Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Lack of Decline in Childhood Malaria, Malawi, 2001-2010 ................................................... 12 Hitting Hotspots: Spatial Targeting of Malaria for Control and Elimination ........................... 12 Strengthening the policy setting process for global malaria control and elimination ............ 12 Global malaria mortality between 1980 and 2010: a systematic analysis ............................ 13 Community-based Reduction of Malaria Transmission ........................................................ 13 How Do We Best Diagnose Malaria in Africa?...................................................................... 13
Tuberculosis ............................................................................................................... 13
Antiretroviral treatment uptake and attrition among HIV-positive patients with tuberculosis in Kibera, Kenya........................................................................................................................ 13 Diagnostic management and outcomes of pulmonary tuberculosis suspects admitted to a central hospital in Malawi ...................................................................................................... 14
Non-communicable Diseases..................................................................................... 15
Ethical tensions in dealing with noncommunicable diseases globally .................................. 15
Essential Medicines.................................................................................................... 15
Piloting the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria: what will success look like? ................ 15
Education ................................................................................................................... 21
When Does Education Aid Boost Enrollment Rates? ........................................................... 21 The Role of Education in Peacebuilding ............................................................................... 22 Zehn Ziele fr mehr Bildung .................................................................................................. 22
Development Assistance............................................................................................ 24
Pieces of the puzzle: evidence, dilemmas and the emerging agenda for budget support ... 24 Indicators as Interventions: Pitfalls and Prospects in Supporting Development Initiatives... 24
An Index of the Quality of Official Development Assistance in Health.................................. 25 Crises in a New World Order: Challenging the humanitarian project ................................... 25 Making Evaluations Matter: A Practical Guide for Evaluators............................................... 25 Program-for-Results Financing ............................................................................................. 26 Effective Development Aid: Selectivity, Proliferation and Fragmentation, and the Growth Impact of Development Assistance....................................................................................... 26 Innovative Financing in Early Recovery: The Liberia Health Sector Pool Fund ................... 26
Others......................................................................................................................... 27
Integrated Health Management at the Workplace ................................................................ 27 Guidelines on Integrated Health Management in the East African Hotel Industry................ 27 Resilient People, Resilient Planet: A future worth choosing ................................................. 27
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES............................................ 30
Capacity Building Course in Malaria Control Programs, with a focus on e-learning ............ 30
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BOOKS
Global Health Watch 3: An Alternative World Health Report
by Amit Sengupta, Marion Birch, K.M. Gopakumar, Tim Reed et al. Peoples Health Movement, Zed Books, October 2011 391 pp. 5.2 MB: http://www.ghwatch.org/sites/www.ghwatch.org/files/global%20hea lth%20watch%203.pdf Global Health Watch 3, like the previous editions, provides us with compelling evidence about all that is wrong with the governance of health care systems across the world. At the same time it also provides us with hope, in the many stories about what can be done and what is being done. The challenge before us is to act decisively on the evidence provided. Dr Halfdan Mahler, former Director General of the World Health Organization ***
Living Well with Chronic Illness: A Call for Public Health Action
by Robert B. Wallace, Ronald T. Ackermann, Karen Basen-Engquist et al. Committee on Living Well with Chronic Disease, Institute of Medicine, 2012 307 pp. 2.9 MB: http://download.nap.edu/cart/download.cgi?&record_id=13272&free=1 The book identifies the population-based public health actions that can help reduce disability and improve functioning and quality of life among individuals who are at risk of developing a chronic disease and those with one or more diseases. It recommends that all major U.S. federally funded programmatic and research initiatives in health include an evaluation on health-related quality of life and functional status. Also, the book recommends increasing support for implementation research on how to disseminate effecHESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 4
tive long-term lifestyle interventions in community-based settings that improve living well with chronic disease. ***
ONLINE PUBLICATIONS
