KFF Daily Global Health Policy Report

In The News

U.N.'s Ban, Obama, Other Leaders Discuss Ebola, Development Goals In General Assembly Speeches

News outlets report on several leaders’ speeches at the U.N. General Assembly meeting, during which they discussed development issues and Ebola.

Associated Press: U.N. chief urges hope in world seeming to fall apart
“The United Nations chief called for world leaders Wednesday to join an international campaign to ease the plight of nearly unprecedented numbers of refugees, the displaced and victims of violence in a world wracked by wars, and the swift-spreading and deadly Ebola epidemic…” (Lederer, 9/24).

U.N. News Centre: Opening General Assembly debate, Ban urges leadership to move from ‘turbulence’ to peace
“…[U.N. Secretary-General] Ban’s annual opening message, which draws from his yearly report on the work of the organization, was not entirely bleak. ‘Hope may be hard to discern, but it is there,’ he said. ‘In clinics, classrooms, and other places far from the spotlight, the development agenda is making remarkable progress. Global poverty, child mortality, and maternal deaths have been cut in half. More remains to be done, but these and other gains show the power of the Millennium Development Goals and what we can do when we work together. Today an inspiring global conversation is taking place on an agenda for the next 15 years’…” (9/24).

Agence France-Presse: Obama urges ‘broader’ world effort to stop Ebola
“U.S. President Barack Obama on Wednesday urged other countries to get behind a broader international effort to stop the deadly Ebola epidemic from spreading further, with hundreds of thousands at risk. In a speech at the U.N. General Assembly, Obama grouped Ebola with the crisis in Ukraine and the threat posed by Islamic State group jihadists in Iraq and Syria as ‘new dangers’ that imperil global security…” (9/24).

U.S. Department of Defense: Obama: U.N. Will Mobilize Countries to Fight Ebola Outbreak
“In a speech [Wednesday] morning before the United Nations Security Council summit on foreign terrorist fighters, President Barack Obama likened this distant yet urgent problem to another remote but rising global threat — the Ebola virus disease outbreak in West Africa…” (Pellerin, 9/24).

U.N. News Centre: South Africa’s President pledges to support Ebola-affected nations, conflict-ridden countries
“The recent outbreak of Ebola in West African has exposed the lack of infrastructure and limited resources in Africa, said South Africa’s President Jacob Zuma [Wednesday] as he pledged to continue, in every possible way, to assist the people and Governments of hardest-hit Liberia, Guinea, and Sierra Leone…” (9/24).

U.N. News Centre: Ebola crisis highlights need for strong resourceful states, Kenyan leader tells U.N. assembly
“‘The Ebola epidemic now sweeping several West African countries underlines the imperative to build strong states that can withstand crises and respond to emergencies,’ Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta told the United Nations General Assembly [Wednesday] on the opening day of its annual high-level segment…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

U.S. House Appropriators Approve Ebola Funding With Restriction; Top Republican On Senate Armed Services Committee Withholding Approval

News outlets report on congressional action to approve funding for U.S. Ebola efforts.

Associated Press: Inhofe demands details before OK-ing Ebola funding
“The top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee is holding up money to fight Ebola until the Obama administration provides details on how the military would protect American personnel sent to Africa to battle the epidemic. Sen. Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma also wants more specifics on the financial and logistics demands such assistance would impose upon a defense budget already stretched thin…” (Taylor/Cassata, 9/24).

CQ News: House Appropriators Put Restrictions on Ebola Reprogramming
“House appropriators have approved, with conditions, the Pentagon’s $1 billion request to shift money within fiscal 2014 war funds to pay for the response to the Ebola outbreak in Africa. The panel agreed to release $50 million of the $1 billion request immediately, a GOP appropriations aide said late Wednesday. The additional money will be released when the Defense Department provides Congress more information, including its spending plans and the goals and timeline for the mission…” (Scully, 9/24).

The Hill: Report: GOP senator holding up Ebola money
“…Inhofe asked the Obama administration for more detail on how it would protect military personnel who come in contact with Ebola as part of the response effort, the AP says. House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) made a similar request of the administration after approving the use of contingency funds for Ebola on Wednesday. His approval is a victory for the White House and a sign the funding will move forward…” (Viebeck, 9/24).

