Human Security Gateway: Health and Security

Balancing National Security with Human Security – A Call for Comprehensive Pre-Event Public Health Analysis of War and Defence Policy

Thu, 15 May 2008 15:22:15 -0700

Concepts of national security and human security can be tenuously balanced in any assessment of the risks and benefits of defence development. In order to ensure an effective balance is maintained in the interests of both human and national security, new paradigms and research agendas for pre-event public health analysis of war and defence policy should be applied. This paper discusses traditional approaches to war and public health, and considers the benefits of a shift in public health focus from post-event emergency relief to pre-event analysis of war and defence policy. Three concepts of public health are applied to the analysis of defence policy – injury epidemiology, public health surveillance and social epidemiology. We conclude that a refocus on pre-event analysis will strengthen the role of public health in contributing to prevention of war and in the reorientation of defence planning towards the protection of human security and not only the state. SOURCE: Peace Studies Journal

The Role of Medical Diplomacy in Stabilizing Afghanistan

Wed, 14 May 2008 14:01:54 -0700

Comprehensive stabilization and reconstruction of Afghanistan are not possible given the current fragmentation of responsibilities, narrow lines of authorities, and archaic funding mechanisms. Afghans are supportive of U.S. and international efforts, and there are occasional signs of progress, but the insurgent threat grows as U.S. military and civilian agencies and the international community struggle to bring stability to this volatile region. Integrated security, stabilization, and reconstruction activities must be implemented quickly and efficiently if failure is to be averted. Much more than a course correction is needed to provide tangible benefits to the population, develop effective leadership capacity in the government, and invest wisely in reconstruction that leads to sustainable economic growth. A proactive, comprehensive reconstruction and stabilization plan for Afghanistan is crucial to counter the regional terrorist insurgency, much as the Marshall Plan was necessary to combat the communist threat from the Soviet Union.1 This paper examines the health sector as a microcosm of the larger problems facing the United States and its allies in efforts to stabilize Afghanistan. SOURCE: Center for Technology and National Security Policy // National Defense University

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Océanie

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:36:29 -0700

Ce rapport contient de l'information sur la prévalence et le principal mode de transmission du VIH dans les pays de l'Océanie. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Amérique du Nord, Europe occidentale et Europe centrale

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:30:27 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Etats-Unis d’Amérique et Canada, et Europe occidentale et centrale. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:22:22 -0700

Si le nombre total de cas de VIH notifiés reste modeste (à l’exception du Soudan), les chiffres sont en hausse dans plusieurs pays, en raison notamment de l’élargissement des activités de dépistage du VIH. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Amérique latine

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:16:16 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Amérique du Sud et Amérique centrale. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Caraïbes

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:09:40 -0700

La prévalence du VIH atteint voire dépasse 1% aux Bahamas, à la Barbade, au Belize, au Guyana, en Haïti, en Jamaïque, au Suriname et à la Trinité-et- Tobago (ONUSIDA, 2006). La plupart des pays de la région montrent une baisse ou une stabilisation de la prévalence du VIH, particulièrement dans les zones urbaines, tandis que les changements intervenus dans les zones semi-urbaines et rurales ont été modérés. L’inadéquation des systèmes de surveillance du VIH dans plusieurs pays rend néanmoins difficile l’analyse des tendances récentes de ces épidémies. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Asie

Wed, 14 May 2008 13:04:09 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Chine, Inde, et Asie du Sud et du Sud-Est, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: Double péril - sexospécifité et risque de VIH parmi les consommateurs de drogues injectables; Comprendre les nouvelles estimations du VIH en Inde, et Surprise dans le Sud. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Le point sur l’épidémie de sida - Résumés par région - Afrique subsaharienne

Wed, 14 May 2008 12:51:54 -0700

Ce rapport contient des résumés sur les régions suivants: Afrique australe, Afrique de l’Est, Afrique de l’Ouest et Afrique centrale, et Afrique centrale, et aussi sur les thèmes suivantes: le double défi de la tuberculose et du VIH, circonsion masculine et préventions du VIH, epidémies latentes parmi les hommes ayant des rapports sexuels avec des hommes, la consommation de drogues injectables: un facteur croissant dans plusiers épidémies de VIH de L'Afrique Subsaharienne, et signes de changements vers des comportements à moindre risque. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Programme Commun Des Nations Unies Sur le VIH/SIDA

Handbook on HIV and Human Rights for National Human Rights Institutions

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:32:29 -0700

Through the long struggle against HIV, it has become clear that human rights are central to effective national responses to HIV. Where human rights are not protected, people are more vulnerable to HIV infection. Where the human rights of HIV-positive people are not protected, they suffer stigma and discrimination, become ill, become unable to support themselves and their families, and if not provided treatment, they die. Where rates of HIV prevalence are high and treatment is lacking, whole communities are devastated by the impact of the virus. Between 1981 and 2007, some 65 million people became infected with HIV and some 25 million died of AIDS. HIV has spread to every country in the world and, in the hardest-hit countries, it is undoing most of the development gains of the past 50 years. SOURCE: The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

The Psychosocial Effects of Conflict-Related Trauma. Technical Advisory Group Meeting Report

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:28:17 -0700

While the field of cross-cultural assessment and treatment of the psychosocial effects of conflictrelated trauma is gaining increasing attention in the scientific literature, there is still enormous room for research and the development of ‘best practices’ in the discipline. The Technical Advisory Group meeting of August 1-2, 2000 was hosted by World Vision, co-facilitated with Johns Hopkins University and sponsored by CERTI (Linking Complex Emergencies Response and Transition Initiative, a program sponsored by USAID and others). The meeting was called to provide technical feedback on recent research initiatives conducted in Rwanda, and to discuss the best ways forward. Participants in the meeting represented World Vision, Johns Hopkins University, Harvard University, Columbia University, Tulane University, Randolph-Macon College, Christian Children’s Fund, the Commission on Mental Health Services (based in Washington DC) and the American Red Cross. The diversity in backgrounds among participants ensured that the process benefited from a broad spectrum of approaches and expertise. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Complex Emergency Response Transition Initiative