Global Health Moving Towards Universal Health Coverage: Health Financing Matters
Bangkok Statement on Universal Health Coverage Prince Mahidol Award Conference, January 24-28, 2012 1 pp. 21 kB: http://www.pmaconference.mahidol.ac.th/index.php?option=com_ docman&task=doc_download&gid=631&Itemid= At the close of the above meeting, a 10-point declaration recognised universal health coverage (UHC) as fundamental to the right to health, and marked the commitment by more than 800 delegates to translate the rhetoric of UHC into better, more equitable health outcomes. In addition to political will and sustainable funding, progress towards UHC requires careful outcomes research to guide interventions and health system development. ***
remains imprecise. This paper finds the term has largely been used normatively to describe its expected purpose rather than distinct features. The paper distinguishes between traditional and new diplomacy, with the latter defined by its global context, diverse actors and innovative processes. The authors point to need to strengthen the evidence base in this rapidly evolving area. ***
HIV - AIDS - STI Dont stop now: How underfunding the Global Fund impacts on the HIV response
by Mike Podmore, Gitau Mburu, Billie-Jean Nieuwenhuys The International HIV/AIDS Alliance, January 2012 32 pp. 675 kB: http://www.aidsalliance.org/includes/Publication/Alliance-globalfund-report.pdf In November 2011, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (the Global Fund) announced that its next scheduled funding round was cancelled and that no new grants could be funded until 2014. This news hit just as major scientific breakthroughs and signs of real progress in hard-hit countries were starting to generate the most widespread optimism in the history of the AIDS epidemic. Now, all hopes of entering a new phase of the HIV response are effectively put on hold until at least 2014, and progress on many fronts may actually be reversed. The effects on individuals and communities will be devastating. ***
The Global Fund and the Crisis of HIV Funding - A Severe Setback for HIV and Human Rights: Statement and Recommendations
UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights, February 2012 5 pp. 244 kB:
http://unaidspcbngo.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/HRRefGrp-GlobalFund-ENG.pdf
The UNAIDS Reference Group on HIV and Human Rights has released an independent HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 6
statement in response to the crisis facing the Global Fund to fight AIDS, TB and Malaria. ***
The effect of changes in condom usage and antiretroviral treatment coverage on human immunodeficiency virus incidence in South Africa: a modelbased analysis
by Leigh F. Johnson, Timothy B. Hallett, Thomas M. Rehle et al. J. R. Soc. Interface published online 18 January 2012 12 pp. 529 kB: http://german-practice-collection.org/en/downloadcentre/doc_download/1004 This study aims to assess trends in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) incidence in South Africa, and to assess the extent to which prevention and treatment programmes have reduced HIV incidence. Two models of the South African HIV epidemic, the STI (sexually transmitted infection) - HIV Interaction model and the ASSA2003 AIDS and Demographic model, were adapted. The authors conclude that increased condom use appears to be the most significant factor explaining the recent South African HIV incidence decline. ***
The role of non-formal education in combating the HIV epidemic in the Philippines and Taiwan
by Donald E. Morisky, Shu-Yu Lyu, Lianne A. Urada Prospects (2009) 39:335-357, Published online: 23 February 2010 23 pp. 332 kB: http://www.springerlink.com/content/1151k4tm48l80317/fulltext.pdf This article compares and contrasts the response to the epidemic in each country, describing non-formal educational programmes targeted and tailored to specific high-risk populations. In summary, the non-formal educational programmes in each country highlight the importance of environmental factors and their predictive ability in modifying HIV prevention behaviours among female sex workers in the Philippines and injecting drug HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 7
The Long Walk: Ensuring comprehensive care for women and families to end vertical transmission of HIV
by Aditi Sharma, Erika Baehr, Sarah Zaidi et al. The International Treatment Preparedness Coalition (ITPC) December 2011 76 pp. 2.8 MB: http://www.hst.org.za/sites/default/files/MTT9%20Final.pdf Research conducted in a number of African countries has revealed several barriers to care, such as lack of involvement of men in PMTCT services, lack of implementation of WHO guidelines on prevention of vertical transmission and infant feeding, prohibitive costs of ANC, delivery, diagnostic tests, OI and STI treatment, and transportation to distant clinics, and stigma, combined with a shortage of trained health care workers, long waiting times and lack of integrated services under one roof. ***
The HIV/AIDS response in Africa has always had a gender focus; targeted efforts have reduced the impact of the epidemic on women and children. The response has been far less successful for the treatment of men: there is less ART coverage of men than women in Africa, and men typically have higher mortality. Men also tend to present at clinic with advanced disease and are more likely to be lost to follow-up. Yet, efforts to understand mens health seeking behaviour are poorly understood in the AIDS epidemic, and encouraging men to get tested and treated is a major challenge, but one that is poorly recognized. ***
The HIV epidemic in South Africa: What do we know and how has it changed?
