News outlets report on the U.N.’s appeal for more than $1 billion in aid to South Sudan.

Agence France-Presse: S. Sudan crisis ‘deteriorates’ after six months of war
“Aid agencies warned Sunday that starvation and diseases like malaria and cholera were set to intensify the crisis in South Sudan, which has been devastated by six months of conflict…” (6/15).

Al Jazeera: U.N.: S. Sudan children face starvation
“More than 50,000 children in South Sudan face death from disease and hunger, the United Nations has warned while seeking over $1bn to support those hit by six months of civil war…” (6/15).

Reuters: U.N. says 50,000 children face death in South Sudan as launches aid plan
“Tens of thousands of children in South Sudan could die this year without assistance from aid agencies, the United Nations said on Saturday, as it appealed for more than $1 billion to help those hit by six months of civil war…” (Odera, 6/14).

U.N. News Centre: South Sudan: U.N. Agencies, Partners Appeal for $1B for Life-Saving Aid
“Some 50,000 children in South Sudan could die this year and thousands of rape survivors could go without psychosocial support, a senior United Nations humanitarian official today said, as aid agencies appealed for $1 billion they need to continue their work…” (6/14).

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News outlets report on an analysis released by the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) that states pollution, rather than disease, is the biggest killer in the developing world.

Inter Press Service: In Developing World, Pollution Kills More Than Disease
“Pollution, not disease, is the biggest killer in the developing world, taking the lives of more than 8.4 million people each year, a new analysis shows. That’s almost three times the deaths caused by malaria and fourteen times those caused by HIV/AIDS. However, pollution receives a fraction of the interest from the global community…” (Leahy, 6/13).

PBS NewsHour: New analysis focuses on pollution as global killer
“Pollution causes three times as many deaths as malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined, according to a Global Alliance on Health and Pollution (GAHP) analysis released this week…” (Varadharajan , 6/15).

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News outlets report on developments at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, which ended Friday in London.

Inter Press Service: U.N. Releases Guidelines on Reparations for Victims of Sexual Violence
“…[A]t a summit meeting in London this week, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon released a set of guidelines titled ‘Reparations for Conflict-Related Sexual Violence.’ These reparations include restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, and guarantees of non-repetition…” (Deen, 6/12).

New York Times: Kerry Joins Envoys to Deplore Sexual Violence in War
“Secretary of State John Kerry said on Friday that sexual violence in conflict zones should be banished ‘to the dark ages and the history books,’ as he joined dozens of ministers and the actress Angelina Jolie to promote efforts to bring perpetrators of such crimes to justice…” (Castle, 6/13).

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U.N. News Centre: Myanmar: senior U.N. official urges greater access to people in need of humanitarian aid
“The United Nations Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator today stressed the need for improved access to people in need of humanitarian assistance in Myanmar, as she wrapped up a visit to the states of Rakhine and Kachin…” (6/13).

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Inter Press Service: Post-2015 Development Agenda — Will the Voices of the Hungry be Heard?
“The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) will expire in 2015 and be replaced with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are intended to strengthen the international community’s engagement with eradicating poverty and hunger. In the run-up to the drafting of the SDGs, the importance of food and nutrition security remains crucial…” (Mathieu, 6/13).

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Reuters: Bangladesh reports first case of MERS infection
“Bangladesh on Sunday reported its first case of Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) coronavirus infection in a man returning from the United States through Abu Dhabi…” (Paul, 6/15).

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As the World Cup soccer tournament begins in Brazil, news outlets report on how health officials are confronting health threats, including dengue and HIV.

PBS NewsHour: Brazil confronts dengue fever fears amid World Cup frenzy
“…500,000 people are expected to travel [to Brazil] from all over the globe to attend the [World Cup] tournament, and scientists and health specialists are worried that tourists and players may bring something else home with them: dengue fever…” (Sreenavasin, 6/14).

Reuters: Brazil takes advantage of World Cup crowds to test for HIV
“Brazilian health officials handed out condoms to World Cup fans in Sao Paulo on Friday and took advantage of festivities in the city to test people for HIV…” (Levine, 6/13).

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Inter Press Service: Op-Ed: Not Only Hunger, but Malnutrition Too
José Graziano da Silva, director-general of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)

“…Fortunately, policymakers and community leaders around the world are making some progress in turning up the volume of the conversation on malnutrition and placing the topic, along with food security, at the apex of the international development agenda. … On Nov. 19-21, the FAO, World Health Organization (WHO) and others in the U.N. system will co-organize the inter-governmental Second International Conference on Nutrition (ICN2), 22 years after the first one in 1992. … By cooperating more effectively, we have a real chance of ending this blight on humanity within a generation. But only if the conversation turns to concrete, consistent action that reaches every family” (6/13).

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U.S. State Department’s “DipNote”: One Hundred Sixty-Eight Million Good Reasons To End Child Labor
In observance of World Day Against Child Labor, which took place on June 12, Andrea Strano, international relations officer in the Bureau of International Organization Affairs, discusses how the U.S. is addressing the child labor issue (6/13).

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House Committee on Foreign Affairs: House Passes Chairman Royce Amendment to Modernize U.S. International Food Aid
“…Rep. Ed Royce (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, applauded House passage of his amendment to the Agriculture Appropriations Bill to improve U.S. international food aid to help more people facing starvation, at a lower cost. Specifically, the Royce amendment provides funds for the ‘Local and Regional Purchase’ (LRP) program allowing the U.S. to buy food closer to areas in crisis, reducing transit time and costs…” (6/11).

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Global Network for Neglected Tropical Diseases’ “End The Neglect”: Breaking Now on Capitol Hill: Introducing the End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act
Dano Gunderson, a policy assistant for the Global Network, discusses the introduction in the House of the “End Neglected Tropical Diseases Act” by Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.). He notes the bill has bipartisan support from co-sponsors Reps. Matt Salmon (R-Ariz.), Hank Johnson (D-Ga.) and Greg Meeks (D-N.Y.) (6/13).

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Guttmacher Institute: Just the Numbers: The Impact of U.S. International Family Planning Assistance
In a new fact sheet, the Guttmacher Institute discusses the benefits of U.S. international family planning assistance and the potential setbacks if funding were to be cut (6/13).

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Humanosphere: A ‘special’ perspective on food, human rights and the future of agriculture
Health reporter and Humanosphere contributor Gabe Spitzer presents a podcast in which Humanosphere’s Tom Paulson speaks with the former U.N. Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food Olivier De Schutter (6/13).

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