U.N. Pressuring Burma/Myanmar to Allow in Aid

In today’s New York Times:

UNITED NATIONS — With up to 1.5 million people in Myanmar now believed to be facing the threat of starvation and disease and with relief efforts still largely stymied by the country’s isolationist military rulers, frustrated United Nations officials all but demanded Thursday that the government open its doors to supplies and aid workers.

“The situation is profoundly worrying,” said the United Nations official in charge of the relief effort, John Holmes, speaking in unusually candid language for a diplomat. “They have simply not facilitated access in the way we have a right to expect.”

Read the full article here.

Burma Flooded, Aid Stalled

NASA has posted these shots of the Burma/Myanmar coast before and after Monday’s cyclone.

From NASA:

“The entire coastal plain is flooded in the May 5 image. The fallow agricultural areas appear to have been especially hard hit. For example, Yangôn (population over 4 million) is almost completely surrounded by floods. Several large cities (population 100,000–500,000) are in the affected area. Muddy runoff colors the Gulf of Martaban turquoise.”

From the AFP:

Around 5,000 square kilometres (1,930 square miles) remain underwater, and more than a million homeless need emergency relief, a UN spokesman said.

“The bottle-neck (in aid) is getting it out in the delta. That needs boats, helicopters, trucks,” said Richard Horsey, a Bangkok-based spokesman with the UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs…

Food prices in Myanmar, already one of the most impoverished nations in the world, have soared. A bag of rice now costs 40,000 kyats (35 dollars) in the commercial hub Yangon, up from 25,000 last week.

Frustrated aid agencies said they are still being denied permission to enter Myanmar and use their experience and expertise to ensure the right aid gets to the neediest places as soon as possible.”

-Virginia Simmons

UN Chief Announcing Plan to Eliminate Malaria!

It’s World Malaria Day!

And! We have news that the head of the U.N. will announce a plan today that would eventually wipe out malaria.

From the AP:

“In a video message for a World Malaria Day event at U.N. headquarters, Ban said the initiative will offer indoor spraying and bed nets treated with long-lasting insecticide “to all people at risk, especially women and children in Africa.” The video was obtained Thursday by The Associated Press.

It will also ensure that public health facilities have access to effective malaria treatment and diagnosis, that health workers are trained to deal with the disease, and that research into its eradication is encouraged, Ban said.

Ban said he wants these measures in place in just a few years. “The aim is to put a stop to malaria deaths by ensuring universal coverage by the end of 2010.”

The secretary-general said that several African countries “have made dramatic strides in malaria control, but the most affected nations remain off track to reach the goal of halting and reversing the incidence of the disease.”

“That is why today, together with the Roll Back Malaria Partnership, I am putting forward a bold but achievable vision,” Ban said.”

Many more malaria-related posts to come today.

-Virginia Simmons

New UN Task Force

Yesterday, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon pledged to set up a task force to address the world hunger crisis.

“One thing is certain, the world has consumed more than it has produced” over the last three years, he said.

Ban blamed a host of causes for the soaring cost of food, including rising oil prices, the fall of the U.S. dollar and natural disasters.

He said he would put together a special task force to help deal with the problem and called on the international community to help. He said the U.N. World Food Program plans to raise $750 million per year to help feed 73 million people in 80 countries.

“We need a real world and not the world of economic theories,” Ban said. “I will work on this right now with a sense of urgency.”

Read the full AP story here.

World Water Day 2008 (T- 3 days)

Our friends at Water Advocates compiled this list of upcoming World Water Day events.

Beginning Sunday, March 16 through Saturday, March 22, restaurants will invite their customers to donate a minimum of $1 for the tap water they would normally get for free. These donations to UNICEF will go towards improving access to safe water and sanitation facilities in schools and communities, while promoting safe hygiene practices in more than 90 countries around the world. Plug in your zip code to find restaurants in your city.

World Water Day 2008 will be celebrated by the UN on Thursday, March 20. In New York you can help bring awareness to the sanitation crisis by “standing up for those that can’t sit down.”

PSI will host a World Water Day discussion about their Safe Water Programs, the successes and challenges, and the way forward on March 20 from 3:30-5:00 PM. If interested, please RSVP to akhanna@psi.org.

Celebrate World Water Day with Water For People on Friday, March 21. Raffles and speakers-including Amy Hart - Filmmaker, WATER FIRST-will make the evening one to remember.

If in Louisville, KY, join Edge Outreach on March 21, 2008 for a night of music, water and film. Join speakers and hear stories of what is being done for those without water and sanitation.

The DC Environmental Film Festival will have several water movies showing on World Water Day March 22. There is also a panel of water experts at 4:00 PM that day from Water Advocates, the Global Water Challenge, Natural Resources Defense Council and ConservationStrategy.

Join the Global Water Challenge, Water Advocates and others at the Student Movement for Real Change event on March 22: “Water is Life: Youth Leading Change on World Water Day”.

In 2007, 69 cities across the United States passed resolutions acknowledging March 22 as World Water Day. Join those interested in promoting World Water Day in a variety of events across the country.

