Expert Committee Finds Little Fault in Hong Kong's Response to SARS Iraq Health Minister Plans Future Iraqi Health System

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Expert Committee Finds Little Fault in Hong Kong's Response to SARS Iraq Health Minister Plans Future Iraqi Health System News Communication was one of the problems, the report recommended Expert Committee finds little main failings outlined in the report. the creation of a Centre for Health fault in Hong Kong’s response The Department of Health (a govern- Protection (CHP) with responsibility, to SARS ment department reporting to the authority and accountability for the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau which prevention and control of communi- A panel of international experts has overall policy responsibility for health cable diseases. commissioned by the Chief Executive matters), only became aware of the first Whilst the report has received some of the Hong Kong Special Administra- major outbreak through news media criticism from Hong SAR’s media for tive Region found shortfalls in the reports. This was a result of an initial not naming individuals, WHO has government’s handling of the outbreak failure in communication between Hong welcomed the commissioning of the in China, Hong Kong Special Adminis- Kong SAR’s Hospital Authority (an report. “It is a reflection of Hong Kong trative Region (Hong Kong SAR), but independent body responsible for the [Special Administrative Region]’s praised its response overall. The 172 page provision of all public hospital services), continuous willingness to be transpar- SARS Expert Committee report was the Department of Health and university ent, even of its flaws,” said Dick published on 2 October and highlighted health experts. Guangdong, where the Thompson, Communications Officer in weaknesses in Hong Kong SAR’s health disease originated, was singled out for WHO’s Department of Communicable system but did not single out any officials having withheld information about the Diseases. “What is important,” he for individual criticism. disease from Hong Kong SAR and the added, “is that these assessments are “Overall the epidemic in Hong rest of the world. “If it had been avail- done and that Hong Kong [Special Kong [Special Administrative Region] able,” the report said, “we believe the Administrative Region], and WHO, was handled well, although there were epidemic might have been ameliorated.” learn from SARS so that we are prepared clearly significant shortcomings of system Lack of contingency planning was for SARS II, whatever that might be.” performance during the early days of also highlighted as a major weakness in The full report and its summary the epidemic when little was known the system. Referring to the outbreak at can be viewed on the Committee’s web about the disease or its cause,” said the the Prince of Wales Hospital on 10 March site at www.sars-expertcom.gov.hk. O report, which also went on to praise in which 11 staff were infected, the Sarah Jane Marshall, Bulletin “the extraordinary hard work of people committee noted the “absence of a pre- at all levels of the system in very determined hospital outbreak control difficult circumstances.” It also pointed plan and the inadequate involvement of Iraq health minister plans out that the shortcomings in the territory’s Department of Health staff in critical health system were aggravated by key decisions about outbreak control measures future Iraqi health system personnel succumbing to the disease. at the Prince of Wales Hospital were Iraq’s interim health minister Khudair Hong Kong SAR was the second not conducive to the management of Abbas is working on plans to transform worst hit area after the mainland itself the outbreak.” Inadequate infection his country’s public health system that with 299 deaths and 1755 infections. control and poor environmental once favoured Saddam Hussein’s allies However, the fatality rate in Hong Kong conditions were also cited as contribut- to one that is more equitable and SAR was much higher, showing 17.1% ing factors to the outbreak at the Prince primary health care-based and reflects compared with the mainland’s 7%. of Wales Hospital and other outbreaks in the dual burden of noncommunicable The Committee was established on Hong Kong SAR. The absence of and communicable diseases. 