Fwd: AJWS: CONGRESS MISSES HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID

Media Contact: Rebecca Kaplan, 212.792.2889 AJWS: CONGRESS MISSES HISTORIC OPPORTUNITY TO REFORM INTERNATIONAL FOOD AID WASHINGTON, DC — American Jewish World Service released the following statement today after the House of Representatives failed to pass the Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment. "Tragically, Congress missed an historic opportunity today to fix our international food aid program," said Timi Gerson, director of advocacy for AJWS. "The bipartisan Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment would have helped at least four million more hungry people get life-saving access to food aid. Unfortunately, today's vote leaves the status quo in place, which means we will continue to spend more food aid dollars to reach fewer hungry people around the world. The U.S. supplies approximately half of all food aid worldwide yet our Eisenhower-era program is outdated. There is an average delay of three to four months in delivery of food aid shipped from the U.S., a time lag that is a matter of life or death. Yet Congress did not take the steps necessary to streamline the program to make it more cost-effective and efficient. "Despite the outcome, today's vote was an historic one. For the first time ever, a floor vote was held on food aid reform and it brought together a broad range of support among members from across the political and geographic spectrum during a time when bipartisanship is rare. "While the self-interested supporters of the status quo have won this battle, but we will continue to work with members of Congress to enact meaningful food aid reform and to fight to reduce hunger and improve access to food worldwide. When almost one billion people around the world go hungry every day, making every food aid dollar count is not only a responsible use of taxpayer money, it is a moral imperative. We thank House Foreign Affairs committee Chairman Ed Royce and Ranking Member Eliot Engel for their courageous leadership in recognizing the critical need for food aid reform, and we appreciate the many Members who supported their amendment. Unfortunately the majority of their colleagues were not willing to stand up for policy that saves lives and taxpayer dollars," Gerson said. The Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment would have updated the Food for Peace program to provide greater flexibility and help more people with our overseas food assistance without spending any additional U.S. taxpayer dollars. Earlier this month, the Senate passed the Agriculture Reform, Food and Jobs Act of 2013 (the Farm Bill), including an amendment that would create a permanent $300 million program to buy food from small-scale farmers in developing countries, boosting agricultural economies and securing long-term, local food sources. While the Senate bill made incremental steps toward reform, it did not achieve the type of comprehensive modernization of the program that was included in the Royce-Engel Food Aid Reform Amendment. For the almost two years, American Jewish World Service, along with a coalition of leading international development, humanitarian and advocacy groups, has worked with members of Congress to reverse global hunger by reforming the current Food for Peace program to make it more effective at reaching hungry people today while creating a hunger-free world tomorrow. About American Jewish World Service: American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. We support more than 400 grassroots organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas that promote the rights of women, girls and LGBT people; rebuild societies torn apart by war and natural disasters; and seek to secure access to food, land and water. In the United States, we mobilize our supporters to advocate for U.S. policies that help create a just and equitable world. We are inspired by Judaism's commitment to pursue justice and repair the world, and we believe that Jewish history teaches us to respect and fight for the rights of others.

