BBC News: The wellbeing of the world’s young adults and teens
“Self-harm, road accidents, suicide, drugs, and HIV/AIDS — some of the main causes of death amongst teenagers and young adults around the world in 2013. These are the tragic findings of a report published in the medical journal The Lancet. Its focus is young people aged 10-24. Newsday’s Nomia Iqbal spoke to the report’s lead author and chair of the Lancet Commission of Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, Professor George Patton from the University of Melbourne…” (9/11).

Xinhua: Health of world’s youth damaged by inaction, underfunding: Aust’n experts
“…The comprehensive report sourced the perspectives of public health workers, economists, politicians, and behavioral, neurological, and social scientists. From their views, the authors made a raft of recommendations aimed at promoting general health for global youth. But rather than simply funding the health sector, the experts agreed that — above all else — free secondary education was the best way of ensuring less young people fell into these traps…” (5/10).

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International Business Times: Yellow fever poised to become global health emergency with WHO urged to take action
“The current outbreak of yellow fever in Angola could lead to the latest global health emergency, say two professors from Georgetown University. They say the continued spread of the disease, and the lack of vaccine supply, means the World Health Organization (WHO) should ‘urgently convene an emergency committee’ to coordinate an international response. … ‘There are strong reasons to convene an emergency committee now,’ [Daniel Lucey and Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University] write in their JAMA Viewpoint…” (Atherton, 5/10).

Reuters: Vaccines put brakes on yellow fever outbreaks, more may pop up: WHO
“A major yellow fever outbreak in Angola and two smaller flare-ups in Uganda and Congo are largely under control but countries have been warned to be vigilant in case the disease pops up elsewhere, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Tuesday…” (Miles, 5/10).

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IRIN: Putin declines World Humanitarian Summit invitation as Russia cries foul
“Russian President Vladimir Putin will not be attending the upcoming World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul, and Russia is refusing to be bound by the results of a process it says failed to include its views. A Russian statement, obtained by IRIN, says any outcomes of the summit would not be legitimate grounds to change the U.N.’s emergency aid setup…” (Parker, 5/10).

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U.N. News Centre: U.N. conference to review progress of least developed countries during past five years
“A United Nations conference is set to undertake a review of progress made during the past five years by the world’s 48 least developed countries (LDCs), which comprise about 12 percent of the global population. Called the Midterm Review conference for the Istanbul Programme of Action for the Least Developed Countries, it will take place in Antalya, in the south of Turkey, from 27 to 29 May…” (5/10).

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The Guardian: Can innovation help fix the world’s overwhelmed humanitarian system?
“…Innovation is a key theme for the World Humanitarian Summit in Istanbul and it dovetails with the rather dispiriting rationale for this first-of-its-kind meeting: that the aid system is failing and needs to be reformed if it is to cope with protracted, increasingly frequent, manmade and natural crises. … [A]n April report found that little is known about how to flick the innovation switch in organizations bound by red tape. The report, More Than Just Luck, was produced by the Humanitarian Innovation Fund (HIF) and ALNAP, a humanitarian action learning network. Together, they analyzed 11 case studies over two years to see which new ideas worked and why…” (Chonghaile, 5/10).

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NPR: What Kenya Can Teach The U.S. About Menstrual Pads
“…In 40 states, plus the District of Columbia, pads and tampons are subject to sales tax. … But there’s a movement to fight these taxes, and several states have eliminated them. … Meanwhile, one country is way ahead of the U.S. when it comes to understanding that pads and tampons shouldn’t be taxed. … Kenya repealed its value added tax on pads and tampons in 2004 to lower the price consumers pay. And since 2011, the Kenyan government has been budgeting about $3 million per year to distribute free sanitary pads in schools in low-income communities…” (Hallett, 5/10).

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Washington Post: For Republicans in Congress, does ‘pro-life’ extend to fighting Zika?
Dana Milbank, opinion writer at the Washington Post

“…[T]he supposedly pro-life majorities in both chambers of Congress have done nothing with [President] Obama’s [Zika emergency funding] request, more than three months after he made it in early February. Republicans demanded that the administration repurpose money that was supposed to have been spent fighting Ebola, and the administration did so even though that virus has resurged in Africa. Now, the congressional delay is hampering our ability to monitor the spread, to test possible victims, and to prepare a vaccine. … [W]ith Zika, the delay is inevitably going to cause more fetuses to be deformed — and perhaps aborted — and a caucus supposedly devoted to protecting them is silent. There may never be a consensus on abortion, but can lawmakers not agree to fight a virus that destroys the brains of fetuses? … Let’s hear no more from so-called defenders of the unborn until they’ve done it” (5/10).