28 May following criticism by Hong comprehensive laboratory surveillance Dr Abbas has been working closely Kong SAR’s community of its was listed as another important gap in with WHO, the Coalition Provisional government’s handling of the outbreak the system. Authority in Iraq (CPA), several UN during the initial stages of the crisis. The report made 46 recommen- agencies and the World Bank to identify The Committee comprised 11 experts dations presented under 12 strategic Iraq’s immediate health needs and draw from Australia, China including Hong themes with the overall aim of making up a long-term plan for public health. Kong SAR, the United Kingdom and sure Hong Kong SAR is better The plans, which were due to be the USA and was co-chaired by two prepared for future disease outbreaks. presented at a donor’s conference in British doctors, Sir Cyril Chantler and A major recommendation was a review Madrid on 23–24 October, require about Professor Sian Griffiths. Their task was of the organizational structure US$ 1.6 billion in funds from 2004 to to conduct a review of the management including the relationship between 2007 in addition to the US$ 1 billion and control of the epidemic and to the Health, Welfare and Food Bureau already raised by the US Government identify lessons to be learned to better and the constituent government and Iraqi oil revenue. prepare Hong Kong SAR for any departments. Ambiguities in the “Our chief priority is to jump-start future outbreak. The Committee relations between and roles of the the Iraqi health system so that it can formed two groups to focus on hospital departments had led to a breakdown provide basic functions again like disease management and administration, and in coordination and policy-making surveillance, provision of medicines and public health. during the epidemic. To address these basic hospital services,” said David 848 Bulletin of the World Health Organization 2003, 81 (11) News of Kuwait recently made a US$ 3 million donation to a Basrah hospital. Dr Nabarro was optimistic that the Iraqi health bid would get a positive response from donors in Madrid but he said there was no guarantee. “I think there is a good chance that the Health Sector will get support from investors – some conventional donor assistance through the Health Ministry, some as proposed partnerships between companies outside Iraq and the health authorities within the country, and some as support for local initiatives and NGO’s,” he said. O Fiona Fleck, Geneva Malnutrition leading cause of David Nabarro death in post-war Angola Health facilities in Basrah, Iraq, destroyed during the 2003 war. Malnutrition replaced violence as the Nabarro, the senior WHO official The US-led war in Iraq triggered a main killer of displaced children and appointed by the UN and the World complete collapse of the country’s health adults at the end of Angola’s bloody civil Bank to help prepare the health side of system. Outward signs were looted war, says the medical relief organization, Iraq’s needs assessment for Madrid. hospitals and violence against health Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF). A Building a health system virtually workers, especially female staff. survey (BMJ 2003;327:650-5) by the from scratch is a formidable challenge But the system was “already badly organization documents the disastrous amid continued violence, tension and run down” due to previous wars, health impact of armed conflict on an uncertainty and is expected to cost sanctions, drastically reduced spending isolated population that has been billions. WHO has already helped — some estimates suggest the Iraqi health largely ignored by the outside world. Afghanistan, East Timor and, many years budget was cut by 90 per cent during The survey focused on the families ago, Cambodia, rebuild their health the 1990s — as well as an inequitable of former members of the rebel move- systems from the ashes of war. After Iraq, health treatment policy. ment UNITA (União Nacional para a the next such project will be to help Decades of weak primary health Independência Total de Angola), which Sudan create a public health system, care have resulted in high rates of was defeated after a 27-year civil war. Dr Nabarro said. maternal and child mortality, and of A ceasefire was signed in April 2002. But humanitarian agencies in Iraq malnutrition. Diseases like malaria and In the last four years of the war, an say the dire security situation there is cholera are endemic in certain parts of international embargo prevented relief making their mission difficult and Iraq and there is a drastic shortage of organizations from reaching UNITA-held dangerous. After the bomb attack on nurses, epidemiologists and public areas so that by the time of the ceasefire, UN headquarters in Baghdad on 19 health administrators. some three million people were judged August, many — including Médecins One of the first projects was to to be in need of immediate help. Sans Frontières (MSF), the International vaccinate all Iraqi children of five years MSF says that death rates among Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), and younger against measles, diphtheria, the displaced UNITA families during Oxfam, Save the Children, Merlin and tetanus, whooping cough, tuberculosis, the survey period, between mid-2001 the United Nations High Commis- hepatitis B, and polio by the end of and mid-2002, were about three times sioner for Refugees — scaled back their the year. The National Vaccination Days as high as expected for a population in a operations, withdrew international project is being sponsored by WHO, low-income country. Some of the deaths staff and moved their headquarters to UNICEF, the US Government and the could have been avoided if humanitarian neighbouring Jordan or Kuwait.
