May 22, 2013 | 1:35 PM | By  | 

The slowly bleeding and diminished champion of global health, WHO | 

Most folks in the global health community say they they fully support the mission of the World Health Organization and then often complain — usually privately, but sometimes publicly — about how horribly bureaucratic, risk-averse and cumbersome it is.

This week in Geneva, as most people I’m sure have not noticed, is the 66th meeting of the World Health Assembly in which WHO member states and organizations discuss how best to prevent the spread of threats like pandemic flu, the challenge of polio eradication, progress made against many childhood diseases and basically try to set the global health agenda for the future.

Margaret Chan
Margaret Chan

“In these troubled times, public health looks more and more like a refuge, a safe harbor of hope that allows, and inspires, all countries to work together for the good of humanity,” WHO Director General Margaret Chan, in her opening statement.

That sounds great, except for a few disturbing signs — the declining financial support for the WHO to get us all working together and a shift away from a focus on infectious diseases to the latest fashion in global health, non-communicable diseases (like heart disease, diabetes, high blood pressure and so on).

Laurie Garrett, a journalist-now-expert at the Council on Foreign Relations and one of the world’s leading commentators on global health, sees this funding shift at WHO away from infectious disease as troubling:

“Overall, the proposed WHO 2014-15 budget offers startling changes in the mission and direction of the agency, pushing it significantly away from infectious diseases, HIV, TB, malaria, and outbreaks, and towards addressing disabilities, diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and aging…. The tuberculosis cuts are especially mysterious, as the numbers of individuals worldwide getting treatment have increased substantially over the decade, but so has incidence of multi-drug resistant TB. “

More worrisome overall, Garrett writes in the second installment of her coverage of the World Health Assembly, is the decline in funding for WHO that has forced the tough choices and cutbacks.

While there has been a substantial increase in the past decade for global health funding overall, with the growth of private donors like the Gates Foundation as well as the creation of multi-lateral funding mechanisms like the Global Fund to Fight AID, TB and Malaria, many experts are concerned that the shrinking clout and influence of WHO — as goofy as it can be — risks undermining the primary vehicle needed to globally set global health policy.

Here’s a nice overview of what’s going on by Tim France, at Inis Communications, along with this graphic depiction of the WHO budget:

WHO budget
Inis Communications
FILED UNDER: Basics, World Health Organization
May 22, 2013 | 1:15 PM | By  | 

Want to play the refugee game? There’s an app for that… | 

I can’t decide if this good, bad or ugly. So I merely pass it on – the UN’s new iPhone or Android app that allows users to pretend to be a refugee fleeing violence, persecution or disaster. Take that Angry Birds!


Built for iOS and Android, ‘MY LIFE AS A REFUGEE’ lets players contemplate the same life-changing decisions refugees make in a true-to-life quest to try to survive, reach safety, reunite with loved ones and re-start their lives.

Read more at: www.mylifeasarefugee.org

FILED UNDER: Basics
May 22, 2013 | 1:10 PM | By  | 

Council on Foreign Relations: US now more unequal than Mexico, 10 other Latin American countries | 

This story opens by saying ‘most everyone agrees that inequality’ matters. I’m not sure that’s true. In the U.S., we’ve come to accept inequality as a natural consequence of things and any politician who uses the e-word gets branded a socialist … or worse. As a consequence, we are becoming one of the most unequal places on the planet.


Most everyone agrees that inequality matters. Studies by the World Bank, the IMF, and by academics (such as Richard Wilkinson of the University of Nottingham) demonstrate how harmful inequality can be, affecting a whole host of factors, ranging from economic growth rates to teenage pregnancy rates and crime.

Read more at: blogs.cfr.org

FILED UNDER: Justice
May 22, 2013 | 12:56 PM | By  | 

Another attempt to define social enterprise | 

The terms ‘social enterprise’ and ‘social entrepreneur’ get bandied about a lot but few — even many of those who use the terms — have a clear notion of what they’re talking about. There is definitely a lack of consensus as to meaning, which the authors of this article in Stanford Social Innovation Review believe endanger this real and legitimate movement.


To live up to its vision to change the world for the better, the social entrepreneur movement must clearly and simply define itself. It’s no secret that the social entrepreneur movement is characterized by confusing and often-contradictory definitions-for example, nonprofits that charge a fee for service and for-profits that have a social impact.

Read more at: www.ssireview.org

FILED UNDER: Basics
May 22, 2013 | 12:56 PM | By  | 

How (bad) messaging fueled Britain’s measles outbreak | 

The delightful Nancy Shute, a longtime friend and colleague, explores how one misguided doctor — assisted by the media — led to Britain’s current measles outbreak. Sometimes, words can do as much damage as sticks and stones.


Great Britain is in the midst of a measles epidemic, one that public health officials say is the result of parents refusing to vaccinate their children after a safety scare that was later proved to be fraudulent. More than 1,200 people have come down with measles so far this year, following nearly 2,000 cases in 2012.

