1 Dear Colleagues, Last week Richard Horton said the SDGs are

Dear Colleagues,
Last week Richard Horton said the SDGs are 'unremittingly utopian' in the current global political
context, and quite a few pundits think we’ve already entered an era of Global Disorder. That certainly
seemed to be the case this week in Brussels (the ITM mantra ‘Switching the Poles’ suddenly felt a bit
eery in the Belgian capital ) or when watching Donald Trump on stage in the US, whipping up his
audience on the numerous merits of waterboarding or making fun of a disabled NYT journalist. “The
Donald” campaigns as if our world is gearing up for its own version of the Hunger Games. If he’s
declared a Victor next year, I hope many Katniss Everdeens will stand up to take him down.
It’s a fascinating exercise to look at today’s turbulent world, using the lens of (the scenarios) of a
2002 Tellus Institute report, “Great transition”. The report argued that we’re in the midst of a third
significant transition: after “ two sweeping macro-transformations—from Stone Age culture to Early
Civilization roughly 10,000 years ago, and from Early Civilization to the Modern Era over the last
millennium, we are now in the midst of a third significant transition, toward the Planetary Phase of
civilization”. (not sure Donald got beyond stage 1)
We’re thirteen years later now and the world (just) launched the SDG agenda, seems to agree on a
rather pragmatic agenda at COP 21 (while trade and investment agreements are being negotiated
that will make both agendas much harder to achieve, if not impossible, if they materialize), and
witnesses an upsurge in global terrorism as well as enormous disorder and suffering in the Middle
East. Among others.
In a recent paper, Felix Dodds provides some more detail on the scenarios in the Tellus report: “The
Great Transition developed by the Tellus Institute look(ed) at the challenges ahead through a set of
global scenarios. “Evolutionary scenarios, or Conventional Worlds, envision incremental responses
to twenty-first century challenges, with Market Forces variants stressing free market solutions and
Policy Reform variants underscoring strong political will and international cooperation for
sustainable development. However, the efficacy of market and policy adaptations is sharply
constrained. A state-centric geopolitical order undercuts global imperatives, while the dominant
development paradigm privileges profits over needs and economic growth over ecological resilience.
Quite plausibly, Conventional Worlds could veer rather abruptly toward some form of Barbarization
scenario, perhaps a polarized Fortress World, even a catastrophic Breakdown. The risk of
evolutionary drift followed by catastrophic descent is all too real, yet by no means inevitable.”
Dodds continues, “The Great Transition offers a number of potential futures and it is clear that the
SDGs approach has been very much in the conventional world scenario – in particular, the Policy
Reform approach. It probably is the ‘last chance’ for this approach to have the impacts required,
before the shocks of climate change, water scarcity, food availability and other critical elements –
which make it impossible for more managed change to happen – really impact.”
We strongly encourage you to read the Tellus Report from 2002, if only to look out for the global YinYang youth movement (!) that is expected to boost global awareness of the urgency of a new
sustainability paradigm (variant two of the Great Transition scenario – and the one we hope will
prevail in the end) . As the report emphasized, “The Great Transitions approach to a sustainable
civilization builds on the wealth-generating features of Market Forces and the technological change
of Policy Reform. But it transcends them by recognizing that market-led adaptations and
government-led policy adjustments are not enough. Great Transitions adds a third ingredient—a
values-led shift toward an alternative global vision. The underlying engine of a Great Transition,
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however, is an engaged and aware public, animated by a new suite of values that emphasizes quality
of life, human solidarity and environmental sustainability.” (Trump’s fans don’t really fit the bill, I
realize)
Anyway. Depending on your inclination, the glass (in 2015) is half full or half empty, but clearly,
traces of all listed scenarios can be found in the current world. A key question will be whether we
manage to learn from the (inevitable and necessary) system crises, or get instead caught in vicious
feedback loops. Within a few decades, we’ll know more…
In this week’s Featured article, Roeland Scholtalbers (ITM head of Communications) reflects on
ITM’s 57th colloquium on maternal and neonatal health in Rabat, Morocco. The colloquium ends
today.
Enjoy your reading.
The editorial team
Featured Article
The maternal health glass can never be half full
Roeland Scholtalbers, Head of Communications, Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp
I usually tend to see the glass half full; even my Twitter profile says so. Yet, if I look at maternal and
neonatal health after 15 years of Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) I can’t help but stare
across the empty top end of the glass. The 57th ITM Colloquium on Maternal and Neonatal Health in
Rabat (24-27 November 2015), co-organised by ITM and ENSP ( L’Ecole Nationale de Santé Publique,
Rabat), provided a great opportunity to ask the experts for their opinion. Here is a brief account of
my crash course in maternal health.
Let’s start with the basics. Since 1990, world-wide maternal mortality has been reduced by 44% and
child mortality by 49%, but the MDGs aimed at reducing under-five mortality by two-thirds (MDG4)
and maternal deaths by three-quarters (MDG5). One could argue the glass is half full here, as both
maternal and child mortality are cut nearly in half. However, in recent years maternal deaths have
been stagnating around 300,000 yearly, according to the latest UN figures. The UN report attributes
the stagnation largely to humanitarian crises and conflict situations. Sierra Leone, one of the three
West-African countries grappling with the Ebola outbreak in 2014-15, has the highest estimated
number of maternal deaths, 1360 per 100,000 live births. Ebola will likely have made things worse,
as many health workers died and health facilities struggled to cope. Many women will have
delivered unassisted as a result.
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Considering that a large part of maternal deaths have preventable and treatable causes, such as
haemorrhage, sepsis and hypertensive disorders I wondered whether the key lies in the
underachievement on universal access to reproductive health (MDG5). Will we be all good once all
pregnant women have access to skilled assistance?
Not quite, because access alone is not enough, I quickly learned in Rabat. According to ITM’s Prof.
Vincent De Brouwere, chair of the Colloquium’s scientific committee, “women’s motivation to
deliver in a health facility depends not only on physical access, but also on their trust in health care
services and providers of care.” Several speakers backed this point up with vivid examples. US nurse
and researcher Charlotte Warren presented data from Kenya on disrespect and abuse during labour
and delivery. The women experienced a lack of privacy and confidentiality, were given treatment
without their permission and sometimes even endured physical abuse. According to Sundari
Ravindran, childbirth needs to be humanised to make sure women are in primary control of their
birthing. “Technical skills are valued more than a human approach,” the Indian researcher said. Her
comments were echoed by Mina Abaacrouche, director ad-interim of ENSP. “Morocco has made
important steps in improving access to health care, even in remote areas. Now it is time to improve
the way women and their families are welcomed and cared for in the health facilities, in order to
encourage them to seek assistance.”
