POLITICO: What’s in the funding deal for health care
“…Congressional negotiators posted the text of a border security compromise late Wednesday night that would stave off a partial government shutdown at week’s end. The bill would fund nine out of 15 federal departments through Sept. 30 and provide $1.4 billion for 55 miles of new fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border. … According to a summary provided by congressional negotiators, the bill includes: … $5.7 billion in funding for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, an increase of $50 million above the FY 2018 enacted level. $3.1 billion for global health programs, which includes $575 million for family planning programs and $302 million to fight tuberculosis, among other priorities…” (Diamond et al., 2/14).

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CNN: Heather Nauert withdraws from consideration as U.N. ambassador
“State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Saturday she has withdrawn from consideration as U.N. ambassador. President Donald Trump had previously announced he was picking Nauert, but the formal nomination had not been sent to the Senate. … The State Department said Trump will make an announcement about a new nominee soon…” (Gangel et al., 2/17).

Fox News: John James leading candidate for U.N. envoy, source says
“Former U.S. Senate candidate John James is seen as one of President Trump’s top candidates to become ambassador to the United Nations, a source familiar with discussions about the matter told Fox News on Tuesday. The source said James is the leading candidate and has expressed interest in the position to the White House. The belief among Trump’s inner circle is that James is a rising political superstar, and the U.N. post could provide him with a pathway into elected office. White House officials also confirmed to Fox News that James is under consideration…” (Turner et al., 2/19).

Additional coverage of Nauert’s withdrawal is available from Al Jazeera, BBC News, Bloomberg, Foreign Policy, New York Times, NPR, POLITICO, Reuters, USA TODAY, Vox, and Washington Post.

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Devex: Lebanon nominates Ziad Hayek for World Bank president
“Lebanon’s minister of finance on Monday nominated Ziad Hayek, an expert on public-private partnerships and former investment banker, to be the next World Bank president. Hayek is the second person to have publicly entered the race, and the only known challenger so far to Trump administration nominee David Malpass…” (Igoe, 2/19).

Reuters: Lebanon nominates challenger to Trump’s choice to lead World Bank
“…[Hayek] is challenging Trump’s nomination of David Malpass, U.S. Treasury undersecretary for international affairs. Malpass has met a tepid response from some World Bank board members due to his status as a Trump loyalist who has criticized the bank and multilateral institutions in the past. Hayek’s entry into the race could draw other candidates into a contest expected to be decided before World Bank and International Monetary Fund meetings in April…” (Lawder, 2/19).

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NBC News: Trump administration launches global effort to end criminalization of homosexuality
“The Trump administration is launching a global campaign to end the criminalization of homosexuality in dozens of nations where it’s still illegal to be gay, U.S. officials tell NBC News, a bid aimed in part at denouncing Iran over its human rights record. U.S. Ambassador to Germany Richard Grenell, the highest-profile openly gay person in the Trump administration, is leading the effort, which kick[ed] off Tuesday evening in Berlin…” (Lederman, 2/19).

Vox: The Trump administration reportedly wants to push countries to decriminalize homosexuality
“…The new initiative is still in its planning stages, but will reportedly push countries that still criminalize homosexuality to change their laws. Gay people are still at risk of prosecution or punishment in dozens of countries, including parts of Africa and the Middle East. But the U.S.’s desire to isolate Iran may have helped inspire this global initiative. The Trump administration has made getting tough on Iran the centerpiece of its foreign policy, and it has often called out the oppression of the regime…” (Kirby, 2/19).

Additional coverage of the plan is available from Fox News (2) and The Hill.

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Bloomberg: Vital Food and Fuel Exit Venezuela as Smuggling Worsens Crisis
“U.S. humanitarian aid sits in a warehouse in Cucuta, Colombia, just over the border from crisis-hit Venezuela. According to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the supplies are part of a scheme cooked up in Washington to undermine his government. Juan Guaido, the Venezuelan opposition leader whose claim to be interim president has been recognized by more than 30 countries, says the goods will enter Venezuela on Feb. 23. It’s unclear how, since Maduro still controls Venezuela’s military…” (Bristow/Monteleone, 2/19).

