News outlets report on the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, taking place this week in London.

The Guardian: How do we end sexual violence in conflict? — interactive
“This week, more than 150 ministers from across the world will converge on London for a summit on ending sexual violence in conflict, hosted by the U.K. government. But what will the conference achieve? We ask women from a number of organizations to tell us their hopes…” (Ford, 6/10).

Press Association/The Guardian: Angelina Jolie lauded by William Hague over war zone anti-rape campaign
“[British Foreign Secretary] William Hague has spoken of the ‘enormous transformative’ influence of Hollywood star Angelina Jolie in the campaign to end sexual violence in conflict zones. Hague said he and the actor have worked closely for two years to end the ‘mass crime’ of rape in war zones and would continue to do so — as they prepared to head a global summit in London on the issue…” (6/10).

Reuters: Angelina Jolie, Britain, vow real action at sexual violence summit
“Hollywood actress Angelina Jolie and British Foreign Secretary William Hague vowed on Tuesday to produce practical action from the world’s first summit on ending sexual violence in conflict to punish those responsible and help victims…” (6/10).

Reuters: World leaders face pressure to act against sexual violence at U.K. summit
“The kidnapping of 200 Nigerian girls and several recent horrific murders of women is expected to raise pressure on the world community to take concrete action to punish those responsible for sexual violence at a global summit in London this week…” (Goldsmith, 6/8).

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U.N. News Centre: At high-level event, U.N. officials call for human rights-backed development agenda
“A new global development agenda based on human rights and the rule of law is the surest pathway to balancing the needs of people and the planet, while eradicating extreme poverty and closing socio-economic gaps, senior United Nations officials said [Monday]…” (6/9).

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Reuters: U.S. to open third military base to illegal child immigrants
“The Obama administration on Monday announced it is designating a third U.S. military base for emergency housing of children immigrating illegally into the United States without parents or relatives, as the cost of caring for these minors escalated…” (Cowan, 6/9).

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IRIN: Unknown unknowns hamper global malaria fight
“Some 60 percent of countries where malaria is endemic lack solid information about the quality of available drugs to treat the deadly disease, according to a new study…” (6/9).

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News outlets report on the Ebola outbreak in Sierra Leone, where the death toll has doubled. Experts discuss open-source mapping as a way to stop the spread of the virus.

Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone doubles Ebola death toll
“Sierra Leone doubled its death toll from the highly contagious Ebola virus on Monday, as international aid organizations struggled to contain the deadly epidemic gripping west Africa…” (6/9).

Reuters: Death toll from Ebola in Sierra Leone more than doubles to 12
“The death toll from Ebola in Sierra Leone has doubled to at least 12 in a week, local health authorities said on Monday, deepening the spread of a disease that has killed over 200 people in Guinea and Liberia…” (Fofana, 6/9).

SciDev.Net: Using open-source mapping to help stop Ebola
“Last week, 5 June, aid organization Médecins Sans Frontières reported new cases in the Ebola outbreak in Guinea and Sierra Leone. The priority for NGOs and health workers is to deliver appropriate aid in the fastest and most effective way. … In this podcast, two experts discuss how satellite technology and open-source mapping can help with such humanitarian work, highlighting successes and challenges…” (Bello/Kemp, 6/9).

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IRIN: Children battle to access HIV testing in Zimbabwe
“Young people with HIV are increasingly dying at a time when HIV-related deaths are declining for all other age groups. They are also less likely to get tested for the virus, as concerns about guardianship and privacy can discourage clinics from testing children, according to a recent study…” (6/9).

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Global Dispatch: Taiwan reports first ‘locally acquired’ dengue case of the summer, first indigenous cholera case
“The Taiwan Center for Disease Control (CDC) is advising the public about removing mosquito breeding sites after health officials reported the first autochthonous case of dengue fever this summer. … Health authorities are also advising the public to pay attention to dietary hygiene as the country confirmed the first indigenous cholera case…” (Herriman, 6/9).

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New York Times: Urged to Multiply, Iranian Couples Are Dubious
“…Worried about a steep decline in fertility rates that experts are predicting could reduce population growth to zero within 20 years, Tehran has started a broad initiative to persuade Iranian families to have more children. … [However,] some women and human rights activists suspect that the drive for more children is also aimed at keeping women in what conservative clerics believe is their place, the home…” (Erdbrink, 6/7).