Jean-Paul Dossou, a PhD student at ITM, showed how women are not simply on the receiving end of
poor care. In his home country of Benin women try to influence the quality of care and negotiate
accountability when they are confronted with disrespect and abuse. As Dossou put it, “women do
not wait for the UN to solve their problems.”
While plenty of (estimated) figures are available on maternal mortality, there is little evidence on
maternal morbidity. ENSP’s Bouchra Assarag, for example, is one of the first to research maternal
morbidity in Morocco. The studies in the context of her PhD research at ITM show that 60% of
women in Marrakech have at least one health problem diagnosed in postpartum. “Maternal
mortality is only the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface women suffer from a range of
complications that often go untreated and undiscussed,” she said. A photo exhibition and video
documentary with the personal stories of the women from Al Haouz were presented at the
Colloquium. LSHTM’s Veronique Filippi called for standardisation in maternal morbidity research,
starting with an agreed definition of the pregnancy complications that fall under the umbrella term
maternal morbidity. Even though the need for more evidence is clear, it should also be translated
into action. A recent MBRRACE-UK report on stillbirths in the UK exemplifies that sometimes even
rich countries fail to act on available information. In other words, listening to women can save lives
even when your GDP is above $ 40.000 per capita.
Rabat’s key message for the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is in my view that we need
to listen to women, to make sure that the needs of mothers and newborns are met and their rights
respected. By embedding maternal health in several of its 17 goals, the SDGs have created room for
a more holistic approach. The researchers I met in Rabat are aware it will also be up to them to
provide policymakers with the necessary tools to make decisions on the right intervention strategies
to top up the half empty glass of maternal health.
P.S. I declare no competing interests and I believe my judgement has not been clouded (too much) by
the fact that, if all goes well, I will soon be a first time father.
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Highlights of the week
Lancet - Will Ebola change the game? Ten essential reforms
before the next pandemic. The report of the Harvard-LSHTM
Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola
Suerie Moon et al; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)009460/fulltext
The Ebola epidemic raised a crucial question: what reforms are needed to mend the fragile global
system for outbreak prevention and response, rebuild confidence, and prevent future disasters? To
address this question, the Harvard Global Health Institute and the London School of Hygiene &
Tropical Medicine jointly launched the Independent Panel on the Global Response to Ebola. Last
Sunday, their report was released. With ten hard-hitting (and interrelated) recommendations,
across four thematic areas, but without engaging in easy WHO bashing, I’d say. The one that
probably got the most attention was recommendation 4: ” A transparent and politically protected
WHO Standing Emergency Committee should be delegated with the responsibility for declaring
public health emergencies.”
The findings were presented on 23 November in London – see here for an overview of the event, as
well as the video recording (if you want to see it again). (see also BMJ news for an overview of the
London launch).
Lancet (Editorial) – Ebola: lessons for future pandemics
http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01097-1/fulltext
This Lancet Editorial frames the new report and concludes. “…Of the ten (recommendations), some
already have political momentum, such as the creation of a global financing facility for outbreakrelated research and development; others will not require substantial funds but can be
implemented quickly, such as establishing a freedom of information policy within WHO. The
message from the panel's discussion event in London this week was clear: there is a moral
obligation to ensure the same mistakes are not repeated in the future. Strong political will to rebuild
confidence, internationally and nationally, is needed. But the global health community also has a
shared responsibility to not only learn the lessons from the west African Ebola outbreak but also to
show leadership in the future.”
Coverage and analysis of the report:
*Experts criticise WHO delay in sounding alarm over Ebola outbreak (Guardian, Sarah Boseley)
*Panels Advise Bolstering W.H.O. for Crises Like Ebola (NYT)
*Ebola experience leaves world no less vulnerable (Nature news – quoting Adam Kamradt-Scott,
among others: “Although there is consensus that the WHO is not up to the task of managing global
outbreak response, long-term observers of the agency are doubtful that most of the report's
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suggested reforms will be adopted, because of resistance from the 194 member states that govern
it. Health-security specialist Adam Kamradt-Scott at the University of Sydney in Australia says that
the report's ideas for WHO reform represent “noble ideals”, but are unlikely to be passed. He wishes
that the report had laid out more realistic recommendations.”)
*Is Yet Another Ebola Report a Symptom of the Problem or the Solution? (Charles Clift, expert
Comment – Chatham House)
WHO – Advisory Group on reform of WHO’s work in outbreaks and emergencies
first report (Nov 15) - executive summary
http://www.who.int/about/who_reform/emergency-capacities/first-report-advisorygroup.pdf?ua=1
Meanwhile, the WHO’s own Advisory group on reform of WHO’s work in outbreaks and emergencies
has also produced its first report.
As Charles Clift says in his Expert comment (see above), “Apart from the five panels of global health
experts (two of them self-appointed) offering advice to the WHO and the international community on
the Ebola response, the WHO established in July its own Advisory Group on Reform of WHO’s Work
in Outbreaks and Emergencies (AGROE) which has just produced its own first report. It has to be
questioned whether, in a rational world, this would be the right way to proceed. The
recommendations in AGROE’s first report already differ from those in the EIAP (= the WHOcommissioned Ebola Interim Assessment Panel (EAIP), published in June) and Harvard-LSHTM. The
imminent further reports will no doubt further muddy the waters. This proliferation of reports
complicates decision-making for the WHO and the international community and also exacerbates the
WHO’s natural defensiveness and politicizes the whole issue in ways that may not be helpful to
achieving a better global response mechanism to disease outbreaks. Could there be a better way?”
“Three more major reports are due to follow in the next few months - by the National Academy of
Medicine, a UN High-Level Panel and the International Health Regulations (IHR) Review Committee.”
Lancet – The International Health Regulations 10 years on: the governing
framework for global health security
L Gostin et al; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)00948-4/fulltext
“Fundamental revisions to the International Health Regulations in 2005 were meant to herald a new
era of global health security and cooperation. Yet, 10 years later, the International Health
Regulations face criticism, particularly after the west African Ebola epidemic. Several high-level
panels are reviewing the International Health Regulations' functions and urging reforms. The Global
Health Security Agenda, a multilateral partnership focused on preventing, detecting, and responding
to natural, accidental, or intentional disease outbreaks, has similar capacity building aims, but
operates largely outside the International Health Regulations. Here, we review the International
Health Regulations' performance and future.” …. They conclude: “10 years after its adoption, the
time has come to realise the International Health Regulations' promise. The unconscionable Ebola
epidemic opened a window of opportunity for fundamental reform—both for the International
Health Regulations and the organisation that oversees the treaty. That political window, however,
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is rapidly closing. Donor fatigue, fading memories, and competing priorities are diverting political
attention. Empowering WHO and realising the International Health Regulations' potential would
shore up global health security—an important investment in human and animal health, while
reducing the vast economic consequences of the next global health emergency.”