Politico: Republicans OK war money for Ebola fight
“A White House plan to tap into overseas war funds to help pay for the U.S. response to Ebola cleared an important hurdle in Congress Wednesday as Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee agreed it was an acceptable use of the contingency dollars…” (Rogers, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Former Ambassador To India To Coordinate U.S. Ebola Efforts In West Africa

Reuters: Former ambassador to India to lead U.S. Ebola effort in Africa
“The State Department on Wednesday named Nancy Powell, the former U.S. ambassador to India, to coordinate Washington’s response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa…” (Wroughton, 8/25).

Link to individual story

U.S. DoD Official Discusses Issues Surrounding Ebola With Scientific American

Scientific American: U.S. Department of Defense Health Official Speaks Out on Ebola and Other Threats
Scientific American blogger John Horgan interviews Rohit Chitale of the Armed Forces Health Surveillance Center (AFHSC). “…Rohit is an infectious disease epidemiologist and had worked at the CDC and WHO before he came to the Department of Defense. Rohit generously agreed to answer some of my questions about the Ebola outbreak…” (Horgan, 9/23).

Link to individual story

Ebola Death Toll Reaches Nearly 3,000, But Spread In Guinea Stabilizes, WHO Reports

News outlets report on the WHO’s announcement that the Ebola death toll has reached nearly 3,000, but the number of cases in Guinea appears to have stabilized.

New York Times: Ebola Death Toll Is More Than 2,900, WHO Says
“The number of people killed by the Ebola outbreak in West Africa has reached at least 2,917, driven by the continuing rapid spread of the disease in Liberia and Sierra Leone, though in Guinea the number of new cases appears to have stabilized, the World Health Organization reported Thursday…” (Cumming-Bruce, 9/25).

Reuters: Ebola toll nears 3,000, but spread in Guinea stabilizes
“The exponential spread of the Ebola outbreak that has now killed almost 3,000 people in West Africa may have been checked in Guinea, the World Health Organization said on Thursday…” (Miles, 9/25).

Link to individual story

AfDB Chief Urges Businesses To Step Forward In Ebola Efforts

Reuters: Time for business to get involved in Africa Ebola battle — AfDB chief
“West African nations hit by the Ebola virus epidemic will need international help to rebuild for years to come and it is time for mining companies and business to get involved, the head of the African Development Bank (AfDB) said on Tuesday…” (Strohecker, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Ebola Crisis Brings Attention To Need For Stronger Health Systems

Devex: Should we use Ebola to campaign for UHC?
“The ongoing Ebola crisis in West Africa has of course been one of the buzz topics during #GlobalDev Week in New York, where global health experts and policymakers agreed on the urgent need for stronger health systems in developing countries like those currently affected by the epidemic: Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone. … But addressing health care needs and moving forward with long-term development solutions is a real challenge that all stakeholders within the aid community are grappling with…” (Tyson, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Liberia Struggles To Contain Ebola, Treat Patients With Ebola, Other Diseases

News outlets report on the situation in Liberia, where Ebola continues to spread and its health system struggles to treat Ebola patients as well as those with other diseases.

CNN: New Ebola hospital in Liberia overwhelmed by patients
“On the day the new Ebola clinic in Liberia opened, ambulances waited outside. Inside the ambulances were desperately ill patients who had come for treatment but instead would be left to lie on the ground as others walked by. The Island Clinic and its 120 Ebola treatment beds opened to fanfare Sunday afternoon, with a ceremony attended by international health officials and Liberian leaders. But the clinic, located on Bushrod Island near Monrovia, the capital, did not appear to be ready for the number of patients that quickly flooded its doors…” (Cohen, 9/23).

New York Times: In Liberia, Home Deaths Spread Circle of Ebola Contagion
“…So many Ebola victims are dying at home because of the severe shortage of treatment centers here in Monrovia, Liberia’s capital, that they are infecting family members, neighbors and others in a ballooning circle of contagion. Only 18 percent of Ebola patients in Liberia are being cared for in hospitals or other settings that reduce the risk of transmission by isolating them from the rest of the population, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Unless that rate reaches 70 percent, the center predicted this week, Ebola cases will keep soaring…” (Onishi, 9/24).