Fwd: Press Release: MCC Board Approves Georgia Compact

Email not displaying correctly? View it in your browser. MCC.gov | About Us | Press & Public Affairs For Immediate Release June 19, 2013 Contact: 202-521-3850 info@mcc.gov MCC Board Approves Georgia Compact Washington, D.C. — At its quarterly meeting today, the U.S. Government's Millennium Challenge Corporation Board of Directors approved a five-year, $140 million compact with Georgia to increase the quality of human capital by investing in science and technology education and workforce development.   "One of the key ingredients to economic growth is equipping citizens with the education and skills they need to succeed in a modernizing economy," MCC CEO Daniel W. Yohannes said. "This compact will strengthen teaching, learning, and educational intuitions in Georgia so that students can learn skills that are directly matched to industries driving growth. A better educated workforce will accelerate economic growth, stimulate job creation, reinforce democratic participation, and better position Georgia to be a strong trade partner of the United States."    MCC's Board selected Georgia as eligible to develop a second compact in January 2011; the country successfully completed a five-year, $395.3 million compact in March 2011. At today's meeting, the Board discussed the importance of Georgia maintaining its commitment to good governance throughout its partnership with MCC.   For its subsequent compact, the Government of Georgia conducted an analysis that identified the quality of human capital as a binding constraint to economic growth, particularly acute in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM).    To improve the quality of education in these fields and increase earning potential, the proposed compact will make strategic investments from the start of a student's general education to graduation from technical training and advanced degree programs, including a focus on increasing women's participation in STEM professions.   The compact, expected to be signed during the summer of 2013, consists of three projects: The Improving General Education Quality Project seeks to improve the quality of general education through rehabilitation of deteriorating schools, training for educators and school managers and support for education assessments. The Industry-Led Skills and Workforce Development Project aims to improve the link between market-demanded skills and the supply of Georgians with those technical skills. The STEM Higher Education Project proposes to attract one or more American university partners to modernize science, technology, engineering, and math education by offering high-quality degree programs that boost productivity and growth and increase employment opportunities. The Board also received an update and discussed results, risks and lessons from MCC compacts closing out this year in Lesotho, Mongolia, Morocco, Mozambique, and Tanzania. MCC expects more than 12 million people to benefit from these five completed compacts, which have invested more than $2.5 billion in 20 major agriculture, education, energy, health, property rights, private sector development, roads, and water and sanitation projects.   ### The Millennium Challenge Corporation, a U.S. Government agency designed to work with some of the poorest countries in the world, is based on the principle that aid is most effective when it reinforces good governance, economic freedom and investments in people that promote economic growth and elimination of extreme poverty.

AJWS OPPOSES VISIT TO U.S. BY SUDANESE WAR CRIMINAL

Media Contact: Rebecca Kaplan, 212.792.2889 AJWS OPPOSES VISIT TO U.S. BY SUDANESE WAR CRIMINAL Global Human Rights Group Demands that the U.S. Lead Serious Effort to Achieve Peace  NEW YORK, NY – Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service (AJWS), released the following statement today regarding the possible visit to the United States by Nafie Ali Nafie, a senior advisor to Sudanese President Omar Al Bashir.  President Bashir has been indicted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity. "Nafie Ali Nafie is an admitted torturer, and he has served as a top lieutenant to Omar Al Bashir, an indicted war criminal responsible for committing heinous human rights violations, including the Darfur genocide. The crimes against the Sudanese people, which Nafie has abetted, are crimes against humanity, and he should not be welcome in the United States, especially by our government.  "If Nafie visits Washington, D.C. with our government's approval, it is incumbent upon the Obama administration to make a concerted effort to achieve peace in Sudan through a renewed and deepened diplomatic strategy by the U.S.  And since Nafie's visit would badly undermine the civil society and opposition groups working for a better future in Sudan, we call for a redoubled effort by the U.S. to support these Sudanese groups and ensure they play a meaningful role in shaping Sudan's future. "Our nation has failed to address the fundamental problems at the center of Sudan's many civil wars, ethnic, religious, and regional conflicts, including the concentration of resources and power with the country's ruling elite in Khartoum. Now is the time to change our fundamental approach to Sudan through a sustained high-level engagement. Since news of the genocide emerged in 2004, AJWS has been at the forefront of the campaign to bring the plight of Darfur and Sudan into the national and international political spotlight and make it a top priority of the American Jewish community. AJWS co-founded the Save Darfur Coalition and continues to lead Jewish and interfaith advocacy in collaboration with allied organizations working to bring an end to the bloodshed. About American Jewish World Service: American Jewish World Service (AJWS) is the leading Jewish organization working to promote human rights and end poverty in the developing world. We support more than 400 grassroots organizations in Africa, Asia and the Americas that promote the rights of women, girls and LGBT people; rebuild societies torn apart by war and natural disasters; and seek to secure access to food, land and water. In the United States, we mobilize our supporters to advocate for U.S. policies that help create a just and equitable world. We are inspired by Judaism's commitment to pursue justice and repair the world, and we believe that Jewish history teaches us to respect and fight for the rights of others.

