News outlets report on the adoption of new global goals at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit, which ended Sunday in New York.

Agence France-Presse: World leaders adopt U.N. goals to end poverty in 15 years
“World leaders on Friday pledged to end extreme poverty within 15 years, adopting an ambitious set of U.N. goals to be backed up by trillions of dollars in development spending…” (Landry, 9/25).

Associated Press: U.N. summit approves 15-year blueprint to eradicate poverty
“…Pope Francis gave his backing to the new development agenda in an address to the U.N. General Assembly before the summit to adopt the 17-point plan opened, calling it ‘an important sign of hope’ at a very troubled time in the Middle East and Africa…” (Lederer, 9/25).

The Guardian: Global goals received with rapture in New York — now comes the hard part
“…After speeches from Pope Francis and the Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai, and songs from Shakira and Angelique Kidjo, the ambitious agenda — which aims to tackle poverty, climate change, and inequality for all people in all countries — was signed off by 193 countries at the start of a three-day U.N. summit on sustainable development…” (Ford, 9/25).

New York Times: U.N. Adopts Ambitious Global Goals After Years of Negotiations
“…Though the goals are not legally binding on any country, they gain moral force from having been adopted by consensus after three years of lengthy negotiations. The sticking points along the way included objections from Qatar, the Vatican, and others over access to sexual and reproductive health services, and pushback from the United States and others over reducing inequality…” (Sengupta, 9/25).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Leaders call for ‘less conversation, more action’ after adopting U.N. global goals
“…Described by the United Nations secretary-general as ‘a to-do list for people and planet,’ the 17 Sustainable Development Goals, or SDGs, are to be implemented over the next 15 years with a big global push to win public and political support…” (Wulfhorst, 9/25).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. adopts new Global Goals, charting sustainable development for people and planet by 2030
“…In his opening address to the Assembly, which also marks the organization’s 70th anniversary, the U.N. chief hailed the new framework as an agenda for shared prosperity, peace, and partnership. ‘It conveys the urgency of climate action. It is rooted in gender equality and respect for the rights of all’…” (9/25).

Wall Street Journal: World Leaders Tackle Development Goals
“…Some of the goals are easier to achieve than others, experts say, such as eradicating extreme poverty and improving sanitation. Since the year 2000, when similar goals were set by the U.N., the number of people living in extreme poverty has been reduced by half and fewer deaths are attributed today to diseases like malaria. The more challenging changes include costly ones such as climate-change regulations and securing women’s rights, for instance in cases of child marriage, where local laws and cultures clash with U.N. guidelines…” (Fassihi, 9/27).

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New York Times: Obama Tackles Poverty and Sexism in U.N. Speech
“President Obama told a conclave of world leaders here on Sunday that millions of people should be saved through collective action to end extreme poverty and deadly infections, but he did not announce new initiatives to achieve those ends. … Mr. Obama did announce a modest expansion of a program that provides drugs to those infected with HIV, mostly in Africa…” (Harris, 9/27).

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News outlets report on U.S. National Security Adviser Susan Rice’s announcement of new PEPFAR targets to prevent HIV among young women and girls in 10 sub-Saharan African nations.

Associated Press: U.S. aims to cut HIV infections in young women in Africa
“The Obama administration is announcing a $300 million program to drastically reduce HIV infections in girls and young woman in 10 sub-Saharan African nations hard hit by the virus. Administration officials are aiming for a 25 percent infection reduction in females between ages 15-24 by the end of next year and a 40 percent reduction by the end of 2017…” (Pace, 9/26).

Reuters: U.S. says to spend $300 million to fight HIV in Africa
“…The sum would help the main U.S. program for fighting AIDS in Africa to meet goals including providing antiretroviral treatment to 12.9 million people by the end of 2017, said Susan Rice, President Barack Obama’s national security adviser. ‘No greater action is needed right now than empowering adolescent girls and young women to defeat HIV/AIDS. Every year, 380,000 adolescent girls and young women are infected with HIV,’ she said in a statement. … The countries at the focus of the program are: Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, and Zimbabwe” (Zargham, 9/26).

