US Investment Saving Lives Around the World – A new report from The Global Health Technologies Coalition says that the “U.S. government is the world leader when it comes to investing in global health research and development.” The report is being released at a time when President Obama and congress are debating which programs to cut, and highlights that “investing in global health also has domestic benefits . . . [as] for every dollar the government spends on global health research and development, 64 cents goes directly to U.S.-based researchers.” (VOA, Joe DeCapua)
FAO reports huge funding gap for Sahel, Horn of Africa – A $239 million gap in funding is threatening to derail the Food and Agriculture Organization’s emergency plans in the Sahel region and the Horn of Africa. The Director-General of the FAO, Jose Graziano de Silva, explained that “we are losing the opportunity to build on our recent gains and assure resilient rural communities” by “not putting in place measures that could prevent the food security situation from worsening.” (Devex, Ivy Mungcal)
Malawi to Devalue Kwacha 40% to Unlock Aid by Meeting IMF Terms – President Joyce Banda announced the “Malawi will devalue its currency, the kwacha, by 40 percent to unblock blocked aid by meeting conditions set by the International Monetary Fund.” The Malawian government has resumed relations with the IMF, the World Bank, the US and UK following the death of Bingu wa Mutharika, the leader who had clashed with Western donors. (Bloomberg, Andres R. Martinez and Frank Jomo)
ICYMI: Marco Rubio’s foreign policy message for the GOP – In Rubio’s speech on foreign policy last week, he criticized the drift towards isolationism within the Republican Party and “formally associated himself with the foreign policy tradition of FDR, Truman, JFK, Reagan and ‘both Bushes.’” Rubio explained that a “U.S. retreat from global engagement would be catastrophic for America and for many other nations,” and “affirmed the need for multilateral solutions to global problems.” Rubio went on to defend “foreign assistance as a ‘cost-effective’ method to ‘strengthen our influence, the effectiveness of our leadership.’” (Washington Post, Michael Gerson)
