KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report
In The News
- The Lancet Examines U.S. Global Health Leadership Under Next President
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The Lancet: U.S. global health leadership hangs on election result
“Americans will choose their next president in less than three weeks and yet some global health experts still wonder what would happen to the international health programs that the USA has championed in recent decades if the Republican contender, Donald Trump, is elected. The uncertainty comes despite the Ebola virus and Zika virus threats that made global health into front-page news. Trump’s opponent, Democrat Hillary Clinton, has 30 years of political experience that includes representing New York State in the Senate, and serving as President Barack Obama’s Secretary of State. She has a record of support for health programs for women and children, said Jennifer Kates, vice president and director of global health and HIV policy at the Kaiser Family Foundation…” (Jaffe, 10/22).
- Science Magazine Examines Science-, Health-Related Issues Likely To 'Demand Attention' From Next U.S. President
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Science: Science lessons for the next president
“…What science-related issues will the next president face? Climate change is sure to loom large, as will the annual debates over how much the government should spend on basic research and which fields are likely to provide the biggest short-term economic payoff. Technological advances, from self-driving cars to genome engineering, will pose new regulatory challenges. And surprises such as disease outbreaks, oil spills, and natural disasters are all but certain. In each case, a little science savvy might help a president better understand the issues and how best to respond. With that in mind, we offer the winner of next month’s election a crash course in six areas of science that are likely to demand attention in the Oval Office over the next four or eight years…” (Malakoff/Mervis, 10/21).
- In Final U.S. Presidential Debate, Clinton Defends Women's Right To Choose Abortion In U.S., Internationally
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The Atlantic: Clinton’s Unapologetic Defense of Abortion Rights
“Even in a presidential campaign that has become so intensely focused on gender, there was something surreal about watching Hillary Clinton’s response to a question about abortion in Wednesday night’s debate. Here was the first woman nominated by a major party for the United States presidency … talking in no uncertain terms about her strong commitment to protecting a woman’s right to ‘make the most intimate, most difficult in many cases, decisions about her health care that one can imagine’…” (LaFrance, 10/20).Humanosphere: Abortion: Clinton invokes women’s rights around the world as she defends choice
“…Hillary Clinton affirmed women’s right to abortion while Donald Trump said he would appoint judges to the Supreme Court who oppose it. Clinton countered by looking internationally to the consequences of governments circumventing reproductive rights. … She went on to say that government has no business in personal decisions about abortions…” (Murphy, 10/20).
- Investing In Health, Education For Girls Will Cut Poverty, Help World Reach Development Goals, UNFPA Report Says
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Agence France-Presse: Girls can cut poverty in developing economies: U.N.
“Developing economies stand to win an extra $21 billion (19 billion euros) if they improve girls’ health and sex education, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) said Thursday…” (10/19).The Guardian: The world’s future hinges on supporting 10-year-old girls, says U.N.
“…According to the U.N. Population Fund’s (UNFPA) State of the World Population 2016 report, published on Thursday, the future of 10-year-old girls will shape our collective futures. Getting girls through secondary school could reap billions of dollars a year for poorer countries, claims the study…” (Ford, 10/20).Thomson Reuters Foundation: Investing in girls could unlock billions of dollars for national economies: U.N. agency
“If countries ended forced marriage, child labor, female genital mutilation, and other practices undermining girls’ health and rights, their economies could be billions of dollars richer for it, a U.N. agency said on Thursday…” (Tabary, 10/20).U.N. News Centre: Investing in 10-year-old girls will yield huge demographic payoff towards Global Goals — U.N.
“…More than half of the world’s 60 million 10-year-old girls live in 48 countries with the worst gender equality, and nine out of 10 live in developing countries. Ten is a pivotal age because it typically marks the start of puberty, at which point in some areas of the world, a girl is then viewed as a commodity to be bought, sold, or traded. Girls at this age are forced to leave school, marry, bear children, and live a lifetime of servitude. … Luckily, research has shown a growing number of proven policy options that can dismantle some of the barriers that hold girls back…” (10/20).