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News outlets report on a U.N. summit on gender equality, titled Global Leaders’ Meeting on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment: A Commitment to Action, that took place on Sunday.

Associated Press: Leaders pledge money, clout to achieve women’s equality
“…Leaders from about 80 countries and dozens of diplomats attended the meeting to mark the 20th anniversary of the U.N. women’s conference in Beijing and press for implementation of its 150-page action plan for gender equality — which remains one of the 17 new development goals adopted by world leaders on Friday…” (Lederer, 9/27).

Newsweek: World Leaders Address Women’s Rights, Empowerment at U.N., but Key Countries Absent
“World leaders packed a meeting at the United Nations on Sunday morning to reaffirm their commitment to improving gender equality domestically and internationally, although several key players were absent. The gathering was co-sponsored by China and U.N. Women, the U.N. agency dedicated to women’s rights and empowerment…” (Westcott, 9/27).

New York Times: U.N. Summit Meeting on Women’s Rights Highlights More Tension Between U.S. and China
“…On Sunday, President Xi Jinping of China [hosted], along with the United Nations, a summit meeting to recognize the 20th anniversary of a landmark women’s rights conference in Beijing — never mind, as critics point out, that China imprisoned five prominent feminist activists this year…” (Sengupta, 9/26).

New York Times: Xi Jinping Vows to ‘Reaffirm’ China’s Commitment to Women’s Rights
“President Xi Jinping of China, under pressure over the jailing of women’s rights activists, promised on Sunday to ‘reaffirm our commitment to gender equality and women’s development,’ as Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of the United Nations gently reminded world leaders to protect ‘human rights defenders’…” (Sengupta, 9/27).

Reuters: China’s Xi touts women’s rights at United Nations, U.S. critical
“… ‘If you want to empower women, don’t imprison them on the basis of their views or beliefs,’ U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power — a member of President Barack Obama’s cabinet — said in a statement…” (Martina/Nichols, 9/28).

U.N. News Centre: Global Goals cannot be achieved without ensuring gender equality and women’s empowerment — U.N. chief
“As world leaders continued their Summit on the Sustainable Development Goals, U.N. Women and China co-hosted a landmark event [Sunday] on gender equality and women’s empowerment at which Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon declared that the new Global Goals could not be achieved ‘without full and equal rights for half of the world’s population, in law and in practice’…” (9/27).

USA TODAY: China’s Xi Jinping says empowering women is vital; critics note poor treatment
“… ‘We should foster a global environment favorable for women’s development,’ Xi said through a translator at the start of the meeting. He added that China would also initiate 100 health-oriented projects in the next five years, help create schools, and host 30,000 women from developing countries in China-based training programs…” (Jones, 9/27).

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News outlets report on the U.N. launch of the updated Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health.

U.N. News Centre: U.N. launches $25 billion strategy to end preventable deaths of mothers and children
“The United Nations today launched an ambitious public-private strategy to end preventable deaths of women, children, and adolescents, with initial commitments of more than $25 billion for the next five years to provide life-saving treatments, from immunizations to perinatal care. The Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health includes new policies and ground-breaking partnerships from 40 countries and over 100 international organizations, philanthropic foundations, U.N. agencies, civil society, and the private sector…” (9/26).

Xinhua News: U.N. chief announces 25-bln-dollar commitment to women, children health
“…Pledges include contributions from the United States, Canada, Sweden, Germany, and Norway, among other donor countries. According to the World Health Organization, some 800 women died each day in 2013 from complications of pregnancy or childbirth. Worldwide, women and children are 14 times more likely to die in a disaster than men” (9/27).

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News outlets discuss the U.N.’s launch of a public-private partnership called the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI).

New York Times: Partnership Aims to Bolster Local Health Care Providers
“Supported by one of the world’s leading philanthropies, a new partnership was announced Saturday during a United Nations development meeting aimed at improving health in poor and middle-income countries by helping to strengthen their primary care providers…” (Gladstone, 9/26).