CLAMP DOWN ON UK-LINKED TAX HAVENS KEY TO SUCCESS OF G8 - NEW REPORT

Embargo: 19:30 Friday June 14 2013

CLAMP DOWN ON UK-LINKED TAX HAVENS KEY TO SUCCESS OF G8

UK-linked tax havens are at the centre of a global financial system that encourages crime, corruption and aggressive tax avoidance in developing countries, reveals a new report from the Enough Food For Everyone IF campaign.

It highlights for the first time the huge scale of foreign investment routed through the UK's tax havens to poor countries – and the potential for abuse this causes.

The findings in Invested Interests: The UK's Overseas Territories' Hidden Role in Developing Countries underline the urgent need for the G8 to agree a tax deal that benefits poor countries.

Joseph Stead, IF spokesman and report author, said: "The UK as G8 chair has never been in a stronger position to end the grave injustices caused by tax havens – if the UK  succeeds in putting its own house in order first.

"The Prime Minister must do everything he can to get UK havens agreed on a tax deal before he arrives in Northern Ireland, so he can push the G8 to end the tax scandal.

"The G8 can start to put an end to tax haven secrecy by agreeing to public registers of the beneficial ownership of all companies and trusts, and making sure developing countries benefit from any tax information deal."

The report reveals that the British Virgin Islands (BVI), Cayman Islands, Bermuda, Gibraltar, Anguilla and Turks and Caicos - all British Overseas Territories - together with the Crown Dependencies of  the Isle of Man, Jersey and Guernsey are now the largest source of Foreign Direct Investment in developing countries.

The amount totalled US$556bn by 2011, the most recent year for which we have figures, and accounted for one in every ten US dollars of foreign direct investment made there. This figure is concerning because investment is often structured through such jurisdictions specifically to enable tax dodging in poor countries. Other abuses they facilitate include the laundering of crime money, and 'round tripping', in which money originating in the developing country where it is to be invested is sent offshore and then returned disguised as foreign funds to qualify for major tax breaks.

"All countries need foreign investment, particularly those fighting hunger and acute poverty," added Mr Stead. "But this needs to be genuine and bring real benefits, not money disguised for tax purposes to enrich the already wealthy, illicit money laundered to bestow legitimacy on the corrupt, or investment designed to shift profits out of developing countries.

"We need to clamp down on tax havens and launch a convention on tax transparency to stop the flow of billions of pounds out of developing countries – money that could be used to end hunger."

The report finds that the British Virgin Islands alone was the fourth largest investor to developing countries in 2011, with the amount involved US$388bn. Globally it provides investment more than 860 times the size of its own GDP.

That same year it was revealed that 45 newly incorporated companies in the BVI had acquired mining assets in the Democratic Republic of Congo at a loss, it was claimed, to the DRC's economy of US$ 5.5bn. The identity of those behind the companies remains secret.

Former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan warned recently that foreign investors making extensive use of tax havens 'facilitate tax evasion, and in some cases corruption.'

The IF campaign estimates that developing countries lose some US$160bn of tax revenues a year from multinationals shifting profits offshore before they can taxed.

Ends

For more information please contact: Andrew Hogg, Christian Aid Press Office. 0207 523 2058/07872 350534.

Notes to editors:

About Enough Food for Everyone IF:

• Enough Food for Everyone IF is a coalition of nearly 200 organisations which have joined together to campaign for action by the G8 on the issue of global hunger. The last time we worked together at this scale was for Make Poverty History. Now that the G8 group of world leaders are returning to the UK, we are demanding they take action on hunger. 2013 won't be the end of hunger, but it could be the beginning of the end. Join us at www.enoughfoodif.org or current Members of Enough Food for Everyone IF, visit www.bond.org.uk
• Joseph Stead is senior economic justice adviser at Christian Aid

 

 

 

