World Conference Probes Rich-Poor Health Care Gap – At the 13th World Congress on Public Health in Ethiopia, health professional from over 100 countries are meeting “in an effort to close the gap in the quality of care between wealthy and poor countries.” The Ethiopian Public Health Association President Dr. Tewabech Bishaw explains that “among the most pressing priorities is closing the gap in maternal and child mortality rates.” (VOA, Pete Heinlein)
Fighting Malaria Is a Full Time Job – April 25 is World Malaria Day and it is a time to “renew our commitment to eradicating the killer of at least 650,000 people worldwide in 2010,” 92 percent of whom live in Africa and 2/3 of whom are children under the age of five. Simple, inexpensive interventions like insecticide-treated mosquito nets and rapid diagnostic tests have contributed to the decline of deaths linked to malaria since 2004. (Huffington Post, Carolyn Woo)
This week kicks off yet another installment of our holidays-without-greeting-cards series: World Immunization Week.
I know what you’re thinking — didn’t we just finish celebrating World Water Day, World TB Day and International Women’s Day? And the answer of course is yes (the mysterious forces that schedule development days must have a special affinity for March). But we hope you’ve had a chance to catch a breath, because we promise that this week really matters, too.
Though we take vaccines for granted in the US and across Europe (perhaps even too much for granted), millions of parents across the developing world are unable to access vaccines for their children, and that has devastating consequences.
More than 7.6 million children died before the age of 5 last year, because of largely preventable and treatable causes. But we believe that every child deserves a 5th birthday. One key way to prevent some of these deaths is through simple, cost-effective vaccines to fight diseases like pneumonia, diarrhea, measles and polio.
IMF chief seeks fresh funds for poor countries – The head of the IMF, Christine Lagarde, renewed a push to fully fund the $17 billion lending package for poor countries, the IMF’s Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust. Lagarde encouraged wealthy countries to reinvest their profits from the IMF’s sale of gold last year into the trust in order to “finance concessional loans for the low-income countries.” The decline in aid and foreign direct investment, rising oil prices, and “drops in both the quantity and price of exports” have had a very negative impact on many economies in Africa. (Reuters, Alexandra Alper)
Aid groups: Nearly $200 million still needed to fight hunger in Africa’s Sahel region – A coalition of aid agencies reported Monday that they need almost $250 million to provide proper assistance to people suffering from the growing hunger crisis in Africa’s Sahel region, which spans eight countries. The UN estimates that 1 million children will require lifesaving treatment for acute malnutrition in the region this year. (AP)
Matt Damon: ‘I Would Kiss George W. Bush on the Mouth’ For His AIDS Work – In an interview with The Atlantic, Matt Damon, the co-founder of Water.org, a NGO “fighting for radical new ways to increase access to clean water and eliminate water-borne diseases, discussed the small part of the foreign aid budget that goes towards water, an “enormous problem that literally underpins . . . disease, poverty, [and] women’s rights.” Damon went on to explain that “Bono’s group (the One Campaign) has done a lot of work trying to figure out how to message these issues, and what people respond to is things that work.” (The Atlantic, Jeffrey Goldberg)
Guinea-Bissau: Lenders Apply Pressure –The World Bank and the African Development Bank suspended millions of dollars of aid to Guinea-Bissau on Thursday in an effort to “press leaders of a military coup to return power to civilians” and quickly resolve the crisis. The World Bank had more than a dozen projects in Guinea-Bissau worth approximately $54 million, while the African Development Bank has five economic and social development programs in the country. (Reuters)
Opinion: How Malawi Fed Its Own People – Following the death of President Bingu wa Mutharika of Malawi earlier this month, many of his countrymen “seem to have declared good riddance,” yet it is important to remember the legacy of his agriculture-led boom in Malawi that “pointed a way for Africa to overcome its chronic hunger, food insecurity, and periodic extreme famines.” Mutharika’s government subsidized smallholder famers to buy fertilizer and seed in order to replenish the soil nutrients and achieve a livable crop, despite resistance from many donors, and succeeded in doubling production within one harvest season. (NYTimes, Jeffrey D. Sachs)
World Bank-IMF spring meeting to hone in on cost-effective safety nets – At the World Bank-IMF spring meeting on April 21, cost-effective safety nets will be one of the primary items of discussion, as safety nets “can transform people’s lives and provide a foundation for inclusive growth without busting budgets.” New data from the World Bank shows that 80% of the world’s poorest countries lack effective safety net coverage, and that a “lack of pre- and post-natal care for mothers and children has led to 2.8 million newborn deaths in the first week of their lives.” (Devex, Jenny Lei Ravelo)
On Monday the European Union (EU) became the first developed country group to make clear commitments to the United Nations Sustainable Energy for All Initiative to help increase energy access in developing countries.
US lawmakers seek to boost exports to Africa – Lawmakers from both major US parties introduced bills in the House and Senate with the goal of “expanding US exports to Africa by 200 percent over the next decade.” While some have expressed concern that an increase in US exports to Africa could flood African markets and damage their economies, US exports in the “agricultural sector will enable African producers to become more efficient and profitable.” (AFP)
Kenya sees stable food supply to Sept, to buy maize – The agriculture ministry in Kenya reports that improved output of key staples will keep food supplies stable until September, but they will still require maize imports to boost stocks. Prices of staples are expected to fall somewhat over the next six months thanks to improved supply, easing inflationary pressures on households. Kenya is currently in its long rain season, and meteorologists predict near or above-normal rain, advising farmers to take advantage of the favorable conditions. (Reuters)
Right now, some of the world's biggest oil companies are fighting to keep some of their deals with foreign governments secret. Let's tell big oil we won't be bullied.
Cuts to poverty-fighting programs won't balance the budget, but they will set back progress on Canada's development priorities and risk jeopardizing existing investments.
2011 marks 30 years since the first cases of AIDS were documented. Take a closer look at the specific, achievable goals we must hit by 2015 to make this year the beginning of the end of AIDS.