U.N. News Centre: U.N. launches new joint partnership to help countries close gaps in primary health care
“…[T]he Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the World Bank Group, and the U.N. World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new partnership to support countries in improving the performance of primary health care. The new partnership, the Primary Health Care Performance Initiative (PHCPI), was launched [Saturday] in New York on the margins of the three-day U.N. Sustainable Development Summit at an event co-hosted with the governments of Germany, Ghana, and Norway…” (9/27).

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U.N. News Centre: ‘Human security depends on health security,’ Ban says, calling on nations to be proactive
“United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon [Saturday] warned that in the coming years, unexpected new disease outbreaks will hit, and societies that proactively address these challenges are at the heart of secure nations and a safer world. ‘This requires predictable funding for accessible and effective health systems, and predictable support when a health emergency is suspected,’ Mr. Ban told senior government and U.N. system leaders at a high-level event on securing a healthy future for the world, held on the margins of the Sustainable Development Summit…” (9/26).

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U.N. News Centre: U.N. calls on young people to champion global goal of ending hunger by 2030
“…The call came at a high-level event titled ‘Mobilizing Generation Zero Hunger,’ held [Saturday] on the margins of the Sustainable Development Summit at U.N. Headquarters, [that] brought together young entrepreneurs and activists from around the world, along with global leaders, policymakers, and celebrities to discuss how mobilizing this generation to champion sustainable agriculture, food security, and nutrition can help make zero hunger and sustainable development a reality…” (9/26).

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U.N. News Centre: Global Goals provide opportunity to ‘quicken pace of action’ to end AIDS epidemic by 2030 — U.N.
“Speaking at United Nations Headquarters in New York, the leaders of Kenya and Malawi co-hosted [Sunday] with the Joint U.N. Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) a high-level panel discussion on scaling up efforts to end the epidemic by 2030. ‘We should be able to enter this new era, the era of the SDGs, the Sustainable Development Goals, with hope,’ said UNAIDS Executive Director Michel Sidibé, calling the adoption just two days ago of the the 2030 Agenda a window of opportunity to ‘quicken the pace of action’…” (9/27).

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News outlets report on the WHO’s removal of Nigeria from the polio-endemic list.

Agence France-Presse: WHO takes Nigeria off global list of polio-endemic countries
“The World Health Organization on Friday took Nigeria off the list of polio-endemic countries, hailing a ‘historic achievement’ more than a year after the last recorded case of the disease in Africa’s most populous nation…” (9/25).

Associated Press: Nigeria revels in removal from list of polio-endemic nations
“Nigeria on Saturday celebrated the announcement by the U.N. health agency that polio is no longer endemic in the West African country…” (Odula, 9/26).

New York Times: Nigeria: Polio Contained, WHO Says
“…Polio remains endemic in just two countries, Pakistan and Afghanistan, which have never eliminated the virus. As of last month, all of Africa had gone a full year without a case of polio paralysis…” (McNeil, 9/25).

U.N. News Centre: Polio is no longer endemic in Nigeria — U.N. health agency
“…In its announcement [Friday], WHO said that Nigeria has made remarkable progress against polio, but continued vigilance is needed to protect these gains and ensure that polio does not return…” (9/25).

USA TODAY: Nigeria celebrates end of polio spread, leaving the disease in just two countries
“…The last case of polio in Nigeria was diagnosed in July 2014, according to the WHO. The agency waited until Friday to announce the end of routine spread of polio in order to verify the results of lab tests…” (Szabo, 9/25).

Wall Street Journal: Nigeria Has Stopped Polio, WHO Says
“…Nigeria’s removal from the shortlist of polio-endemic countries puts pressure on the rest of Africa to prevent further cases, as well as on Pakistan and Afghanistan ‘to get over the finish line,’ said Tom Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention…” (McKay, 9/25).

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Associated Press: Bill Clinton: Global Initiative has gotten results
“The Clinton Global Initiative’s blend of government and private-sector effort has helped millions of people worldwide, former President Bill Clinton said Sunday, highlighting the philanthropic network’s accomplishments at a time when his family’s charitable efforts have come under scrutiny. The 10-year-old initiative has facilitated programs that aided more than 430 million people in 180 countries, with government, private, and civil-society entities working together in 90 percent of the programs, he noted at the initiative’s annual meeting…” (Peltz, 9/27).