You might also want to check out a Lancet Perspective on Larry Gostin.
COP 21 in Paris
Many of you will probably closely follow everything going on in Paris in the coming two weeks.
Below we already list some key reads – other relevant reads and info you’ll find under the ‘Planetary
Health Section’.
Guides to the COP 21 climate talks can be found, for example, on the UNFCCC’s Get the Big Picture
and Mashable, The 12 Days that will decide on Earth's future.
For the official COP 21 website, see here. As you probably know, “The President of the French
Republic, François Hollande, and the French Minister of Foreign Affairs and future President of
COP21, Laurent Fabius, wanted to invite all Heads of State and Government to the opening of the
Conference on 30 November in order to generate political momentum ahead of the negotiations,
which will take place first at a technical level, then at ministerial level. By 24 November, 147 Heads of
State and Government had accepted this invitation.”
Nature (News) – Special issue: All together now
http://www.nature.com/news/all-together-now-1.18860
(must-read!) After 25 years of negotiations, all countries are finally set to take steps to limit global
warming. A special issue examines the path to the Paris climate summit, and the road beyond.
Includes Climate optimism builds ahead of Paris talks; Is the 2 °C world a fantasy?; Global climate
agreement: After the talks; The way forward is through Paris and much more.
For an additional view, see The Economist: ‘Clear Thinking needed’. “Global warming cannot be
dealt with using today’s tools and mindsets. So create some new ones” Part of a special report on
climate change.
Guardian – Consume more, conserve more: sorry, but we just can’t do both
G Monbiot; http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/24/consume-conserveeconomic-growth-sustainability
Economic growth is tearing the planet apart, and new research suggests that it can’t be reconciled
with sustainability. “…There are two kinds of decoupling: relative and absolute. Relative decoupling
means using less stuff with every unit of economic growth; absolute decoupling means a total
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reduction in the use of resources, even though the economy continues to grow. Almost all economists
believe that decoupling – relative or absolute – is an inexorable feature of economic growth. On this
notion rests the concept of sustainable development. It sits at the heart of the climate talks in Paris
next month and of every other summit on environmental issues. But it appears to be unfounded. A
paper published earlier this year in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences proposes that
even the relative decoupling we claim to have achieved is an artefact of false accounting. It points
out that governments and economists have measured our impacts in a way that seems irrational.”
Guardian - What’s really at stake at the Paris climate conference now marches are
banned
Naomi Klein; http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/20/paris-climate-talksprotesters-hollande-violence
“By banning protest at COP21, Hollande is silencing those facing the worst impacts of climate change
and its monstrous violence”, Naomi Klein argues.
Yesterday, “An international coalition of NGOs, civil society groups and political figures such as
Naomi Klein and Susan George have called on the French president to lift the ban on protests during
the COP 21 climate talks in Paris, which is due to start on the 30 November. “ If not, COP 21 loses its
legitimacy, they say.
Guardian – World Bank calls for $16bn to help Africa weather the effects of
climate change
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/25/world-bank-africa-climatebusiness-plan-16-billion
The World Bank has devised a $16bn strategy designed to help Africa adapt to climate change and
prevent millions of people from sliding into poverty. See also Thomson Reuters foundation. The
"Africa Climate Business Plan" lays out investments to make the continent's people, land, water and
cities more resilient to droughts, floods, storms and rising seas, increase access to green energy, and
strengthen early warning systems.
Oxfam (blog) - What’s changed since Copenhagen? Curtain raiser for the Paris
climate talks
T Carty; http://oxfamblogs.org/fp2p/whats-changed-since-copenhagen-curtain-raiser-for-the-parisclimate-talks/
Excellent short must-read. What has changed as compared to Copenhagen six years ago? A change
in expectations; politically, the new willingness to act shown by the world’s biggest emitters, the US
and China; on the ground, the low carbon transition is now well under way; climate-related shocks
have increased; emission targets are on the table; finance is not on the table….
This is an excerpt from Oxfam’s Media briefing (25 Nov), Game-changers in the Paris climate deal,
“which sets out game-changers over the next two weeks that could make a real difference to the
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type of agreement reached. Two critical questions will determine the extent to which the Paris deal
helps those on the frontlines of climate impacts. The first is whether there is enough finance in the
deal for poorer countries. The second is whether the deal is strong enough to keep the goal of 1.5°C,
or even 2°C, within reach: crucially, whether a robust INDC review mechanism is agreed”
UN – Secretary-General Appoints Two Former Presidents, 14
Others as Members of High-Level Panel on Access to
Medicines
http://www.un.org/press/en/2015/sga1608.doc.htm
“Last week, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced the establishment of a high-level panel
on health technology innovation and access. Comprising 16 eminent, well-respected individuals
with a deep knowledge and understanding of the broad range of trade, public health, human rights
and legal issues associated with access to treatment, the panel’s co-chairs are Ruth Dreifuss, former
President of Switzerland, and Festus Mogae, former President of Botswana. … The Panel is expected
hold its first meeting in December 2016 and to engage in extensive consultations with
stakeholders. It will present a set of recommendations to the Secretary-General in June 2016. The
Secretary-General will make the final report available to the General Assembly and take any further
action, as appropriate.”
BBC – UK government sets up £1bn fund to fight malaria
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-34892921
As part of a revamped UK aid strategy, the UK government is to create a new £1bn fund aimed at
eradicating malaria and other infectious diseases. The new Ross Fund (named after a famously
awkward “Friends” character) will be run in partnership with the Gates Foundation. (see also the
Independent ).
CGD – Right Idea on Ross Malaria Funding, Wrong Execution
Amanda Glassman ; http://www.cgdev.org/blog/right-idea-ross-malaria-funding-wrong-execution
Must-read. “…If the UK and Gates signal that other mechanisms will work better than the Global
Fund to address malaria, just ahead of a replenishment year, global health will be headed in the
wrong direction, a direction of inefficiency and redundancy. Reform of our existing Global Fund
rather than creation of yet another new Fund is the answer.”
The Ross Fund is part of the new UK aid strategy, “UK Aid: Tackling global challenges in the national
interest”. (PS: you might also want to check out DFID’s new Evaluation Framework for Payment by
Results).
For the press release, with some of the main directions of the new UK aid strategy, see here.
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The Guardian also features a great analysis, by Alex Scrivener (Global Justice Now), “Do we really
want the military spending our aid budget?” “…Taken together, the quiet re-categorisation of
ordinary government spending as ODA and the reframing of aid as being in the national interest
amount to a significant threat to a lot of what anti-poverty campaigners and development
organisations have spent decades fighting for.”
As Rob Yates sadly noted on Twitter, inequality, UHC, … are nowhere near to be seen in the new UK
aid strategy.