Recommended publications
  • Systems Leadership for Sustainable Development: Strategies for Achieving Systemic Change
    DISCUSSION PAPER Systems Leadership for Sustainable Development: Strategies for Achieving Systemic Change Lisa Dreier, David Nabarro and Jane Nelson Systems Leadership for Sustainable Development: Strategies for Achieving Systemic Change Written by Lisa Dreier, David Nabarro and Jane Nelson Cover photos: World Economic Forum New Vision for Agriculture Initiative (upper left), Scaling Up Nutrition Movement (upper right), and Rich City Rides (below). Designed by Alison Beanland © 2019 by the CR Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School Contents Executive Summary 4 Preface: A Tool for our Times 6 I. Systems Leadership: An emerging approach for tackling complex challenges 7 II. The Emergence of the Systems Leadership Concept 9 III. Defining Systems Leadership 13 IV. The CLEAR Framework for Leading Systems Change 17 V. The Journey of Systems Leadership: The “Aha!” Moments 28 VI. Mindsets and Behaviors of Individual Systems Leaders 35 VII. Mainstreaming Systems Leadership: The Way Forward 37 Annexes 1. Frameworks for Systems Leadership and Systems Change 39 2. CLEAR Framework Self-Assessment Questions for Systems Leadership Initiatives 43 3. List of Reviewers 45 Endnotes 46 SYSTEMS LEADERSHIP FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 3 Executive Summary Addressing complex challenges through systems change The 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda includes 17 inter-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), each representing complex systems – such as climate, food, health, cities – with myriad stakeholders. Achieving progress on this agenda requires a departure from traditional top-down, hierarchical and linear approaches to implementing change. Instead it requires innovative and adaptive approaches that engage broad networks of diverse stakeholders to advance progress toward a shared vision for systemic change. This approach is called Systems Leadership.
    [Show full text]
  • World Health Organization Gets First Leader from Africa : Nature News & Comment
    NATURE | NEWS World Health Organization gets first leader from Africa Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus to head agency amid calls for reform. Declan Butler 23 May 2017 Fabrice Coffrini/AFP/Getty Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, from Ethiopia, is the World Health Organization's next director-general. The World Health Organization (WHO) has its first director-general from Africa. Ethiopia’s Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus will take the top post at the agency from 1 July — succeeding Margaret Chan — after winning a 23 May vote by WHO member states at the World Health Assembly, their annual gathering in Geneva, Switzerland. Tedros is a public-health expert who has formerly been both a health minister and a foreign minister in Ethiopia’s government, and he will lead the WHO for a 5-year term. He takes the helm troubled times: the WHO’s core budget — its dues from its members — is falling, and it is now dangerously dependent on the voluntary contributions that make up the vast bulk of its spending and often come with strings attached by donors. The agency has also often been criticized for its complex, bureaucratic and ineffective management structure. Chan has spent a decade (two terms) in office. Her leadership was criticized in 2014, when the agency was slow to respond to the Ebola epidemic in West Africa. That prompted several outside reviews and ongoing reforms of ways the organization responds to disease outbreaks. Widespread horse-trading between Related stories Related stories the WHO’s member states was • Clock is ticking for WHO • Clock is ticking for WHO expected during the secret ballot for decision over Taiwan decision over Taiwan the director-general position, at which new voting rules were • The time is ripe to reform • The time is ripe to reform applied.
    [Show full text]
  • NOV 2020 RR Updated CREAM.Indd
    RESEARCH REPORTS Volume LXXXI November 2020 published by RESEARCH REPORTS AIER publishes over 100 articles per month that are distributed in digital form. Research Reports contains Business Conditions Monthly plus 12 of the most representative, chosen here for popularity, variety, and relevance. These articles are often reprinted in venues around the web, including Seeking Alpha, Intellectual Takeout, Mises Brasil, and dozens of other outlets. To read all of them, go to www.aier.org Business Conditions Monthly ROBERT HUGHES 1 The Year of Disguises ROGER W. KOOPS 9 AIER Hosts Top Epidemiologists, Authors of the Great Barrington Declaration AIER STAFF 20 The Great Barrington Declaration and Its Critics JENIN YOUNES 22 Reddit’s Censorship of The Great Barrington Declaration ETHAN YANG 25 The Sketchy Claims of the Case for a Mask Mandate PHILLIP W. MAGNESS 28 Lockdown: The New Totalitarianism JEFFREY A. TUCKER 32 What’s Behind The WHO’s Lockdown Mixed-Messaging STACEY RUDIN 35 Covid Is Not Categorically Different DONALD J. BOUDREAUX 41 The Devastating Economic Impact of Covid-19 Shutdowns AMELIA JANASKIE & PETER C. EARLE 43 Will Things Ever Go Back To Normal? JOAKIM BOOK 53 Does Anyone Trust the Fed? THOMAS L. HOGAN 56 QE Goes Global COLIN LLOYD 58 BUSINESS CONDITIONS MONTHLY Robert Hughes Senior Research Fellow AIER’s Leading Indicators Index Improves Again in October The U.S. economy continued to recover in October from the historic plunge in economic activity in the first half of the year. However, the pace of recovery in some areas has slowed. Furthermore, fallout from continuing restrictions (small business and personal bankruptcies) as well as the potential for renewed lockdown policies remain ongoing threats to future growth.