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POLITICO Europe: Securing Europe’s health: More than security
“‘Health’ and ‘security’ used to be mentioned in the same breath in Europe only when radiation protection, food safety, or combating bioterrorism were under discussion. But in today’s more complex circumstances, health now becomes part of the conversation right across the spectrum of policy, in Europe and beyond…” POLITICO Europe features several articles in a series titled “Securing Europe’s health,” including pieces on the Ebola epidemic, migrant and refugee health, and the E.U.’s action plan, among other topics (O’Donnell, 9/26).

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Huffington Post: Sustainable Development Goals for the World
Ban Ki-moon, secretary-general of the United Nations

“…The Millennium Development Goals, adopted in 2000, have improved the lives of millions of people. … But much more needs to be done, especially to reach the most marginalized and vulnerable and put us all on a sustainable-development path. The new agenda and [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] embody a commitment to leave no one behind. … Just as so many people joined in the process of articulating the SDGs, achieving them requires effort from everyone, everywhere. The United Nations and I look forward to working with people across the world to bring the goals to life and to transform our world. That’s the plan; that’s the promise; let’s get to work” (9/25).

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The Guardian: The growing need for humanitarian aid means we must find a new approach to development
Kristalina Georgieva, co-chair of the U.N. secretary general’s High-Level Panel on Humanitarian Financing and vice president of the European Commission, and Borge Brende, Norway’s minister of foreign affairs

“…The relationship between humanitarian and development assistance urgently requires attention because the evidence has never been more clear that the distinctions between them are artificial. The wall needs to come down: addressing humanitarian crises is not only a prerequisite of sustainable development but also a necessity if the [Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] are to be achieved. Let’s have innovative ideas, including from our international finance institutions and development banks, on how to deal with greater fragility. We need new financial instruments which encourage giving and reward best practice. Despite the enormity and complexity of the challenge we remain optimists…” (9/26).

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The Guardian: We fight poverty, disease and fear. We should be proud of how it helps the poorest
David Cameron, prime minister of the U.K.

“As world leaders gather to endorse a global agenda to end extreme poverty in a generation, Britain can be proud about the role we have played. … Above all, because we kept our promises on aid spending, others listen to us. Meeting that historic pledge of spending 0.7 percent of gross national income on aid is about keeping our promises to the world’s poorest. … As leaders from more than 140 countries gather in New York this week, the U.K. will be the only country at the table with a permanent seat on the U.N. Security Council, a two percent defense budget and a 0.7 percent aid budget. That’s because of the decisions this government has taken: decisions that help to protect your security and help you prosper” (9/26).

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New York Times: An Ambitious Development Agenda from the U.N.
Editorial Board

“…[The U.N.] faces a very big obstacle: a slowing global economy, which will require the leaders of developing countries, especially those in Africa and Asia, where most of the world’s poorest people live, to make big policy changes [to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)]. … That said, this is a worthy, high-minded effort. … Fifteen years ago, the Millennium Development Goals showed that setting ambitious targets helps rally government officials, individuals, and businesses toward a common cause. This time around, leaders everywhere will need to adopt creative and aggressive policies to boost a world economy that now seems stuck in neutral” (9/28).

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New York Times: To Unite the Earth, Connect It
Bono, lead singer of the band U2 and a founder of the advocacy group ONE and its division (RED), and Mark Zuckerberg, founder and chief executive of Facebook

“…In this century, global development and global connectivity are closely linked. If you want to help people feed, heal, educate, and employ themselves around the world, we need to connect the world as well. The Internet should not belong to only three billion people, as it does today. It should be seen as a necessity for development, and a tool that makes larger things possible. … Silicon Valley should look beyond itself and act more on issues like education, health care, and the refugee crisis. We challenge the tech industry to do far more for those most marginalized, those trapped in poverty, and those beyond or on the edge of the network…” (9/26).