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Two opinion pieces address issues to be discussed this week at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict.

Devex: Sexual violence affects not just women and girls
Emma Pomfret, press officer for East, Central, and South Africa at ChristianAid, and Chantal Daniels, an expert in the field of fragile state development, security sector intervention, gender, sexual violence, and peace building

“…Ascribing sexual violence simply to female victims and male perpetrators only covers part of the dynamic, while reinforcing traditional gender stereotypes. Both sexes, meanwhile, have a role to play in combating the practice. Women can be proponents of change by forming support groups and taking their cases to court; men, even combatants, can help discourage, address and report sexual violence themselves…” (6/9).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Admirable aims, but let’s deal with realities of rape in war
John Lotspeich, Marie Stopes International global director of communications

“…[A]s we take action this week to end the scourge of sexual violence in conflict, we ask too that we prepare for the reality. Women will continue to be raped in war. As a global community, we will continue to offer humanitarian aid. Let us consider then all the ways we can help those caught up in conflict. Let us be there for them, even after the worst has happened” (6/9).

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Forbes: Supporting Women Farmers Is The Key To Africa’s Continued Progress
Uyen Kim Huynh, senior research scientist at the Center for Globalization and Sustainable Development at Columbia University

“…Given the critical role that women farmers play in Africa with respect to agricultural production and securing livelihoods for their families, further investments and better policies are needed to close the gender gap in agriculture. By doing so, this would fuel agricultural and economic growth, as well as promote broader development efforts for Africa. … Africa’s progress depends on its leaders and policymakers to institute policies that empower women in agriculture and by doing so, reduce hunger and improve livelihoods for Africa’s growing population…” (6/9).

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Huffington Post: A New Paradigm for Global Health Research: Local Needs, Local Teams
James Bernstein, co-founder, chair, and CEO of Eniware LLC, and Brenda D’Mello, technical adviser at CCBRT

“…The level of collaboration and incorporation of local voices in global health as it stands today is far too low. The unfulfilled promise of the past few decades of global health research must be recognized and corrected for with a willingness to explore new models. There is no better place to start than with the people who have faced the challenges of low-resource health systems day-in and day-out for many years. Their input and expertise are essential for the design and implementation of projects that are truly needed…” (6/9).

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The following blog posts discuss a recent working group, panel, and reports on global tuberculosis (TB).

Center for Strategic & International Studies: A Strategic Approach to Global Tuberculosis
The CSIS Global Health Policy Center (GHPC) examines how TB relates to U.S. national interests, the structure and effectiveness of U.S. TB programs, and the most critical challenges in addressing global TB. Multimedia of an event held Monday, titled “A Strategic Approach to Global Tuberculosis,” six in-depth policy analyses, and an overview report summarizing the major findings and recommendations of a working group are available online (6/9).

Center for Global Health Policy’s “Science Speaks”: Tuberculosis panel: U.S. effort must focus, prioritize, coordinate
Antigone Barton, writer and editor of “Science Speaks” and senior communications officer at the Center for Global Health Policy, discusses the CSIS event and reports (6/9).

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allAfrica Blog: Africa: Bringing ‘Power Africa’ from Pledges to Projects
Aubrey Hruby, a visiting fellow at the Africa Center at the Atlantic Council and a consultant helping countries do business across African markets, discusses the U.S. Power Africa initiative, including three main areas in which the project can advance its goals (6/9).

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Humanosphere: How the new global development goals will apply to the U.S.
Development blogger Tom Murphy discusses the recently released draft Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and a report from the Center for American Progress examining how the goals will affect the U.S. (6/9).

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists”: Cholera in 2014: How Do You Mix Optimism With Worry on the Long Walk Home?
Helen Matzger, senior program officer on the Vaccine Delivery Team at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses her walk to and from work, during which she ponders cholera. “…The world still needs adequate vaccine supply to provide to countries and partners; there needs to be better understanding of the epidemiology and burden of the disease so the vaccine can be targeted more effectively; additional resources are needed to go toward integrated prevention and treatment and it’s important countries and donors have a good understanding of the choices there are to combat cholera…” (6/9).

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