Preventing and Coping with HIV/AIDS in Post-conflict Situations: Gender-Based Lessons

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:21:28 -0700

The background of the symposium relates to the need to address the formidable threats to human security posed by the twin crises of violent conflict and HIV/AIDS in Africa. The number, and nature of violent conflicts and related complex emergencies, coupled with the HIV/AIDS pandemic are now setting development in Africa back, and negating many of the gains achieved over the last 50 years. Half of all the conflicts going on in the world in 1999 were located in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), involving 2/3 of the countries in the region. Six high intensity conflicts (causing over a thousand deaths per year), were still raging in the region in late 2000. Africa is also the part of the globe that has been hardest hit by AIDS. Over 25 million people, or nearly 70% of the world’s infection by HIV/AIDS, and 90% of deaths from AIDS are to be found in a region that is home to just 10% of the world’s population2. The 3.8 million new HIV/AIDS cases reported from the Africa this year, is a reduction of approximately 200,000 in relation to the new cases reported in 1999. It is too early, however, to say if this is the start of a declining trend. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Complex Emergency Response Transition Initiative

How Can Health Serve as a Bridge for Peace?

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:18:12 -0700

This policy brief is based on a research report of the same name, prepared under contract with Tulane University and funded by the USAID Bureau for Africa, Complex Emergency Response and Transition Initiative (CERTI). The CERTI project includes seven principal institutions plus a network of organizations seeking to establish broad-based consensus on best practices for providing public health services in advance of, during, and following complex humanitarian emergencies. The aim of this work is to strengthen the response capabilities of organizations involved in public health interventions during these critical periods. Because of its previous work on the subject, the GW Center for International Health (GWCIH) was mandated to conduct desk research and produce a technical report examining the concept and practice of "Health as a Bridge for Peace" (HBP) and how it could be translated into an approach to providing health inputs before, during, or after crises. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Complex Emergency Response Transition Initiative

Health Interventions in Complex Emergencies: A Case Study of Liberia

Fri, 09 May 2008 11:12:36 -0700

This case study uses the analytical lens of human security to conduct a retrospective analysis of the conflict and humanitarian crisis of the last ten years (1991-2001) in Angola. This study develops a set of indicators to measure rising instability that might be effective for predicting conflict or crises in other settings. The close analysis of the situation in Angola also illustrates how an ex ante human security assessment might have improved the international community’s interpretation and possible response to the shifting conditions on the ground over the last decade of civil war. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Complex Emergency Response Transition Initiative

L’assurance maladie dans les pays à faible revenu : Est-on vraiment sûr que ça marche ?

Thu, 08 May 2008 16:38:05 -0700

Selon certains donateurs et gouvernements, les mécanismes d'assurance maladie peuvent permettre de combler les gaps de financement des soins de santé et bénéficier aux populations pauvres. Pour ceux qui ont les moyens d’y souscrire, cette méthode de financement de la santé a fait ses preuves ; mais pour le moment elle n’a pas permis de combler les gaps de financements des systèmes de santé ni d’améliorer l’accès à des soins de santé de qualité pour les populations les plus pauvres. Les donateurs et les gouvernements doivent se rendre à l'évidence et augmenter les fonds publics destinés au secteur de la santé. Sans un financement public adapté et une bonne gestion au niveau gouvernemental, les mécanismes d'assurance maladie risque de compromettre et non de contribuer à l’objectif d’accès équitable et universel aux soins de santé. SOURCE: Oxfam International

Au-delà des mines - Le Mouvement face à la contamination par les armes

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:41:11 -0700

LA XXXe Conférence internationale de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge a adopté entre autres une résolution qui appelle les États à renforcer la protection des civils contre l’utilisation et les effets indiscriminés des armes et munitions, en insistant sur la nécessité de réduire l’impact, sur le plan humanitaire, des restes explosifs de guerre et des armes à dispersion. Parallèlement aux initiatives en matière juridique, le Mouvement s’efforce aussi dans ses opérations de limiter les effets de la contamination par les armes. SOURCE: Comité International de la Croix-Rouge

La crise humanitaire s’aggrave dans le sud de la Somalie tandis que des milliers de familles fuient Mogadiscio

Wed, 07 May 2008 15:07:42 -0700

Du fait de l’escalade du conflit et de l'insécurité civile en certains endroits du sud de la Somalie, en particulier à Mogadiscio, des milliers de personnes fuient vers les régions voisines. Ces déplacements aggravent la crise humanitaire déjà préoccupante. Selon des rapports récents, environ 20 000 personnes en moyenne quittent leur foyer chaque mois. La route qui relie Mogadiscio à Afgooye (29 kilomètres seulement) compte à elle seule quelque 250 000 personnes déplacées. La situation humanitaire s’est particulièrement dégradée dans les régions de Shabelle, d'Hiran et du Centre. Selon les estimations, près de deux millions de personnes en tout, dont environ un million de PDI ont besoin d'une aide humanitaire de base et d'un appui aux moyens de subsistance pendant les six prochains mois au moins. SOURCE: Système Mondial d'Information et d'Alerte Rapide sue l'Alimentation et l'Agriculture