Fox News: Marco Rubio: Venezuelan soldiers would be committing ‘crime against humanity’ by blocking aid
“During a visit to the Colombian border city of Cucuta, Sen. Marco Rubio warned Venezuelan soldiers that they would commit a ‘crime against humanity’ if they blocked the entry of U.S. aid being channeled through rivals of disputed socialist President Nicolás Maduro. … Maduro has been using troops to block aid from entering, saying it’s unnecessary and part of coup to overthrow him. … During a contentious hearing before the House Foreign Affairs Committee, the U.S. special envoy for Venezuela, Elliott Abrams, told members of the committee that while the Trump administration has preferred to use economic, humanitarian, and diplomatic channels to deal with the Maduro regime, the use of military force is not being ruled out…” (O’Reilly, 2/18).

NPR: Venezuela’s Collapse Puts Strain On Latin American Health Care
“The collapse of the health care system in Venezuela is having ramifications throughout Latin America. Disease outbreaks across the continent are being linked back to Venezuela…” (Beaubien, 2/18).

The Telegraph: Donald Trump threatens Venezuela’s military if aid is blocked from entering country
“President Donald Trump has warned the Venezuelan military not to block tonnes of humanitarian aid due to arrive in the country on Saturday, threatening the soldiers with grave consequences for remaining loyal to President Nicolas Maduro. … ‘You cannot hide from the choice that now confronts you. You can choose to accept President Guaido’s offer of amnesty, and live your life in peace with your country. But you must not block humanitarian aid. Or you can choose the second path; continuing to support Maduro. You will find no safe harbor, no easy exit, no way out. You will lose everything’…” (Alexander, 2/19).

Additional coverage of the crisis in Venezuela is available from Agence France-Presse, BBC (2), CNN, Deutsche Welle, Miami Herald, VOA News, and Wall Street Journal.

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IRIN: Briefing: Haiti’s new crisis and the humanitarian risks
“…The Caribbean country is now gripped by deadly protests over allegations of government corruption and the crippling effects of stubbornly high inflation — protests that could bring down President Jovenel Moïse and have already plunged the nation of 11 million people into renewed uncertainty. One of the most vulnerable countries to extreme weather events, Haiti has long had chronic problems trying to feed its population. … But the current political and economic crisis, aid officials are warning, will only worsen the humanitarian prognosis for what is already the poorest country in the western hemisphere…” (Obert, 2/19).

Miami Herald: U.S. looks to send food aid to Haiti as violence brews humanitarian crisis
“The Trump administration is working on a plan to provide a humanitarian aid package to Haiti, where water, medicine, and food are becoming increasingly scarce after nine days of consecutive protests, the Miami Herald and McClatchy Washington Bureau have learned…” (Charles/Ordoñez, 2/15).

PBS NewsHour: Violent protests in Haiti may mean a humanitarian crisis
“Violent protests in Haiti against the government are threatening the country with a humanitarian crisis. President Jovenel Moïse is refusing to resign, there is mounting debt, and allegations of corruption. Both the U.S. and Canada are warning citizens not to travel to Haiti and some tourists are stranded there. Miami Herald reporter Jacqueline Charles updates Hari Sreenivasan on the situation…” (2/16).

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Devex: USAID mulls proposal to train aid workers as special forces
“…A … study [from the Frontier Design Group commissioned by the USAID Global Development Lab] explored the potential demand for and feasibility of a new idea, the creation of rapid expeditionary development teams — or RED teams. ‘Unlike existing USAID officers working in permissive and semi-permissive environments, RED Team members would be specifically recruited and trained to deliver novel techniques, practices, and tools optimized to secure communities vulnerable to violent extremist radicalization and exploitation,’ the report reads. … USAID declined an interview, but when asked whether the agency was still considering this proposal a spokesperson wrote to Devex by email: ‘We are still working on the details in formulating the Rapid Expeditionary Development (RED) Teams initiative. As a learning organization, USAID is reviewing the insights from the report and others to reflect on approaches like red teaming and their value to USAID moving forward’…” (Igoe, 2/19).

