Policy News

Reuters: Sugar technology keeps vaccines stable in the heat
Reuters reports that British scientists have found a cheap and simple way of keeping vaccines stable, even at tropical temperatures, which they say could transform immunization campaigns in the developing world. The technology developed in part by Oxford University scientists would remove the need for costly infrastructure, like fridges and freezers that require power and can break down. According to Reuters, the research team managed to store two different virus-based vaccines on sugar-stabilized membranes for up to six months without the medicines being damaged. Said one researcher, “If you could ship vaccines at normal temperatures, you would greatly reduce cost and hugely improve access to vaccines. You could even picture someone with a backpack taking vaccine doses on a bike into remote villages.”

The Times: Aid doesn’t just save lives: it’s good for us too (Op-Ed)
British Shadow Secretary of State for International Development, Andrew Mitchell, argues that in addition to foreign aid saving millions of lives, it is also a smart strategic move in terms of ramping up national security. According to Mitchell, “If we want to find a more resilient solution to terrorism and failed states, stem the flow of economic migrants to our shores and tackle the scourge of the drugs trade and cross-border crime, we must promote development and security around the world. This is a practical as much as a moral imperative.” Mitchell maintained that this argument appeals to both left and right-wing politicians, emphasizing that in a globalised world, effective aid is not a zero-sum game.

The Guardian: Gordon Brown calls on developed world to honor Gleneagles aid pledges
The Guardian reports that British Prime Minister Gordon Brown urged rich governments to honor their obligations to the developing world today, as it emerged that overseas aid has fallen $21 billion short of the promises made at the Gleneagles summit five years ago. The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, which collates the definitive figures, revealed that aid has increased by an impressive 35% since 2004, suggesting that the G8 meeting in 2005 did deliver a substantial boost to the world’s poor; but there is still a large gap between promises made then and today’s reality. Said Brown, “Some of the shortfall is due to reduced growth during the global recession. But I do not believe there can be any excuse for denying money promised to the poorest people on our planet.”

The Guardian: Big firms drop support for US climate bill
The Guardian reports that President Barack Obama suffered a setback to his green energy agenda today when three major corporations – including BP America – dropped out of a coalition of business groups and environmental organizations that had been pressing Congress to pass climate change legislation. According to the paper, the defections by ConocoPhillips, Caterpillar, and BP undercut Obama’s efforts to cast his climate and energy agenda as a pro-business, job-creation plan. Said the ConocoPhillips chairman, “House climate legislation and Senate proposals to date have disadvantaged the transportation sector and its consumers…and ignored the critical role that natural gas can play in reducing GHG emissions. We believe greater attention and resources need to be dedicated to reversing these missed opportunities, and our actions today are part of that effort.”

Reuters: HIV drugs reduce transmission by 92 percent
A new study, presented at a meeting of AIDS experts, found that people across Africa who took AIDS drugs are far less likely to infect their partners with the virus. According to Reuters, the study results present some of the first concrete evidence that drugs can prevent infection as well as keep patients healthy and could boost efforts to provide AIDS drugs to people, especially in the hardest-hit countries in Africa. The study researchers are optimistic that treating patients may also reduce the likelihood that they will infect others, an important point as governments and non-profit groups spend billions on treatment and prevention program. Said one researcher, “We think it is very likely that antiretroviral treatment is going to reduce the risk of HIV transmission. Our data will be informative for policymakers.”

The Financial Times: Wealthy countries fail to hit aid target
Many of the world’s rich donor countries will fail to keep promises they made five years ago to increase assistance to the developing world, according to a new analysis by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the official body charged with monitoring aid. The OECD published a report on Wednesday predicting that its rich member countries will fall approximately $23 billion dollars short of their promises made in 2005 around the Gleneagles heads of government summit. According to the report, the US, Canada, Australia and New Zealand appear on track to meet their various targets, while Japan seems likely to fall well short. Said one senior policy advisor at Oxfam, “This is a damning indictment of rich nations, who can find plenty of money to save banks but precious little to save lives.”

The Citizen (Tanzania): Researchers calls on African countries to unite in war against hunger
Head of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, Dr Kojo Aidoo, argued that developing more close links among African countries remains the only viable road map to food security, and is essential for the continent’s economic progress. The advantages are numerous, wider regional markets can open up more opportunities for African producers and consumers beyond the sometimes small markets within their own borders, he said. Aidoo further argued that the creation of a strong network and links with partners from governments and nongovernmental organizations will help farmers access export and domestic markets, thus helping them to gain a better knowledge of sustainable techniques and markets.