    [Show full text]
  • Attendees' Briefing Pack Global Humanitarian Policy Forum 2020
    ATTENDEES’ BRIEFING PACK GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN POLICY FORUM 2020 A Case for Transformation? The Longer-term Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Wednesday, December 9, 2020 | 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Thursday, December 10, 2020 | 9:15 am – 12:30 pm Virtual Meeting Link: https://pm1pro.zoom.us/j/92395689044 Website: https://www.unocha.org/2020-humanitarian-policy-forum 1 TABLE OF CONTENTS CONCEPT NOTE - Global Humanitarian Policy Forum 2020………………………………………….....…3 AGENDA…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………4 CONCEPT NOTE – Beyond Health: Political, Socio-Economic and Security Dimensions of the COVID-19 Pandemic……………………………………………………………………………………..………….…...…6 CONCEPT NOTE – Coalitions for Success: New Partnerships and Local Frontline Leadership………………………………………………...…………………………………………………………....…....10 CONCEPT NOTE – Future Proofing: Organizational Readiness & Strategic Crisis Preparedness……….................................................................................................................................................13 CONCEPT NOTE – Realizing the Digital Promise: Moving New and Emerging Technologies from Pilots to Practice……....................................................................................................................................16 2 CONCEPT NOTE – GLOBAL HUMANITARIAN POLICY FORUM A Case for Transformation? The Longer-term Implications of the COVID-19 Pandemic Wednesday, December 9, 2020 9:00 am – 12:30 pm Thursday, December 10, 2020, 9:15 am – 12:30 pm Virtual Meeting Link: https://pm1pro.zoom.us/j/92395689044
    [Show full text]
  • Security Council Provisional Asdf Sixty-Ninth Year 7268Th Meeting Thursday, 18 September 2014, 2.45 P.M
    United Nations S/ PV.7268 Security Council Provisional asdf Sixty-ninth year 7268th meeting Thursday, 18 September 2014, 2.45 p.m. New York President: Ms. Power/Mr. Dunn . ............................. (United States of America) Members: Argentina ...................................... Mrs. Perceval Australia . Mr. Quinlan Chad .......................................... Mr. Mangaral Chile .......................................... Mr. Barros Melet China ......................................... Mr. Wang Min France ......................................... Mr. Delattre Jordan ......................................... Mrs. Kawar Lithuania ....................................... Ms. Murmokaitė Luxembourg .................................... Ms. Lucas Nigeria . ........................................ Mr. Sarki Republic of Korea ................................ Mr. Oh Joon Russian Federation ............................... Mr. Maksimychev Rwanda ........................................ Mr. Nduhungirehe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland ... Sir Mark Lyall Grant Agenda Peace and security in Africa Ebola This record contains the text of speeches delivered in English and of the translation of speeches delivered in other languages. The final text will be printed in the Official Records of the Security Council. Corrections should be submitted to the original languages only. They should be incorporated in a copy of the record and sent under the signature of a member of the delegation concerned to the Chief of the Verbatim Reporting
    [Show full text]
  • ESCAP-2006-JOU-POPULATION-HEADLINERS-NO312.Pdf
    No.312Jana May-June 2006 Funded by UNFPA ISSN 0252-3639 United Nations Secretary-General presents first Human Development Award to Thai King Secretary-General Kofi Annan had an audience with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand to whom Mr. Annan presented the Human Development Lifetime Award on 26 May at the Royal Residence in Hua Hin. The Award was conferred in recognition of His Majesty’s dedication to improving the lives of Thai people. It was the first time that the UNDP award was presented to an individual in honour of his lifetime work to furthering the understanding and progress of human development in a national, regional or global context. The Award was presented during the auspicious occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the King’s accession to the throne. (Photo courtesy of UN Photo/Evan Schneider) Sexual and reproductive health worsens worldwide With more than half a million women dying economic planning and training of country teams each year during pregnancy and childbirth from for planning and working together. They will largely preventable causes, and 340 million new coordinate work in addressing female genital cases of sexually transmitted bacterial infections mutilation/cutting; obstetric fistula, a devastating annually, United Nations agencies are childbirth injury; violence against women; and a coordinating action to reverse the global trend of pilot programme in two countries to introduce the deteriorating levels of sexual and reproductive Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. health. “The key is to make practical plans in order to “There is a really worrying rise in the number implement these strategies”, UNFPA Executive and severity of sexually transmitted infections Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said.
