Associated Press: N. Korea rejects S. Korean group’s offer of malaria help “A South Korean civic group which offered to provide anti-malarial supplies to North Korea said Monday the North has rejected its proposal because of the South’s support of new U.N. sanctions…” (Kim, 6/5). Newsweek: North Korea rejects malaria…

Devex: Q&A: U.N. Women envisions a more gender-equal post-pandemic society “…[Anita Bhatia, deputy executive director at U.N. Women,] spoke with Devex about how U.N. Women has formed an immediate response plan to COVID-19 but is also looking ahead to longer-term challenges — and even some opportunities…” (Lieberman, 4/6). The Hill:…

AP: China’s diplomats show teeth in defending virus response “From Asia to Africa, London to Berlin, Chinese envoys have set off diplomatic firestorms with a combative defense whenever their country is accused of not acting quickly enough to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. They belong to a new…

CNN: Rich countries are hoarding Covid-19 vaccines and leaving the developing world behind, People’s Vaccine Alliance warns “Rich countries have bought enough Covid-19 vaccine doses to immunize their populations three times over, an international vaccine watchdog has said, but developing countries are being left behind in the global sprint to…

Brookings Institution’s “Africa in Focus”: Africa is an opportunity for the world: Overlooked progress in governance and human development Landry Signé, David M. Rubenstein fellow for global economy and development at the Africa Growth Initiative, and Ameenah Gurib-Fakim, former president of the Republic of Mauritius and distinguished adviser at the…

News outlets report on a meeting held in Cuba on Wednesday, where U.S. and Cuban health officials discussed Latin America’s response to Ebola. Associated Press: U.S. sends health official to Cuban Ebola meeting “U.S. and Cuban health officials sat together in Havana on Wednesday to discuss Latin America’s response to…

Wall Street Journal: Cuba’s Slave Trade in Doctors Mary Anastasia O’Grady, editor at Wall Street Journal “…Cuba is winning accolades for its international ‘doctor diplomacy,’ in which it sends temporary medical professionals abroad — ostensibly to help poor countries battle disease and improve health care. But the doctors are not…

U.N. News Centre: World AIDS Day: U.N., urban leaders endorse ‘fast track’ to ending epidemic by 2030 “Ending the AIDS epidemic by 2030 requires a comprehensive approach that includes social justice, the democratization of science, gender equity, and a people-centered approach to health, said United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on…

New York Times: Effort on Ebola Hurt WHO Chief “…Diplomacy is an inevitable, even necessary, part of running the world’s main health organization, vital to getting fractious countries to cooperate for the sake of global health, [WHO Director-General Margaret Chan’s] critics acknowledge. But Dr. Chan, they say, has been too…

Devex: A less fragile future Neal Keny-Guyer, chief executive officer at Mercy Corps “…In fragile countries like Afghanistan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Somalia, and Yemen, addressing conflict and security is critical to stopping the cycle of violence, weak governance, and extreme poverty. … Any effort to improve economic…