The Wall Street Journal: Climate-Research Controversies Create Opening for Critics
The Wall Street Journal reports that the spate of recent controversies about climate research has given fresh voice to a group of scientists who question the mainstream view that human activity is warming the planet to dangerous levels. A UN group, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, has been heavily criticized for publishing an unsubstantiated claim that Himalayan glaciers would entirely melt away by 2035. According to the Journal, it is too soon to tell whether the critics’ views will force the scientific community to revisit the prevailing view of man-made climate change. One environmental writer argues that despite the scandal, the facts remain the same. He writes, “It’s important to say that the scandals we’ve had don’t change the fundamental point that global warming is man-made and we need to tackle it. The standard message—that we need to cut a lot of emissions right now or doom is upon us—is not correct.”

The Washington Post: A rebuilding Haiti faces some difficult new issues (Op-Ed)
Washington Post Columnist, Michael Gerson describes his trip to Haiti last week, calling the depth of poverty a shocking experience on par with some of the worst slums in Africa. However, according to sources Gerson spoke with on the ground, the atmosphere of despair has subsided as some of the most basic needs such as food and shelter are being tended to. Gerson maintains that NGOs and Haitian officials are beginning to debate difficult issues, including a sustainable recovery plan. Discussions have involved everything from more direct foreign investment – “the path from poverty for many developing nations” to an increased emphasis on tourism, agriculture and reforestation.

The Financial Times: Fury at unspent funds for Sudan
The Financial Times reports that a fund administered by the World Bank to help south Sudan recover from decades of civil war has spent little more than a third of its money, angering western donors who provided most of the capital. By the end of last year, less than half of the $524 million they had committed had been spent and more than four years into the fund’s six-year lifespan, $343 million still languishes unused. According to the Times, the World Bank’s strict rules on disbursing funds explain why so much has been left unspent. The case highlights a dilemma of relevance to many efforts to help developing countries: a stringent approach towards spending money may result in large sums lying unused, but a more relaxed policy risks wasting the funds.

Afrique En Ligne: Tanzania declares all-out war against malaria
African newspaper, Afrique En Ligne, reports that Tanzania’s health ministry and private health partners Monday swung into action to bring malaria under control, after Tanzanian President Jakaya Kikwete declared an all-out war against the disease. Launching the nationwide anti-malaria campaign, under the buzzword ‘Zinduka’ (meaning ‘wake up’ in Kiswahili), Kikwete stated that every Tanzanian must be involved in this effort. The campaign aims to promote the people’s awareness about the disease and the danger it poses to the nation, the president said, noting that 290 people die of malaria daily in Tanzania. ‘Failure is not acceptable. This is a war we must all fight vigorously and win,” Kikwete said, urging sponsors of the campaign to make sure the message reaches every nook and cranny of the country.

Today (The Gambia): HIV Issues Should be Part of Country’s Development Plans
Participants of an advocacy meeting in The Gambia argued that it is necessary that HIV and its revolving issues be factored into the nation’s development plan so that a definite roadmap could be charted for the amelioration of the scourge in the African country. Speaking at the forum, Mr. Alieu Jammeh, director general of the National AIDS Secretariat noted that the impact of HIV/AIDS is unique because AIDS kills adults in the prime of their lives, thus depriving families, communities, and entire nations of their young and most productive population. Jammeh further noted that mainstreaming HIV-related priorities into poverty reduction strategies helps create an ‘enabling policy and resource environment’ for an effective response to the epidemic, thus achieving synergy between diverse interventions across many sectors, and ensuring adequate financing for HIV/AIDS.

The Huffington Post: Kenyan Farmers Persevere Despite Cultivation Challenges
Danielle Nierenberg, a senior researcher with the Worldwatch Institute in Washington, D.C, highlights the extreme poverty of one of Africa’s largest slums, where despite the challenges people face, “they are thriving and living.” Nierenberg describes a “self-help” group of female farmers in the slum who are growing food for their families and selling the surplus to their neighbors. According to the researcher, such groups are present all over Kenya, giving youth, women and vulnerable people the opportunity to organize, share information and skills and ultimately improve their well-being while giving them a voice that otherwise would not be heard. Writes Nierenberg, “The future for these farmers continues to be uncertain. Their land could be taken away, the drought could further jeopardize their crops, and the loss of wastewater for fertilizer could reduce production. But they continue to persevere despite these challenges.”