by Nicole Fraser-Hurt, Khangelani Zuma, Peter Njuho et al. South African National AIDS Council (SANAC), April 2011 220 pp. 5.8 MB: http://ms-hiv-gdc.org/wp-content/uploads/groupdocuments/22/1328623546-SAEpireviewreport-April2011.pdf The HIV epidemic review aims to: 1) Describe the level of heterogeneity of the South African HIV epidemic and comment on any sub-epidemics that can be delineated within the national epidemic; 2) Identify the populations at greatest risk of HIV infection based on analysis of the distribution of new infections; 3) Establish the factors driving the HIV epidemic through an analysis of national and HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 8
provincial behavioural, biological, socio-economic and demographic data; 4) Provide an epidemiologic evidence base for formulating evidence-informed, better targeted, more effective prevention strategies and actions.
Sexual & Reproductive Health The Kenya Population Data Sheet 2011
Population Reference Bureau, February 2012 8 pp. 786 kB: http://www.prb.org/pdf11/kenya-population-data-sheet-2011.pdf In just over four decades, Kenyas population has nearly quadrupled in size. The Kenya Population Data Sheet 2011 illustrates this dramatic growth since the mid-20th century, as mortality declined and births rates remained high. Family planning is a "win-win" for both health and wealth. Although the government has made some exciting advancements, there is more that needs to be done to prevent unintended pregnancies. ***
Annual Report 2011 for the UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting
UNFPA and UNICEF, February 2012 10 pp. 635 kB: http://www.unfpa.org/webdav/site/global/shared/documents/public ations/2012/Annual_Report_2011.pdf The Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) is being carried out in 15 African countries: Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Senegal, Somalia and Sudan. The 2011 annual report highlights the gains, challenges and best practices for the abandonment of FGM/C and offers select indicators on progress in policy and advocacy, capacity building, partnerships and media coverage. ***
Maternal & Child Health Improving maternal health when resources are limited: Safe motherhood in rural Rwanda
by Victoria Chambers Africa Power and Politics - Overseas Development Institute February 2012 4 pp. 2.5 MB:
http://www.institutions-africa.org/filestream/20120201-appp-policy-brief-05-improving-maternalhealth-when-resources-are-limited-safe-motherhood-in-rural-rwanda-by-victoria-chambers-february-2012
Over the past decade, Rwanda has managed to overcome many of the critical bottlenecks to make impressive progress on maternal health. This policy brief documents the progress being made and indicates that service delivery bottlenecks can be overcome without additional material resources. ***
Guidelines on optimal feeding of low birth-weight infants in low- and middle-income countries
by Felicity Savage King, Peggy Henderson, Ramesh Agarwal, et al. World Health Organization, 2011 60 pp. 492 kB: http://www.who.int/entity/maternal_child_adolescent/documents/9 789241548366.pdf The objective of these guidelines is to improve the quality of care received by low birthweight (LBW) infants in developing countries through improved capacity of health workers. The guidelines include recommendations on what to feed low-birth weight infants, when to start feeding, how to feed, how often and how much to feed clinically stable LBW infants in low-and middle income countries.