Guardian – EU countries diverting overseas aid to cover refugee bills, report says
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/24/eu-countries-diverting-overseasaid-to-cover-refugee-bills-report-says
“A report published on Tuesday by Concord, the European NGO confederation for relief and
development, documents an emerging trend among member states to divert aid budgets from
sustainable development to domestic costs associated with hosting refugees and asylum seekers.”
Guardian - More than 15m people on life-saving HIV drugs,
(new UNAIDS) report says
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/24/15-million-people-now-on-lifesaving-hiv-aids-drugs-unaids-report-says
Encouraging news on the HIV/AIDS front. “… A new report from UNAIDS shows that the numbers on
life-saving antiretroviral (ARV) medication have doubled in five years from 7.5 million in 2010 to 15.8
million (with an increase of 2.2 million over the previous year.) “Every five years we have more than
doubled the number of people on life-saving treatment,” said Michel Sidibé, executive director of
UNAids. “We need to do it just one more time to break the Aids epidemic and keep it from
rebounding.” So the U.N. on Tuesday urged countries to ‘break the AIDS epidemic’ by doubling the
number of people receiving HIV treatment within the next five years.
For MSF’s reaction, see here. “MSF welcomed further global progress on getting HIV treatment to
more people and urged all affected countries to take up new WHO ‘test and treat’ guidelines
before next June’s UN High-level Meeting on HIV/AIDS, where donor governments should commit
to a funding plan to close the global treatment gaps.” They point out: 37 million people with HIV are
eligible for treatment but still less than half (15.8 million) have access.
Plos – The HIV Treatment Gap: Estimates of the Financial Resources Needed
versus Available for Scale-Up of Antiretroviral Therapy in 97 Countries from 2015
to 2020
http://journals.plos.org/plosmedicine/article?id=10.1371/journal.pmed.1001907
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Arin Dutta and colleagues project global ART-related funding, global ART-related need under
established targets, and the gap between the two.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against
Women (25 November) & start of 16 Days of Activism against
Gender-based violence
WHO - WHO launches toolkit to help countries respond to sexual violence
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/news/notes/2015/sexual-violence-elimination/en/
On 25 November, WHO joined partners in calling for the elimination of all forms of violence against
women and girls to ensure their health, well-being and human rights. “WHO strongly condemns
violence against women and girls and supports partners and countries’ efforts towards the denormalization of this type of violence. Ensuring equality between women and men is a crucial part of
these efforts,” said Dr Margaret Chan, Director-General of WHO. The Organization, together with
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, is launching a toolkit to help countries strengthen the medicolegal response to sexual violence.
For more info on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against women, see here. For
Facts & Figures (from UN Women), see here. Info on the 16-day campaign to galvanize action to
end violence against women and girls around the world, you can find here or on IPS, 16-Day
Campaign to End Gender Violence.
Meanwhile, #Orange the World to say no to violence against
women and girls!
Nevertheless, do read also Alain De Botton’s “What nice men never tell nice women”.
Ebola back in Liberia
NPR (goats & soda) – Puzzling Ebola Death Shows How Little We Know About The
Virus
http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2015/11/24/457277942/puzzling-ebola-death-showshow-little-we-know-about-thevirus?utm_campaign=storyshare&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_medium=social
On the new cases in Liberia. Viral re-emergence in Ebola survivors is the big unknown - it’s not clear
yet how the new patients were infected. See also NYT.
For the latest WHO Ebola situation report (25 November), see here.
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Lancet (Comment) – Primary health care and the Sustainable
Development Goals
L M Pettigrew et al ; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)009496/fulltext
“When supported by strong public health policies and with aligned efforts across social, economic,
and political domains, primary health care has a central role in achievement of sustainable
development. Although differences are inevitable between countries in the organisation of primary
health care and the human resources available, many of the challenges outlined in SDG3—related
to reproductive and child health, communicable diseases, chronic illnesses (including
multimorbidity), addiction, and other mental health problems—can be addressed through a personcentred and population-based approach to primary health care. … … Moreover, primary health
care can contribute to the achievement of many of the 16 other SDGs; for example, its role in
addressing the social determinants of health was underlined in the report Closing the Gap in a
Generation.
… Yet investment in realising the full potential of primary health care still seems elusive to many
governments, policy makers, funders, and health-care providers. … The absence of reference to
primary health care in the SDGs and their targets seems a serious oversight.” The authors provide
two options to explain this, and choose the second one (i.e. PHC is so integral to the path towards
the SDGs that reference in a goal or target would undermine its cross-cutting role). They continue:
“ If the agenda is not explicit about how health systems with good-quality comprehensive primary
care can be achieved, or how to measure progress towards this goal, we risk repeating the failures of
the past. National governments and other stakeholders need to be ambitious in measuring progress
towards delivery of primary health care that will address the SDGs….” Fortunately, there are some
encouraging trends in this respect.
Global Policy watch (brief) - SDG Indicators and Data: Who collects? Who reports?
Who benefits?
B Adams; https://www.globalpolicywatch.org/blog/2015/11/23/sdg-indicators-and-data/
For the latest on the SDG indicators, read this (excellent) brief, and also Unsustainable Development
Goals: Are 222 indicators too many? (on IRIN news). One of the questions asked in the latter piece:
why the rush (i.e. to have all indicators ready by March)
Lancet (Editorial) – The Global Burden of Diseases: living
with disability
http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01096-X/fulltext
“The UN observes the International Day of Persons with Disabilities on Dec 3, 2015. This year, three
themes are highlighted in the agenda: making cities inclusive for all, improving disability data and
statistics, and including those with invisible disabilities in society and development. These themes
echo the specific mention of persons with disabilities in five of the SDGs: education; economic growth
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and employment; creation of inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable cities; reduction of inequalities;
and data collection related to monitoring the SDGs. … In today's Lancet, the Global Burden of Disease
(GBD) team provides a substantial contribution to baseline statistics, against which the progress of
SDGs can be measured, for health and disability.” (for the accompanying Comment, by Peter Byass
(already published in August), see here ). As you remember, “years of life expectancy gained are not
necessarily lived healthily”...
Lancet - Offline: What the war against ISIL means for health
Richard Horton; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01046-6/fulltext
(must-read) “United Nations Resolution 2249, passed on Nov 20, 2015, by the Security Council,
argues that Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, Da'esh) “constitutes a global and
unprecedented threat to international peace and security”.” Horton explores whether that’s a fair
statement. He lists the many (mainly dire) health consequences of ISIL. But then, he wonders
whether the enormous turmoil caused by ISIL could nevertheless also “offer a series of opportunities
to forge a new vision for the health and wellbeing of all peoples under threat”. He continues, in a
way that will no doubt please Ilona Kickbusch and others: “Global health could make peace a
central part of its vision post-2015. How might it do so? By making peace through health (and health
through peace) a critical aspect and action of its work. One opening might be the new attention
being given to global health security. WHO could seize first-mover advantage to kick-start this
dialogue. There would be no better place to do so than the gathering of its Executive Board in
January, 2016.”
