education of UNESCO. “This partnership will allow us to collaborate on supporting countries with the tools and technical support they need to track progress towards the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), to see what is working, what challenges remain, and where improvements can be made.”

Both the Sustainable Development Goal on inclusive, equitable and quality Education and the education-related component of the World Bank’s Human Capital Index (HCI) released last year provide an impetus for measuring learning outcomes in internationally comparable ways, and over time.

The partnership will harness key global initiatives of the two institutions to strengthen countries’ national capacity for the design, administration and analysis of large-scale national learning assessments. The UIS is leading global efforts to expand internationally comparable data on learning outcomes, leveraging countries’ national measurement efforts. The World Bank is developing a Global Education Policy Dashboard to enable countries to monitor how well their education systems are oriented toward improving learning and educational attainment for all children…