Topical application of chlorhexidine to neonatal umbilical cords for prevention of omphalitis and neonatal mortality in a rural district of Pakistan: a community-based, cluster-randomised trial
by Sajid Soofi, Simon Cousens, Aamer Imdad et al. The Lancet, Early Online Publication, 8 February 2012 8 pp. 202 kB: http://download.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140673611618771.pdf Umbilical cord infection (omphalitis) is a risk factor for neonatal sepsis and mortality in low-resource settings where home deliveries are common. Application of 4% chlorhexidine (CHX) to the umbilical cord was effective in reducing the risk of omphalitis and neonatal mortality in rural Pakistan. Provision of CHX in birth kits might be a useful strategy for the prevention of neonatal mortality in high-mortality settings. ***
WHO guidelines on the pharmacological treatment of persisting pain in children with medical illnesses
World Health Organization, February 2012 170 pp. 1.6 MB:
http://whqlibdoc.who.int/publications/2012/9789241548120_Guidelines.pdf
Pain in children is a public health concern of major significance in most parts of the world. Although the means and knowledge to relieve pain exists, childrens pain is often not recognized, is ignored or even denied. These guidelines address the pharmacological management of persisting pain in children with medical illnesses. They include several clinical recommendations, including a new two-step approach of pharmacological treatment. The guidelines also point to the necessary policy changes required and highlight future priority areas of research. ***
Malaria hotspots appear to maintain malaria transmission in low transmission seasons and are the driving force for transmission in the high transmission season. Targeting the hotspots would mean the most infected and most diseased households would be prioritized with the added benefits of reducing transmission to the whole community. Although knowledge gaps exist, the authors argue that hotspot-targeted interventions should take place at all transmission levels where resources are sufficient and rapid reductions in malaria transmission will be seen. ***
Strengthening the policy setting process for global malaria control and elimination
by Bianca J D'Souza and Robert D Newman Malaria Journal 2012, 11:28 (27 January 2012) 12 pp. 135 kB: http://www.malariajournal.com/content/pdf/1475-2875-11-28.pdf The World Health Organization Global Malaria Programme, in keeping with its mandate to set evidence-informed policies for malaria control, has convened the Malaria Policy Advisory Committee as a mechanism to increase the timeliness, transparency, independence and relevance of its recommendations to World Health Organization member states in relation to malaria control and elimination. This article provides the global malaria community with the background and overview of the Committee and its terms of reference. ***
Tuberculosis Antiretroviral treatment uptake and attrition among HIV-positive patients with tuberculosis in Kibera, Kenya
HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 13
by K. Tayler-Smith, R. Zachariah, M. Manzi et al. Tropical Medicine & International Health 16 (11):1380; November 2011 4 pp. 80 kB: http://fieldresearch.msf.org/msf/bitstream/10144/204570/1/TaylerSmith%20ARV%20Uptake%20TB%20Kibera%20TMIH.pdf Using data of human immunodeficiency virus-positive patients with tuberculosis from three primary care clinics in Kibera slums, Nairobi, Kenya, the authors report on the proportion that started antiretroviral treatment (ART) and attrition (deaths, lost to followup and stopped treatment) before and while on ART. ART uptake among patients with TB was relatively good, but programme attrition was high and needs urgent addressing. ***
Diagnostic management and outcomes of pulmonary tuberculosis suspects admitted to a central hospital in Malawi
by L. G. Gawa, T. Reid, M. E. Edginton et al. Public Health Action, Vol. 1 No. 1 - Published 21 September 2011 4 pp. 276 kB: http://fieldresearch.msf.org/msf/bitstream/10144/204847/1/Gawa%20PHA%20Dia gnostisc%20TB.pdf The objective of the study was to determine diagnostic management and outcomes of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) suspects admitted to adult wards at Zomba Central Hospital in Malawi. The study shows inadequacies in the diagnostic management of PTB suspects in the Zomba Central Hospital, but suggests opportunities for improvement.
Infections:
Lessons
Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), January 2012 36 pp. 5.5 MB: http://www.cdc.gov/hai/pdfs/toolkits/HAI-policy-case-studieslesssons-learned.PDF Healthcare-Associated Infections (HAIs) are preventable, yet they affect 1 in 20 patients in U.S. hospitals. There is a critical need for comprehensive programs to eliminate HAIs. Several federal initiatives are under way to facilitate HAI prevention, making this an opportune time for states to initiate or enhance HAI programs. ***
Essential Medicines Piloting the Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria: what will success look like?
HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 15
by Gavin Yamey, Marco Schferhoff & Dominic Montagu Bulletin of the World Health Organization - published online: 3 February 2012 15 pp. 107 kB: http://www.who.int/bulletin/online_first/11-091199.pdf The Affordable Medicines Facility-malaria (AMFm) is an innovative financing mechanism, managed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. This initiative aims to increase the use of artemisinin-based combination therapies for treating malaria. A pilot is underway in eight countries to determine whether the mechanism reduces the consumer price of these drugs and increases their availability in public and private outlets, their market share and their use. The totality of the evidence suggested that expectations should not be set too high for the AMFm Phase 1. The unique nature of the AMFm benchmarking exercise made it challenging but perhaps also groundbreaking in the field of global public health programming.
Latin American countries pioneered the use of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) to achieve important impacts in human development indicators. This selection of publications highlights key resources documenting and analysing important aspects of the Latin American CCT experience. They include Multi-Country Surveys and Country Case Studies, as well as publications describing key CCT impacts like Nutrition, Education and Health. ***
Productive Safety Nets for Women in Extreme Poverty: Lessons from Pilot Projects in India and Pakistan
by Naila Kabeer, Karishma Huda, Sandeep Kaur et al. Institute of Development Studies, January 2012 64 pp. 380 kB: http://www.ids.ac.uk/download.cfm?objectid=680E7E00-4BF011E1-8FEC005056AA4739 Conventional government schemes and microfinance interventions have struggled to reach the poorest people and help them escape the confines of extreme poverty. In response, BRAC, Bangladeshs largest non-governmental organisation, developed an innovative approach that combined livelihood creation, financial services and safety nets in order to graduate participants out of extreme poverty and toward a sustainable livelihood. Inspired by BRACs success, the Consultative Group to Assist the Poor and the Ford Foundation launched an initiative to test and adapt BRACs approach in a diversity of countries and contexts through their Graduation Programme. ***
Local to Global Protection in Myanmar (Burma), Sudan, South Sudan and Zimbabwe
by Ashley South, Simon Harragin, Justin Corbett et al. The Humanitarian Practice Network at the Overseas Development Institute, February 2012 36 pp. 728 kB: http://www.odihpn.org/download/networkpaper072pdf The studies demonstrate how vulnerable people take the lead in activities to protect themselves and their communities, and how local understandings of protection vary from how the concept is used by international humanitarian agencies. While hugely important for everyday survival, local understandings and self-protection activities are rarely acknowledged or effectively supported by aid agencies. ***
Conditional Cash Transfers as Social Policy in Latin America: An Assessment of their Contributions and Limitations
by Enrique Valencia Lomel Annu. Rev. Sociol. April 17, 2008; 34:475-99 29 pp. 332 kB: http://ella.practicalaction.org/sites/default/files/111028_ECO_Con CasTra_SPOTKNOW1.pdf This paper surveys the implementation and effects of Conditional Cash Transfers (CCTs) programmes in several Latin American countries. It shows that CCTs increase school attendance and other education indicators, improve access to health and medical care, reduce poverty in the short-term, and are being effective in targeting those most in need. Nevertheless, there are limitations, such as a limited effect on education quality and nutrition outcomes. ***
Does Expanding Health Insurance Beyond Formal-Sector Workers Encourage Informality? Measuring the Impact of Mexicos Seguro Popular
HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 17
by Reyes Aterido, Mary Hallward-Driemeier, Carmen Pags Forschungsinstitut zur Zukunft der Arbeit (IZA) / Institute for the Study of Labor, September 2011 41 pp. 386 kB: http://ftp.iza.org/dp5996.pdf Seguro Popular (SP) was introduced in 2002 to provide health insurance to the 50 million Mexicans without Social Security. This paper tests whether the program has had unintended consequences, distorting workers incentives to operate in the informal sector. The analysis examines the impact of SP on disaggregated labor market decisions, taking into account that program coverage depends not only on the individuals employment status, but also on that of other household members. ***
The contribution of basic social protection measures to limiting and mitigating the impact of HIV
Sector Project Social Protection Systems, Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, February 2011 19 pp. 149 kB: http://german-practice-collection.org/en/download-centre/doc_download/1005 The paper discusses the interface between the thematic areas of basic social protection and HIV and describes options for conceptionally embedding future measures in this sector into the thematic and regional priority areas of German development cooperation. Building on this, possible basic social protection approaches have been elaborated and are presented in the context of HIV in selected high, medium and low prevalence countries (e.g. Malawi, Cameroon, Mozambique, Indonesia, India, Ukraine). ***
dia and German Development Cooperation (GIZ) as part of Indo-German Social Security Programme (IGSSP), February 2012 5 pp. 776 kB: http://german-practice-collection.org/en/download-centre/doc_download/1007 Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY) is a national level initiative and its objective is to provide quality health care to the beneficiaries. The Newsletter RSBY-Connect is an effort to connect with those that are presently involved or are likely to be involved in the largest health insurance scheme in the world that has the potential to change the lives of millions not only in India but in many other countries as well. The Newsletter will help us share and debate issues that have a bearing on the roll out of the scheme and help us build on the modest success so far.
