A proposal from Germany’s development ministry stands to rewrite the country’s — and possibly the G20’s — aid relationship with Africa. The so-called Marshall Plan with Africa would prioritize encouraging private investment on the continent, possibly while reducing or shifting official development assistance. Read more.
On May 12, officials declared an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in a remote area of the northern DR Congo. The WHO reported 37 cases of infection, including one confirmed and three probable deaths from EVD. The outbreak triggered a response involving more than 13 international agencies and could prompt the roll-out of an Ebola vaccine candidate, pending government approval of its use. Read more.
Working through the Global Fund Advocates Network, tuberculosis advocates are looking to strategically advance efforts to combat the disease and take advantage of several key international meetings over the coming 15 months. Read more.
Uganda has been celebrated for its progressive approach toward refugees. But its open-door policy is being tested by the ongoing flood of arrivals from neighboring South Sudan. Read more.
The World Health Organization's reclassification last month of progestogen-only injectable contraceptives has triggered a critical debate in the family planning community over how to manage the potential link between higher rates of HIV acquisition and one of the most popular birth control methods in many at-risk communities. Read more.
Leading Ugandan psychiatrist and advocate for health professionals. Born in Jinja, Uganda, on Oct 25, 1957, she died from colon cancer in Chennai, India, on Feb 4, 2017, aged 59 years. Read more.
Just over a year since the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank launched, civil society groups across Europe and Asia say their initial wariness toward the bank has deepened. CSOs are concerned about both the way the China-backed bank has rolled out key initial policies and what is actually included in those documents. Read more.
As the government revises guidelines for services to key populations, HIV prevention and treatment programming for MSM are put on hold. Read more.
It has been 15 years since South Africa introduced its first proposed quotas to encourage the mining industry to hire women. The quotas, which were included in the country’s draft mining charter, were a marked change in a country that once prevented women from even entering the industry.
Some elements are still missing, though — including the enforcement of sexual harassment policies, which researchers say continues to fuel inequalities and can put the lives of women working underground at risk. Read more.
In the wake of the United Nation’s declaration of famine in parts of war-torn South Sudan, humanitarian agencies are scrambling to deliver emergency assistance for the 100,000 people currently facing starvation and the more than 1 million more who are on the brink of it. These efforts could be stymied, however, if access issues in the war-torn country continue to prevent aid workers from reaching the people most in need. Read more.
An interview with Patrick Phiri, the health coordinator for the Malawi Red Cross, who is based in the country's capital, Lilongwe. Read more.
Gambia's new president has stated that maternal and child health will be his first priority and experts are hoping for a new focus on health in the country. Read more.
The Global Fund has pledged to re-energize HIV prevention and, in line with that commitment, civil society groups are calling on the Fund to offer more explicit data on how much it spends on these efforts. That includes not only overall expenditure data, but also granular information, like spending at a country level and spending on specific interventions. Read more.
A U.S. executive order pausing the refugee program and barring nationals from seven countries from entering the United States for 90 days could endanger thousands of Somalis who had been cleared for resettlement, aid agencies and humanitarian workers warn. Read more.
A country threatened by terrorism grapples with its dark history of surveillance. Read more.
Update: I spoke to Seán Moncrieff as part of his daily news program on February 9. Listen here.