--------- Enough Food For Everyone IF Join the call for a fairer food system that works for all. Visit www.christianaid.org.uk/if --------- Save paper, save trees and only print this email if you have to. --------- Christian Aid is a charity and company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales: 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. UK registered charity no. 1105851. Company no. 5171525. Christian Aid also operates in Scotland: Registered Office: 41 George IV Bridge, Edinburgh, EH1 1EL. Charity no. SC039150 Christian Aid Ireland is a charity and company limited by guarantee registered in Northern Ireland: Unit 6 Linden House, Beechill Business Park, Belfast, BT8 7QN. Northern Ireland charity no: XR94639. Company no. NI059154. Christian Aid Ireland is a registered charity and registered company limited by guarantee: 17 Clanwilliam Terrace, Dublin 2. Republic of Ireland charity no. CHY 6998. Company no. 426928. Christian Aid Trading Limited is a company limited by guarantee registered in England and Wales: 35 Lower Marsh, London SE1 7RL. Company no. 1001742.

Ten Years of Health Innovation in Africa: Progress Made But Sustained Engagement and Partnership Needed to Develop and Implement New, Adapted Treatments for Neglected Diseases

     

 

 

Ten Years of Health Innovation in Africa: Progress Made But Sustained Engagement and Partnership Needed

to Develop and Implement New, Adapted Treatments for Neglected Diseases

 

[Nairobi, Kenya - 5 June 2013] – Days after two landmark resolutions were adopted at the World Health Assembly – on neglected tropical diseases and on research and development (R&D), financing and coordination for the health needs of developing countries – over 400 scientists, representatives and ministers of health, ambassadors, national control programme representatives, African regulators, health workers, public health experts, and activists from 21 African countries and 10 others from around the world gather in Nairobi to take stock of health innovation for neglected diseases in Africa over the past decade. While progress has been made, and certain diseases are targeted for elimination, the need for strong leadership, coordination, and sustainable funding is as pressing as ever and is critical to achieving much-needed breakthroughs.

 

Participants in the event – 'A Decade of R&D for Neglected Diseases in Africa' – organized by the Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) on the occasion of its 10-year anniversary, with its African founding partner, the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI), will look at progress to date, gaps needing to be filled, and current and future development of new, field-adapted, affordable treatments, diagnostics, and vaccines for neglected diseases and patients throughout Africa.

 

'Neglected patient medical needs specific to Africa are many, and as scientists and policymakers in Africa, we need to share research and resources across borders to save time and money to help those most in need,' said Dr Monique Wasunna, Director of DNDi Africa, and Assistant Director of Research at KEMRI. 'By harmonizing efforts across Africa, we can strengthen our ability to turn research into concrete solutions for the health needs of the most neglected.'

 

As an example, ten years ago, patients with sleeping sickness were treated with a century-old regimen of painful injections of an arsenic-based drug, which itself killed one in 20 patients. Today, an improved treatment option developed in 2009, a combination therapy of an oral drug with intravenous injections, has become the treatment of choice in all endemic countries. This improved treatment resulted from years of R&D efforts in sub-Saharan African countries afflicted by the disease. Today a new oral-only treatment is being tested by DNDi in remote areas of Africa, in trials that are of international standards.

 

'As the African scientific community, we need to strive to build the scientific excellence to take ownership of research for health,' said the Honorable Mr James Macharia, Cabinet Secretary for Health of Kenya. 'I believe Africa is ready to take a step in this field, to develop and implement integrated strategies for neglected diseases. But even with such integrated strategies, and the political will required to propel them, in addition to the resources required from them, we must not forget that the right tools for elimination are necessary to really see the elimination of many of these diseases,' he added.

 

Despite increased attention and investments over the past decade in research for neglected diseases, a recent analysis in The Lancet reported that only 1% of all health R&D investments in 2010 were for neglected diseases.^[1] In a recent analysis, DNDi and MSF estimated that, while progress has been made over the past decade, still only 3.8% of newly approved drugs were for neglected diseases that accounted for 10.5% of the global disease burden.^[2]

 

The current reflection on the progress in R&D for neglected diseases and patients in Africa comes at a time when WHO member states have also reported unprecedented progress in the control of many of these diseases. Elimination goals up to 2020 for several neglected tropical diseases such as sleeping sickness, visceral leishmaniasis, or lymphatic filariasis were set out early last year in the WHO NTD Roadmap,[3] and new health tools are needed to support this strategy.