Population n’ayant pas accès à des services sanitaires convenables

Wed, 07 May 2008 14:45:03 -0700

Selon la définition de l'Organisation Mondiale de la Santé (OMS) et de l'UNICEF : population n'ayant pas accès à un système de traitement des eaux usées ou des déchets, ou à des toilettes bien ventilées ou reliées à une fosse sceptique. SOURCE: Le Monde Diplomatique

Une santé chèrement payée - La détention des patients sans ressources dans les hôpitaux burundais

Wed, 07 May 2008 12:16:36 -0700

Ces dernières années, les hôpitaux publics du Burundi ont maintenu en détention des centaines de patients qui étaient dans l’incapacité de régler leur facture. Les patients étaient habituellement détenus pendant plusieurs semaines ou plusieurs mois, et dans un cas pendant plus d’un an. Ils étaient gardés par le personnel de sécurité, dans les services de l’hôpital ou dans un local séparé. Ceux qui n’avaient pas d’argent étaient souvent affamés s’ils n’étaient pas nourris par la charité des autres. Certains étaient obligés de libérer leurs lits pour les patients qui avaient les moyens de payer et devaient dormir par terre. Souvent, si la facture atteignait un certain montant, les plus pauvres ne recevaient plus aucun traitement, même s’ils avaient besoin de soins supplémentaires, incluant les soins post-opératoires élémentaires comme l’enlèvement des points de suture après une césarienne. SOURCE: Human Rights Watch - Défendre les droits humains à travers le monde

Les mutilations sexuelles féminines : le point sur la situation en Afrique et en France

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:33:59 -0700

Dans le monde, 100 à 140 millions de femmes ont subi une mutilation sexuelle. Habitant principalement en Afrique sub-saharienne, 5 % vivent dans les pays européens d’immigration africaine ainsi qu’en Amérique du Nord. Dans les pays d’origine, la situation varie, certains pays pratiquant massivement l’excision, comme la Guinée, où 96 % des femmes sont excisées, et d’autres, presque pas, comme le Niger, où seulement 2 % des femmes le sont. L’excision est par ailleurs en recul dans ces pays. La France compterait en 2004 autour de 50 000 femmes adultes excisées. Une enquête est en préparation pour mieux connaître les conséquences de ces mutilations afin d’améliorer la prise en charge sanitaire de ce problème. SOURCE: Institut national d'études démographiques

Comment les personnes dépendantes seront-elles entourées en 2030 ? Projections européennes

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:24:12 -0700

La population de personnes dépendantes âgées de 75 ans ou plus devrait augmenter de plus de 70% en Europe d’ici 2030 dans les conditions de santé d’aujourd’hui. Dans le même temps, la part dans cette population des personnes sans conjoint ni enfant devrait diminuer au profit des personnes ayant au moins un parent (enfant ou conjoint) pouvant éventuellement les aider. Les situations resteront contrastées entre les hommes et les femmes en situation d’incapacité, les chances pour les premiers d’avoir un conjoint auprès d’eux étant bien plus élevées que pour elles. La croissance de la part des personnes dépendantes très âgées, la masculinisation des aidants conjugaux et la survie plus fréquente de couples dont les deux membres seront dépendants feront grossir la population demandeuse d’une aide d’ordre professionnel. SOURCE: Institut national d'études démographiques

Perspectives de l'environnement de l'OCDE à l'horizon 2030 - Synthèse

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:15:50 -0700

• Comment le développement économique et social influencera-t-il l’évolution de l’environnement à l’horizon 2030 ? Quelles politiques seront nécessaires afin de répondre aux principaux défis environnementaux ? Comment les pays membres et les pays non membres de l’OCDE peuvent-ils unir leurs efforts pour relever ces défis ? • Les Perspectives de l’environnement de l’OCDE à l’horizon 2030 présentent des analyses des tendances économiques et environnementales jusqu’en 2030, ainsi que des simulations de politiques visant à faire face aux principaux problèmes. Sans nouvelles politiques, nous risquons de causer des dommages irréversibles à l’environnement et à la base des ressources naturelles nécessaires pour soutenir la croissance économique et le bien-être de tous. L’inaction des pouvoirs publics a un coût élevé. • Mais les Perspectives montrent que relever les principaux défis environnementaux d’aujourd’hui – y compris le changement climatique, l’appauvrissement de la biodiversité, le manque d’eau et les impacts de la pollution sur la santé – n’est pas impossible ni inabordable. Elles mettent en lumière un ensemble de politiques qui pourraient permettre de relever ces défis d’une manière économique. Le champ d’observation des Perspectives a été élargi par rapport à l’édition 2001, afin de tenir compte des évolutions concernant aussi bien les pays de l’OCDE que le Brésil, la Russie, l’Inde, l’Indonésie, la Chine et l’Afrique du Sud (BRIICS), et d’examiner comment ils pourraient mieux coopérer pour résoudre les problèmes d’environnement au niveau mondial et local. SOURCE: Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Economiques