Reuters: Doctor calls for blood donations to treat Liberian Ebola victims
“The head of a treatment center in Liberia, the country worst-hit by West Africa’s deadly Ebola outbreak, has urged survivors of the disease to donate their blood for use in treating infected patients…” (Giahyue, 9/24).

VOA News: AIDS, TB Patients Not Forgotten During Liberia’s Ebola Crisis
“With health clinics closed and people afraid to come in for treatment, Liberia’s National AIDS Commission says they are now going door-to-door to get people to come take their antiretroviral medications. All eyes are on Ebola, but experts say there are other deadly diseases being overlooked in the crisis…” (Lazuta, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Sierra Leone Says Ebola Lockdown Successful, Quarantines Three Additional Districts

News outlets report on Sierra Leone’s efforts to contain the Ebola outbreak.

Agence France-Presse: Sierra Leone says 300 sick or dead found during Ebola lockdown
“Sierra Leone said on Wednesday around 100 bodies and 200 patients had been collected from homes during its three-day lockdown to stem the deadly Ebola epidemic raging in west Africa…” (9/24).

Nature: Infectious disease: Ebola’s lost ward
“…In less than a month, the hospital’s operations would topple under the weight of the worst Ebola outbreak in history. The wards were overwhelmed with patients and [Sheik Humarr Khan], an infectious disease physician at Kenema, and many of his staff were among those fighting for their lives…” (Hayden, 9/24),

Reuters: Sierra Leone quarantines three more districts in fight against Ebola
“Sierra Leone has put three more districts under indefinite quarantine in a bid to fight Ebola, President Ernest Bai Koroma said in a statement, which means five of the country’s 14 districts have now been isolated…” (Fofana, 9/25).

Link to individual story

Guinea Arrests Suspects In Ebola Worker Murders, Takes Steps To Educate Public On Disease

News outlets discuss efforts in Guinea to prosecute those responsible for the murders of eight Ebola workers, as another Ebola team is attacked, and to educate the public about the disease.

Agence France-Presse: Guinea arrests 27 over Ebola health team murders
“Police in Guinea have arrested 27 suspects over the murders of an eight-member Ebola education team attacked by angry locals in an area at the epicenter of the outbreak, the government said on Wednesday…” (9/24).

Associated Press: Red Cross team attacked while burying Ebola dead
“A Red Cross team was attacked while collecting bodies believed to be infected with Ebola in southeastern Guinea, the latest in a string of assaults that are hindering efforts to control West Africa’s current outbreak…” (Diallo/DiLorenzo, 9/24).

VOA News: In Guinea, 2,000 Young People to Educate Public on Ebola
“The Guinean government says it is sending 2,000 young people door to door to educate families about Ebola. The initiative comes after the brutal killings of eight health workers and journalists as they traveled in the southeast as part of a government convoy to raise awareness about the virus…” (Camara, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Nigeria Clears Patients Exposed To Ebola, Must Wait To Declare Outbreak Over

Agence France-Presse: Nigeria in first step towards all-clear on Ebola
“Nigeria has cleared all patients being monitored for the Ebola virus, the federal health ministry said on Wednesday, but doctors said they would have to wait to declare the outbreak over. … Nigeria has not reported any new cases since September 8, the WHO said. If there are no further cases, Nigeria could be declared Ebola-free on October 20…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

U.N. Discusses SDGs; Report Estimates Goal Monitoring To Cost $250B

News outlets report on the U.N.’s discussions surrounding the post-2015 development agenda and a new report estimating development goal monitoring will cost $250 billion.

GlobalPost: At U.N. General Assembly, global health projects are big business
“…While it is clear that the eight goals will not be met by the December 31, 2015 deadline, observers are putting their faith in the promise of trillions of dollars of aid financed through private industries in programs called public-private partnerships, or PPPs…” (Basu, 9/25).