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Thomson Reuters Foundation: Equal opportunity: the U.K.’s moment to be bold, as Canada signals global health leadership
Richard Feachem, policy adviser at Malaria No More U.K. and director of the Global Health Group at the University of California, San Francisco

“…Canada [has] increased [its] pledge to the Global Fund by 20 percent — a pledge that will greatly contribute to worldwide efforts to end deadly yet preventable diseases. Canada’s announcement comes at a time when we have experienced unprecedented progress in driving down disease worldwide. … [T]he possibility of a shrinking malaria map fueled a dream when I first led the Global Fund at its inception in 2002. And, while we are close, the dream of ending [HIV, TB, and malaria] has not yet been realized. Financing will be required to sustain the gains from decades of efforts, made possible by previous commitments and generosity. … The stakes will be high at the September pledging conference in Canada. … Following Canada’s suit, the U.K. could and should boldly support the Global Fund to demonstrate leadership in the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to end the epidemics of HIV, TB, and malaria for good” (5/11).

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Washington Post: The growing stress on the world’s water
Editorial Board

“The World Bank has warned countries that one of climate change’s most significant impacts will be on a precious resource that many people, particularly in advanced nations, take for granted: water. … Countries must worry about whether their people will have enough fresh water to farm, produce electricity, bathe, and drink. … The World Bank calculates that water strain from population growth and climate change could reduce growth in some major economies by an astonishing six percent by 2050. … About four billion people already live in areas suffering from water stress. … Countries have to manage water use more rationally. … [T]he answer is to treat water like any other precious resource: Create a fair and transparent market for it, allowing supply to meet demand, which will let the water flow to its most efficient uses…” (5/10).

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Devex: Leave no one behind: Women, children, and adolescent health in emergencies
Flavia Bustreo, assistant director general for family, women’s, and children’s health at WHO and vice chair of the board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, global maternal and newborn health advocate and chair of Every Where

“…What we need is to ensure the protection of health and human rights of women, children, and adolescents, in all crises settings, everywhere. While women’s and children’s survival improved through the Millennium Development Goals and the U.N. Secretary General’s 2010 global strategy for Every Woman Every Child, more than 80 percent of the countries that did not achieve the goals endured a recent conflict, natural disaster, or both. … Embedded and aligned with the [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)], the new Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescents’ Health is targeting more than survival. It’s calling for transformative actions that provide women, children, and adolescents with what they need to thrive and transform the societies we live in. … If we are to meet the SDGs, we need to tailor our attention to sustainable, inclusive development for women, children, and adolescents in humanitarian emergencies. This is our opportunity to ensure no one is left behind…” (5/10).

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Woodrow Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program’s “New Security Beat”: Feeding the Future? A Closer Look at U.S. Food Assistance in Tanzania
Haodan “Heather” Chen, intern with the Wilson Center’s Environmental Change and Security Program, discusses a report released by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that examines Feed the Future’s role in addressing food security in Tanzania, as well as its impacts and challenges (5/11).

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Humanosphere: USAID suspends major aid groups after inquiry finds corruption in Syrian aid pipeline
Humanosphere reporter Tom Murphy writes, “…The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Office of Inspector General announced on May 6 that 14 entities and individuals working out of Turkey were suspended following a months-long investigation. In addition, money to some groups has been put on hold. In one case, a partial termination of a program carried out by one unnamed group meant that nearly $1 million in pharmaceuticals were not bought…” (5/10).

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WHO: The time is right to invest in adolescents
In this commentary, Anthony Costello, WHO director of the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health, writes, “…WHO sees adolescent health as a key priority. … We need to work out how to reach out to adolescents and involve them actively in programs that improve their health. We need to engage young men and women together to rationalize concepts of masculinity and human rights. … When we invest in adolescents, then, we improve their own health and well-being. We also invest in social and economic development…” (5/10).

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Council on Foreign Relations’ “Women Around the World”: Why the Women Deliver Conference Matters
Daniela Ligiero, vice president of girls and women strategy at the United Nations Foundation, says the Women Deliver 2016 conference “is of critical importance” as the international community looks to implement Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) initiatives. She writes, “Here are the top three reasons why the Women Deliver conference matters for SDG implementation: Civil society matters. … Integration matters. … Re-energizing matters…” (5/10).

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Aidspan: Global Fund Observer
Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, published Issue 287 of the “Global Fund Observer.” The newsletter features articles on various topics, including two news articles addressing the Global Fund inspector general’s findings of deficiencies and fraud related to grant implementation in Nigeria; a commentary on reducing human rights barriers to end HIV, TB, and malaria; an article on Canada’s increased pledge to the Global Fund and the announcement the nation will host the fund’s fifth replenishment conference in September; and an analysis on how the Russian Federation is addressing the country’s HIV and TB epidemics with reduced funding from the Global Fund (5/11).

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