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SciDev.Net: SDGs ‘failing to create transformational change’
“The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are often failing to produce the profound changes needed to achieve their ambitious objectives due to a lack of coordination across the 17 separate goals, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting heard. ‘The reality is that if they are just seen as aspirational goals what happens is — what is actually happening now — is that governments are just labelling what they are doing anyhow as being in the obligation of the SDGs,’ Peter Gluckman from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, told a panel discussion during the event, held in Washington, D.C., from 14-17 February…” (Deighton, 2/18).

Washington Post: In his first speech, White House science adviser stresses the importance of the private sector
“In his first major speech since being sworn in, the leading scientist in the Trump administration emphasized the growing importance of private companies in basic research and downplayed the importance of the government’s investment in science. White House Science Adviser Kelvin Droegemeier took the stage at the annual conference of the American Association for the Advancement of Science to describe his vision of the nation’s research ecosystem as one that has changed dramatically since the end of World War II, when the government made a major push to fund basic scientific research…” (Johnson, 2/15).

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CIDRAP News: Ebola under control in Beni amid more cases in other hot spots
“In a promising development in the former Ebola hot spot of Beni, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) [Tuesday] announced that a full Ebola incubation period — 21 days — has passed without any new cases. The announcement came as the country’s health ministry reported four new cases from the current epicenters, Katwa and Butembo…” (Schnirring, 2/19).

Washington Post: New Ebola treatments are being tested in Congo outbreak area
“Amid the second-largest Ebola outbreak ever, the hunt for a lifesaving treatment is on. A clinical trial of patients taking place in Congo is gathering evidence on experimental therapies, to provide a proven option when the deadly virus inevitably emerges again…” (Cunningham, 2/17).

Additional coverage of the DRC Ebola outbreak and response is available from VOA News and Xinhua News.

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PhilStar: Sanofi Pasteur appeals Philippines revocation of Dengvaxia’s certificate of product registration
“Pharmaceutical firm Sanofi Pasteur said it has filed for a motion for reconsideration after the country’s Food and Drug Administration permanently revoked the certificates of product registration of dengue vaccine Dengvaxia. FDA Director General Nela Charade Puno on Tuesday said the pharmaceutical company has shown complete disregard of government rules and regulations…” (2/19).

Additional coverage of this story is available from Bloomberg, PhilStar, and Reuters.

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The Guardian: Measles: WHO says cases have jumped 50%
“Anti-vaccine skepticism, conflict, and poor access fueled a 50 percent increase in measles cases last year, according to the World Health Organization. The U.N. health agency said the resurgence was happening at a global level, including in wealthy nations where vaccination coverage has historically been high. ‘Our data is showing that there is a substantial increase in measles cases. We’re seeing this in all regions,’ said Katherine O’Brien, WHO’s director of immunization and vaccines. ‘We’re having outbreaks that are protracted, that are sizable, and that are growing. This is not an isolated problem’…” (Ratcliffe, 2/15).

Additional coverage of the WHO’s data on measles is available from Agence France-Presse, Newsweek, U.N. News, VOA News, and Washington Post.

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The Guardian: Polio spreads in Afghanistan and Pakistan ‘due to unchecked borders’ (Ahmed, 2/20).

The Guardian: Cervical cancer could be eliminated in most countries by 2100 — research (Boseley, 2/20).

The Guardian: Condom handouts in schools prevent disease without encouraging sex (Ratcliffe, 2/15).

Homeland Preparedness News: Potential bioterrorist use of smallpox should put world on notice, experts say (Riley, 2/19).

IRIN: As Afghanistan’s capital grows, its residents scramble for clean water (Glinski, 2/19).

Livemint: India’s goal of ending TB by 2025 will be a tough task, says Global Fund (Thacker, 2/18).

Los Angeles Times: A specter hangs over Nigeria’s presidential election: Hunger (Mahr, 2/15).

Nature: This Nigerian doctor might just prevent the next deadly pandemic (Maxmen, 2/20).

STAT: Italy proposes the WHO set international standards for drug-pricing transparency (Silverman, 2/14).

Thomson Reuters Foundation: Is high finance growing a social conscience? (Shearman, 2/19).