Global health events
WHO Afro meeting (in Chad, 23-27 Nov)
http://www.afro.who.int/en/sixty-fifth-session.html
The Sixty-fifth session of the WHO Regional Committee for Africa takes place in N'Djamena, Chad,
from 23 to 27 November 2015. The Regional Committee, comprising health ministers from the 47
countries in the Region, is the Governing Body of WHO in the African Region. It is the annual flagship
meeting of ministers of health from the Region during which they discuss a range of strategies and
actions to tackle public health challenges in the Region.
Priority topics on the agenda for this year’s Regional Committee include: Research for health: a
strategy for the African Region, 2016–2025; Global strategy on human resources for health:
perspectives from the African Region; The Transformation Agenda of the WHO Secretariat in the
African Region; Progress report on the establishment of the Africa Centre for Disease Control; The
African Public Health Emergency Fund (APHEF); The 2014 Ebola virus disease outbreak: lessons
learnt and way forward; Progress on the implementation of the Health Promotion Strategy for the
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African Region; Progress on Strategy for Addressing Key Determinants of Health in the African
Region; Progress on the establishment of the African Medicines Agency.
You find all documents here, including progress reports, etc.
On the transformation agenda of WHO Afro, see this Op-Ed by Dr Matshidiso Moeti, or in the
Guardian (also by WHO Afro’s director, Ms Moeti), “Ebola overwhelmed the World Health
Organisation: it must never happen again”: “…At the 65th session of the WHO regional committee
for Africa in N’Djamena, Chad, health ministers and senior officials from WHO Afro’s 47 member
states endorsed a transformation agenda. This agenda will make WHO Afro the responsive,
transparent and effective health agency the region needs and deserves. Our reform efforts focus on
four key areas. We will promote and instill shared values such as excellence, innovation,
accountability and transparency. We will focus the technical work of the WHO secretariat on the
region’s most important health problems, ensuring that evidence-based interventions are employed
when and where they are most needed. We will build responsive strategic operations and strengthen
management capacity to improve the way in which resources are matched to pressing health
challenges. And we will enhance strategic partnerships and more effectively articulate and
communicate our contribution to health development across the region. These four focus areas are
not just talking points. They will be measured and evaluated against a robust set of performance
indicators, with rigorous monitoring and evaluation to gauge progress. They will be used to hold
WHO Afro – and me – accountable to our most important stakeholders: Africa’s people.”
Ministers of Health in the African Region endorsed WHO’s commitment to transformative change.
Margaret Chan also addressed the meeting.
WHO Euro – High-level meeting on refugee and migrant
health in Rome (23-24 Nov)
http://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/events/events/2015/11/high-level-meeting-on-refugeeand-migrant-health
Ministers and senior representatives of Member States in the European Region met to discuss the
numerous public health challenges posed by large-scale movements of refugees and migrants to
transit and destination countries. The objective of this meeting was to move towards a shared
understanding of refugee and migrant health, and a common European strategy on health care for
the refugee and migrant influx. You find some coverage on this event on the website mentioned
above. (See also UN News )
JAMA (viewpoint) –Forced Migration The Human Face of a Health Crisis
http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=2466610
Larry Gostin’s weekly piece. “This Viewpoint discusses ways in which countries can help safeguard
the rights and health of refugees, asylum-seekers, and forced migrants.”
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Graduate Institute (Geneva) - the SDGs and the game change
in global health (Video) – 12 Nov
http://graduateinstitute.ch/fr/home/relations-publiques/news-at-the-institute/newsarchives.html/_/news/corporate/2015/margaret-chan-universal-healthca
Check out the video of this session, featuring Margaret Chan and others. “ She stressed: “Universal
health coverage is the pro-poor health target that underpins all SDGs and is key to their
achievement.”
HS Global Board retreat in London (2-3 Nov)
http://www.healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/79/Visioning-and-strategic-planning-at-Heathrow.html
On 2-3 November 2015, HS Global held a Board Retreat with leaders of Thematic Working Groups
and select representatives from the donor community. Topics of discussion included HSG strategy
development for 2016-2020 and the role of TWGs within the HSG community, among others. In this
blog post, Visioning and Strategic Planning at Heathrow, Lilian Otiso, who attended the retreat on
behalf of the Community Health Workers TWG, reflects on the discussions and activities that took
place over the two days.
We certainly agree with her that the metaphor coined by Lucy Gilson is a sticky one: HS Global is like
a ‘battery powered octopus whose tentacles spread out to connect the different elements’.
HS Global (blog) – Emerging Voices for Global Health Accepted as an HSG
Thematic Working group
http://healthsystemsglobal.org/blog/78/Emerging-Voices-for-Global-Health-accepted-as-an-HSGThematic-WorkingGroup.html?utm_content=buffer76d37&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_camp
aign=buffer
“During the recent HSG Board Meeting, held on 4-5 November in London, Emerging Voices for
Global Health (EV4GH) was welcomed as a new Thematic Working Group of HSG. This concretizes
the long-running, productive relationship between E4VGH and HSG and opens up new opportunities
for expanding our engagement with new cohorts of young, promising and emerging health policy
and systems researchers and decision-makers around the world.” Great news!
WB (blog) – Road safety is an issue of equity for the poor
B Badré; http://blogs.worldbank.org/voices/road-safety-is-an-issue-of-equity-for-the-poor
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Last week, the 2nd Global High Level Conference on road safety took place in Brazil (18-19 Nov). The
Brasilia Declaration on Road safety was adopted. “Road safety may not be the first thing that comes
to mind when thinking of ending extreme poverty. But poor road safety conditions affect the world’s
poorest people the most.”
Fia Foundation (research paper) – Financing for development: catalytic funding
for global road safety in the SDGs
http://www.fiafoundation.org/media/46005/research-paper-2-financing-for-developmentspreads.pdf
In related news, check out this financing research paper from July.
Global governance of health
Globalization & Health –Conceptual and institutional gaps:
understanding how the WHO can become a more effective
cross-sectoral collaborator
U Gopinathan et al; http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/11/1/46
“Two themes consistently emerge from the broad range of academics, policymakers and opinion
leaders who have proposed changes to WHO: that reform efforts are too slow, and that they do too
little to strengthen WHO’s capacity to facilitate cross-sectoral collaboration. This study seeks to
identify possible explanations for the challenges WHO faces in addressing the broader determinants
of health, and the potential opportunities for working across sectors. … Analysis of the interviews
and documents revealed three main themes: 1) WHO’s role must evolve to meet the global
challenges and societal changes of the 21st century; 2) WHO’s cross-sectoral engagement is
hampered internally by a dominant biomedical view of health, and the prevailing institutions and
incentives that entrench this view; and 3) WHO’s cross-sectoral engagement is hampered externally
by siloed areas of focus for each intergovernmental organization, and the lack of adequate
conceptual frameworks and institutional mechanisms to facilitate engagement across siloes. …”
Meanwhile, some documents and the provisional agenda for the 138th Board Meeting of WHO are
already available.
