Photo credit: GAVI/Riccardo Gangale When we talk about vaccines, we usually talk about impact. We talk about the millions of lives saved; we talk about progress made; and we talk about the healthier world they build. All of that is true and all of that is incredibly important. But today, I want to talk about the critical role that our elected officials play in this story. Today, the Senate Foreign Relations Committee passed S. Res. […]

Photo credit: WHO/Christopher Black On December 2, the World Bank released a report, “Update on the Economic Impact of the 2014 Ebola Epidemic on Liberia, Sierra Leone, and Guinea.” The report concludes that in 2014 alone, the cost of Ebola was over $500 million, with Liberia the hardest hit. The three governments have had to cut more than $160 million in public investments, a decision that will have significant impacts on social services in the three

This is a guest post by Pieter Desloovere, WHO Spokesperson in Liberia.  WHO patient expert trainer Austin S Jallah – WHO/P Desloovere “When the outbreak first started in March and we heard about this deadly virus Ebola, I was in Kakata,” says Austin S Jallah, a student nurse of Kakata University, in Margibi County, Liberia. “People really doubted the fact that Ebola was real, until we heard about the first case in the hospital. I

In an earlier blog, I had reflected on the need for women (and men) to have more access to what one may call “free” time: time that can be used on non-productive work and on non-maintenance (that is, non-family care related) activities; time to do nothing if they so wish; time to pursue creative urges; and time to occasionally waste. I stand by that recommendation. But one needs to clarify that free time cannot and

By Guest Author: Sofia Gruskin, Director, Program on Global Health & Human Rights at the University of Southern California Institute for Global Health Today is Human Rights Day. In reflecting on the theme for this year — Human Rights 365, encompassing the idea that every day is and should be Human Rights Day — we are reminded that even with the tremendous progress we have made, we still have a lot of work ahead of

This is a guest article by Katherine Arnold, Senior Program Associate, Humanitarian, for the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves In Rwanda, more than 72,000 refugees are living in five refugee camps spread across the country. The majority of these refugees are from the Democratic Republic of Congo and fled from their homes into Rwanda to escape ongoing violent conflict between rebel groups. Life in these camps is difficult – food, cooking fuel, lighting, and livelihood

Increasing financial flows to developing countries is essential to accelerate their transition to low-carbon energy systems and to protect vulnerable communities. Doing so immediately would also make it easier to conclude a new climate agreement in Paris in 2015. Carbon dioxide from energy production and use represents about 65% of global emissions and is estimated to increase by a third by 2020. Global demand for energy will increase by 35% by 2030, with developing countries

We live in a data-driven world, in which decisions for businesses, governments, individuals, and families are made based on comparison of key statistics and analyses of information. But the world is missing the most basic information on far too many girls and women around the world, including where and when they were born, how many hours they work, whether they’ve experienced violence, or how they die. It is impossible to develop smart policies and make

Despite some critical words from observers, negotiators in Lima agreed Sunday on a “Call for Climate Action” that sets the stage for the decisive talks planned for Paris next year under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The process had gained significant momentum from the progress made over the past few months – particularly from the UN Climate Summit and People’s Climate March, successful IPCC report releases, the EU’s 2030 commitment, and, perhaps