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New York Times: How Surgery Can Fight Global Poverty
Mark C. Shrime, research director, and John G. Meara, director of the program in global surgery and social change at Harvard Medical School

“…The cost of scaling up a surgical system in resource-poor countries — about $300 billion over 18 years — represents only about five percent of the total combined expenses that governments in low- and lower-middle-income countries spend on health annually, and pales in comparison with the $12.3 trillion cost of inaction. And spending that money now will not only lower the current surgical disease burden and allow patients to return to economic productivity, but it will also make the health system itself more resilient when shocks like Ebola hit. … Surgery has been called the ‘neglected stepchild of global public health.’ To achieve the recently approved global development goals, world leaders must explicitly develop systems to bring access to safe, affordable, and timely surgery to those who need it” (9/25).

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WHO: No magic bullet, but no excuses: we know what works for women’s and girls’ health
In this commentary, Marleen Temmerman, director of the WHO Department of Reproductive Health and Research, writes, “While there is no magic bullet, there are also no excuses. Over the past two decades, we have seen a significant decline in maternal and child mortality, but much remains to be done. We must stand behind the new Global Goals for sustainable development and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s, and Adolescents’ Health and implement what works. Each one of us can be part of transformational change” (9/25).

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White House: FACT SHEET: Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment
This fact sheet discusses the U.S. government’s commitment and efforts to advance women’s empowerment, gender equality, and human rights in the U.S. and globally (9/27).

White House: Statement by the President Commemorating the Twentieth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women
“I am proud to commemorate the 20th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Today we recommit ourselves to the basic principle affirmed there, namely that ‘[w]omen’s empowerment and their full participation on the basis of equality in all spheres of society, including participation in the decision-making process and access to power, are fundamental for the achievement of equality, development, and peace,'” President Obama said in a statement (9/27).

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U.S. Department of State: Remarks at Post-2015 Development Summit
During his remarks at the U.N. Sustainable Development Summit in New York City, Secretary of State John Kerry discussed the U.S. commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as the launch of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (9/27).

White House: FACT SHEET: U.S. Global Development Policy and Agenda 2030
This fact sheet describes the U.S. commitment to global development under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, including investments in global health, global health security, food security and nutrition, and other U.S. development priorities (9/27).

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White House Blog: Chart of the Week: How President Obama Plans to Put an AIDS-Free Generation Within Our Reach
Tanya Somanader, deputy director of digital content for the Office of Digital Strategy, presents a graphic on “where people are suffering under the burden of HIV the most in the world” and describes “the new steps President Obama is taking to help” (9/26).

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World Bank: Universal health coverage programs that cover one-third of the world are transforming care for the poorest and most vulnerable: new World Bank Group report
“A World Bank Group report released [on Friday] during the United Nations General Assembly shows that more countries around the world are rolling out universal health coverage programs designed to expand access to health care and reduce the number of people impoverished by paying for the health care they need…” (9/25).

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U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: #UNGA70: How Can We Effectively Implement the 17 New Global Goals?
Angel Gurría, secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), discusses the OECD’s commitment to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and highlights the OECD’s 2015 Development Cooperation report on “how successful partnerships drive development efforts” (9/25).

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Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation’s “Impatient Optimists”: Accountability in Global Health: What works, what doesn’t, and what we need to do about it
Lola Dare, president and chief executive of CHESTRAD; Nejla Liias, founder and president of Global Health Visions; and Christine Sow, president and executive director of the Global Health Council, discuss the importance of accountability in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), highlighting a U.N. General Assembly side event on accountability, a report released by Global Health Visions on accountability in maternal and newborn health, and a CHESTRAD report released in collaboration with the Global Health Council on global accountability in the SDGs (9/25).

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IntraHealth International’s “Vital”: It’s Not Complicated: Contraceptives Save Lives and Improve Health
To commemorate World Contraception Day, which takes place annually on September 26, Sara Stratton, assistant program director at IntraHealth International, discusses the role of family planning and contraception in reducing maternal mortality globally (9/25).

USAID: World Contraception Day 2015
“The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) joins the international community in celebrating World Contraception Day, a global campaign to draw attention to the vast unmet need for contraceptive information and services. Increasing access to a wide-range of family planning methods enables individuals and couples to determine whether, when, and how often to have children, which has profound health, economic, and social benefits for families and communities…” (9/24).

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