BBC News: More contraception — but will target be met?
“An international campaign to increase the number of women and girls in poor countries using modern contraceptives is falling short of its target. The United Nations-sponsored Family Planning 2020 initiative says 30 million more have been given access to contraception since a summit meeting four years ago. West Africa is one area said to be falling behind…” (11/1).

The Guardian: Contraceptive rates in poorest countries leap by 30 million users in four years
“The number of women in the world’s poorest countries using modern forms of contraception has jumped by more than 30 million in the past four years, according to a report that found the most significant progress had been made in sub-Saharan Africa. … However, a drop in funding for FP2020 last year threatens to derail progress. The initiative is already off-track to reach its target of getting an additional 120 million women and girls using some form of modern contraception by 2020. Over the past four years, 30.2 million more women have begun using family planning, but the number is significantly less — by 19.2 million — than was hoped by the halfway point. Reaching 390 million women and girls by 2020 is the ultimate goal, up from 270 million in 2012…” (Ford, 11/1).

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New York Times: For Melinda Gates, Birth Control Is Women’s Way Out of Poverty
“Melinda Gates has made providing poor women in developing countries access to contraception a mission. The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which she leads with her husband, has donated more than $1 billion for family planning efforts and will spend about $180 million more this year. Since 2012, she has helped lead an international campaign to get birth control to 120 million more women by 2020. Four years later, a report explains why achieving that goal is proving tougher than expected. This is a condensed and edited version of our conversation about family planning…” (Duggar, 11/1).

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New York Times: Colombia Is Hit Hard by Zika, but Not by Microcephaly
“…In Brazil, more than 2,000 babies have been born with microcephaly, abnormally small heads and brain damage caused by the Zika virus. In Colombia, officials had predicted there might be as many as 700 such babies by the end of this year. There have been merely 47. … Had the rest of the Americas been as affected as northeastern Brazil, a tidal wave of microcephaly would be washing over the region. Most experts say that will not happen, but they are at a loss as to why…” (McNeil/Cobb, 10/31).

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Thomson Reuters Foundation: From gene editing to death traps, Seattle scientists innovate in race to end malaria
“…To combat rising resistance, Seattle’s malaria-fighting community is developing innovations ranging from data modeling and genetic modification to single-dose drugs and sugar traps. But malaria spending, which rose to $2.7 billion annually in 2015 from $130 million in 2000, must double over the next decade to ensure new solutions outpace drug and insecticide resistance in the push to achieve global eradication by 2040, experts say…” (Guilbert, 10/31).

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Thomson Reuters Foundation: Tanzania suspends some HIV programs for gay men, says health minister
“Tanzania has suspended community-based HIV/AIDS prevention programs for gay men, the health minister said on Monday, in the latest crackdown on the high-risk group. Ummy Mwalimu, Tanzania’s minister for health said the government had received reports that some local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) were promoting and normalizing same-sex relationships as part of their HIV programs. Gay sex is illegal in Tanzania and punishable by up to 30 years in prison…” (Makoye, 10/31).

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Bloomberg: Liberia Seeks $1.3 Billion to Revive Economy After Ebola
“Liberia will need $1.3 billion to revive an economy that was ravaged by a slump in its key export commodities and the worst-ever Ebola epidemic, Finance and Development Planning Minister Boima Kamara said. … The government of President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is trying to transform Liberia’s economic fortunes after the more-than-yearlong Ebola outbreak…” (Poquie, 10/31).