Eliminer les mutilations sexuelles féminines - Déclaration interinstitutions

Wed, 07 May 2008 11:05:00 -0700

L’expression « mutilations sexuelles féminines » (on parle aussi d’« excision » et de « mutilation génitale féminine/excision ») désigne toutes les interventions aboutissant à une ablation partielle ou totale des organes génitaux externes de la femme et/ou toute autre lésion des organes génitaux féminins pratiquée à des fins non thérapeutiques. On estime à 100 à 140 millions le nombre des filles et des femmes qui ont subi ces mutilations dans le monde et, chaque année, trois millions de filles sont susceptibles de subir le même sort. La pratique de ces mutilations sexuelles féminines existe partout dans le monde, mais elle est plus fréquente dans les régions occidentales, orientales et nord-orientales de l’Afrique, dans certains pays d’Asie et du Moyen Orient, et parmi certaines communautés immigrantes d’Amérique du Nord et d’Europe. Les mutilations sexuelles féminines n’ont aucun avantage connu pour la santé. Au contraire, on sait qu’elles sont préjudiciables à bien des égards aux filles et aux femmes. En premier lieu et avant tout, elles sont douloureuses et traumatisantes. L’ablation de tissus génitaux normaux et sains entrave le fonctionnement naturel de l’organisme et a diverses conséquences immédiates ou plus durables sur la santé. Ainsi, les enfants nés de femmes ayant subi ces mutilations sexuelles féminines sont exposés à un risque plus élevé de décès néonatal par comparaison aux enfants nés de femmes n’ayant pas subi ces mutilations. Les communautés qui pratiquent les mutilations sexuelles féminines invoquent un ensemble de raisons sociales et religieuses pour justifier la poursuite de la pratique. Du point de vue des droits de l’homme, cette pratique est le reflet d’une inégalité entre les sexes profondément enracinée, et constitue une forme extrême de discrimination à l’encontre des femmes. Les mutilations sexuelles féminines sont presque toujours pratiquées sur des mineures et constituent par conséquent une violation des droits de l’enfant. Cette pratique viole également les droits à la santé, à la sécurité et à l’intégrité physique de la personne, le droit à être protégé contre la torture et les traitements cruels, inhumains ou dégradants, et le droit à la vie lorsque l’intervention entraîne la mort. Des décennies de travaux de prévention entrepris par les communautés locales, les gouvernements et les organisations nationales et internationales ont contribué à une réduction de la prévalence des mutilations sexuelles féminines dans certaines régions. Les communautés qui ont eu recours à un processus de prise de décision collectif ont été en mesure d’abandonner cette pratique. De fait, si les communautés pratiquant les interventions décident elles-mêmes d’abandonner les mutilations sexuelles féminines, la pratique peut être éliminée très rapidement. Plusieurs gouvernements ont promulgué des lois interdisant la pratique et, lorsque ces lois ont été complétées par une éducation tenant compte des sensibilités culturelles et par des activités de sensibilisation du public, la pratique a diminué. Les organisations nationales et internationales ont joué un rôle essentiel en se faisant les défenseurs de l’abolition de la pratique et en obtenant des données qui confirment ses conséquences néfastes. La Déclaration solennelle sur l’égalité entre les sexes en Afrique de l’Union africaine et son Protocole à la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples relatif aux droits de la femme en Afrique représentent ainsi une contribution majeure à la promotion de l’égalité des sexes et à l’élimination des mutilations sexuelles féminines. SOURCE: Organisation mondiale de la santé

Mutilations génitales féminines et devenir obstétrical : étude prospective concertée dans six pays africains

Wed, 07 May 2008 10:55:58 -0700

Généralités: Les données fiables sur les conséquences obstétricales des mutilations génitales féminines sont rares. L’étude porte sur les effets des différents types de mutilations sur le devenir obstétrical des femmes. Méthodes: 28 393 femmes se présentant pour une naissance unique entre novembre 2001 et mars 2003 dans 28 centres d’obstétrique au Burkina Faso, au Ghana, au Kenya, au Nigéria, au Sénégal et au Soudan, ont été examinées avant l’accouchement pour vérifier si elles avaient subi des mutilations ou pas, et ont été classées selon le système de l’OMS : mutilation de type I, excision du prépuce, avec ou sans excision partielle ou totale du clitoris ; mutilation de type II, excision du clitoris, avec excision partielle ou totale des petites lèvres ; mutilation de type III, excision partielle ou totale des organes génitaux externes et suture ou rétrécissement de l’orifice vaginal (infibulation). Des informations prospectives sur les facteurs démographiques, sanitaires et génésiques ont été recueillies. Les participantes et leurs nouveau-nés ont été suivis jusqu’à la sortie de la mère de l’hôpital. Interprétation: Les femmes qui ont subi des mutilations génitales féminines ont une probabilité nettement plus élevée de complications obstétricales que celles qui n’en ont pas subi. Il semble aussi que le risque augmente avec l’ampleur de la mutilation. SOURCE: Organisation mondiale de la santé

State of the World Mothers 2008: Closing the Survival Gap for Children Under 5

Tue, 06 May 2008 14:14:49 -0700

Every year, our State of the World’s Mothers report reminds us of the inextricable link between the well-being of mothers and their children. More than 75 years of experience on the ground have shown us that when mothers have health care, education and economic opportunity, both they and their children have the best chance to survive and thrive. But many are not so fortunate. Every year, more than 500,000 women die during pregnancy or childbirth, and nearly 10 million children die before reaching their fifth birthday. Almost all these deaths occur in developing countries where mothers, children and newborns lack access to basic health care services. It is especially tragic since most of these deaths could be prevented at a modest cost. SOURCE: Save the Children

Global Climate Change National Security Implications

Fri, 02 May 2008 14:12:31 -0700

Until fairly recent times no one thought climate changed, let alone was influenced by human activities. By the 19th century, scientists were theorizing that temperatures were affected by what we now call greenhouse gasses. And in the late 19th century, the Swedish scientist Arrhenius suggested that human industry might cause the planet to warm. But this notion was generally scoffed at. Over the course of the 20th century, the scientific community gradually came to terms with this theory and began to regard climate change—even rapid climate change—as more than a distant possibility. SOURCE: Strategic Studies Institute // United States Army War College