The Guardian: U.N. begins talks on SDGs, ‘carrying the hopes of millions and millions’
“Talks that will shape the global agenda on social, economic and environmental development for at least the next 15 years got under way with world leaders in New York on Wednesday. On the first day of the U.N. debate, the president of the General Assembly, Sam Kutesa, called on member states to work tirelessly over the next 12 months to agree ‘a truly transformative agenda’ in a new set of development goals that will improve the lives of all people…” (Ford, 9/24).

Reuters: World risks spending $250 billion just to monitor U.N. development goals
“The world risks having to spend about $250 billion just to monitor U.N. development targets for 2030, diverting cash from goals such as ending poverty or protecting the environment, according to a study published on Wednesday. The report said governments should sharply cut a current draft list of targets for 2030 from a current 169 to avoid over-spending on compiling statistics. A World Bank official contested the study, calling the cost estimates too high…” (Doyle, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Obama Signs Executive Order To Strengthen Climate Resilience In U.S. Development Efforts, Announces New Partnerships

Media sources report on the U.N. Climate Summit, President Obama’s executive order requiring federal agencies to address climate resilience in all U.S. development projects, and the U.S. announcement of its participation in new climate change partnerships.

Inter Press Service: Obama Mandates Climate Resilience in All U.S. Development Projects
“All international development assistance and investments from the United States will now be required to take into account the potential impacts of climate change, according to a new rule signed Tuesday by President Barack Obama…” (Biron, 9/24).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: U.N. climate summit falls short for marchers, world’s poorest
“Leaders at the U.N. Climate Summit in New York made too few commitments on curbing climate change to meet the demands of the hundreds of thousands of people who flooded streets worldwide on Sunday calling for bold action, civil society groups said…” (Rowling, 9/24).

White House: FACT SHEET: President Obama Announces New Actions To Strengthen Global Resilience To Climate Change And Launches Partnerships To Cut Carbon Pollution
“[On Tuesday], at the United Nations Climate Summit in New York, President Obama announced a new set of tools to harness the unique scientific and technological capabilities of the United States to help vulnerable populations around the world strengthen their climate resilience. The United States also announced its leadership and participation in more than a dozen new climate change partnerships launched at the Climate Summit…” (9/23).

Link to individual story

Research Institutions Receiving U.S. Funds Will Be Required To Identify 'Dual-Use' Pathogens Under New Policy

NPR: Research Institutions Will Have To Identify ‘Dual-Use’ Pathogens
“Any research institution that receives federal funding will soon have to screen certain kinds of scientific experiments to see if the work could potentially be misused to endanger the public. The new policy will take effect next year, and it’s the latest effort by the U.S. government to come to grips with so called ‘dual-use’ biological research — legitimate medical or public health studies that could reveal how to make already-worrisome germs or toxins even more destructive…” (Greenfieldboyce, 9/24).

Link to individual story

U.N. North Korean Food Aid Program In Danger Of Closing

Wall Street Journal: U.N. North Korea Food Program in Danger
“The United Nations aid program for malnourished North Koreans may close after raising only a fraction of the money it needs to operate in the country, a senior U.N. official said in a call for donations…” (Cheng, 9/25).

Link to individual story

Hunger Crisis In S. Sudan 'Eases' But Risk Remains For 2015, WFP Says

News outlets report that rainfall and emergency food aid have helped ease South Sudan’s hunger crisis; however, according to the World Food Programme (WFP), the country still faces risks to food security in 2015.

BBC News: South Sudan hunger crisis ‘eases’
“South Sudan’s hunger crisis has eased after a ‘green harvest,’ but about 1.5 million people are still in desperate need of food aid, experts say…” (9/24).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Aid, rain save South Sudan from famine, 2015 outlook grim — WFP
“Emergency food aid, normal rainfall, and the start of the harvest have helped to stave off famine in South Sudan, the latest analysis shows, but there is a risk of mass starvation in early 2015…” (Migiro, 9/25).