 

DNDi and a number of other new partnership initiatives set up during the last decade are bringing together the public and private sectors, in collaboration with WHO, TDR, and others to develop such new health tools.  While not the ultimate solution to R&D gaps, these new models contribute significantly to the fight against neglected diseases.

 

'DNDi has developed six new treatments for four neglected diseases in the past decade, but there are still other neglected diseases that continue to lack good treatment options. While this progress is a good start, the treatments delivered are far from optimal. We have not yet developed new modern drugs which could change the history of certain neglected diseases,' said Dr Bernard Pécoul, Executive Director of DNDi. 'To truly fight neglect, we must push for more innovation and access of new treatments together with adequate coordination with control programmes. Progress to date shows this can be done in and with countries in Africa.'

 

DNDi and partners in Africa have established two regional R&D disease networks: the Leishmaniasis East Africa Platform (LEAP), launched in 2003 in Khartoum, Sudan; and the Human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) Platform, launched in 2005 in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo. LEAP was instrumental in the development of the combination drug SSG&PM (sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin) for the treatment of visceral leishmaniasis (kala azar) in East Africa, while the HAT Platform played a major role in the development of NECT (nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy) for the treatment of late-stage sleeping sickness.

 

'Around the world we are moving ahead in leaps and bounds, as ten years ago, good clinical practice was not the norm. Africa has moved very quickly in in this field and in the regulatory area and in ethics review. We need very strong clinical and regulatory practice to do good R&D,' said Dr Charles Mgone, Executive Director of the European & Developing Countries Clinical Trials Partnership (EDCTP). 'But we have not yet been able to support capacity building from within, and we must be able to. Working together is the key,' he added.

 

 

Press contacts

Samantha Bolton (Nairobi): sbolton@dndi.org +254 728 846 923

Renee Olende (Nairobi): rolende@dndi.org  +254 705 639 909

Violaine Dallenbach (Geneva): vdallenbach@dndi.org +41 22 906 92 47 / +41 79 424 14 74 (mobile)

 

 

About Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)
DNDi is a not-for-profit research and development (R&D) organization working to deliver new treatments for the most neglected diseases, in particular sleeping sickness (human African trypanosomiasis), Chagas disease, leishmaniasis, filarial (parasitic worm infections), and paediatric HIV.

 

Since its inception in 2003, DNDi has delivered six treatments: two fixed-dose antimalarials (ASAQ and ASMQ), nifurtimox-eflornithine combination therapy (NECT) for late-stage sleeping sickness, sodium stibogluconate and paromomycin (SSG&PM) combination therapy for visceral leishmaniasis in Africa, a set of combination therapies for visceral leishmaniasis in Asia, and a paediatric dosage form of benznidazole for Chagas disease in Latin America.

 

DNDi was established in 2003 by MSF, the Indian Council of Medical Research, Brazil's Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, the Kenya Medical Research Institute, the Ministry of Health of Malaysia, and the Institut Pasteur in France, with the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (WHO-TDR) as a permanent observer.
www.dndi.org

 

 

About 'Connect to Fight Neglect'

As part of its 10th anniversary, DNDi has launched a special advocacy website to give voice and attention to neglected patients and those working to develop and deliver life-saving treatments for them. The 'Connect to Fight Neglect' website is a multimedia web portal where videos, photos, audio, testimonials, stories, and opinions can be shared about some of the world's most neglected diseases, the people whose lives are diminished and threatened by these conditions, and the research and care efforts under way around the world. Among the people featured are patients, doctors, researchers, public health officials, policymakers, funders, and activists.

www.connect2fightneglect.org

 

 

 

 

 

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[1] Mapping of available health research and development data: What's there, what's missing, and what role is there for a global observatory? Rottingen J-A et al. The Lancet, Online Publication, 20 May 2013  - doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(13)61046-6

[2] Medical innovations for neglected patients, DNDi-MSF, December 2012.

[3] Accelerating work to overcome the global impact of neglected tropical diseases—A roadmap for implementation, WHO, January 2012.