Myanmar's Shan State: The faint signal of volatility

Thu, 01 May 2008 15:07:26 -0700

There has been much fanfare about rising opium production in Afghanistan but little attention paid to Myanmar's Shan State. Nonetheless, the region has seen a spike in production levels of both heroin and amphetamines, with China presently bearing the brunt of this 'boom'. This may have a knock-on effect in Northeast India as well as Thailand. SOURCE: S Rajaratnam School of International Studies // Nanyang Technological University

Civil Conflicts in Four African Countries: A Five-Year Review of Trends in Nutrition and Mortality

Thu, 01 May 2008 10:04:06 -0700

Armed conflicts are defined as political conflicts in which armed combat involves the armed forces of at least one state or one or more armed factions seeking to gain control of all or part of the state, and in which at least 1,000 people have been killed by the fighting during the course of the conflict. Globally, the number of armed conflicts has been decreasing since 1995, when it peaked at 44 recorded civil wars. By 2003, seven of these conflicts had ended, and in 2003 there were 37 active conflicts in the world. More than 80 percent of these conflicts were in Asia and Africa. The latter continent harbored 42 percent of all conflicts in 2003, involving 28 states and their neighboring countries. Many governmental and nongovernmental organizations, as well as research scholars, evaluate the human impact of civil conflict for operational and policy purposes. These evaluations typically measure not only direct casualties due to violence but often indirect casualties among persons affected by the breakdown of the health and social-service infrastructure and its consequences. SOURCE: John Hopkins University

Climate Change and National Security: An Agenda for Action

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 12:42:20 -0700

Climate change presents a serious threat to the security and prosperity of the United States and other countries. Recent actions and statements by members of Congress, members of the UN Security Council, and retired U.S. military officers have drawn attention to the consequences of climate change, including the destabilizing effects of storms, droughts, and floods. Domestically, the effects of climate change could overwhelm disaster-response capabilities. Internationally, climate change may cause humanitarian disasters, contribute to political violence, and undermine weak governments. In this Council Special Report, Joshua W. Busby moves beyond diagnosis of the threat to recommendations for action. Recognizing that some climate change is inevitable, he proposes a portfolio of feasible and affordable policy options to reduce the vulnerability of the United States and other countries to the predictable effects of climate change. He also draws attention to the strategic dimensions of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, arguing that sharp reductions in the long run are essential to avoid unmanageable security problems. He goes on to argue that participation in reducing emissions can help integrate China and India into the global rules–based order, as well as help stabilize important countries such as Indonesia. And he suggests bureaucratic reforms that would increase the likelihood that the U.S. government will formulate effective domestic and foreign policies in this increasingly important realm. SOURCE: Council on Foreign Relations

Health and Civil War in Rural Burundi

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 10:34:30 -0700

We combine household survey data with event data on the timing and location of armed conflicts to examine the impact of Burundi’s civil war on children’s health status. The identification strategy exploits exogenous variation in the war’s timing across provinces and the exposure of children’s birth cohorts to the fighting. After controlling for province of residence, birth cohort, individual and household characteristics, and province-specific time trends, we find an additional month of war exposure decreases children’s height for age z-scores by 0.047 standard deviations compared to non-exposed children. The effect is robust to specifications exploiting alternative sources of exogenous variation. SOURCE: MICROCON

Afghanistan: Food Security Alert

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 14:46:31 -0700

Below‐average levels of rain and snow during the 2007/08 wet season, high food prices, and low regional cereals supplies are likely to lead to increased levels of food insecurity for small‐scale farmers, rain‐fed agriculturalists, pastoralists, and poor households in urban areas. Well‐targeted food assistance and activities to strengthen households’ purchasing power are needed from now until at least May 2009. Policy interventions to facilitate bilateral agreements and maintain tax exemptions on commercial imports are also recommended. Households in urban areas are highly dependent on markets to source their food needs, and are therefore more vulnerable to food insecurity from increasing prices, due to rising international price trends and below‐normal domestic grain production. These households are also likely to face increased competition for food and labor opportunities, due in part to increased demand from refugee populations returning to urban areas. SOURCE: United States Agency for International Development // Famine Early Warning Systems Network

Darfur: Silent Famine in the Making

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 12:10:18 -0700

The Darfur region of western Sudan is site of the world’s largest humanitarian operation; it is also on the verge of famine. With an extraordinary annual budget, and almost four years of large-scale presence, the Darfur relief operation will enter the coming rainy season witnessing staggering numbers of malnourished civilians, particularly children. Much of the evidence for this impending catastrophe has been available for some time, but the brutal regime in Khartoum has used its bureaucratic powers and threats of humanitarian expulsion to intimidate both UN and international nongovernmental relief organizations (INGO’s). The most culpable silence is that of the UN children’s agency, UNICEF, lead agency for reporting on malnutrition in Darfur. This is the organization that has calculated it is better to allow critical humanitarian truths to be concealed than to risk offending a genocidal regime that has the perverse power to control humanitarian access. SOURCE: Reeves, Eric

Improving Nutrition as a Development Priority: Addressing Undernutrition in National Policy Processes in Sub-Saharan Africa

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:51:25 -0700

Undernutrition has, fortunately, risen on the policy agenda in Africa in recent years. In 2004, an international IFPRI 2020 conference held in Kampala on food and nutrition security in Africa drew attention to the issue, and high-level policymakers noted the problem and the need for action much more than they had before. Still, undernutrition remains a fundamental challenge to achieving improved human welfare and economic growth in Sub-Saharan Africa. To address that challenge, national governments must undertake appropriate policies and actions. Politically, however, a high prevalence of undernutrition is not seen as anomalous and indicative of the inability of governments to fulfill their duties to their citizens. SOURCE: International Food Policy Research Institute