Link to individual story

S. African Health Minister Discusses Nation's Efforts On HIV, NCDs In NPR Interview

NPR: He Fixed South Africa’s AIDS Policy, Now He’s Out To Fight Salt
NPR provides excerpts from a conversation with South African Minister of Health Aaron Motsoaledi, who is in the U.S. for two weeks “‘to meet influential people,’ he says.” He discusses the nation’s efforts to treat people living with HIV/AIDS and address the growing problem of non-communicable diseases (Beaubien, 9/24).

Link to individual story

Experts Express Concern Over High Rate Of C-Sections In South Africa

The Guardian: Cesarean section rates in South Africa ‘recklessly high,’ warn experts
“More than two in three South African mothers in private hospitals give birth by cesarean section, way above the international average, research has shown…” (Smith, 9/24).

Link to individual story

NBC's Ann Curry Interviews Melinda Gates, Discusses Ebola, Women's Health

NBC News presents video excerpts from Ann Curry’s interview with Melinda Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

NBC News: Facing sobering predictions about Ebola epidemic, Melinda Gates offers hope
Gates describes how the Gates Foundation plans to help control the Ebola epidemic in West Africa (9/24).

NBC News: Melinda Gates, Hillary Clinton team up on women’s health, education
Gates discusses the importance of collecting data on women and girl’s health and education, as well as a partnership with Hillary Clinton to “make a difference in women’s lives” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Chikungunya Infects Nearly 30,000 In El Salvador, 1,600 In Colombia

News outlets report on the number of chikungunya cases reported in El Salvador and Colombia.

Reuters: El Salvador says nearly 30,000 infected with mosquito-borne chikungunya
“El Salvador has detected nearly 30,000 cases of the painful mosquito-borne viral disease chikungunya, and has undertaken measures to prevent the disease-carrying mosquitoes breeding, the head of the country’s emergency services said on Wednesday…” (Renteria, 9/24).

Prensa Latina: Chikungunya Virus Affects over 1,600 Colombians
“The National Institute of Health of Colombia confirmed more than 1,600 cases of chikungunya in 11 departments…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Editorials and Opinions

Editorials, Opinion Piece Discuss Issues Surrounding Ebola Response

The following editorials and opinion piece discuss various issues related to the response to the Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Nature: First response, revisited
Editorial Board

“The Ebola outbreak in West Africa has starkly exposed major gaps in plans to tackle emerging infectious diseases. Lessons must be learned. … If member states want the WHO to be more active in outbreak response, they must fund it adequately. But the slow and bureaucratic WHO must also demonstrate that it is up to the task, and can spend its money wisely and act fast” (9/23).

Washington Post: We must prioritize drug development to fight Ebola
Editorial Board

“…Intense development work on experimental drugs and vaccines is underway in the United States and United Kingdom, but it is not simple to create a new treatment, put it through clinical trials and manufacture it. Sensitive ethical and logistical questions surround these new remedies, especially if there is a limited supply. Although the need is urgent, rigorous testing for safety and efficacy cannot be short-circuited. But the government, researchers and the private sector must make the quest for therapeutics and vaccines a high priority in case the worst-case scenarios come true” (9/24).

New York Times: The Ebola Fiasco
Nicholas Kristof, New York Times columnist

“The Ebola epidemic in West Africa is a tragedy. But, more than that, the response to it has been a gross failure. It’s a classic case where early action could have saved lives and money. … We would never tolerate such shortsightedness in private behavior. If a roof leaks, we fix it before a home is ruined. If we buy a car, we add oil to keep the engine going. Yet in public policy — from education to global health — we routinely refuse to invest at the front end and have to pay far more at the back end. … Yet the worst consequence of our myopia isn’t financial waste. It’s that people are dying unnecessarily of Ebola. It’s that some children in the United States grow up semiliterate. And it’s the risk that the cost of leaders’ mismanagement of Ebola will be borne by children going without vaccines” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Opinion Pieces Discuss Importance Of Addressing Women's Health Now, Moving Forward

The following opinion pieces discuss the importance of addressing women’s health, including maternal health, family planning and reproductive health, and ensuring women’s health issues are reflected in development goals moving forward.