Read more at: www.npr.org

FILED UNDER: Health
May 22, 2013 | 12:56 PM | By  | 

News Rounds: Fighting erupts in Congo as UN chief visits, bird flu outbreak so far cost China $6.5 billion, on neglected ‘everyday’ disasters for the poor and more | 

Mortar lands in Goma during UN Secretary General’s Congo visit (AP) — A mortar landed in a neighborhood of Goma, a major city in eastern Congo, which last year was briefly overrun by a rebel group. The explosion comes as U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon arrived there.

Bird Flu Costs in China Set at $6.5 Billion (VOA) — Scientists and economists say the H7N9 bird flu outbreak in China has cost that country’s poultry industry $6.5 billion, as consumers shun chicken and health officials make gains in controlling the deadly virus.

Neglected ‘everyday’ disasters fuel rising losses for poorest (Thomson Reuters) — The “everyday” disasters that do most harm to poor people are going largely unnoticed, depriving many of aid that could stop them falling into a downward spiral, government officials and development experts say.

World on course to run out of water (Guardian) – Freshwater supply and water quality under pressure, warns UN secretary general on International Day of Biological Diversity

Kenya probe links president to rights abuses (Al Jazeera) – In a report released Tuesday, Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta and his deputy William Ruto have been named for supporting post-election violence and human rights abuses between 2007 and 2008. Kenyatta has denied the allegations.

Haiti suffering from hunger, funding low for food aid (Examiner) – Haiti suffering from hunger in the aftermath of storms and drought that have struck the impoverished country, the World Food program says.

World Bank pledges $1 billion to aid peace in Africa’s Great Lakes  (Reuters) – The World Bank pledged $1 billion on Wednesday to fund development in central Africa’s Great Lakes region in return for peace, but fresh fighting in eastern Congo underscored the challenges facing the area.

Poaching in central Africa threatens peace (AP) — The illegal trade in elephant ivory may constitute an important source of funding for armed groups, including the Lord’s Resistance Army, threatening peace and security in central Africa.

FILED UNDER: Basics
May 21, 2013 | 12:05 PM | By  | 

New website continues poverty porn debate | 

A group of NGO workers and activists are hoping to ramp up the conversation about how poverty is depicted. Their new platform, Regarding Humanity, seeks to foster dialogue about poverty porn, but to bring together practitioners, educators, journalists, and students in the question: “How do we as a community dedicated to social impact maintain local agency, partnership, and relevant, respectful narrative as core values of our work?”

“From multiple photos of rape victims in the Congo used to raise funding in annual reports, to repeated images of squatting South Asian women looking up at Western aid workers, to pictures of naked and emaciated children lying in the rubble after Haiti’s earthquake, to initiatives that seek donations of used underwear to send to Africa, a group of us saw that questionable instances of framing and narrative were rampant,”  writes Regarding Humanity co-founder Lina Srivastava.

Srivastava is joined by co-founders Linda Raftree and MJ Broadbent for the project with the backing of  an array of individuals with experience in humanitarian aid, transmedia storytelling, journalism, service design, academia, ethnography, visual art, and mobile technology.

“The Re: Hum website will source content from a diverse set of authors and creators in order to bring a global perspective to the issue. It will serve as an educational resource and discussion forum to teach visual literacy, the importance of ethnography, and ways to maintain narrative integrity. We will be expanding to a discussion series, research, and an educational curriculum over time and as resources permit,” explains Raftree.

The launch of the website and platform was proceeded by last week’s Salon on poverty porn in New York City (read my summary of the discussion here).

FILED UNDER: Basics
May 21, 2013 | 10:30 AM | By  | 

Skip the Corporate Social Responsibility and Invest Local | 

Building Markets wants corporations to put the breaks on its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programs and put the money into local investments. Ainsley Butler explains in a blog post today:

Poverty can be beaten when people have jobs. In the world’s poorest economies, 9 out of 10 jobs are created by small business owners. Access to opportunity and capital is the best way to help these business owners create jobs.

Their pitch is to get aid money in circulation in developing countries so that businesses can grow.

Because local spending is where the war on poverty can be won, mining companies should stop thinking about their CSR budget as their community development budget. Increased spending through local businesses can have a far greater economic impact than any CSR budget. By purchasing and spending locally, you are spending your money twice. By buying local, companies obtain the goods and services necessary for their operations while revenues are used to pay and hire local workers, thereby supporting families and communities. Money is re-invested in business, community health, employment, and education sectors.

They make a pretty good case. One company that is doing that is Unilever. The international giant set forward its Sustainable Ling Plan a few years ago. It is comprised of a series of goals and targets meant to improve the lives of its customers and the environment.

So maybe we need to think of businesses as major development players. Thoughts or suggested readings from the crowd?

FILED UNDER: Business