In The News

NPR Examines Likelihood President-Elect Trump Will Reinstate 'Mexico City Policy'

NPR: Will Trump Reinstate Reagan’s Abortion Rule For International Charities?
“…In 1984, then-President Ronald Reagan imposed an antiabortion rule — known as the ‘Mexico City policy’ after the city where he announced it. The rule blocked federal funding for international family planning charities unless they agreed not to ‘promote’ abortion [as a method of family planning] by, among other actions, providing patients with information about the procedure or referrals to providers who perform it. Since then, every time the U.S. presidency has changed party hands, the incoming leader has reversed his predecessor’s position on the ban. … Will President-elect Trump continue the pattern by reimposing the policy? Trump hasn’t taken a public position thus far. … [W]hen it comes to the Mexico City policy, ‘it’s widely expected that President Trump will put it back in place,’ says Jennifer Kates, vice president and director of Global Health & HIV Policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation…” (Aizenman, 12/6).

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E.U. Committed To Exploring Links Between Security, Development, Commissioner Says

Devex: E.U. commissioner defends linking security and aid
“European Commissioner for International Cooperation and Development Neven Mimica told Devex and other reporters on Tuesday that the proposal for a new European Consensus on International Development’s commitment to explore the links between security and development interests will maintain a ‘clear, red line’ limiting how and when security and development will overlap. Since the release of the consensus last week, civil society groups have raised concerns that the commission’s pledge to ‘explore the linkages between security and development’ will mean the donor will divert some of its more than $500 billion in development funds toward bolstering security or even military capacity, specifically in how it relates to refugees and migration to Europe…” (Anders, 12/7).

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Drug-Resistant HIV Strains Becoming More Common In African Nations Where Treatment More Widespread, Researchers Note

Huffington Post: The Success Of HIV Treatment Is Increasing The Risk Of Drug Resistance
“Global health agencies are succeeding in getting more people with HIV on antiretroviral therapy, a combination of drugs that suppress the virus to undetectable levels in the blood and reduce the risk of transmission to another person. But scientists are beginning to detect a disturbing new trend: The rise of drug-resistant HIV strains, especially in countries such as Kenya, Zambia, Uganda, Nigeria, Tanzania, and South Africa…” (Almendrala, 12/6).

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In Tanzania, Private, Public Sectors Should Work Together To Meet Unmet Demand For Contraceptives, Analysis Says

Daily News: Public, private partnership critical to meet demand for contraceptives
“…In Tanzania, 25 percent of the sexually active unmarried women aged between 15 and 49 years have unmet need for family planning, while 22 percent of married women have an unmet need for family planning, according to the Demographic and Healthy Survey of 2015/16. … [F]amily planning and reproductive health are critical issues that can hardly be handled by the government alone. The involvement of other partners, especially the private sector, is inevitable. Owing to high service demand, it will take more than funding alone to meet the growing need for contraceptives. The supply chain that moves family planning products into the hands of the needy women is a crucial link that should be secured and strengthened…” (Mhagama, 12/7).

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Ugandan Researchers Testing Several Experimental Ebola Vaccines

PRI: Uganda is leading the world in the fight to find a vaccine for Ebola
“…Uganda is especially susceptible to viral hemorrhagic fevers — a group of animal and human diseases transmitted by bodily fluids and known for causing profuse bleeding, high fevers, and an almost unprecedented mortality rate. Currently, there is no vaccine for Ebola, which disproportionately affects poor and vulnerable communities in Africa, many that don’t have access to medical treatment. Ugandan researcher Dr. Francis Kiweewa wants to change that…” (Nelson, 12/2).

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Editorials and Opinions

President-Elect Trump's Transition Team Should Know 5 Key Things About Foreign Aid

The Hill: 5 things the Trump team needs to know about foreign aid
Diana Ohlbaum, member of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network Executive Committee and senior associate at the Center for Strategic and International Studies Project on Prosperity and Development

“As President-elect Donald Trump’s transition teams arrive at the Department of State and other foreign policy agencies, they are no doubt being inundated with briefing papers and policy recommendations. Here’s a quick list of what they need to know about foreign aid. 1. If you don’t want to send in the troops, you need development. … 2. The private sector is a partner, not a substitute. … 3. Transactional aid doesn’t work. … 4. This is not your father’s USAID. … 5. Congress is constructively engaged. … Ultimately, yes, there is still unfinished business on foreign aid reform generally, and USAID reform specifically. But instead of swinging a wrecking ball, President-elect Trump’s foreign policy team ought to build on the structures that are solidly serving U.S. national interests” (12/6).

