Agence France-Presse: Donors pledge billions for Ebola recovery
“International donors pledged $3.4 billion in new funds Friday to help Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone in their final push to stamp out Ebola and get on the road to recovery…” (Landry, 7/10).

Reuters: Pledges of $3.4 billion for Ebola recovery made at United Nations
“…The United Nations had said that $3.2 billion was needed to support the three states’ national recovery plans for the next two years. Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf had said $4 billion was needed to cover a separate sub-regional plan…” (Nichols, 7/10).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. and regional leaders launch effort to put Ebola-affected West Africa on path to recovery
“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [Friday] focused world attention on the ‘final stretch’ of the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa, an epidemic that has killed more than 11,000 people, saying: ‘let us collectively take a deep breath and resolve to finish the job’ and put the most affected countries on the path of recovery…” (7/10).

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Reuters: Africa’s Ebola outbreak has not run its course: U.N. envoy
“Africa’s Ebola epidemic has not run its course and around 30 people are still getting infected each week, the United Nations’ special envoy for the disease said on Monday. The worst recorded outbreak of the virus has killed more than 11,000 people across West Africa since late 2013, but had abated in recent months. A new flare-up in Liberia is seen as a setback in the fight against it…” (Roelf, 7/13).

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Baltimore Sun: Ebola research efforts shift to improving survivors’ health
“…A research partnership between U.S. and Liberian health officials has launched a study to learn more about the long-term health consequences of Ebola, including the risks of passing the virus to close contacts and sexual partners, and the development of long-term immunity to the virus. [Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute] researchers are to lead efforts to explore the virus’ effects on eye health…” (Dance, 7/10).

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Agence France-Presse: Key global development summit to open in Ethiopia
“World leaders are meeting in Ethiopia’s capital from Monday for a development financing summit presented as crucial for United Nations efforts to end global poverty and manage climate change by 2030. The objective of the five days of talks, the third summit of its kind after talks in Monterrey in 2002 and Doha in 2008, is ambitious: laying out the ground rules for a fairer world of inclusive, low-carbon growth…” (Lebhour, 7/13).

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VOA News: $100B Plan Seeks to Cut Malaria Cases, Deaths by 90 Percent
“Major health, development, and financial agencies have unveiled a $100 billion plan to cut global malaria cases and deaths by 90 percent over the next 15 years. The Roll Back Malaria Partnership says its new strategy will result in a health and economic bonanza for developing countries…” (Schlein, 7/10).

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Thomson Reuters Foundation: World’s poorest need $160 a year to end hunger: U.N.
“Just $160 per year for each person living in extreme poverty would eradicate world hunger by 2030, the United Nations said on Friday, recommending the money should be delivered through both cash transfers and ‘pro-poor’ investments. … The new report, prepared by FAO, the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD), comes ahead of a major international conference on financing for development in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia…” (D’Urso, 7/10).

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Reuters: Pope rails against unbridled capitalism, ‘idolatry of money’
“Pope Francis appealed to world leaders on Saturday to seek a new economic model to help the poor, and to shun policies that ‘sacrifice human lives on the altar of money and profit’…” (Pullella et al., 7/11).

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Quartz: A whole new set of deadly diseases could hit Africa as it gets richer
“…New, high-consumption, sedentary lifestyles, combined with greater life expectancy, have led to a building wave of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) — cancers, respiratory illnesses, cardiovascular disease, and other maladies associated with urban living. Currently this category is responsible for around 35 percent of mortality on the continent; by 2020, the World Health Organization forecasts it will rise to 65 percent… (Guest, 7/13).

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The Atlantic: Haiti’s Unstoppable Outbreak
“…[Since 2010,] cholera has killed nearly 9,000 Haitians. More than 730,000 people have been infected. It is the worst outbreak of the disease, globally, in modern history. Hundreds of emergency and development workers have been working alongside the Haitian government for five years, trying to rid the country of cholera, and millions of dollars have been dispensed in the fight to eradicate it. But it’s still here. Why?…” (George, 7/12).