    [Show full text]
  • Declaration of Rodney X. Sturdivant, Phd
    DECLARATION OF RODNEY X. STURDIVANT, PHD. I, Rodney X. Sturdivant, Ph.D., pursuant to § 1-6-105, MCA, hereby declare, under penalty of perjury, the following to be true and correct: 1. I am a resident of San Antonio, Texas. I am 56 years old and am otherwise competent to render this declaration. I am mentally sound and competent to attest to the matters set forth herein. The matters set forth in this Declaration are based upon my own personal knowledge, unless otherwise stated. I have personal knowledge of the matters set forth below, and could and would testify competently to them if called upon to do so. Professional Background 2. I am an Associate Professor of Statistics at Baylor University and director of the Baylor Statistical Collaboration Center. I have been on the Baylor faculty since July, 2020. Prior appointments and professional experiences include Research Biostatistician, Henry M. Jackson Foundation (HJF) supporting the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences, Professor of Applied Statistics and Director of the M.S. in Applied Statistics and Analytics at Azusa Pacific University, Chair of Biostatistics and Clinical Associate Professor of Biostatistics in the College of Public Health at The Ohio State University and Professor of Applied Statistics and Academy Professor in the Department of Mathematical Sciences, West Point. I hold two M.S. degrees from Stanford, in Operations Research and Statistics, and a Ph.D. in biostatistics from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst. I have taught courses involving advanced statistical methods at four institutions, and worked on collaborative research with researchers in a wide variety of medical and public health settings.
    [Show full text]
  • Dr David Nabarro Election Brochure
    Dr David Nabarro Candidate for Director-General of the World Health Organization Nominated by the UK Government I am delighted to support Dr David Nabarro as a candidate to be the next Director-General of the World Health Organization. I am confident that he would provide the strong leadership that the WHO needs to make sure it delivers on the Sustainable Development Goals and helps ensure global health security. Dr Nabarro offers a huge range and depth of experience to the role. He has worked within the United Nations system, and is able to work with the most senior levels of national governments with confidence. A clinician himself, he also has a wealth of experience at the community level, engaging with civil society to co-produce policy and deliver real change on the ground. I hope that many of you will be able to meet and engage with Dr Nabarro during the election process. I am sure that you will find him to be an outstanding candidate for the WHO Director-General position, who cares deeply about the health of everyone around the world and has the skills to protect and improve this through leadership of the WHO. The Right Honourable Jeremy Hunt MP Secretary of State for Health Dr David Nabarro is the outstanding candidate for the role of Director-General of the World Health Organisation. With his experience and long track record, Dr Nabarro would provide the strong, reform-minded leadership that the WHO needs, and Member States expect, to improve the health and increase the prosperity of the world’s poorest people.
    [Show full text]
  • NZMJ 1446.Indd
    LETTER New Zealand’s voice at the World Health Organization (WHO) Frank Houghton Many eyes are currently focused on the Under the new rules governing the US, where Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump election process, up to fi ve of these candi- have begun the fi rst in a series of live tele- dates may be shortlisted for interview by vised debates in the presidential race there. the Executive Board of the WHO in January However, it is important not to overlook 2017. Three of these candidates will then be other elections with real potential to impact chosen to go forward for a deciding vote by global health. The most important of these is the World Health Assembly. Interestingly, at undoubtedly the post of the Director-General that point all 194 nations will have an equal of the World Health Organization (WHO). vote, albeit a secret equal vote. Therefore The (second) term of the current incumbent, this process “gives Niue, population of 1,612, Dr Margaret Chan, expires on June 30 2017, an equal vote with China, population of and jockeying for the prime position is 1.4 billion—and Lichtenstein, equal voting already underway. Historically there have power with India, population 1.25 billion”.1 been many accusations and assumptions So where does New Zealand stand in of bribery and corruption in the process, this process? New Zealand is fortunate in although there is, to date at least, very little being just one of thirty-four nations repre- 1 evidence to support such claims. sented on the Executive Board of the WHO.