Global Public Health – Global health and domestic policy –
What motivated the development of the German Global
Health Strategy?
C Aluttis et al; http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17441692.2015.1094706
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“In 2013, the German government published its national Global Health Strategy, outlining principles
and focal topics for German engagement in global health. We asked the question of why Germany
has decided to establish a national policy framework for global health at this point in time, and how
the development process has taken place. The ultimate goal of this study was to achieve better
insights into the respective health and foreign policy processes at the national level. This article
reports on the results of semi-structured interviews with those actors that were responsible for
initiating and drafting the German Global Health Strategy (GGHS). Our study shows that a series of
external developments, stakeholders, and advocacy efforts created an environment conducive to the
creation of the strategic document. In addition, a number of internal considerations, struggles, and
capacities played a decisive role during the development phase of the GGHS. Understanding these
factors better can not only provide substantial insights into global health related policy processes in
Germany, but also contribute to the general discourse on the role of the nation state in global health
governance.”
GFO – issue 276
http://www.aidspan.org/node/3518?pk_campaign=email-attrib-Word-PDF-download&pk_kwd=gfoissue-276
Check out in particular, David Garmaise on: A policy and a strategy on transitions are urgently
required & Survey finds African key populations still largely excluded from decision-making, despite
NFM promises (by Gemma Oberth)
Meanwhile, the Global Fund still hasn’t officially reacted to the new Ross Fund, not even in its
weekly Newsflash. (let’s blame it on Thanksgiving; or perhaps the Fund plays ‘never really sure about
Ross’ Rachel )
Guardian Global Development – Europe's leaders must devise
a global trading system that puts the poor first
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/20/eu-leaders-transatlantic-tradeand-investment-partnership-global-trading-system-poor-first-ttip-sustainable-development-goals
Will it happen? No. So better to shoot the text altogether. “The EU’s professed commitment to
sustainable development is not reflected in its proposed text for the Transatlantic Trade and
Investment Partnership”.
IISD – Negotiations Kick Off on a Binding Treaty on Business
and Human Rights
http://www.iisd.org/itn/2015/11/26/negotiations-kick-off-on-a-binding-treaty-on-business-andhuman-rights/
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“The inaugural session of the Open-ended Intergovernmental Working Group for the Elaboration of
an International Legally Binding Instrument on Transnational Corporations and Other Business
Enterprises (TNCOBEs) with respect to Human Rights (the Working Group) marks the beginning of a
process to negotiate a binding treaty on business and human rights. The session took place four
years after the UN Human Rights Council endorsed the UN Guiding Principles on Business and
Human Rights (UNGPs), which have been widely praised as a global standard in terms of linking
human rights to business activities.”
Guardian – Cutting aid in order to support refugees will allow
extremism to thrive
http://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2015/nov/23/aid-cuts-refugees-extremismthrive-sweden-norway
“Sweden and Norway have led the way in funding democratic movements worldwide. Taking away
that support could have disastrous long-term effects.”
ODI (paper) – National MDG implementation: lessons for the
SDG era
M B Sarwar; http://www.odi.org/publications/10106-mdg-sdg-national-policy-priority-lessons
“As we approach the deadline for the expiration of the MDGs, and the start of the SDG, at the end of
2015, this paper asks: how did governments respond at the national level to the set of global
development goals in the form of the MDGs? Using five case study countries: Indonesia, Turkey,
Mexico, Nigeria and Liberia, to reflect a mix of regions, income classifications and MDG
performance, the paper draws out common trends and suggests five lessons for the post-2015 era.”
See also the related blog.
CGD (blog) - Four Challenges for Blended Finance and
Development Finance Institutions
T Talbot; http://www.cgdev.org/blog/four-challenges-blended-finance-and-development-financeinstitutions
The author went to a workshop on blended finance last week in Paris (organised by the World
Economic Forum and the OECD) and left pretty excited about the potential of these new structures
and instruments to deliver social returns. But he was also struck by the challenges Development
Finance Institutions and their advocates must overcome in order to fully realize that potential. He
lists four in this blog.
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KFF (issue brief) – The U.S. Response to Ebola: Status of the
FY2015 Emergency Ebola Appropriation
http://kff.org/global-health-policy/issue-brief/the-u-s-response-to-ebola-status-of-the-fy2015emergency-ebola-appropriation/
This issue brief focuses on the $5.4 billion (US) emergency Ebola funding and provides an overview
of its international activities, the agencies carrying out these activities, and the status of funding to
date.
Lancet (Perspective) –The politics of global health security
Larry Gostin; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01059-4/fulltext
Gostin reviews Disease Diplomacy, a book by Sara Davies, Adam Kamradt-Scott, and Simon Rushton
that delves into the high politics of global health security. (a very timely review, as you know)
Lancet (Correspondence) –Ebola: improving science-based
communication and local journalism
D Chalaud et al ; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01047-8/fulltext
“The World Federation of Science Journalists (WFSJ) stressed the need for rigorous scientific
journalism in tackling the Ebola crisis, and a survey among 112 African journalists of the Science
journalism COOPeration (SjCOOP) mentoring project, identified accessibility to credible scientific
information as one of the most urgent issues in Ebola communication. To address the information
crisis, the WFSJ and its partners—Fondation Hirondelle and African associations of science
journalists—have launched a communication and training programme to strengthen independent
science and health journalism in sub-Saharan Africa. The initiative, supported by Canada's
International Development Research Centre, aims to increase local access to health knowledge and
sound evidence through better monitoring and reporting during disease outbreaks.”
Guardian – I believed we would face an antibiotics
apocalypse - until now
R James; http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/nov/20/antibiotics-apocalypseresearch-resistance-threat-breakthrough
Last week there was some doom and gloom in the AMR debate. This week we have something more
upbeat in store for you. “…Until last month I was still pessimistic about our chances of avoiding the
antibiotics nightmare. But that changed when I attended a workshop in Beijing on a new approach to
antibiotic development based on bacteriocins – protein antibiotics produced by bacteria to kill closely
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related species, and exquisitely narrow-spectrum. My research over 37 years involved the study of a
number of bacteriocins that can kill a range of clinically important bacteria. I – and many other
researchers – did not believe they could be useful clinically because injecting a “foreign” bacterial
protein into a patient is likely to induce a severe immune response that would make the antibiotic
inactive. There were therefore gasps of amazement in Beijing at data presented from several animal
studies showing this was not the case.”