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VOA News: Measles Virus Races Through Northwest Cameroon
“A measles epidemic is sweeping through northwestern Cameroon, with reports of more than 300 children infected and several deaths in just a week. Dr. Sama Julius of the expanded immunization program in northwestern Cameroon said the epidemic got its start because people were refusing to vaccinate their children…” (Kindzeka, 7/11).

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The following opinion pieces discuss the Third International Conference on Financing for Development, taking place this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Huffington Post: Financing for Development — What Does Success Look Like?
Kolleen Bouchane, director of policy and advocacy at A World at School and director of policy and research at Global Business Coalition for Education

“…Despite progress, too little attention, aid, financial justice, and too little of the right kinds of investment are currently targeted at the countries and people that need it most. We must aggressively work towards equity of outcomes in order to reach those people left behind by the last development framework. Without a focus on equity the end of poverty will continue to elude us” (7/12).

Reuters: How to make sure ‘developing’ countries can develop
Michael Elliott, president and CEO of the ONE Campaign

“…The challenge at the Addis Ababa meeting is to deliver for both [the poorest nations in the world and those approaching middle-income levels], with their very different needs. The conference needs true leadership to knock heads together until both wealthy and poor nations agree to take action. The poorer countries must agree to mobilize more public and private domestic revenues for national development. Meanwhile, the wealthy nations must agree to deliver more foreign assistance — and send that assistance to those that need it most…” (7/10).

The Guardian: Financing the sustainable development goals will rely heavily on the tax factor
Jonathan Glennie, director of policy and research at Save the Children

“…[T]he reforms required to enable low- and middle income-countries to bolster their tax revenues in order to spend them on the poorest are ambitious and will need the international community to pull together in a bold new way. … For all the welcome focus on tax, domestic resources, and fiscal self-reliance, this conference should not squander the opportunity to ring in this historically significant procedural change…” (7/13).

The Guardian: Global development — and global team work — are key to humanity’s prosperity
Jacob J. Lew, U.S. Treasury secretary; Luis Videgaray Caso, secretary of Mexico’s Department of Finance and Public Credit; and Sufian Ahmed, minister of Ethiopia’s Department of Finance and Economic Development

“…The new chapter of Financing for Development … moves away from merely managing poverty and toward spurring transformation. That requires three primary sources of development finance: donor assistance, domestic resources, and private investment. … To maximize the impact of money spent on development, we also must do more to incorporate key enablers of development — including making better use of science, technology, and innovation. … We are committed to working together and urge others to join us in seeking to revitalize a partnership for sustainable development — a partnership that, for the first time, can be built on a shared and universal agenda for change…” (7/13).

Project Syndicate: Africa’s Opportunity in Addis
Macky Sall, president of Senegal

“…African governments must seize this opportunity to advocate for increased financing for sustainable development, building on the mobilization of more significant domestic revenue. … This week’s conference in Addis Ababa should lay the foundation for more effective external financing of sustainable development over the course of the SDGs. But the quality of what is built on that foundation will depend on the commitment and mobilization of all actors, particularly those from Africa” (7/13).

Huffington Post: Will Financing for Development 2015 Be ‘Good News for the Poor’?
Justin Welby, archbishop of Canterbury

“…We need to re-set the dial, to re-examine the way that our global economy works, and to put the flourishing of all humans at the heart of what we are collectively trying to achieve. We need a global economy that includes everyone, in which no-one is without a voice. This year’s global gatherings are the best opportunity we have had for a long time to do just that. … My appeal is that our political leaders do not forget this, and as they negotiate this vital agreement, ask themselves: is this fair? Is this generous? Is this sustainable?…” (7/13).

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New York Times: Letter to the Editor: U.S. Chamber of Commerce: We Don’t Support Smoking
Thomas J. Donohue, president and chief executive of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce

“Recent articles, such as ‘U.S. Chamber Travels the World, Fighting Curbs on Smoking’ (front page, July 1), unfairly portray some of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s global activities on behalf of the protection of intellectual property and trademarks as a campaign to promote smoking and fight antismoking measures. The U.S. Chamber does not support smoking and wants people to quit. We promote wellness nationally and globally, and we sponsor smoking cessation plans for our own employees…” (7/10).

