Washington Post: A startling and welcome drop in child mortality – Of the 20 African countries that track nationwide living standards, 16 have recorded significant declines in the rate of deaths among children under the age of 5. Senegal, Rwanda and Kenya have reported drops of more than eight percent a year, “a rate that, if sustained, would cut child mortality in half within a decade.” In addition, nine countries have seen a decrease of more than 4.4 percent a year, which would meet the target established by the Millennium Development Goal to reduce child mortality by two-thirds between 1990 and 2015.” (Editorial Board)
VOA: Feeding the Future Requires Bold decisions – The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization has released its new policy paper, which calls for “fundamental changes in the governance of food and agriculture.” The FAO reports that “bold policy decisions affecting income growth, dietary preferences, food waste and agricultural production would mean the population could be fed much more efficiently and with much less environmental damage.” (Joe DeCapua)
Devex: US-hosted conference tackles child survival – Up to 700 public and private sector leaders are expected to join U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at the “Child Survival: Call to Action” conference June 14-15 in Washington, D.C. The delegates are expected to launch a “long-term business-inspired initiative to help children around the world reach their fifth birthday.” (Devex, Ivy Mungcal)
AFP: Somalia conference opens with appeal for aid drive – Representatives from 54 countries gathered in Istanbul, Turkey this week to discuss the future of Somalia. Leaders said on Thursday that “Somalia needs a global reconstruction effort to back up ongoing stabilization efforts and stop the Horn of Africa’s 20-year descent into chaos.” Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan “stressed that the international community’s response to Somalia was a ‘test for civilization and contemporary values.’” (Nicolas Cherviron)