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Looking Back At 6 Top Global Health Moments In 2016, International Community Must Inform Legislators Of Aid's Importance

Devex: Opinion: For better or worse, politics define 2016 top global health moments
Karl Hofmann, president and CEO of Population Services International

“…2016 had a few bright spots, including a record replenishment for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and two innovative efforts that may very well redefine what it means to be a philanthropist. Here are six top global health moments: 1. America votes, girls and women are set back. … 2. Aid funding in Europe shifts to address an unprecedented refugee crisis. … 3. U.S. Congress plays a political ‘chess game’ with Zika funding. … 4. The Global Fund looks to the ‘global south,’ secures record $12.9 billion replenishment. … 5. [Canadian Prime Minister Justin] Trudeau’s ‘golden touch’ extends to foreign aid. … 6. Two new models help redefine philanthropy. … 2017 will be a year for the global health community to redouble its efforts. We must speak with one voice to let taxpayers know the tremendous economic, humanitarian, and diplomatic value aid brings and let legislators know that anything less than an increase in aid spending threatens to reverse the historic gains of the past 30 years…” (12/7).

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Collaboration On, Implementation Of Mobile Technologies Can Improve Maternal Health Care Uptake

Devex: Opinion: Using mobile tech to influence behavior and improve maternal health
Janet Aika Matemu, technology manager, and Lindsay Sanders, communications and development manager, both with Jacaranda Health

“…With the generous support of Johnson & Johnson, Jacaranda Health has piloted a package of mobile technology innovations in its maternity hospitals in Kiambu County, a periurban area on the outskirts of Nairobi. Here’s what Jacaranda Health has learned from these m-health interventions. 1. SMS reminders improved uptake of antenatal care. … 2. SMS service improved uptake of postnatal care among mothers. … 3. Engaging husbands and partners through SMS improved uptake of care. … To enhance the delivery of public services, we need to collaborate with government institutions, academic partners, and philanthropic foundations — bringing the various perspectives together to isolate problems, prototype ideas, and test them in real environments. Doing so will prove that lightweight, successful interventions can be replicated within a public health care setting, leading to culture changes among patients and partners” (12/7).

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From the Global Health Policy Community

MCC-PEPFAR Partnership Uses Data To Help Achieve AIDS-Free Generation

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Data Collaboratives for Local Impact: A Model for Building Country-Level Capacity to Use Data
Agnieszka Rawa, managing director of Data Collaboratives for Local Impact at the MCC, and Paul Zeitz, director of the Data Revolution for Sustainable Development Team at the State Department, discuss a partnership between MCC and PEPFAR, known as Data Collaboratives for Local Impact (DCLI), that uses country-level data to improve HIV/AIDS programs and policies. They write, “Our model is still evolving, and capacity takes time to develop, but if interest and participation are a measure of progress, then the DCLI model has put the spotlight on the use of data and generated excitement among our stakeholders. The data revolution is not just about more data, but about developing greater capacity to use this data windfall to improve lives…” (12/6).

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National Academies Publishes Proceedings Of Workshop On West African Ebola Epidemic

National Academies: The Ebola Epidemic in West Africa: Proceedings of a Workshop
“…Building on previous outbreak workshops, the Forum on Microbial Threats convened this workshop to understand the recent developments in incidence, prevalence, and intervention strategies used to mitigate [Ebola] in an increasingly interconnected world. Recognizing the opportunity to learn from the countless lessons of this epidemic, this workshop discussed the challenges to successful outbreak responses at the scientific, clinical, and global health levels. … This Proceedings of a Workshop summarizes the presentations and discussions of the meeting, and consists of the information presented, questions raised, and improvements recommended by individual workshop participants” (12/6).

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U.S., U.N. Working Together To End Global Hunger

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: My Quest To Learn How the United States and United Nations Are Working To #EndHunger
Nicol Perez, a U.S. youth observer to the U.N., discusses U.S. support of U.N. agencies working to end global hunger, highlighting her experience visiting the World Food Programme (WFP) in Rome and the role youth play in addressing hunger (12/6).

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