The New York Times: Girls’ Health: Kits to Aid in Menstrual Health May Cut School Absenteeism in Kenya
The New York Times reports that a new American-backed charity in Kenya has begun giving away kits containing washable sanitary pads, underwear and soap after a new study at Oxford University found that lack of access to expensive disposable sanitary pads keeps schoolgirls at home up to five days each month when they have their period. Huru International, in partnership with the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the Elton John AIDS Foundation, Johnson & Johnson and other backers, developed soft terry-cloth pads that can be washed and reused. The kits also contain information about safe sex and avoiding AIDS. According to the paper, the charities involved hope other African women will use microfinance loans to buy the machines needed to make the pads and sell them.

The Huffington Post: Haiti and the rules of generosity (Editorial)
Princeton University Professor, Peter Singer, explores the outpouring of donations worldwide in the wake of the earthquake in Haiti, which leads him to ask the question: Why do people give generously to earthquake victims, but not to prevent the much larger number of deaths brought about by extreme poverty, insufficient food, unsafe water, lack of sanitation, and the absence of even the most basic healthcare? Singer argues that while the earthquake took an astronomical number of lives, “it is fewer than the number of children who, according to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), die every ten days from avoidable, poverty-related causes.” Singer also highlights the arguments of aid advocate, Elie Hassenfeld, who says that “there are good grounds for thinking that disaster relief is less cost-effective than aid aimed at saving the lives of those who are at risk from extreme poverty.”

Today, African governments stepped up to provide more resources for their own development through the African Development Bank. In two weeks, wealthy donor countries like the U.S. will decide if they will follow suit.

The African Development Bank Group (AfDB) is a key player in fueling Africa’s economic transformation. The Group consists of the African Development Bank which provides “hard” lending to qualified countries and the African Development Fund which provides concessional finance to low income countries. The Group is African led—with the majority of its shareholders coming from the continent. And it responds to Africa’s needs- aligning its assistance with country priorities and concentrating its lending on infrastructure, the private sector and governance.

The needs on the continent as we know are great, especially in light of the recent financial crisis. For that reason last year at the April G20 Summit in London, the global community called upon the AfDB to scale up its assistance to African countries urgently so as to counteract the crisis’s impact on the continent. The Bank heeded the call but now faces a need for new resources two years sooner than originally anticipated.

A general capital increase (GCI) for the African Development Bank is critically important for two reasons. Unlike the regular envelope of resources allocated through its replenishments, the capital increase can be used to fund middle-income countries which can often be regional engines of growth and it’s also critical because private sector entities in any country—low or middle income—can draw upon these resources for critical financing. In fact, more than half of the private sector operations done by the AfDB last year were in low income countries.

Today, African shareholders met and agreed that they would support a 200% general capital increase. This means that all of the African shareholders—including the low income countries—feel that this tool is important enough to put their own resources forward and support an increase. Next up is for the donor nations to do the same—to see that a general capital increase for the Bank is a critical tool for all of Africa and to support African countries in their effort to finance it. Western donors see this as a 2012 issue but Africa sees it differently. Hopefully the leadership shown today will spark action amongst western capitals as well.

Though polio cases have been reduced by over 99 percent since 1988, and it is “faded history now” in America, the disease continues to impact poor countries around the world.

Here is a look at some of the recent efforts to control and eliminate this devastating disease:

• As we noted earlier, the World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a new ‘bivalent’ oral polio vaccine (BOPV) to fight polio in Afghanistan. In a clinical trial, the BOPV was at least 30% more effective for types 1 and 3 polio, when compared with the traditional oral poliovirus vaccine. As an added benefit, the BOPV protects against both strains in a single drop. This new vaccine will be very helpful for controlling the disease in countries with weak health systems.
• The BOPV has also been launched in India.
• The government of Nigeria, the only remaining polio endemic country in Africa, has said that it is hoping to free the country from the virus this year. Minister of State for Health, Dr. Idi Hong, said that the nation will be using the new BOPV before the end of the year.