- In U.N. General Assembly Briefing, SG Ban Calls For Additional Resources To Respond To Hurricane-Hit Haiti
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U.N. News Centre: U.N. chief calls on General Assembly to ‘fulfill moral duty’ to assist storm-ravaged Haiti
“Briefing the United Nations General Assembly on the humanitarian situation in Haiti following the devastation caused by Hurricane Matthew, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon underlined the urgency of additional resources to help respond to the dire needs on the island. … Barely a week after the storm, on 10 October, the U.N. launched a nearly $120 million ‘flash appeal’ to fund its humanitarian response in the aftermath of the disaster. … However, 10 days since its launch, the appeal is only 22 percent funded, said Mr. Ban…” (10/20).
- U.N., Partners Launch Awareness Campaign Aimed At Educating Individuals About Dangers Of Air Pollution
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U.N. News Centre: Protecting people and planet from ‘invisible killer’ is focus of U.N. health campaign to tackle air pollution
“The United Nations World Health Organization (WHO) in partnership with the Coalition for Climate and Clean Air (CCAC), and the Government of Norway has launched a global awareness campaign on the dangers of air pollution — especially ‘invisible killers’ such as black carbon, ground-level ozone, and methane — for the health of individuals and the planet. Titled ‘BreatheLife: Clean air. A healthy future,’ the campaign aims to mobilize cities and their inhabitants on issues of health and protecting the planet from the effects of air pollution…” (10/20).
- Poor Diet Poses Greatest Noncommunicable Health Risk Worldwide, Report Shows
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Huffington Post: Poor Diet Is The Greatest Risk To Worldwide Health, Report Says
“…Across the globe, poor diets now pose a greater collective health risk than unsafe sex, alcohol, drugs, and tobacco use combined, according to a new report by the Global Panel on Agriculture and Food Systems for Nutrition…” (Fox, 10/20).
- Developing Sustainable Food, Agricultural Systems Could Bring Global Economic Benefits, Report Says
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Huffington Post: A Sustainable Food System Could Be A Trillion-Dollar Global Windfall
“Our planet has a very long way to go toward building a food system that is truly and genuinely sustainable, but that work, if done correctly, could come with a massive reward. That’s the conclusion of a new report released this month by the Business and Sustainable Development Commission, an international nonprofit hoping to make a strong bottom-line case for industries to take a more earth-friendly approach to their businesses…” (Erbentraut, 10/20).
- The Guardian Profiles Catarina De Albuquerque's Stance On Water As Human Right, Involving Private Sector To Improve Access
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The Guardian: ‘Water is a human right … but it can have a price’
“The first time Catarina de Albuquerque made a presentation at World Water Week, people did not like what she had to say. It was 2009, she was just a year into her role as U.N. special rapporteur on the right to safe drinking water and sanitation, and delegates did not like her suggestion that people should pay for water. … Water can have a price as long as people are not excluded, responded de Albuquerque, and drew parallels with other human rights. There is a right to food, for example, but people will still pay for it in a supermarket…” (Purvis, 10/20).
Editorials and Opinions
- Investing In Women Critical To Family, Maternal, Child Health In Haiti
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Forbes: The Last Shall Be First: Haitian Women Taking Steps To End Poverty
Bill Frist, former U.S. senator from Tennessee and chair of Hope Through Healing Hands, and Jenny Eaton Dyer, executive director of Hope Through Healing Hands“…A fundamental foundation for … resilience is the family. … We know when women learn to manage their finances, they seize the opportunity, and stability for the household ensues. Women wisely spend the money on care for children, health, education, and the home. Which puts in perspective why, in light of [Hurricane Matthew], we are smart to invest heavily in family and maternal and child health. … [Women] will make poverty history, end child deaths, and wisely choose to time and space their children for safer pregnancies and births for both themselves and their newborns. … Much work needs to be done to return Haiti to the recovery path it had been paving since … the 2010 earthquake. Remember that when the headlines about Hurricane Matthew fade, tens of thousands of Haitians will still be displaced from their homes, living in makeshift shelters with the threat of another cholera outbreak looming over the flooded island. These proud and resilient people do not want our words, but a genuine helping hand that allows them to rebuild in the wake of tragedy is welcome” (10/20).