Inclusive design of school latrines - how much does it cost and who benefits?
by Hazel Jones Water, Engineering and Development Centre (WEDC), Loughborough University, July 2011 4 pp. 1.9 MB: http://wedc.lboro.ac.uk/resources/briefnotes/BN001_School_Latrines.pdf Poor school sanitation hinders many children with disabilities from going to school, and exposes them to increased health risks. Although many governments and agencies have policies about the inclusion of children with disabilities in school, these rarely consider water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) issues. Making public infrastructure accessible can cost less than 1% of total construction costs, if accessibility is planned from the outset.
Health Systems & Research Opportunities, Challenges and Good Practices in International Research Cooperation between Developed and Developing Countries
Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Global Science Forum, April 2011 22 pp. 3.5 MB:
http://www.ukcds.org.uk/_assets/file/publications/OECD%20Global%20Fo rum%20%20opportunties,%20challenges%20and%20good%20practices%20in%20intern ational%20research%20cooperation.pdf
This report describes issues and options that deserve the attention of scientists and administrators in industrialised and developing countries, as they seek to design, initiate and manage collaborative research programmes and projects that include both scientific and development goals. The collaborations between developed and developing countries are of special importance because developing countries are often those most severely affected by global threats. ***
Health workers at the core of the health system: Framework and research issues
by Sudhir Anand and Till Brnighausen Health Policy, 25 October 2011 7 pp. 352 kB: http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/resources/framew orkandresearch_dec2011.pdf This paper presents a framework for the health system with health workers at the core. The authors reviewed existing health system frameworks and the role they assign to health workers, finding that earlier frameworks either do not include health workers as a central feature of system functioning or treat them as one among several components of equal importance. As every function of the health system is either undertaken by or mediated through the health worker, the authors argue that the health worker should be placed at the centre of the health system. ***
The emergence and current performance of a health research system: lessons from Guinea Bissau
HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 20
by Maarten O Kok, Amabelia Rodrigues, Augusto Paulo Silva et al. Health Research Policy and Systems 2012, 10:5 (9 February 2012) 32 pp. 251 kB: http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/pdf/1478-4505-10-5.pdf Little is known about how health research systems (HRS) in low-income countries emerge and evolve over time, and how this process relates to their performance. Understanding how HRSs emerge is important for the development of well functioning National Health Research Systems (NHRS). The aim of this study was to assess how the HRS in Guinea Bissau has emerged and evolved over time and how the present system functions.