These developments are promising, but the last mile in eradication is a difficult one. We will continue to keep you posted on the status of polio eradication efforts.

You can learn more about polio by checking out our issue page here.

The Washington Post: Aid groups fear Haitian relief diverts funds from other needs
According to the Washington Post, the U.S. government’s disaster-assistance program has committed more than half its annual budget to help earthquake-ravaged Haiti, raising concern among humanitarian groups that programs for the needy in countries such as Sudan or Somalia could face cuts. USAID officials denied Thursday that they have ordered any cutbacks, adding that they hope they will not have to do so. But that will depend, they said, on whether their disaster fund is replenished by a supplemental spending bill that Congress is expected to take up in the next few weeks. One USAID official said the organization had started prioritizing projects in different parts of the world in case the congressional funds are slow to arrive or are less than anticipated.

AFP: Halving world poverty by 2015 unlikely: UN
A UN report released in Ethiopia this week said the chances of reducing world poverty by half by 2015 are increasingly less likely owing to inadequate plans by states and the global economic crisis. Halving global poverty by 2015 is one of United Nations’ eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) aimed at improving livelihoods across the world. The report, entitled “Rethinking Poverty,” emphasized that “even before the onset of the current global financial and economic crisis, the world had not been on track to meet MDG 1 by 2015. Now the crisis is making attainment of that goal even more elusive.” The report did, however, note that the number of people living in extreme poverty — on less than 1.25 dollars daily according to the World Bank — had declined to 1.4 billion in 2005 from 1.9 billion in 1981.

IPS: U.N. Goals on Education Under Widespread Attack
IPS reports that the relentless attacks on educational institutions in war zones – along with growing threats against academics, teachers and school-going children – have jeopardized the U.N.’s Millennium Development Goal of providing education for all by 2015. According to a new report released by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), more than 40 million children worldwide are missing out on primary school, particularly in conflict-affected fragile states, with many of the children missing school “due to direct attacks on their learning spaces, their teachers or even on themselves as learners.” Said one UNESCO official, “In situations of armed conflict and insecurity, deliberate attacks on, and threats against learners, academics, teachers and educational facilities are both a barrier to the right to education, and a serious protection issue.”

The Guardian: Forgiveness for Haiti? We should be begging theirs
Guardian journalist, Naomi Klein, argues that the very idea of Haiti as a debtor needs to be abandoned and that western countries should pay arrears for years of violations, including slavery, occupation, dictatorship and climate change. Klein calls for the international community to examine Haiti’s tumultuous history now because it threatens to repeat itself, highlighting the fact that Haiti’s creditors are already using the desperate need for earthquake aid to push for an increase in garment-sector production, some of the most exploitative jobs in the country. Klein concluded by saying that “a reckoning with the debts the world owes to Haiti would radically change this poisonous dynamic. This is where the road to repair begins – by recognizing the right of Haitians to reparations.”

The Economist: Give and take
The Economist explores the growing area of “cause marketing” – trying to win customers by ostentatiously doing good. According to the magazine, rather than try to make products that can be marketed as ethical in their own right, such as “fair trade” goods, firms are increasingly trying to take an ordinary product and boost its moral credentials with what one marketing guru calls “embedded generosity”. The fad for online competitions to award the handouts also appeals to another trend, whereby people are turning to the internet to give their consciences a boost with the click of a mouse. The magazine highlights a number of examples including RED, as well as Pepsi’s “Refresh Everything” campaign, which asked the public to vote online for charities and community groups to receive grants in lieu of advertising at this year’s Super Bowl.

The New York Times: The Grotesque Vocabulary in Congo (Op-Ed, Nicholas Kristof)
Reporting from the Congo, author Nicholas Kristof responds to some of his readers’ claims that the international community, specifically the United States, cannot do anything to stop the devastating violence and destruction in the war-torn African country. The author refutes these comments by highlighting some of the successful results that aid groups have achieved, including the International Rescue Committee, which is helping rape survivors recover and the efforts of “The Vagina Monologues” author, Eve Ensler, who is working with UNICEF to train Congolese women to transform their communities. Kristof concludes by saying that “Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s visit to eastern Congo last year was a landmark, but it needs more follow-up from the Obama administration. What is required isn’t some new formula but much greater political will.”