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Huffington Post: It’s Too Early to Declare Victory Over Ebola
Carolyn S. Miles, president & CEO of Save the Children

“…The resurgence of Ebola in Liberia is a sharp reminder that all efforts to fight the epidemic must remain high and that the international community should continue to be mobilized. … Ebola has left thousands of children with limited access to basic health care, and prevented pregnant women from getting pre- and post-natal consultations because the resources and medical staff have been reoriented to fight against the epidemic. … The international community must help Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea to rebuild and strengthen health systems so they can ensure free access to basic health care while improving care for diseases that were neglected because of Ebola…” (7/10).

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Devex: Bold goal of stopping HIV is motivating great science
Paul Stoffels, chief scientific officer and worldwide chair for pharmaceuticals at Johnson & Johnson

“…The good news is that this massive challenge [of finding an HIV vaccine] has unleashed stunning creativity in laboratories all over the world. The bold goal of stopping HIV — a virus that almost seems engineered not to be stopped — is motivating great science. … While we work toward the long-term goal of a vaccine, we are also pulling in partners from many sectors to improve prevention, treatment, and access to options in the short term. These include efforts to develop new therapies that could ultimately help drive down infection rates, such as long-acting formulations, once-a-day pills, and HIV prevention technologies for women, as well as innovative approaches to make our products as broadly accessible and affordable to people as possible…” (7/10).

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Kaiser Family Foundation: Senate Appropriations Committee Approves FY 2016 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Bill
This online resource provides information on global health-related funding in the FY 2016 State and Foreign Operations Appropriations bill, approved last week by the Senate Committee on Appropriations. “…Funding in the bill for global health would total $8.468 billion, $287 million (3.5 percent) above the president’s request and $14 million (0.2 percent) above both the FY 2015 enacted level and the House SFOPs appropriations bill…” (7/13).

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Kaiser Family Foundation: Key U.S. Government Agency Positions and Officials in Global Health Policy & Related Areas
This updated fact sheet lists U.S. government positions and officials related to global health operations, including links to agencies and officials’ profiles, when available (7/8).

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U.S. Department of State: World Population Day July 11, 2015
In a statement to mark World Population Day, with the theme of “vulnerable populations in emergencies,” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says, “…It is a reminder that in a fragile world, where war and persecution are displacing record numbers of people, those with the least power need the most protection. And so we must strengthen our partnerships to prevent conflict, shield the innocent, care for refugees, and confront such common threats as climate change, violent extremism, bigotry, and discrimination…” (7/10).

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World Bank: Financing the End of Poverty
In a feature story, the organization discusses financing for the Sustainable Development Goals and the Financing for Development conference taking place this week in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. “…The conference is the capstone to a year of collaboration between the World Bank Group, regional multilateral development banks (MDBs), and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to identify areas where they can work together or develop new initiatives that will help finance the post-2015 development agenda…” (7/10).

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The Lancet: How much donor financing for health is channeled to global versus country-specific aid functions?
Dean Jamison, a global health economist at UCSF; Lawrence Summers, a former U.S. Treasury secretary now at Harvard University; and researchers at SEEK Development in Berlin and the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm, write, “The slow global response to the Ebola crisis in West Africa suggests that important gaps exist in donor financing for key global functions, such as support for health research and development for diseases of poverty and strengthening of outbreak preparedness. In this Health Policy, we use the International Development Statistics databases to quantify donor support for such functions…” (7/12).

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PLOS “Speaking of Medicine”: Dismantling gains in global health?
“As the Third International Conference on Financing for Development begins in Ethiopia, Áine Markham of Médecins Sans Frontières warns that basing funding decisions on country-level finance indicators could be a step backwards for global health, especially in middle-income countries…” (7/13).

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