    [Show full text]
  • The United Nations Secretary-General Established a Task Force on the Global Food Security Crisis Under His Chairmanship on 28 April, 2008
    The United Nations Secretary-General established a task force on the global food security crisis under his chairmanship on 28 April, 2008. It is composed of the heads of involved United Nations specialized agencies, funds and programmes, the Bretton Woods institutions, and relevant parts of the UN Secretariat. The Task Force mandate is to promote a unified response to the global food challenge, including by facilitating the creation of a prioritized plan of action and coordinating its implementation. It has drafted a Comprehensive Framework for Action, which defines and elaborates a three-part strategy for addressing the food crisis. The Task Force is chaired by the UN Secretary-General. FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf is the Vice- Chairman of the Task Force. The Secretary-General has appointed Assistant Secretary-General David Nabarro as Task Force Coordinator, effective 1 January 2009. List of participants » Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Chairman » Jacques Diouf, Vice-Chairman, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) » Lennart Bage, International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) » Dominique Strauss-Kahn, International Monetary Fund (IMF) » Angel Gurría Secretary-General of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) » Supachai Panitchpakdi, United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) » Kemal Dervis, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) » Achim Steiner, United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) » António Guterres, Office for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) » Ann M. Veneman, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) » Josette Sheeran, World Food Programme (WFP) » Margaret Chan, World Health Organization (WHO) » Robert Zoellick, World Bank » Pascal Lamy, World Trade Organization (WTO) » Sha Zukang, Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) » B.
    [Show full text]
  • United Nations Secretary-General Presents First Human Development Award to Thai King Sexual and Reproductive Health Worsens Worl
    No.312Jana May-June 2006 Funded by UNFPA ISSN 0252-3639 United Nations Secretary-General presents first Human Development Award to Thai King Secretary-General Kofi Annan had an audience with His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand to whom Mr. Annan presented the Human Development Lifetime Award on 26 May at the Royal Residence in Hua Hin. The Award was conferred in recognition of His Majesty’s dedication to improving the lives of Thai people. It was the first time that the UNDP award was presented to an individual in honour of his lifetime work to furthering the understanding and progress of human development in a national, regional or global context. The Award was presented during the auspicious occasion of the sixtieth anniversary of the King’s accession to the throne. (Photo courtesy of UN Photo/Evan Schneider) Sexual and reproductive health worsens worldwide With more than half a million women dying economic planning and training of country teams each year during pregnancy and childbirth from for planning and working together. They will largely preventable causes, and 340 million new coordinate work in addressing female genital cases of sexually transmitted bacterial infections mutilation/cutting; obstetric fistula, a devastating annually, United Nations agencies are childbirth injury; violence against women; and a coordinating action to reverse the global trend of pilot programme in two countries to introduce the deteriorating levels of sexual and reproductive Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) vaccine. health. “The key is to make practical plans in order to “There is a really worrying rise in the number implement these strategies”, UNFPA Executive and severity of sexually transmitted infections Director Thoraya Ahmed Obaid said.
    [Show full text]
  • Leading Change in United Nations Organizations
    Leading Change in United Nations Organizations By Catherine Bertini Rockefeller Foundation Fellow June 2019 Leading Change in United Nations Organizations By Catherine Bertini Rockefeller Foundation Fellow June 2019 Catherine Bertini is a Rockefeller Foundation Fellow and a Distinguished Fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The Rockefeller Foundation grant that supported Bertini’s fellowship was administered by the Chicago Council on Global Affairs. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization that provides insight – and influences the public discourse – on critical global issues. We convene leading global voices, conduct independent research and engage the public to explore ideas that will shape our global future. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs is committed to bring clarity and offer solutions to issues that transcend borders and transform how people, business and government engage the world. ALL STATEMENTS OF FACT AND OPINION CONTAINED IN THIS PAPER ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE AUTHOR AND DO NOT REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION OR THE CHICAGO COUNCIL ON GLOBAL AFFAIRS. REFERENCES IN THIS PAPER TO SPECIFIC NONPROFIT, PRIVATE OR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES ARE NOT AN ENDORSEMENT. For further information about the Chicago Council on Global Affairs or this paper, please write to the Chicago Council on Global Affairs, 180 North Stetson Avenue, Suite 1400, Chicago, IL 60601 or visit thechicagocouncil.org and follow @ChicagoCouncil. © 2019 by Catherine Bertini ISBN: 978-0-578-52905-9 All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This paper may not be reproduced in whole or in part, in any form (beyond that copying permitted by sections 107 and 108 of the US Copyright Law and excerpts by reviewers for the public press), without written permission.
    [Show full text]