VOA News: Oxfam: Forced Marriages Aren’t Going Away in South Sudan (Solomon, 2/19).

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The Hill: Fighting AIDS domestically and globally means pushing more evidence-based services
Chris Collins, president at Friends of the Global Fight Against AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria

“[I]n his state of the union address, the president, noting dramatic scientific progress in addressing HIV/AIDS, pledged that ‘Together, we will defeat AIDS in America. And beyond.’ The next day the Department of Health and Human Services released a fact sheet on the plan to end the AIDS epidemic in America. … We need the plan to end the global AIDS epidemic as well. … There is a roadmap for success against HIV. But it must be funded adequately. … This year presents a special opportunity. The Global Fund holds its 6th Replenishment in October. By law, the U.S. cannot provide more than 33 percent of all Global Fund resources, so our pledge leverages donations from other donors who don’t want to leave U.S. funding on the table. One of the beauties of the Global Fund is that it propels others to step up. A three-year U.S. replenishment pledge of $4.68 billion (or $1.56 billion a year) will save millions of lives and drive others to increase their own contributions and achieve the Global Fund’s overall $14 billion replenishment goal. America’s AIDS epidemic is not separate from the global epidemic, but part of it. Both feed on inequality and lack of access to services. And both can, and must, be ended” (2/16).

CNN: Trump’s call to end HIV is a worthy mission both at home and abroad
Bill Frist, former U.S. Senate majority leader and chair of the executive board of Cressey & Company

“…We can and must lead the global fight to end [the HIV/AIDS] pandemic. … While Congress has protected PEPFAR and the Global Fund from proposed cuts in the past, the stakes are higher this year. … Quite simply, if the United States stays committed, other donor governments will step up, too. And if the United States backs away? U.S. complacency could easily be used as an excuse to reduce investment. … I am proud of my colleagues in Congress who recently came together across the aisle to request an increased U.S. pledge to the Global Fund. Now, to unlock support from other donors, Congress should take the next step and appropriate at least $1.56 billion to the Global Fund this year. … It will … be an important first step to ensure that all the donors to the Global Fund enable it to reach a minimum of $14 billion at its replenishment later this year. America has the opportunity to send a strong signal to the world that our leadership in the fight against AIDS continues, and that other donors should join us in an effort to end the biggest health threats once and for all, both at home and abroad” (2/15).

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The Hill: To end tuberculosis, we must invest in a more streamlined approach
Ersin Topcuoglu, senior principal technical adviser at Management Sciences for Health

“…Disease-specific programs have made inroads and may perform well independently, but they can sputter when donor funding recedes, leaving countries no better off than when we started. … In the past several years, the global health community has realized that to end TB, we can’t continue business as usual. … The U.S. continues to lead amid dwindling support for global health development by traditional donors. Thanks to a strong commitment by our legislature, the U.S. even increased funds for TB work abroad in the current fiscal year. Still, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria … is running out of funding. Over the next 18 months, the Global Fund will need a replenishment of at least $14 billion to carry on its work for another three years. The U.S. Congress should pledge to help keep this vital organization well-funded. … Further, activities that promote integrated services to end TB should take priority in funding allocations. We also need to make sure that money is well-spent, which means governments, donors, global health professionals, and providers collaborate on financing and continuously integrate activities and systems. Investing in this approach to attacking TB will finally give the world an edge over this age-old scourge that kills the most” (2/18).

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The Guardian: Can Trump’s pick be stopped from leading the World Bank?
Larry Elliott, economics editor at the Guardian

“…Thanks to a tradition that stretches all the way back to the days when the World Bank and its sister organization, the [International Monetary Fund (IMF)], were created at the Bretton Woods conference in 1944, the Americans get to choose the president of the bank and the Europeans have the right to pick the managing director of the IMF. … [But the arrangement] allows the White House — or, in the case of the IMF, European governments — to pick someone for reasons other than their suitability to do the job. … An open letter signed by more than 100 civil society organizations and published last week makes an obvious point. The vacancy at the bank comes at a time when multilateralism is in crisis. The rise of anti-establishment parties and protectionism are symptoms of a deep malaise in the global economy, the letter notes, adding: ‘The World Bank requires a leader able and willing to critically assess the role the bank can play in challenging the failed model that has led us here.’ Is [Trump’s pick for World Bank president, David Malpass,] such a leader? Clearly he isn’t … The question is whether the other big shareholders of the bank are prepared to make a stand. … This, though, [might] mean the Europeans publicly saying that they would not expect to choose who succeeds Lagarde when her second term expires in 2021…” (2/17).