In other AMR related news, check out the Chatham House expert comment, “Tackling Antimicrobial
Resistance: On the Cusp of Success? “ (by O Dar & A Omaar)
FT – Corporate tax: The $240bn black hole
http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/86567a32-91d5-11e5-bd82-c1fb87bef7af.html#axzz3sWDg0mdw
“Pfizer-Allergan merger is set to increase calls for the US to close inversion loopholes, and for the
OECD to get tough on avoidance”.
It’s clear that Big Pharma is increasingly in the place where Big Banks were a few years ago; they are
already a very salient issue in US presidential campaigns, and news like this one – and also “Martin
Shkreli walks back on pledge to lower price of HIV drug Daraprim” will only increase the pressure on
Big Pharma (and its lobbyists) – in the tax debate & also in access to medicine discussions. On the
increasing discomfort of their lobbyists, see for example Pfizer’s Plan to Leave U.S. Unsettles Drug
Lobbyists (NYT).
UHC
Lancet (World Report) –USA grapples with high drug costs
http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01098-3/fulltext
More Americans are getting health insurance, including coverage for prescription drugs, but high
prices may make them inaccessible. Susan Jaffe, The Lancet's Washington correspondent, reports.
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Planetary health
Chatham House (report) – Changing Climate, Changing Diets
Pathways to Lower Meat Consumption
L Wellesley et al; https://www.chathamhouse.org/publication/changing-climate-changing-diets
Meat consumption is slowly, but steadily, rising on the global agenda. “Reducing global meat
consumption will be critical to keeping global warming below the ‘danger level’ of two degrees
Celsius, the main goal of the upcoming climate negotiations in Paris, this report argues.”
Guardian coverage of COP 21
http://www.theguardian.com/environment/cop-21-un-climate-change-conference-paris
For the latest news and updates from Paris, see here.
The position of the Caribbean is known by now, see (IPS) Against the Odds, Caribbean Doubles Down
for 1.5 Degree Deal in Paris; you might also want to read, Beyond Blame: Shaping a New African
Agenda on Climate Change (Bob Dewar, Chatham House: “There is a win-win agenda waiting for
African leadership to seize – which must start from the realization that acting on climate change is
firmly in national as well as collective interests.); and, on Open Democracy, Latin America seeks
decisive role at COP21 in Paris.
Read also on the baby steps taken by the Green Fund towards delivery.
IISD – Does the Green Economy Need Investor–State Dispute
Settlement?
K Tienhaara; http://www.iisd.org/itn/2015/11/26/does-the-green-economy-need-investor-statedispute-settlement/
No. Read why.
Infectious diseases & NTDs
The pope, travelling in Africa, is more worried about mosquitoes than about terrorists.
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BBC - Mutant mosquitoes 'resist malaria'
http://www.bbc.com/news/health-34898931
But he hadn’t heard about this great news, yet. “US scientists say they have bred a genetically
modified (GM) mosquito that can resist malaria infection. If the lab technique works in the field, it
could offer a new way of stopping the biting insects from spreading malaria to humans, they say.”
Science - What does a disease deserve?
J Kaiser; http://m.sciencemag.org/content/350/6263/900.summary
NIH funding for HIV/AIDS is in question. Will international aid follow?
Plos Neglected Diseases (Editorial) –Impact of the Neglected
Tropical Diseases on Human Development in the
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Nations
P Hotez et al; http://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0003782
“The employment of a new “worm index” of human development, together with additional
published health information, confirms the important role neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) play in
hindering the advancement of many of the world’s Muslim-majority countries.”
NCDs
BMJ (news) – British American Tobacco puts tobacco in new
e-cigarette
http://www.bmj.com/content/351/bmj.h6314?etoc=
As usual, big multinationals eagerly play the role of villains in this section.
Check out also (in the NYT), Coke’s Chief Scientist, Who Orchestrated Obesity Research, Is Leaving.
“Coca-Cola’s top scientist is stepping down after revelations that the beverage giant initiated a
strategy of funding scientific research that played down the role of Coke products in the spread of
obesity.”
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Sexual & Reproductive / maternal, neonatal & child
health
Forbes – The First Woman Of Women: How Melinda Gates
Became The World's Most Powerful Advocate For Women
And Girls
http://www.forbes.com/sites/carolinehoward/2015/11/23/the-first-woman-of-women-howmelinda-gates-became-the-worlds-most-powerful-advocate-for-women-and-girls/
In-depth piece on Melinda Gates. “…over the past few years Melinda Gates has embraced having
her name on the letterhead of the largest-ever charitable foundation, along with the influence that
comes with that. She has become the most powerful person on the planet whose singular focus is
women and girls. … … “What’s the most pressing issue of our time?” asks Gates. “It really is ending
poverty in the world. And we know to do that you have to put women and girls at the center.”
Poverty is sexist, and Gates is betting billions that it can be stemmed through the gender historically
ignored.”
Development horizons - Attempts to prioritize NCDs: What
can nutrition learn?
http://www.developmenthorizons.com/2015/11/attempts-to-prioritize-ncds-what-can.html?m=1
Lawrence Haddad learned some lessons (for nutrition) from a paper from 2012 (“Political priority in
the global fight against non-communicable disease” by Anthony Maher and Devi Sridhar ).
CNN – Clinton on rape, abortion in war zones
http://edition.cnn.com/2015/11/23/politics/hillary-clinton-rape-abortion-isis/
“Hillary Clinton said Sunday she believes that because rape is increasingly being used as a weapon
of war, the United States should help the victims by finding a way to get around a law that bars
U.S. foreign assistance funds for abortion. Clinton was asked at a Clinton, Iowa, town hall about the
1973 Helms Amendment, which states, "No foreign assistance funds may be used to pay for the
performance of abortion as a method of family planning." The law prohibits the United States from
offering certain types of family planning to women who have been raped in conflict zones.”
Lancet (Letter) –Response to keeping sex workers safe
T Bien-Aimé; http://www.lancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)00969-1/fulltext
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Responding to an earlier Lancet Editorial (Aug 8) (in relation to a new Amnesty International policy),
the authors “vehemently disagree that the wholesale decriminalisation of the sex industry, which
effectively decriminalises pimps, brothel owners, and sex buyers, will protect the health and human
rights of people engaged in selling sex. Linking the sex trade and sex trafficking is not conflation;
instead it points out the inextricable connection between a means and an end”.
And also: “…A leap from HIV prevention and protection to a call for the decriminalisation of pimps,
brothel owners, and buyers of sex defies principles of equality for women, and international law.”
