Devex: PEPFAR chief wants 70 percent ‘indigenous’ funding in 30 months “…Deborah Birx, the U.S. global AIDS coordinator, has directed U.S. agencies involved in the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief to reach a benchmark of directing 40 percent of their PEPFAR funding to ‘indigenous’ organizations — those based in…

Washington Post: Under pressure from Pence, U.S. aid is directed to Christian, Yazidi communities in Iraq “The premier U.S. aid agency is poised to send millions of dollars directly to Christian and Yazidi communities in Iraq under a rarely used, streamlined funding arrangement after coming under pressure from Vice President…

The Hill: Ireland overturns abortion ban in landslide vote “Ireland has voted overwhelmingly to repeal a restrictive abortion ban from its constitution, the country’s prime minister said on Saturday. The eighth amendment of the Irish constitution imposed one of the world’s most restrictive bans on the procedure. But in a…

Des Moines Register: U.S. foreign aid is our country’s most cost-effective budget allocation Kurt Meyer, volunteer at Lutheran World Relief “…[T]he role of the U.S. government remains indispensable: by convening gatherings with other governments, negotiating agreements, opening access to marginalized populations, and keeping front-line workers safe. … The world cannot…

New York Times: Letter to the editor: Abortion in El Salvador John O’Brien, president of Catholics for Choice “I applaud your April 26 online editorial for laying out the case for reforming El Salvador’s extreme abortion law, but was deeply disappointed to see El Salvador’s leadership miss a historic opportunity…

FT Health: Malaria backsliding, the Vatican and gene-editing The latest issue of the Financial Times’ weekly global health newsletter discusses malaria funding and the slowing of progress on the disease. The newsletter also features an interview with Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, head of the Vatican’s Science and Faith Foundation, which is…

Human Rights Watch: A Backward Step for Reproductive Rights in Chile In an opinion piece originally published in La Tercera, José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of the Americas Division at HRW, discusses Chile’s revised abortion rules. Vivanco writes, “The Chilean government should review and amend the rules to ensure that…

The Hill: The world’s hidden health crisis Bruce Wilkinson, CEO of CMMB “…Faith-based and secular organizations do so much genuinely effective health and development work around the world, in partnership with U.S. and other government agencies. … But our collective effectiveness is being undercut every day due to this pervasive…

Inter Press Service: El Salvador’s Shameful Treatment of Women Who Miscarry Jeannette Urquilla, executive director of Organización de Mujeres Salvadoreñas por la Paz (ORMUSA) “…Since 1998, under Article 133 of our Penal Code, abortion has been completely illegal in El Salvador in all circumstances. … El Salvador is one of…

The Guardian: Afghan clerics in talks with Isis to break polio vaccine myths “Islamic clerics have agreed to work with the Afghan government to persuade militant groups in the country that vaccination programs should be allowed in remote areas. Imans are to consult with the Taliban, Islamic State, and other…