Reuters: South Africa marks 20 years since Mandela walked to freedom
Reuters reports that thousands of South Africans, chanting “Viva, Nelson Mandela, Viva,” marked 20 years on Thursday since the anti-apartheid icon walked to freedom after 27 years as a political prisoner. However, since the euphoria of 1990 and multi-party elections four years later, “the reality of dismantling four decades of official — and many more of unofficial — apartheid has hit home”. Reuters writes that with every passing year, the country’s “liberation struggle” credentials wear thinner as poor black voters – more and more of whom do not remember apartheid – demand clean streets and clean politicians. Said one young student, “The politicians of today are just eating the money. They are not doing their jobs. They only care about cars and houses, not the people.”

Afro.com (U.S.): Concern Over Haiti’s HIV/AIDS Crisis Grows
Afro.com reports that after decades of progress in starving off the tide of HIV/AIDS in Haiti, health advocates are concerned about regression after the powerful Jan. 12 earthquake wiped away any existing infrastructure used to combat the disease. According to Charles King, CEO of a New York-based anti-AIDS organization, treating victims of the earthquake is the primary priority, which leaves patients with other needs in the cold. However, despite the current situation, the CEO said he is hopeful that a new approach could produce a new methodology in the way HIV/AIDS is treated in the country. Said King, “I would hope that this provides us an opportunity to rethink how we do HIV/AIDS care. Not just have a new influx of more international involvement taking over, but providing resources and technical assistance to local organizations and helping them build the capacity to address the epidemic themselves.”

Health-e (South Africa): South Africa: The President And HIV Prevention (Op-Ed)
Journalist Kerry Cullinan explores the AIDS epidemic in South Africa, arguing that HIV prevention is based on getting people to change their sexual habits – a process, which is being impeded by South African President, Jacob Zuma. According to Cullinan, President Zuma’s choice to engage in sexual intercourse without the proper use of conception and with multiple partners is providing South Africans with an adverse example for how to prevent the spread of HIV. Argues the journalist, “While Thabo Mbeki’s presidency was characterized by his denial of HIV/AIDS, Jacob Zuma may be remembered for providing South Africans with a textbook example of how difficult it is to change behaviour. Neither are good examples in a country where HIV is the biggest killer and our efforts to prevent it are not a simple case of ABC.”

Afrique en Ligne: Africa: Ban wants more partnership to boost Africa’s development
African newspaper, Afrique en Ligne, reports that UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon has called for a stronger partnership for Africa’s development amid the current global financial meltdown, climate change and energy crises. The Secretary noted that the adverse social consequences of the crises were likely to remain for much longer time in Africa and therefore, he recommended that African countries bear the majority of responsibility for their own development in order to mitigate these long term effects. The Secretary said this could be achieved by continuing to integrate and mainstream the priorities of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), such as infrastructure, agriculture and food security, science and technology, trade and environment, into their national development plans.

The Chronicle of Philanthropy (Washington D.C.): Gates Foundation Makes Changes to Improve Its Operations
Chief Executive for The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Jeff Raikes, said the organization is taking several management steps designed to improve its ability to help impoverished people in developing countries and its other beneficiaries. According to the executive, the Foundation is trying to clarify its strategies and decision making both for its employees and grant recipients. Raikes said that in terms of global-development grant-making, the foundation will continue to help poor people get access to financial services, such as savings accounts, with mobile technology and other tools, while also increasing their focus on improving sanitation in poor parts of the world. In America, the executive said that the Gates fund will maintain its focus on public education, putting an emphasis on finding out what makes a good teacher effective.

The Globe and Mail: Good intentions gone wrong
The Globe and Mail reports that as the earthquake relief effort in Haiti enters its fifth week, there’s growing concern about the effectiveness of the global response and whether the hundreds of millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers pouring into the country are making a crucial difference. According to the paper, the problems stem from a combination of the overwhelming number of aid groups operating in Haiti and the lack of government capabilities. Haiti has relied outside assistance organizations for so long that the government has never learned how to deliver services to the country in the best of times, which, in hand with a massive disaster, “overwhelmed the scarce capacities of the country and the organizations.”