by Zachary Christensen, Dustin Homer and Daniel Nielson Brigham Young University Development Gateway, January 2012 4 pp. 587 kB: http://www.aiddata.org/weceem_uploads/_ROOT/File/Briefs/Brief5EducationAidAllocation.pdf The authors use AidData to test the effectiveness of primary education aid in boosting school enrollment rates. They evaluate the hypothesis that bilateral donors ought to have greater freedom to condition aid on recipient governance quality than multilateral donors, which are often bound by institutional rules to provide aid more impartially. Latent growth regression analysis suggests that bilateral donors condition their primary education aid on recipient control of corruption more than multilateral donors do, and that bilateral aid is significantly related to improved enrollment rates. ***
Germanys new education strategy straddles all levels of learning - from primary education to higher and adult education. The Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development said this is in line with its holistic approach to education sector funding. Among the key areas in the strategy are the improvement of gender equality in education and promotion of innovative funding approaches.
by Michaela Bitarello do Amaral Sabadini, Ann Crosland, Ulric Hermansson et al. Science Group of the European Alcohol and Health Forum, September 2011 73 pp. 1.2 MB: http://ec.europa.eu/health/alcohol/docs/science_02_en.pdf Reducing the negative impact of alcohol on the workplace is one of five priorities picked out in the EU strategy to support Member States in reducing alcohol related harm. The enormous burden of individual harm (often to those around the problem drinker as well as the drinker themselves) and aggregated lost productivity that are highlighted in the report should make it clear to all that inactivity is not an option and complacency will cost lives. ***
Millennium Development Goals Between-Country Disparities in MDGs: The Asia and Pacific Region
by Guanghua Wan and Yuan Zhan Asian Development Bank Economics Working Paper Series No. 278, October 2011 54 pp. 4.2 MB: http://beta.adb.org/sites/default/files/economics-wp278.pdf
This paper explores disparities in Millennium Development Goals among countries in the Asia and Pacific region, with a special emphasis on health Millennium Development Goals. It provides estimates on the extent of these disparities and depicts their trends. More importantly, sources or causes of the disparities are quantified and policy implications are discussed. ***
Development Assistance Pieces of the puzzle: evidence, dilemmas and the emerging agenda for budget support
Research reports and studies, March - September 2011 Edited by Heidi Tavakoli and Edward HedgerPieces Overseas Development Institute, January 2012 30 pp. 1.2 MB: http://www.odi.org.uk/resources/docs/7568.pdf Over the past decade, the international community has come to champion budget support. Supported by donors and recipient countries alike, it has grown in prominence to make up a significant share of aid spend by some donors. This report summarises discussions and conclusions from a series of expert meetings titled - Long-term research perspectives on budget support - organised by the Centre for Aid and Public Expenditure (CAPE) at the Overseas Development Institute (ODI) in 2011. ***
One of the most interesting findings presented in the report is that the process of creating and disseminating indicators can be an effective intervention that is particularly useful in addressing and marshalling a response to wicked problems - complex, interdeHESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 24
pendent, ever-changing global issues that require the application of iterative solutions in order to be managed successfully. As the authors point out, it is valuable to compare indicators with other potential interventions in the international development system and, in their most compelling and powerful form, use them to trigger actions that move us one step closer to addressing challenges affecting the lives of poor and vulnerable populations on a daily basis. ***
In 2010, vast humanitarian crises from Haiti to Pakistan almost overwhelmed the international systems ability to respond. Despite years of reform, UN agencies, donors, and international NGOs (INGOs) struggled to cope. New donors and NGOs from around the world provide a significant share of humanitarian aid. Future humanitarian action will rely on them, and on the governments and civil society of crisis-affected countries even more. ***
on Michael Quinn Pattons Utilization-Focused Evaluation approach. The importance of good evaluative practice and the need to embed evaluations into existing learning processes within organisations are emphasised. ***
Program-for-Results Financing
The World Bank, December 2011 6 pp. 1.8 MB: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTRESLENDING/Resourc es/7514725-1325006967127/WBbooklet12-21-11.pdf The World Bank Board of Executive Directors approved Program-for-Results (PforR), an innovative new financing instrument for the World Banks client countries that links the disbursement of funds directly to the delivery of defined results. Money will flow once the results have been delivered and verified. For more information see: http://www.worldbank.org/ProgramforResults ***
