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- $40 billion UN fund for women, children announced
In keeping with the UN's Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon announced a $40 billion drive to improve the lives of women and children around the world -- a campaign that could save 16 million lives by 2015. The funding for the Global Strategy for Women's and Children's Health come from governments, philanthropists and private donors and will seek to improve health care and prevent deaths among pregnant women and children under the age of 5. Google/Agence France-Presse (9/22)       - UN recognizes Bangladesh MDGs progress
United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will present Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina with an award for the country's success in curbing child-mortality rates by nearly two-thirds well ahead of the 2015 target associated with the Millennium Development Goals. Bangladesh officials say they have also made significant progress toward education, maternal mortality and gender disparity MDG targets. Reuters (9/20)  - Child vaccines offer most efficient aid value
World Health Organization chief Margaret Chan joined UNICEF chief Anthony Lake in calling for greater funding for child vaccinations, arguing that they represent the greatest value for the money for improving global health and achieving the UN's Millennium Development Goals. The two UN leaders urged greater funding for the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization, which has provided immunizations to more than 250 million children worldwide, saving at least 5 million lives. The Guardian (London) (9/21) - Opinion: Re-examine U.S. aid policies in pursuit of MDGs
The five-year countdown to the Millennium Development Goals 2015 target is an opportunity for U.S. President Barack Obama to assert firm leadership in the global battle against hunger and disease, writes Jim Kolbe, former U.S. congressman and co-chairman of The Transatlantic Taskforce on Development. Obama's efforts, such as the Global Health Initiative and Feed the Future programs, are solid contributions, but a recalibration of U.S. aid architecture to promote accountability and effectiveness is still needed. The Politico (Washington) (9/21) - World needs multilateral approach to sanitation
 Sanitation is a key component to health and poverty targets of the Millennium Development Goals, but remains one of the least discussed development issues, writes Jan Eliasson, Swedish diplomat and former United Nations undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs. More than 2.6 billion people worldwide are without access to clean toilets, and a multilateral approach involving governments, civil society groups, international agencies and businesses over the next five years is needed to approach the MDG target, he writes. The Huffington Post (9/21)  | - IEA: Energy poverty spending is not enough
Existing policies to increase electricity access around the world will leave 1.2 billion people without electricity in 2030, the International Energy Agency says in its 2010 World Energy Outlook report. Universal access to electricity in the home by 2030 would require $36 billion in annual funding -- the equivalent of only 3% of overall worldwide energy investments, according to the agency. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/21) - 5 countries convene to discuss Arctic claims
Representatives from Russia, Canada, Norway, Denmark and the U.S. are meeting in Moscow to discuss their respective claims on the Arctic -- where it is thought that 25% of the world's oil reserves are buried. The accelerated melting of the polar ice cap has exposed ocean floor and new possibilities for drilling as well as political conflicts among the countries with Arctic borders. Russia has even planted a flag on the ocean floor under the North Pole to signify its claim on the area -- a claim that has been rejected by the UN for lack of evidence. BBC (9/22) - Ahmadinejad blames poverty on capitalism
During a UN General Assembly session on global poverty, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad railed against capitalism, saying that the economic system was dying and that a new economic order must take its place. Ahmadinejad said undemocratic and unaccountable capitalist countries were responsible for poverty worldwide. Reuters (9/21) , Google/The Associated Press (9/21) - Refugees displaced by floods threaten Pakistani government stability
Millions of people displaced by disastrous floods in Pakistan represent a threat to a government already facing instability in the form of 1 million internal refugees displaced by fighting with the Taliban. Some 10 million people have been displaced by flooding, a human-rights crisis that security experts expect will be exploited by the Taliban and other extremist militant factions in Pakistan. The displaced millions -- who lack shelter, medical care and food -- represent a significant threat to government stability. AlertNet.org/Reuters (9/22)
- The Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves is launching this week, with the 2020 goal of making clean cooking stoves available to 100 million homes currently lacking access to modern energy sources. In which areas will a market for cleaner, more efficient cookstoves improve the developing world?
 | Climate and energy | | Health of mothers and children | | Gender equity | | All of the above |
- MDGs: Everyone has a role
This month, world leaders will convene in New York for a high-level summit to advance the Millennium Development Goals. The MDGs offer a way to tackle the biggest problems facing the world today -- these include global poverty, women's and children's health, hunger and education. Everyone has a stake in advancing the MDGs by advocating for a world, free from extreme poverty and preventable disease. By coming together in partnership, we can make this happen. To find out how you can help, please visit www.unfoundation.org/mdgs. - Register now for the mHealth Summit in Washington, D.C.
The 2010 mHealth Summit brings together leaders in government, private sector/industry, academia and not-for-profit organizations to share information and experiences related to the intersection of mobile technology, health research and policy.Featured speakers include Bill Gates, Co-chair and Trustee of the Bill Melinda Gates Foundation; Aneesh Chopra, U.S. Chief Technology Officer; Dr. Julio Frenk Dean of Faculty, Harvard School of Public Health; and Ted Turner, Chairman, UN Foundation. The mHealth Summit takes place Nov. 8 to 10 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington, D.C. Click here for more information and to register. |
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