The Guardian: Trump’s unseemly haste shows World Bank must no longer be in thrall to U.S.
Lucy Lamble, executive editor of the Guardian’s global development desk

“…There is a clear need for reform [in choosing the president of the World Bank]. … The one thing neither the world nor the bank needs is more of the same. Real change in its presidential recruiting practices and a fresh vision are long overdue. The coming weeks will show whether other World Bank stakeholders … will attempt to block Trump’s nominee and stand up against the traditional U.S. stranglehold. If not, the least gentlemanly and agreeable of post-war gentlemen’s agreements will stagger onwards” (2/14).

Foreign Affairs: A Battle Plan for the World Bank
David Miliband, president and CEO of the International Rescue Committee

“…The new [World Bank] president will face a big task. The institution’s core mission is to end extreme poverty and promote sustainable development. But the geography of poverty is changing, shifting more and more toward conflict-affected sites. [Jim Yong] Kim understood that fulfilling the bank’s mission meant tackling the consequences of war and forced displacement. It is essential that his successor continue on this path. … In an era of humanitarian retreat, the bank’s leadership understood that meeting global development goals meant addressing the effects of conflict and displacement. Whoever takes over the bank next will inherit this mission and needs to carry it forward” (2/19).

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Washington Post: What Ivanka Trump’s new initiative overlooks about women’s empowerment
Winnie Byanyima, executive director of Oxfam International

“[Earlier this month], first daughter and White House adviser Ivanka Trump unveiled a new global initiative to empower women. The Women’s Global Development and Prosperity Initiative, as it is called, pledges to help 50 million women in the developing world by 2025. Thus far, $50 million has been allocated to it, provoking criticism for undervaluing the scale of change needed. But this initiative will not succeed or fail on its budget alone. What will be vital is the extent to which it tackles the structural barriers that keep women around the world from reaching their economic potential and truly being able to thrive. … To truly deliver for women in poverty, the [initiative] must do more than invest in short-term solutions. It must challenge [a] deeply sexist and unequal economic model. … To drive this change, the United States must do more than pledge $50 million to as many women around the world. It must fully fund its assistance portfolio and put women at the heart of its development strategy by embedding more staff with gender expertise in its missions, bureaus, and offices, and empowering front-line women’s groups. To achieve transformational change for women around the world, we need initiatives such as this to play their part in ending the suffering and sexism of yesterday’s economic model. Let us take this opportunity to build the far more equal, human economy we need” (2/14).

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The Guardian: Brexit-led nationalism is destroying Britain’s overseas aid effort
Steve Bloomfield, deputy editor of Prospect magazine

“…The most prominent outriders for a cut to the aid budget … are also Brexit’s loudest cheerleaders. That’s no coincidence: a form of nationalism, particularly the idea of a generous Britain being taken for a ride by foreigners, fuels [these] campaigns. … Yet what none of those who propose scrapping [the Department for International Development (DfID)] or reducing its budget like to acknowledge is that it’s actually very good at spending money. It ranks third in the annual Aid Transparency Index, and among international aid experts has one of the best reputations in the world. A report published this month by the ONE campaign also praised DfID for its effectiveness, transparency, and focus on poverty. In short, DfID is working. … British aid is not perfect. But it has transformed millions of lives, helped end humanitarian emergencies, and boosted British soft power. It would be a tragedy if, post-Brexit, we retreated further into our shell and destroyed one of the few things we’re actually good at” (2/18).

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IDSA: Spending Bill Recognizes Crucial Global Health Goals
“The 2019 spending bill passed by the House and Senate Thursday that the President [signed] reflects a meaningful commitment to moving our country forward and to continued U.S. leadership of the fight against the world’s most devastating infectious disease killers. The Infectious Diseases Society of America and the HIV Medicine Association advocated strongly for, and applaud, these decisive steps…” (2/15).

Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network: Congress Once Again Champions Strong Development and Diplomacy in Final FY19 Spending Bill
In a statement delivered on behalf of MFAN on the passage of the FY2019 spending bill, Co-Chairs George Ingram, Lester Munson, and Tessie San Martin write, “The Modernizing Foreign Assistance Network is pleased that Congress has overcome gridlock to pass the State and Foreign Operations (SFOPS) FY19 appropriations that rejects the Trump administration’s proposed massive cuts and includes multiple aid effectiveness provisions. … However, budget delays and uncertainty harm development effectiveness. U.S. assistance programs are most effective when they are carefully planned, budgeted for, and funded. MFAN urges Congress and the administration act on appropriations for these critical American programs without delays in the FY20 funding cycle and beyond” (2/19).

Save the Children: Congress Reaffirms Importance of Foreign Aid
“Save the Children and Save the Children Action Network (SCAN) applauded Congress for its reaffirmation of U.S. leadership on poverty-focused development, global health, and humanitarian relief accounts in the final fiscal year 2019 omnibus bill that the president signed … For the second fiscal year in a row, Congress rejected the deep, disproportionate cuts to life-saving programs proposed by the administration. This is an important step toward ensuring that all children across the globe, no matter where they live and no matter their ethnicity, race, or gender have the opportunity to survive and thrive in some of the world’s most challenging places…” (2/15).

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Oxfam’s “From Poverty to Power”: Why a new report on U.K. aid reform is contradictory, evidence free and full of holes
In a guest post, Oxfam Research Officer Gideon Rabinowitz discusses a report released by the Henry Jackson Society that “calls for the U.K. Department for International Development (DfID) to be re-integrated into the U.K. Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), for U.K. aid to increasingly promote U.K. strategic interests, and for the U.K. to apply its own definition of Official Development Assistance (ODA), breaking with the rules applied by the OECD for more than half a century.” Rabinowitz writes, “Generally, this report displays some major contradictions, a paucity of evidence to support some its of its major claims and proposals, some significant blind spots, and a self-defeating approach to reforming U.K. aid policy. Nevertheless, it’s part of a valuable conversation about how we shape a vision for Britain’s place in the world..” (2/18).

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FT Health: Africa’s neglected poor
The latest issue of the Financial Times’ weekly global health newsletter discusses results from an analysis by Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases, which tracks progress toward preventing and treating five common NTDs in Africa, and features an interview with Kenji Sukeno, president of Fujifilm, who talks about the company’s health care endeavors. The newsletter also provides a roundup of global health-related news stories (Jack/Dodd, 2/15).

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PMI: President’s Malaria Initiative Newsletter: February 2019
The newsletter contains announcements, news articles, and publications from or featured by PMI, including a message from U.S. Global Malaria Coordinator Dr. Ken Staley on “PMI’s new initiatives to transform our data utilization cycle, and set an example of data-driven decisionmaking”; a summary of a February 13 Capitol Hill briefing titled “U.S. Leadership in the Fight Against Malaria”; and links to the FY 2019 Malaria Operational Plans (February 2019).

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U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: Humanitarian Assistance Must Be Allowed To Enter Venezuela
This post discusses the U.S. governments’ efforts to respond “to Interim President Juan Guaidó’s request to help meet the urgent needs of the people of Venezuela…” (2/15).

U.S. Department of State’s “DipNote”: The American People Stand With the Courageous People of Venezuela
This post summarizes remarks made by President Donald Trump on February 18 to the Venezuelan American community in Miami, as well as Twitter updates from USAID Administrator Mark Green (2/19).

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Kaiser Family Foundation: FY19 Conference Agreement Released, Includes State & Foreign Operations (SFOPs) Funding
This budget summary highlights global health-related aspects of the FY19 State & Foreign Operations (SFOPs) conference agreement released on February 13. The SFOPs conference agreement includes funding for U.S. global health programs at the State Department and USAID (2/14).

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