Rethinking Food Security in Humanitarian Response

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:48:49 -0700

This paper serves as a background document to help frame discussion at the Food Security Forum in Rome, April 2008. It focuses on policy and institutional reform issues centered on the links between chronic and transitory crises. The first part of the paper provides an overview of trends and future challenges. The second considers effectiveness of the “humanitarian system” in addressing food insecurity and whether the current institutional set-up is fit for service. The third part examines links between “chronic” and “transitory” food insecurity, and whether current approaches to prevention and response appropriately bridge these two forms of vulnerability. A concluding section highlights key issues, raising questions on gaps in the humanitarian system’s analytical capacity, its programmatic practices, and on food security policy more broadly. SOURCE: Tufts University

Implications of Higher Global Food Prices for Poverty in Low-Income Countries

Thu, 24 Apr 2008 09:47:01 -0700

Since 2005, the world has experienced a dramatic surge in the price of many staple food commodities. The price of maize increased by 80 percent between 2005 and 2007, and has since risen further. Many other commodity prices also rose sharply over this period: milk powder by 90 percent, wheat by 70 percent and rice by about 25 percent. Annual average prices of key staple foods are shown in Figure 1. Clearly, such large increases in prices may have tremendous impacts on the real incomes of poor households in developing countries. Despite widespread concern about the impacts of high food prices on poor people and on social stability (eg FAO 2007; World Bank 2008a), little hard information appears to be available on actual impacts on poor people. The overall impact on poverty rates in poor countries depends on whether the gains to poor net producers outweigh the adverse impacts on poor consumers. Whether higher food prices improve or worsen the situation of particular households depends importantly on the products involved; the patterns of household incomes and expenditures; and the policy responses of governments (World Bank 2008b). SOURCE: The World Bank Group

Rapport : Mission conjointe d'evaluation de l'impact du conflit et des besoins lies au VIH dans les zones humanitaires en RDC

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:13:09 -0700

Cette enquête a permis de dégager et d’analyser les liens spécifiques entre le conflit en RDC et les facteurs de risque et de vulnérabilité au VIH, et d’en évaluer l’impact sur les populations affectées. En même temps, elle a mis en lumière la réponse mise en oeuvre par rapport à la protection, la prévention, le traitement, la coordination et le suivi-évaluation à Bunia dans le district de l’Ituri, dans la ville de GOMA et dans les territoires de Rutshuru et Masisi dans la province du Nord Kivu, à Uvira dans la province du Sud Kivu, et Moba et Mitwaba dans le Katanga. Facilitée par le HCR en partenariat avec le secrétariat de l’Onusida, l’enquête a bénéficié de la participation active de l’Equipe Conjointe VIH des Nations Unies, (BIT, FNUAP, HCDH, OCHA, OIM, OMS, PAM, UNDP (Fonds Mondial), UNICEF, UNIFEM), du gouvernement congolais (PNLS et PNMLS) ainsi que de la société civile et des ONG internationales et locales (SWAA, GTZ et CEFI). Les données récoltées confirment que les guerres qui ont ravagé l’Est de la République Démocratique du Congo, ont forcé les populations à fuir, privant ainsi les déplacés internes de leurs biens et des structures familiales qui les protégeaient, et aggravant ainsi leur vulnérabilité au VIH. Les femmes mariées si pas ravies, ont abandonné leurs maris appauvris pour trouver des hommes en uniformes, onusiens ou militaires. Les veuves et les étudiantes se sont également dirigées vers ces hommes en uniforme puissants et nouveaux riches. Le mouvement de ces femmes vers des hommes mobiles et à risque d’infection accroît leur propre risque d’infection au VIH. Quelques jeunes de Nord Kivu ont été forcés de migrer en Ouganda, ce qui pourrait aggraver leur risque d’exposition quand ils s’y rendent seuls et fréquentent les professionnelles du sexe. Si cette migration est un phénomène important, il pourrait faire propager le virus d’une région à l’autre. SOURCE: Nations Unies // Haut commissaire des Nations Unies pour les réfugiés

Rising Food Prices: Drivers and Implications for Development

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:17:57 -0700

Global food prices have risen 83 per cent over the last three years. The increases have been driven by high income growth in emerging economies (probably the single most significant factor), use of crops for biofuels, the relative inelasticity of supply, historically low stock levels and some speculative investment. More recently, national concerns over inflation and prices have led some countries to reduce exports and others to try to build up stocks – creating a feedback loop that feeds on itself to drive prices up still further. In the medium to longer term, ‘scarcity trends’ – climate change, the cost of energy inputs, scarcity of land and water – could limit the supply-side response. SOURCE: Chatham House // New York University Centre on International Cooperation

Sudan Food Assistance Transition Study

Wed, 23 Apr 2008 12:05:46 -0700

The report provides an analysis of the current situation and identification of key issues related to food insecurity and the high rates of malnutrition. It examines current Title II activities and recommends how to increase their impact on food security and nutrition. The study proposes next steps for USAID/Sudan in addressing food security by leveraging Title II and DA funds in a complementary manner that emphasizes the multiple transitions taking place in the areas of livelihoods, education, health, nutrition, institutions and security. Finally, the study recommends next steps for moving towards developing a food security strategy (addressing food availability, access and utilization) for the Mission that reinforces the interdependency of livelihoods, markets and infrastructure. SOURCE: Food and Nutrition Technical Assistance

Iraqi refugee women and youth in Jordan: reproductive health findings a snap shot from the field

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 11:11:25 -0700

This paper presents the problems facing Iraqi refugees in Jordan, highlighting the plight of women and children. The authors discuss their first hand picture of difficulties faced by displaced, abandoned, Iraqis. The focus of the document is on the lack of reproductive health care and other needs. The authors discuss refugee troubles created by their legal status, particularly the lack of work and education opportunities. In addition to this, other factors such as trafficking and sexual exploitation have increased since the beginning of the war. It is stressed that violence against women is rampant in the region and that humanitarian actors must understand cultural barriers that Iraqis face in reporting rape when designing health programmes. SOURCE: Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children