Huffington Post: Which Way to Better Health: A Roadmap to Save Mothers and Newborns
Liya Kebede, founder of the Liya Kebede Foundation, and Carolyn Miles, president and CEO of Save the Children

“…This week, as world leaders gather in New York for the opening of the U.N. General Assembly where they will discuss a new set of development targets for a post-MDG world, we will be encouraging them to stay focused and committed on actions to improve maternal and newborn health. … The success around child survival in Ethiopia as well as countries like Malawi, Nepal, and Bangladesh proves that the Millennium Development Goals can work if we commit to putting the health of our mothers and children first. With less than 500 days left, we can be hopeful that together, we will save the lives of millions of mothers and their children” (9/23).

Huffington Post: Canada Is Poised to Lead Real Global Change on Child and Maternal Mortality
Rosemary McCarney, president and CEO of Plan International Canada Inc.

“…When Prime Minister Harper steps up to the podium at the General Assembly, it’s Canada’s opportunity to lead a full-court press on other nations to follow its example in generous, ongoing funding to solve a problem that is soluble. I hope his message is a rallying cry to other nations that also underscores a sustained commitment from Canada to get the job done. Finally, I hope that message inspires Canadians at home to continue to support the fight to save and protect the lives of the world’s most vulnerable people. Amidst staggering political and humanitarian crises, there are now 17 development goals for global leaders to tackle in the post-2015 agenda. At this U.N. General Assembly, Canada can ensure we don’t lose ground on goals we’ve already started and can meet in this lifetime” (9/24).

Devex: Family planning in Tanzania: An investment in our women and our future
Halima Shariff, director of Advance Family Planning Tanzania

“…When we provide women with access to contraceptives, it has a positive ripple effect on families, communities, and nations. It’s critical to continue to invest in family planning and ensure that increasing contraceptive use remains central to our national development plans in Tanzania and around the world. Now is the time for us to make this investment in our women and in our future” (9/24).

Huffington Post: We Know It Works, So Let’s Keep Women’s Health Central in Global Development
Ann Starrs, president and CEO of the Guttmacher Institute

“…Various U.N. bodies have been working intensely over the past year to mold the post-2015 development agenda. It is encouraging to see that, thus far, sexual and reproductive health has been included in most drafts and discussions related to the Sustainable Development Goals. As the governments of the world convene this week to discuss them, they need to look at the evidence. But they also need to listen to the voices of the millions of girls and women around the world for whom access to contraception and safe abortion is integral to their survival, to their health, and to their well-being. Few investments reap such rewards, and ultimately, it’s all of us who benefit” (9/24).

Link to individual story

More Robust Policy Discussion Of Wartime Sexual Violence Needed

Washington Post: Wartime sexual violence is not just a ‘weapon of war’
Kerry Crawford, assistant professor of political science at James Madison University; Amelia Hoover Green, assistant professor of political science at Drexel University and field consultant to the Human Rights Data Analysis Group; and Sarah Parkinson, assistant professor of global policy and political science at the University of Minnesota

“Sexual violence has played a prominent role in recent media treatments of wars in the Middle East. … To scholars of sexual violence, these media narratives look typical in three related ways: They are selective and sensationalist; they obscure deeper understandings about patterns of wartime sexual violence; and they are laden with false assumptions about the causes of conflict rape. The narrative in play here carries concrete implications for politics and policy, including the inadvertent aiding of perpetrators and worse outcomes for survivors. Policies that prevent and mitigate the effects of sexual violence require attention to the whole problem — not just one media-friendly subset — and to solid research on wartime rape. … It is essential that policymakers understand the experiences and priorities of people they are ostensibly ‘saving’ and the broader facts about patterns and prevention of wartime sexual violence. It is imperative to ask whether interventionist stories and actions ease or exacerbate the situations of victims and those at risk. And, moving beyond Syria and Iraq in particular, it is time for a policy discussion of wartime sexual violence that moves beyond the ‘weapon of war’ narrative to encompass the full range of perpetrators, tactics, victims, survivors, causes, and consequences” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Data, Resources Needed To Monitor Development Goals

The Guardian: Cost of gathering data on new development goals could be crippling
Bjørn Lomborg, adjunct professor at the Copenhagen Business School and director of the Copenhagen Consensus Centre