Access to medicines
WHO – Public consultation on ideas for potential platforms to
support development and production of health technologies
for priority infectious diseases with epidemic potential
http://www.who.int/medicines/ebola-treatment/public_consult_platform-tech/en/
“An efficient and effective research response during an infectious disease epidemic requires
preparedness – work done between epidemics to fill knowledge gaps, identify potentially useful
candidate medical products and other interventions, and to ensure the timely availability of such
when the next epidemic occurs. Following a request from its Member States, the World Health
Organization (WHO) is pioneering a global effort, through the R&D Blueprint, to increase R&D
preparedness for future epidemics. … The epidemic of Ebola Virus Disease (EVD) in West Africa
showed that the world is unable to develop effective interventions in a timely manner for control of
severe emerging infectious diseases using current R&D approaches to vaccine, drug and diagnostics
development. … The WHO is soliciting ideas for platform technology solutions that are sufficiently
flexible to develop and manufacture candidate products for clinical trials in a timely manner (months
rather than years) against a variety of infectious disease threats. Such production platforms should
focus on a prioritized list of 5 to 10 severe emerging diseases with the potential to generate a public
health emergency.”
HHR (blog) - Making Medicines Accessible: Alternatives to
the Flawed Patent System
Fran Quigley ; http://www.hhrjournal.org/?p=7100
In-depth piece. « This article provides a brief review of the grievous defects in the medicine patent
system and then summarizes the alternatives. Given the brevity of this essay, the aim is to be broad
rather than deep, and a thorough evaluation of the advantages and disadvantages of each reform
proposal is beyond this article’s scope.However, it is important for global health advocates to be
familiar with these alternatives to the current medicine patent system.”
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TWN - WHO proposes to join Global Fund's IP enforcement
initiative
K M Gopakumar; http://www.twn.my/title2/health.info/2015/hi151105.htm
“The World Health Organization has proposed to join the intellectual property enforcement initiative
of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (Global Fund). This intellectual property
(IP) enforcement initiative, known as the Global Steering Committee (GSC) for the quality of medical
products, raises concerns over the health body's role in IP enforcement. The Global Fund
established the GSC as a multi-stakeholder platform.”
Reuters – Bristol-Myers signs deal with U.N. group for generic
hepatitis C drug
http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/11/23/us-bristol-myers-hepatitisidUSKBN0TC1GD20151123#TrUUldpBT22iXGsu.97
“A United Nations-backed organization working to cut the price of HIV drugs said it had signed a deal
with Bristol-Myers Squibb Co to allow generic versions of the company's hepatitis C drug to be sold
in 112 low- and middle-income countries. The drug, Daklinza, is on the World Health Organization's
list of essential medicines. Hepatitis C affects about 150 million people globally and kills around half
a million each year, the World Health Organisation estimates. The Medicines Patent Pool said on
Monday that Daklinza would now be available to nearly two-thirds of people affected by the disease
in low- and middle-income countries.”
Human resources for health
Intrahealth – Words Matter in Our Global Commitments to
Advance National Health Workforce Strategies
A A Foster et al; http://www.intrahealth.org/blog/words-matter-our-global-commitments-advancenational-health-workforce-strategies#.VlUc7narTIV
Nice blog. “In November 2013, during the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in
Recife, Brazil, more than 80 countries came together to discuss the global health workforce crisis—
including the shortage of 7.2 million doctors, nurses, and midwives worldwide—and committed to
changing the status quo. Ministries of health, education, labor, and finance joined international
companies, donors, development agencies, and civil society members to advocate for investments in
health workers and influence political will to support systems-strengthening policies. Many national
governments committed to achieving their own country-specific health workforce objectives. As we
approached the two-year anniversary of the forum, IntraHealth International worked with
counterparts in the Dominican Republic, Kenya, Mali, and Uganda—four of the countries that made
pledges in Recife—to see if their commitments have made a difference. »
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Miscellaneous
Guardian – Kunduz hospital attack: US forces did not act on
MSF warnings for 17 min
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/nov/25/medecins-sans-frontieres-kunduz-hospitalattack-us-military-17-minutes-to-act
The US commander in Afghanistan, John Campbell, blamed human error and equipment failure for
the bombing that killed 30 people…
Whydev – Local actors and the humanitarian architecture
R Teall; http://www.whydev.org/local-actors-and-the-humanitarian-architecture/
Well worth a read. “This year’s World Disasters Report states that local actors, such as national nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), faith based organisations (FBOs) and community-based
organisations (CBOs), are ‘the key to humanitarian effectiveness’. The localisation of aid is also a key
feature in all four themes of the next World Humanitarian Summit, which will take place in May
2016. This renewed focus on the local indicates a growing realisation in the aid community of the
vital role local actors play in assisting with and improving humanitarian action. However, despite
their contribution having always been essential, these organisations are often ignored by and
excluded from the international humanitarian sphere. The direct consequence of this reluctance to
trust in and utilise all relevant actors is that crisis-affected people are not receiving the humanitarian
action they need.”
MMI newsletter- November issue
http://www.medicusmundi.org/en/mmi-network/documents/newsletter/201511
Check out, among others, the Editorial by Mariska Meurs, “Thinking about the SDGs – to be
followed by the doing!” (a report on the think tank meeting in Geneva)
WEF (blog) - Is the term developing world outdated?
T Khokhar et al; https://agenda.weforum.org/2015/11/is-the-term-developing-worldoutdated/?utm_content=bufferb959f&utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_cam
paign=buffer
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Nice one.
Development Policy –Is “integrated development” the future
– or just a fad?
Sara Gorman; http://www.whydev.org/is-integrated-development-the-future-or-just-a-fad/
« In general, “integrated development” refers to attempts to work across development sectors to
bring more holistic programs to resource-limited settings. Integrated development programs could
include components dealing with education, health, governance, policy, human rights and other
areas, rather than work in just one sector. « (Gorman tries to answer the answer in the title.)
AJPH (Editorial) – Increasing the Incidence and Influence of
Systematic Reviews on Health Policy and Practice
http://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/pdf/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302915
By A Chalmers et al.
Emerging Voices
Nigerian Medical Journal – Operationalizing universal health
coverage in Nigeria through social health insurance
A I Okpani & S Abimbola; http://www.nigeriamedj.com/article.asp?issn=03001652;year=2015;volume=56;issue=5;spage=305;epage=310;aulast=Okpani
“Nigeria faces challenges that delay progress toward the attainment of the national government's
declared goal of universal health coverage (UHC). One such challenge is system-wide inequities
resulting from lack of financial protection for the health care needs of the vast majority of Nigerians.
Only a small proportion of Nigerians have prepaid health care. In this paper, we draw on existing
evidence to suggest steps toward reforming health care financing in Nigeria to achieve UHC through
social health insurance. This article sets out to demonstrate that a viable path to UHC through
expanding social health insurance exists in Nigeria.”
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