2007 AIDS epidemic update

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 14:15:37 -0700

The 2007 AIDS epidemic update reports on the latest developments in the global AIDS epidemic. The 2007 edition provides the most recent estimates of the AIDS epidemic and explores new findings and trends in the epidemic’s evolution. SOURCE: Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS

Groundwater and Human Security Case Studies

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:50:06 -0700

In 2006, UNESCO-IHP (the International Hydrological Programme of UNESCO) and UNU (United Nations University) decided to develop jointly a programme addressing, through research, capacity development and networking, the interlinkages between groundwater resources and human security. This followed a kick-off meeting organised in Bonn in January 2006 where experts dealing with groundwater resources but coming from a wide range of disciplines identified the above research theme as an important one that should be addressed by both international organisations and their networks of scientists and experts worldwide. A report on this January 2006 meeting is available for download at http://www.ehs.unu.edu/file.php?id=146. The programme is called Quo Vadis Aquifers? (or QVA) and has since been integrated in the work plans of UNESCO-IHP and UNU-EHS (UNU’s Institute for Environment and Human Security) for the coming years. SOURCE: United Nations University

The Impact of Environmental Degradation on Migration Flows Across Countries

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 13:46:38 -0700

Literature investigating forced migration focuses traditionally on factors such as hunger, poverty, war and violation of human rights. More recently, the question has arisen whether environmental degradation such as soil degradation, lack of water, environmental hazards, and other may contribute to forced migration. The concept has been vaguely described as “environmental refugees,” “environmental migrants,” “climate refugees” etc. There are documented cases where rapid-onset natural hazards such as the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean or the 2005 impact of Hurricane Katrina on the New Orleans area of the United States. It is estimated that up to 1.5 million people fled the New Orleans area, and today only an estimated 500,000 have returned, with the net outward emigration remaining at about 1 million people due to the 2005 hurricane and the ensuing flooding. For less dramatic events, however, it could generally be said that few people actually “flee” from the environment. Rather, deteriorating environmental conditions can so compromise livelihoods that people may be forced to migrate to sustain themselves. For example, a farmer who flees due to the degradation of his land, does that because there are no more livelihood alternatives available in his habitat, which means that s/he flees from poverty. A person who leaves her/his country/region due to ethnic conflicts that are mainly caused by ecological problems actually flees from war and violence (Biermann, 2001). A woman who abandons her job and makes her children sacrifice a certain level of education to accompany her husband who had to leave the country after a hurricane damaged his working area migrates for social reasons. SOURCE: United Nations University

Effective Factors Associated with Drug Addiction and the Consequences of Addiction among Afghan Women

Mon, 21 Apr 2008 11:24:03 -0700

Drug addiction is a major social problem worldwide. About 200 million of the global population, aged 15-64, has used illicit drugs at least once in the year 2007 (Schumacher et al, 2007: 2). Afghanistan is not immune to this social and health problem. The UNODC provides an estimate of 509,000 households being involved in opium cultivation, which makes 14 % of the total population of Afghanistan (UNODC, 2007:9). According to the UNODC’s survey (2005: 3), 920,000 drug users currently reside in Afghanistan; out of which 120,000 are women. While this figure provided by the UNODC, doubtlessly raises concerns about drug addiction in Afghanistan, the question remains of what factors affect women’s addiction and what is the general living condition of addicted women. There is a dearth of studies on drug abuse in Afghanistan and virtually no study covers the living conditions of female drug users. SOURCE: Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission

Prohibiting Cluster Munitions: Our Chance to Protect Civilians

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 11:25:55 -0700

Cluster munitions are weapons that, when launched, scatter smaller bombs, called ‘submunitions’, over a wide area of land. They have been used in at least 30 countries and territories since World War II. They kill and injure civilians not only during attacks but also for years after the conflict has ended. Because so many of the submunitions fail to explode as intended, these weapons continue to affect families and communities even after the fighting has ceased. They kill innocent civilians and their presence prevents safe farming, creates health and hygiene problems by blocking access to water and sanitation and hinders economic development. Governments face a daunting challenge to rebuild fractured societies after periods of conflict. The process of rebuilding is only made harder in areas where cluster munitions have been used. Lives continue to be lost and land remains unused until clearance teams remove the explosive debris. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) partners with governments facing the challenge of making the environment safe for reconstruction and development. SOURCE: United Nations Development Programme

Countdown to 2015 Maternal Newborn Child Health: The 2008 Report

Thu, 17 Apr 2008 11:33:15 -0700

The last few years have seen enormous and welcome developments in global public health and nutrition. There is growing recognition – increasingly backed by resources – that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (box 1) will demand radical changes to the scale and scope of effective strategies. The Countdown to 2015 responds to these calls for change. A collaboration among individuals and institutions established in 2005, the Countdown aims to stimulate country action by tracking coverage for interventions needed to attain Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 – and, in addition, parts of Millennium Development Goals 1, 6 and 7. SOURCE: United Nations Children's Fund