The Canadian Press: Health crisis in Haiti enters new stage: Deaths from diarrhea, infections, malnutrition
The Canadian Press reports that the second stage of Haiti’s medical emergency has begun, with diarrheal illnesses, acute respiratory infections and malnutrition beginning to claim lives by the dozen. According to the Press, health officials fear epidemics will break out in the makeshift camps, and are rushing to vaccinate 530,000 children against measles, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough. Nearly a month after the quake, health workers say that respiratory infections, malnutrition, diarrhea from waterborne diseases and a lack of appropriate food for young children may be the biggest killers. Said one aid worker with Save the Children, “It’s still tough. At the moment we’re providing lifesaving services. What we’d like to do is to move to provide quality, longer-term care, but we’re not there yet.”

The Guardian: We need to realize Africa’s potential on agriculture (Op-Ed)
Rising young leader from Zimbabwe, Sithembile Ndema, argues that African farmers must be able to access the knowledge and tools they need to unleash agriculture’s full potential for the continent. According to Ndema, agriculture in Africa has the potential to be a fundamental driver of economic growth and while Africa’s farmers have a wealth of expertise, their skills must be accessed, enhanced and expanded. The young leader emphasizes that “knowledge must reach more farmers, new research must focus on Africa-specific solutions and progressive policies must support infrastructure and education programs to build capacity.” Ndema concludes by arguing that agriculture also provides more opportunities for partnerships with scientists, policy makers, NGOs and industry leaders worldwide.

The Huffington Post: Three Years on: FEEDing Globally… and Locally (Ellen Gustafson, FEED Foundation)
Marking their three-year anniversary, Executive Director of the FEED Foundation, Ellen Gustafson, celebrates the successful funding of more than 50 million meals to hungry children worldwide and reflects on how the organization is adapting according to changing needs. While FEED was initially focused on providing school meals for children in sub-Saharan Africa and Southeast Asia, the organization has begun to expand its focus to include Guatemala, Honduras and even the U.S. itself. Said, Gustafson, “It may seem far-fetched to draw the parallels of food insecurity from sub-Saharan Africa to Central America to the U.S., but the reality is that children around the world are suffering from malnutrition, despite there being enough food for everyone. At FEED, our mission has expanded “inversely” from global to local as we’ve learned more about the realities of our neighbors.”

The Africa Report: Promises, promises – rich counties fail on their pledge to double aid by 2010
According to a panel led by ex-UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and former Nigerian President, Olusegun Obasanjo, Africa is bearing the brunt of the slowdown of global aid commitments. The Geneva-based Africa Progress Panel (APP) reports that the bold promises made by the G8 to double aid to the world’s poorest countries by 2010 are not being met, with shortfalls reaching at least $17 billion in development aid to Africa. Annan, a member of the APP, said his biggest disappointment has been the lack of transparency from donors, including how much money they give and how it is being disbursed. However, the APP is determined to “renew its mandate to champion and catalyze African development” and “galvanize action by African and G20 leaders to honor their commitments to the continent and to mobilize support for achieving the MDG targets by 2015”.

Reuters: “Robin Hood” Tax Campaign Launched
A new campaign for a “Robin Hood Tax,” launched in Britain on Wednesday, which calls for a global tax on banks’ financial transactions to help fight poverty, protect public services and tackle climate change. The campaign is backed by nearly 50 aid agencies, including Oxfam, as well as unions, green groups, financiers and economists and is accompanied by a promotional film featuring actor Bill Nighy. In a letter to political leaders, the supporting organizations asked that the government seriously consider the Robin Hood Tax as a radical new option to solving the world’s largest problems – “a small tax on bankers that would make a huge difference to the UK, to the poorest countries and to our planet. Let’s turn the crisis for the banks into an opportunity for Britain and the world.”

Washington Post–Haiti earthquake relief efforts are still falling short
Nearly one month after an earthquake brought Haiti to a halt, the Washington Post reports that evidence is everywhere on the island that current relief efforts may soon fall short as the immediate emergency response phase fades. Despite the good intentions of the United States and the world community, weary relief workers say the coming weeks will severely test the resolve of those foreign contributors and the resourcefulness of a Haitian government that remains all but invisible. From surgery to shelter to sanitation to schooling, the needs are vast and the international commitment unproven.

AFP–Freeze on HIV spending sparks concern in Africa
U.S. plans to slow spending on treatment for HIV in several African countries has prompted concern on the continent that some of the gains made against the AIDS epidemic since 2003 could be reversed, the AFP reports. While PEPFAR, launched in 2003, originally focused largely on treating patients in the most urgent need, the program has started to shift away from emergency treatment. This switch in emphasis means that clinics are now being forced to turn new patients away, say some health workers on the ground.