- WHO Exhibits Leadership In Helping Nations Reduce Sugar Intake, Address NCDs
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The Lancet: WHO’s war on sugar
Editorial Board“On October 11, World Obesity Day, WHO upped the ante in its fight against sugar. First, it called for governments to introduce subsidies for fruits and vegetables and taxation of unhealthy foods, with a particular target on sugary drinks. … The second move saw the removal of sales and provision of sugary drinks from WHO headquarters, including at official functions. … They are bold steps forward to advance the global action plan on [noncommunicable diseases (NCDs)] and WHO’s 2015 sugar guidelines that recommend drastically reducing sugar intake. A welcome benefit of this WHO leadership is increased publicity and awareness about the negative effects of excess sugar, and the extent to which sugar is present in foods marketed as healthy … A key challenge will be monitoring impact. While experience and evidence are growing for the effectiveness of sugar taxes, more evidence is needed on the use of subsidies and other economic tools to promote healthy behavior and to reduce disease outcomes. … The war on sugar is vital, but it is just one part of the larger battle against NCDs” (10/22).
From the Global Health Policy Community
- Government Investment In Scientific Research, Innovation Vital To Global Health, Development Efforts
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Gates Notes: Science is the Great Giver
Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discusses the role of science and innovation in global health and development efforts, writing, “The importance of scientific research … stretches far beyond global health. Supplies of energy, water, [and] food … are all problems that must be solved by science. And research into information technology can improve productivity in ways that lead to new jobs, economic growth, and educational gains as well. Whether the research is in global health or agriculture or information technology or energy, the dynamic is the same. … I want to urge leaders … to take on our biggest problems through dramatic increases in scientific research — because we know that government-funded research can create jobs now, meet public needs soon, and lead to economic growth far into the future” (10/20).
- Effective Urban Policies Critical To Ensuring, Promoting Healthy Environments
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PLOS Blogs’ “Translational Global Health”: Food at the heart of healthy and sustainable cities
Natalie Molino, policy projects coordinator, and Sudhvir Singh, director of policy, both at the EAT Foundation, discuss the challenges of urban health and explore how the New Urban Agenda, “a policy document that will guide urban development across the globe for the next two decades,” can be an opportunity for the global community “to ensure that health, food security, and nutrition are placed at the center of urban and territorial sustainability” (10/20).
- Global Community Takes Steps Against Threat Of Antimicrobial Resistance
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World Policy Blog: Fighting the Superbug
Kirsi Goldynia, editorial assistant at the World Policy Journal, discusses the threat of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), measures that can be taken to prevent and mitigate AMR, and the importance of global cooperation in AMR response efforts (10/20).
- Health Organizations Face Challenge Of Sustaining Global Progress Against AIDS, Keeping Disease 'In The Spotlight'
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Humanosphere: Health organizations challenged to keep AIDS in the spotlight
Humanosphere journalist Lisa Nikolau discusses health organizations’ challenges of keeping HIV/AIDS “in the spotlight,” noting while global progress has been made against the epidemic, the disease remains a major threat, especially for LGBT communities, which often face stigma (10/20).
- Aidspan Publishes New Issue Of 'Global Fund Observer'
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Aidspan: Global Fund Observer
Aidspan, an independent watchdog of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, published Issue 298 of the “Global Fund Observer.” The newsletter features articles on various topics, including a summary of experts’ comments from an October 6 meeting on the future of U.S. global health financing and a report from the Office of the Inspector General on management deficiencies in grants to the Democratic Republic of Congo (10/19).