Malnutrition and Micronutrient Deficiencies Among Bhutanese Refugee Children

Wed, 16 Apr 2008 14:01:35 -0700

Acute and chronic malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies have been found in refugee camp populations (1). In southeastern Nepal, despite consistent access by refugees to general rations,* certain micronutrient deficiencies have posed a substantial health burden to the approximately 100,000 Bhutanese residing in seven refugee camps (2). Limited food diversity, frequent illness, and poor feeding practices have been cited as underlying causes of poor nutritional status in this population. Annual surveys to assess levels of acute malnutrition (i.e., wasting) and chronic malnutrition (i.e., stunting) have been conducted in these camps by the Association of Medical Doctors of Asia (AMDA) and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); however, the capacity to reliably evaluate micronutrient deficiencies has not existed locally in the camps (3). In January 2007, AMDA and CDC, at the request of UNHCR and the World Food Programme (WFP), conducted a nutritional survey of children aged 6--59 months, assessing 1) the prevalence of acute malnutrition, chronic malnutrition, underweight, anemia, and angular stomatitis (i.e., riboflavin deficiency); 2) the cumulative incidence of diarrhea and acute respiratory illness (ARI); and 3) the feeding practices of the children's mothers. This report describes the results of that survey, which indicated that, although acute malnutrition was found in only 4.2% of the children, chronic malnutrition was found in 26.9% and anemia in 43.3%. These findings underscore the importance of monitoring both malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies and addressing the underlying causes of nutritional deficits. SOURCE: Center for Disease Control // Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report

Structural Violence, Health and the Chad/Cameroon Oil Pipeline

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 11:11:45 -0700

While the Chad/Cameroon oil pipeline is being officially touted as beneficial development for the people in Cameroon, the Bagyeli have seen a myriad of negative consequences and few if any positive effects. The Bagyeli are foragers living in the rainforest of Cameroon near the terminus of the pipeline. For the Bagyeli, the pipeline has meant a loss of their habitat and a decline in the foodstuffs they rely on. Through the in-migration of people seeking employment and the increased impoverishment of the Bagyeli, there has been an increased risk of HIV infection as well as an increase in other diseases. As more areas in Chad and Cameroon, as well as other regions of the world, are being opened for oil exploration, the impacts this has on indigenous peoples’ health must be understood and acted upon. SOURCE: Washington State University

Massive global ozone loss predicted following regional nuclear conflict

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:59:01 -0700

We use a chemistry-climate model and new estimates of smoke produced by fires in contemporary cities to calculate the impact on stratospheric ozone of a regional nuclear war between developing nuclear states involving 100 Hiroshima-size bombs exploded in cities in the northern subtropics. We find column ozone losses in excess of 20% globally, 25–45% at midlatitudes, and 50–70% at northern high latitudes persisting for 5 years, with substantial losses continuing for 5 additional years. Column ozone amounts remain near or <220 Dobson units at all latitudes even after three years, constituting an extratropical ‘‘ozone hole.’’ The resulting increases in UV radiation could impact the biota significantly, including serious consequences for human health. The primary cause for the dramatic and persistent ozone depletion is heating of the stratosphere by smoke, which strongly absorbs solar radiation. The smoke-laden air rises to the upper stratosphere, where removal mechanisms are slow, so that much of the stratosphere is ultimately heated by the localized smoke injections. Higher stratospheric temperatures accelerate catalytic reaction cycles, particularly those of odd-nitrogen, which destroy ozone. In addition, the strong convection created by rising smoke plumes alters the stratospheric circulation, redistributing ozone and the sources of ozone-depleting gases, including N2O and chlorofluorocarbons. The ozone losses predicted here are significantly greater than previous ‘‘nuclear winter/UV spring’’ calculations, which did not adequately represent stratospheric plume rise. Our results point to previously unrecognized mechanisms for stratospheric ozone depletion. SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America

Violence against children in Swaziland: Findings from a National Survey on Violence Against Children in Swaziland May 15 - June 16, 2007

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 10:15:11 -0700

Violence against children is a significant global health and human rights problem, and a growing concern in sub-Saharan Africa. The problem of violence against children spans geographical boundaries, culture, race, class, and religion. It can be expressed in the form of physical or sexual assault or abuse, psychological or emotional abuse, and deprivation or neglect. Violence against children is a profound violation of human rights and has devastating short- and long-term mental and physical health consequences. This report focuses primarily on sexual violence against female children. According to the World Report on Violence and Health, sexual violence is defined as “any sexual act, attempt to obtain a sexual act, unwanted sexual comments or advances, or acts to traffic, or otherwise directed, against a person’s sexuality using coercion, by any person regardless of their relationship to the victim, in any setting, including but not limited to home and work.” Existing research shows that sexual violence is a major health problem throughout the world. Although nationally representative studies on child sexual violence are limited in sub-Saharan Africa, available data show that sexual violence against children is an important problem in the region. SOURCE: United Nations Children's Fund

Children and AIDS: Second stocktaking report: Action and progress

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:05:09 -0700

For millions of children, HIV and AIDS have starkly altered the experience of growing up. In 2007, it was estimated that 2.1 million children under age 15 were living with HIV. As of 2005, more than 15 million children under 18 have lost one or both parents to AIDS. Millions more have experienced deepening poverty, school dropout and discrimination as a result of the epidemic. In 2005, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), as part of its work as a cosponsoring agency of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), addressed a Call to Action to all those working to protect children from the consequences of the epidemic. It urged the international community to Unite for Children, Unite against AIDS to ensure that the next generation of children is AIDS-free. The initiative was based on stakeholders’ commitment to reaching the Millennium Development Goals and living up to the promises made by world leaders at the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on HIV/AIDS in 2001. The Call to Action set forth goals for 2010 in four programme areas, known as the ‘Four Ps’, derived from the child-related articles of the Declaration of Commitment on HIV/AIDS adopted at the 2001 Special Session (see box, below). These areas are a focus of efforts by all those working to ensure that the well-being of children remains at the heart of the global response to AIDS. SOURCE: United Nations Children's Fund