Effective Development Aid: Selectivity, Proliferation and Fragmentation, and the Growth Impact of Development Assistance
by Takashi Kihara Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI) Working Paper Series No. 342, January 2012 70 pp. 1.6 MB: http://adbi.org/files/2012.01.30.wp342.effective.development.aid.pdf This paper examines several indicators of effective development aid, focusing on the contributions of major bilateral donors. The empirical analyses of selectivity for effective aid delivery revealed that, taking a long-term and regional perspective, some major donors including Japan have been as selective in delivering their aid as some countries well-known for their selective aid delivery, such as Denmark. Japan has provided higher aid for the countries with better policy and governance, and higher grant aid for the countries with lower income, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa. ***
Innovative Financing in Early Recovery: The Liberia Health Sector Pool Fund
by Jacob Hughes and Amanda Glassman Center for Global Development Working Paper 288, February 2012 34 pp. 1.3 MB:
http://www.cgdev.org/files/1425944_file_Hughes_Glassman_Liberia_health_pool_FINAL.pdf
The Liberia Health Sector Pool Fund, which consists of DfID, Irish Aid, UNICEF, and UNHCR, was established to fund a process for transitioning from emergency to sustainability under government leadership and mitigate this transition by increasing institutional capacity, reducing the transaction costs associated with managing multiple donor projects, and fostering the leadership of the Liberian Health Ministry by allocating funds to national priorities. In this paper the authors discuss the design of the health pool fund HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 26
mechanism, assess its functioning, compare the pooled fund to other aid mechanisms used in Liberia, and look into the enabling conditions, opportunities, and challenges of the pool fund.
With seven billion of us now inhabiting our planet, it is time to reflect on our current path. HESP-News & Notes - 04/2012 - page 27
Today we stand at a crossroads. Continuing on the same path will put people and our planet at greatly heightened risk. The other path, we believe, provides extraordinary opportunity, but we must be committed and courageous in following it. Changing course will not be easy. But over time, we believe that following a more sustainable path will enhance human well-being, further global justice, strengthen gender equity, and preserve the Earths life-support systems for future generations.
ELECTRONIC RESOURCES
Global Fund Interactive Toolkit
http://www.herramientasubreceptor.org/herramienta/index.html The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria has just released an interactive grants management toolkit for its Spanish-speaking recipients. It was developed by the Global Fund and the International HIV/AIDS Alliance in partnership with the Friends of the Global Fund LAC and Fundacion Huesped. It was supported by the BACKUP Initiative, implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft fr Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development. The toolkit is in Spanish and provides up-to-date information on the funding agencys program management, and financial and administrative requirements. It also provides monitoring, evaluation, procurement and supply information, and includes exercises to test newly found knowledge about the Global Fund. ***
Bulletin of the World Health Organization, Vol. 90, Nr. 2, February 2012
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/90/2/en/index.html In this months Bulletin: A global analysis of anti-tuberculosis drug resistance Fixing fistula in Sierra Leone Maternity waiting homes in Timor-Leste Landmark case for human rights in Brazil Why does female genital cutting still exist? What causes baby blues? Interview with womens health activist Adrienne Germain Ranking risk factors for preventing chronic diseases ***
or download as Adobe PDF file (17 pp. 780 kB) at: http://www.interaction.org/sites/default/files/NetSquared%20January%202012.pdf NGO Aid Map is an InterAction initiative focused on collecting information on NGOs work at the project level and making it accessible to donors, NGOs, businesses, governments and the public through an online, interactive mapping tool. This program intends to improve accountability, transparency, and coordination which in turn can lead to improved, more effective programming. ***
TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES
Capacity Building Course in Malaria Control Programs, with a focus on elearning
April 21st to May 19th 2012, Ifakara, Tanzania Organised jointly by the Tanzanian Training Centre of International Health, Ifakara, Tanzania, and the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute, Basel, Switzerland, the Malaria course is a tutorial that is aimed at strengthening competence of researchers, public health personnel and care givers to fight malaria in Africa. The minimum requirement for participants is a BSc or Master degree, several years of professional experience and basic computer skills (at least on Word processing or equivalent). For more information see: http://www.healthtrainingifakara.org/index.php?id=102
CARTOON