“For the past decade and a half, the world has made a few smart promises with the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs): to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger and poverty, get all children in school, and dramatically reduce child mortality. We have seen a move towards success, although not all targets will be met. Surprisingly, we have little information about what exactly we have achieved. … This matters because the world is discussing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), a new set of targets that will take effect in 2016 and last until 2030. Of course, attention is on high-profile issues such as health, education, food, water and the environment. But we also need to set aside resources to measure how well we tackle all these issues…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

From the Global Health Policy Community

U.S. Officials Discuss Obama's U.N. Speech, New Global Alliance For Climate Smart Agriculture

The U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote” blog features two pieces on U.S. involvement in U.N. meetings taking place this week in New York.

DipNote: President Obama at the United Nations General Assembly
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry discusses President Obama’s speech presented Wednesday to the U.N. General Assembly (9/24).

DipNote: Obama Administration Launches Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, and USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah write about the launch of the Global Alliance for Climate Smart Agriculture, which, among other things, “will advance a more inclusive, innovative, and evidence-based approach to food security…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Blog Post Examines Strategies To Help End Gender-Based Violence

Center for Global Development’s “Views from the Center”: How Can We Fight the Pandemic of Global Violence against Women?
CGD Research Associate Sarah Dykstra and Senior Fellow Charles Kenny discuss “the role that conditional cash transfers and other ‘nudges’ can play in reducing gender violence and in achieving other goals of women’s empowerment…” (9/23).

Link to individual story

Blog Posts Discuss Issues Surrounding Ebola Outbreak

Several blogs published pieces discussing various issues related to the Ebola outbreak.

Center for Global Development’s “Global Health Policy Blog”: Aversion Behavior Exacerbates the Economic Impact of Ebola
Mead Over, senior fellow at CGD, discusses a World Bank report that examines the economic impact of Ebola on affected West African countries (9/24).

Humanosphere: How the CDC uses social media to inform Americans about Ebola outbreak
Development blogger Tom Murphy discusses how the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) is using social media platforms to inform the U.S. public about the Ebola outbreak (9/24).

USAID’s “IMPACTblog”: Liberia Gripped By Ebola’s Many Tentacles
Morgana Wingard, a photojournalist who is on the ground with USAID documenting the Ebola crisis in Liberia, discusses the impact of Ebola on Liberia’s economy (9/24).

U.S. Global Leadership Coalition (USGLC): Coordinating Our Approach to Ebola
Zach Silberman, policy manager at USGLC, discusses the importance of “why a coordinated approach across the public and private sectors will be necessary to counter a disease that is ravaging West Africa” (9/24).

Link to individual story

Blog Posts Discuss R&D, Malaria In Post-2015 Development Goals

Two blog posts discuss different aspects of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Global Health Technologies Coalition’s “Breakthroughs”: Making the case for research and innovation for health in the post-2015 development agenda
“In this guest post, Claire Wingfield — product development policy officer at PATH — writes about a new paper exploring why research and development (R&D) of high-priority health tools for diseases and conditions affecting low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) should be a critical component of the post-2015 development agenda” (Chmiola, 9/24).

UCSF Global Health Sciences: Commentary: Malaria Elimination and the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals
Rima Shretta, deputy lead for policy and finance at the Malaria Elimination Initiative, writes, “…34 countries are working towards eliminating malaria, but without a global commitment, they may find it difficult to secure the necessary political and financial commitment. While we can remain hopeful that the upcoming year of member state negotiations and debates will strengthen the SDGs, the process will need strong leadership from donor countries and high-level engagement from member countries…” (9/24).

Link to individual story

KFF Headquarters: 185 Berry St., Suite 2000, San Francisco, CA 94107 | Phone 650-854-9400
Washington Offices and Barbara Jordan Conference Center: 1330 G Street, NW, Washington, DC 20005 | Phone 202-347-5270

www.kff.org | Email Alerts: kff.org/email | facebook.com/KFF | twitter.com/kff

The independent source for health policy research, polling, and news, KFF is a nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California.