WaterAid America in conjunction with the American Museum of Natural History present a panel discussion exploring the burden unsafe water and sanitation place on women, and the role women can play in water and sanitation development interventions. The discussion will be held on World Water Day, March 22.

Attention runners: join in an effort to raise awareness about the global water and sanitation challenge and help build a borehole well in the Azawak Valley, Niger - sign up for a Run for Water on March 22.

The Global Health Council will hold a briefing on Capitol Hill called “The Link Between Clean Water and Health.” The briefing will be on March 26 at 12:30 PM on Capitol Hill.

New AIDS Figures Released

Last week, citing the use of improved methodologies and better surveillance capabilities, the United Nations released news AIDS figures that place the number of people living with HIV/AIDS worldwide at 33.2 million rather than their previous estimate of 39.5 million.

As World AIDS Day approaches this Saturday we expect to see many articles and op-eds mentioning these new stats. A quick excerpt from Sunday New York Times Editorial is below.

“There are, thankfully, glimmers of hope that the epidemic is beginning to wane. The number of new infections peaked in the late 1990s, and the number of people dying from AIDS-related illnesses has declined in the last two years, in part thanks to life-prolonging drug treatments…

But it’s hard to rejoice too much when the number of people living with AIDS infections is still rising, more than two million people — mostly in sub-Saharan Africa — are still dying from the disease each year, and eight countries in southern Africa have more than 15 percent of their populations infected, a devastating blow to their societies and economies. The revised numbers cannot be used as an excuse to relax the campaign against AIDS.”

You can read the full piece here, and please take this moment to sign up to attend or host a World AIDS Day event in your area.

Below, the key findings from the report, courtesy of ONE’s Josh Lozman:

Global Statistics:

· Number of people (adults and children) with HIV in 2007: 33.2 million (down from 39.5m reported in 2006 report)
· Number of children living with HIV: 2.5 million (increased from 1.5 million in 2001 using re-adjusted figures)
· Newly infected with HIV in 2007: 2.5 million (down from 4.3m reported in 2006 report)
· AIDS deaths in 2007: 2.1 million (down from 2.9m reported in2006 report)

Africa Statistics:

· Number of people living with HIV in 2007 in SSA: 22.5 million (increasing from 20.9 million in 2001 using re-adjusted figures)
· Newly infected with HIV in 2007: 1.7 million (declining from 2.2 million in 2001 using re-adjusted figures)
· AIDS death in 2007: 1.6 million
· Adult HIV prevalence: 5.0% (declined from 5.8% in 2001 using re-adjusted figures)
· Orphans due to AIDS: 11.4 million

Key Notes on Africa:

· AIDS remains the single largest cause of mortality in SSA
· Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) accounts for 35% of all people living with HIV and almost one third (32%) on all new HIV infections and AIDS deaths globally in 2007
· Eight countries in SSA have prevalence rates greater than 15%: Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe
· Only in Mozambique has there been a recent increase in prevalence.

Notable changes in Africa:

· Uganda’s decline in national HIV prevalence in the 90s has plateaued. Given Uganda’s high fertility rate (6.7), the leveling of prevalence actually points to a significant increase in the number of people acquiring HIV each year.
· In Mozambique, the epidemic has again started to increase in all three zones of the country. Prevalence of 20% or more has been found in the central and southern zones.
· HIV prevalence data in South Africa in this latest round suggests that HIV infection levels might be leveling off with prevalence among pregnant women having decrease from 30% in 2005 to 29% in 2006.
· National prevalence of HIV has declines in Kenya from a high of around 14% in the mid-1990s to 5% in 2006.

Why are the numbers lower?

· The reduction is due to “improvements” in methodology for surveillance and monitoring as well as some success in treatment and prevention.
· Revisions in six countries account for 70% of the shift – Angola, India, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria and Zimbabwe. In Kenya and Zimbabwe, there is evidence that the decline is due to a reduction in the number of new infections in part due to a reduction in risky behavior.
· A couple different assumptions were used for this estimate. One of them is that the average number of years people are estimated to survive without HIV treatment has been increased from 9 to 11 years.
· Increased sentinel surveillance sites have allowed for better, more precise estimates.

Overall Trends:

· Prevalence has leveled off.
· AIDS is still the leading cause of death in Africa.
· There are 33.2 million people living with HIV, 6800 people becoming infected everyday and over 5700 people dying from AIDS everyday. This is primarily because of inadequate access to HIV prevention and treatment services – these are things we can do something about.

-Virginia Simmons

Sanitizing Water, Not Facts.

Yesterday, U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon announced 2008 the “Year of Sanitation” and urged the world to increase investment in providing clean water and sanitation throughout the world.

From a Tuesday Reuters article:

“Investing approximately $10 billion per year can halve the proportion of people without basic sanitation by 2015,” [the U.N. statement] said.

The U.N.’s drive for better sanitation will involve regional conferences and public campaigns to raise awareness and implement projects to improve sanitation in developing countries through public and private partnerships.