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The Hill: A banner year for U.S. leadership on aid effectiveness
George Ingram, senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program at the Brookings Institution; Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children; and Connie Veillette, senior fellow for global food security and aid effectiveness at the Lugar Center; and all co-chairs of the Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN)

“…[T]he Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network (MFAN) … has united behind a reform agenda to make U.S. development policy and practice more effective and sustainable through greater accountability and country ownership. In July, Congress passed, and President Obama signed, the Foreign Aid Transparency and Accountability Act (FATAA), a law that will help to ensure that taxpayer dollars are being invested in development programs with proven results. … The Global Food Security Act (GFSA) was also signed into law this summer, codifying important provisions that will ensure that the U.S. government’s efforts to combat hunger and malnutrition are country-specific and country-led, transparent, and accountable. … Several additional aid effectiveness and reform policies are currently pending before Congress. … These advances are the result of years of hard work and have required persistent, bipartisan leadership in Congress. We applaud the 114th Congress for its leadership on these issues and stand by to help ensure that this foundation of aid effectiveness is built upon as we transition to the next administration and Congress” (10/31).

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AllAfrica: Africa: We Can Lead The Way in Ending AIDS, Malaria, and TB
Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, chair of the African Union

“…[W]e have only just begun the work necessary to achieve our ambition of ending [the AIDS, TB, and malaria] epidemics for good. We still need to dramatically reduce infection rates and expand access to lifesaving medicines and tools. We also need to build the foundation of healthier communities: strong, efficient health systems, and health coverage for all. To make this possible, African countries will need to invest even more in domestic health programs. … We cannot let underinvestment in the health of our people … hamper our development. However, African countries also face competing health and development priorities, and many are not yet ready to drive critical health programs independently. This means that donor support will remain vital in the coming years so that we can continue taking steps to strengthen our health systems and ensure we don’t lose ground against AIDS, TB, and malaria. With renewed commitment, and the support of the global community, I have never been more optimistic about our ability to put an end to the scourge of AIDS, TB, and malaria and achieve a healthier, more prosperous future together” (11/1).

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Devex: Opinion: Understanding effective service delivery for rural health care
Sujay Santra, founder and CEO of iKure, and Tirumala Santra Mandal, research and communication analyst at iKure

“…Identifying the key approaches that underpin the success of a [health service] delivery model is essential to ensuring that similar models can be developed elsewhere to deliver high-quality and affordable care. … Given the diversity of rural communities, evidence suggests that no single model can adequately serve the health needs of the community members. … It is necessary to ensure that service delivery model[s] should relate to contexts in which health needs arise and health practitioners operate. … New models, technology implications, and integrated approaches should be a part of [a] well thought out plan that responds to local needs, addresses key determinants of health, and focuses on promotion of health rather than curative treatment alone” (10/31).

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Kaiser Family Foundation: Donor Government Funding for Family Planning was Essentially Flat in 2015 in Real Terms, Though It Declined When Measured in Current U.S. Dollars
“A new Kaiser Family Foundation report finds that donor governments provided US$1.3 billion in bilateral funding for family planning programs in low- and middle-income countries in 2015, essentially matching 2014 levels in real terms (after accounting for exchange rate fluctuations and inflation). In current U.S. dollars, however, 2015 funding was six percent below the 2014 level, largely due to the appreciation of the U.S. dollar. … The U.S. was the largest donor, providing US$638 million, or nearly half of all bilateral funding for family planning programs in 2015…” (11/1).

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WHO: WHO’s new Health Emergencies Program
This online Q&A discusses WHO’s new Health Emergencies Program, which “works with countries to address emergencies before they happen by working on prevention and preparedness, helps in the response to the emergency, and also, once the initial event has passed, on recovery. The new program builds on WHO’s years of experience working with countries in emergencies…” (10/31).

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U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Meeting the Unprecedented Challenge of the Global Refugee Crisis
Larry Bartlett, director of the State Department’s Office of Refugee Admissions, discusses the U.S.’s efforts to resettle refugees. Bartlett notes, “In Fiscal Year 2016, American communities welcomed 84,995 refugees from 79 countries, and the president has determined we will welcome 110,000 refugees in Fiscal Year 2017…” (10/31).

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WHO: Bulletin of the World Health Organization
The November 2016 WHO Bulletin includes editorials, news, and research and policy articles on various topics including the growing recognition of transgender health, the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of syphilis and HIV in Cuba and Thailand, and microcephaly rates in northeastern Brazil (November 2016).

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