Reuters–WTO’s Lamy says Doha deal still possible in 2010
A successful conclusion to the Doha round of global trade talks is still possible in 2010, but would need an injection of political energy, World Trade Organisation head Pascal Lamy said this morning. He said the upcoming G20 summit in Canada in June would be a key test of political will for the Doha round of negotiations. The Doha round of trade talks was launched in late 2001 to free up world trade and help poor countries prosper by opening up markets and cutting tariffs and subsidies in rich countries. But the 153-nation talks collapsed in 2008 over a dispute between the United States and Europe, and India and China, on protection for farmers in rich economies and shields for industrial goods coming from developing nations.

Reuters–Rapid city growth threat to Africa’s development: UN
Rapid and chaotic urbanisation is threatening sustainable development in Africa, the U.N said Monday, but taking steps to mitigate climate change could help tackle some of the problems of cities. The populations of large, fast-expanding cities in Africa, such as Lagos in Nigeria, are set to continue growing at annual rates of around 4 percent, putting pressure on the provision of housing and basic needs and services. The impact of climate change has exacerbated existing social and economic problems, forcing many farmers away from their villages to become “environmental refugees” in big cities.

NY Times–Ally for the Poor in an Unlikely Corner
The New York Times profiles Andrew Witty, the chief executive of the world’s second-largest drug company GlaxoSmithKline, saying that he is doing more for the worlds poor than any other leader of Big Pharma. I want GSK to be a very successful company, but not by leaving the population of Africa behind, Mr. Witty said. That tone is still rare in an industry once pilloried for keeping its prices up while millions died. But after Witty spent 10 years in Africa and Asia, he was inspired to change that. Among many other innovative practices, Witty has promised to keep the prices of all Glaxo drugs in poor countries to no more than 25 percent of what was charged in rich ones, and to donate one-fifth of all profits made in poor countries toward building their health systems.

Financial Times–Brazil enters fray for African resources
Brazil, South Americas largest economy, is stepping up its involvement in the scramble for Africas resources, the Financial Times reports. While Chinese and Indian commercial ties with the continent are more developed and have attracted greater attention, Brazils arrival in Africa is part of the same pattern that has seen the continents traditional partners in the west compete against a range of emerging market players for resources and influence. As a bloc, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) trade with Africa has increased as a proportion of all the continents trade from 4.6 per cent in 1993 to more than 19 per cent in 2008. Economists estimate that by 2030, almost 50 per cent of Africas trade will be with the Brics.

BBC News: G7 nations pledge debt relief for quake-hit Haiti:
“Canada’s finance minister announced at a summit in Iqaluit, northern Canada, that Group of Seven countries planned to cancel Haiti’s bilateral debts. Jim Flaherty said he would encourage international lenders to do the same.”

Washington Post: In Haiti, cooperation among aid groups is unprecedented:
“There has been an unprecedented degree of cooperation among aid groups in Haiti, especially in comparison with the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, the only rival to this catastrophe in terms of outpouring of medical help. Three things are responsible — the nature of the injuries, improvements in communication and an awareness that victims will suffer if relief groups don’t cooperate.”

The East African: Bottom-up poverty plan for Africa needed:
“European leaders and US President Barack Obama, who has called for a new global plan to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, are already on board. A new plan can avoid the pitfalls of past top-down approaches — if it supports a more bottom-up, citizen-led strategy for sustainable development.”

Ghana Agency News: UNICEF launches $1.2 billion appeal to help women and children in crises:
“Accra, Feb. 5, GNA – The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on Thursday launched an appeal for $1.2 billion to provide life-saving emergency support to women and children impacted by severe humanitarian crises around the world, including the Haitian earthquake.”

NYT: Bill Clinton, in Haiti, Emphasizes Urgent Need for Sanitation and Health Care:
“Mr. Clinton praised the progress being made in the relief effort, especially in addressing the need for food, shelter and security, but he expressed a growing sense of urgency about the country’s requirements for sanitation and health care. ‘We learned a lot from the tsunami relief effort, and the United Nations and the international community worked in a far more coordinated fashion this time,’ he said while touring the Gheskio health clinic in the Bicentenaire neighborhood. ‘But we can still do better, and one of the areas that I think we have to improve is sanitation.’