UK-based charity WaterAid said the absence of clean toilet facilities, access to safe water and efficient sanitation was directly related to the spread of diseases that killed 1.8 million children a year.

It estimated the economic cost of not investing in sanitation and clean water at $38 million a year resulting from infant deaths, lost work days and school absences due to disease.”

Read the full article here.

-Virginia Simmons

The MDG Tracker!

With the 2015 deadline for the Millennium Development Goals quickly approaching, the United Nations has partnered with Google and Cisco to create an online monitor to chart the world’s progress.

The monitor includes a map where you select 1) a measurement for one of the 8 MDG goals, 2) a country, and 3) a year.

For example, I chose the stat “percentage of population between the ages of 15-19 years old living with HIV,” the country “South Africa” and the year “2005,” and found out that 18.8% of South Africans were living with HIV in 2005.

Next, I chose the stat “percentage of children under the age of 5 moderately or severely under weight,” the country “Mali,” and the years “2000-2004,” and found out that in 2001, 33.2% of Mali children under the age of five were moderately to severely under weight.

You can check it out the map and roam the whole site here

-Virginia Simmons

United Nations Day

United Nations Day, the anniversary of the entry into force of the United Nations Charter on 24 October 1945, has been celebrated since 1948. It has traditionally been marked throughout the world by meetings, discussions and exhibits on the achievements and goals of the U.N. In 1971, the General Assembly recommended that member states observe it as a public holiday.

Yesterday, the United Nations Association – Columbus Chapter held their own local event in honor of UN Day. The event brought together local NGO’s, students and faculty from the area - including the ONE Campaign – OSU Chapter. The event focused on the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the global fight against HIV and AIDS, and current World Health Organization initiatives.

Carol Welch from the Millennium Campaign, another partner of ONE, was a featured speaker at the event. Along with educating the audience about the MDGs, Ms. Welch encouraged attendees to get involved with ONE and ONE Vote ‘08 in order to create the political will necessary to achieve these goals.

With the presence of three partner organizations, the event helped to emphasize the effectiveness of working together to educate our communities about global poverty and disease. You, too, can partner locally with ONE partners or local NGOs. Check out our partner page to see the full list of our national partners which has grown to over 150 organizations—many groups have local chapters or may be based in your state.

-Katie Andrews, ONE Regional Organizer

President’s UN Address Now Up

A relevant excerpt about food aid, AIDS, malaria and education below:

Feeding the hungry has long been a special calling for my nation. Today, more than half the world’s food assistance comes from America. We send emergency food stocks to starving people from camps in Sudan to slums in — around the world. I’ve proposed an innovative initiative to alleviate hunger under which America would purchase the crops of local farmers in Africa and elsewhere, rather than shipping in food from the developed world. This would help build up local agriculture and break the cycle of famine in the developing world — and I urge our United States Congress to support this initiative.

Many in this hall are bringing the spirit of generosity to fighting HIV/AIDS and malaria. Five years ago, in Sub-Saharan Africa, an AIDS diagnosis was widely considered a death sentence, and fewer than 50,000 people infected with the virus were receiving treatment. The world responded by creating the Global Fund, which is working with governments and the private sector to fight the disease around the world. The United States decided to take these steps a little further by launching the $15 billion Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Since 2003, this effort has helped bring cutting-edge medicines to more than a million people in sub-Sahara Africa. It’s a good start. So earlier this year, I proposed to double our initial commitment to $30 billion. By coming together, the world can turn the tide against HIV/AIDS — once and for all.

Malaria is another common killer. In some countries, malaria takes as many lives as HIV/AIDS — the vast majority of them children under the age of five years old. Every one of these deaths is unnecessary, because the disease is preventable and treatable. The world knows what it takes to stop malaria — bed nets and indoor spraying and medicine to treat the disease. Two years ago, America launched a $1.2 billion malaria initiative. Other nations and the private sector are making vital contributions, as well. I call on every member state to maintain its focus, find new ways to join this cause, and bring us closer to the day when malaria deaths are no more.

Third, the mission of the United Nations requires liberating people from the chains of illiteracy and ignorance. Article 26 of the Universal Declaration states: “Everyone has the right to education.” And when nations make the investments needed to educate their people, the whole world benefits. Better education unleashes the talent and potential of its citizens, and adds to the prosperity of all of us. Better education promotes better health and greater independence. Better education increases the strength of democracy, and weakens the appeal of violent ideologies. So the United States is joining with nations around the world to help them provide a better education for their people.

A good education starts with good teachers. In partnership with other nations, America has helped train more than 600,000 teachers and administrators. A good education requires good textbooks. So in partnership with other nations, America has distributed tens of millions of textbooks. A good education requires access to good schools. So in partnership with other nations, America is helping nations raise standards in their schools at home, and providing scholarships to help students come to schools in the United States. In all our education efforts, our nation is working to expand access for women and girls, so that the opportunity to get a decent education is open to all.”

Full address here.