The next Human Development Report – “The Rise of the South: Human Progress in a Diverse World” – will be published in March 2013. It will examine the profound shift in global dynamics that is being driven by the fast-rising powers of the developing world - and the implications of this phenomenon for human development. China has already overtaken Japan as the world’s second biggest economy, lifting hundreds of millions out of poverty in the process. India is actively reshaping its future with entrepreneurial creativity and social policy innovation. Brazil has become another major engine of growth for the South, while reducing inequality at home through antipoverty programs that are emulated worldwide. Turkey, Thailand, South Africa, Mexico, Indonesia and other dynamic developing nations are also leading actors on the world stage today, offering important policy lessons and valuable new partnerships for the South as a whole, including today’s least developed countries. The Report will feature a new Human Development Index (HDI) as well as the Report’s three complementary indices: the Inequality-adjusted HDI, the Gender Inequality Index (GII) and the Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI).
Useful Resources
This Primer contains tools and resources to help navigate the medical research and development (R&D) paradigm. The Primer provides information on discovery research; translational research; clinical research; regulatory application and approval; and nonprofit actors and their roles in the R&D process.
The Global Health Primer connects the innovators that drive research and development for new drugs, vaccines and diagnostics to the neglected diseases where innovation is desperately needed. It provides a source of compiled and synthesised information for 25 neglected diseases of the developing world and the drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics in use or in development for the management of these diseases. The Primer tracks and analyses progress in global health research and development, provides an evidence base to support decision making, policy change and action, and brings new innovators to the table to address the main medical needs of poor people.
Piloted by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in Khayelitsha, Cape Town, the antiretroviral therapy (ART) Adherence Club model focuses on patient participation and peer support for improved treatment adherence. This simple model allows patient groups to collect pre-packed, two-month supplies of treatment from lay health workers either at the clinic or outside of the clinic, such as a local library or a fellow patient’s home. ART Adherence Clubs give stable, adherent HIV patients easier access to their treatment, while unclogging clinics and freeing up scarce nurses and doctors to manage new or at-risk HIV patients. This practical toolkit includes a step-by-step ‘How-to’ guide, two short films and additional information on tailoring the model to various contexts.
This new Right to Food website was launched on Human Rights Day, 10 December 2012. In addition to a new design, improved functionalities and user friendly navigation, it also displays the diverse work of the Right to Food in the Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO). The Team’s work at global, national, sub-national and regional level is divided into ‘Projects’ and according to activities in the ‘Our Work’ section making it easier for users to find the information needed. There is also a ‘Publications’ section, where you will find information on all aspects related to the human right to food – from principle to practice.
This Guide is being used in six rural districts of Zambia to train Community Health Volunteers, including members of community Safe Motherhood Action Groups (SMAGs), to promote safe pregnancy planning; help reduce maternal delays; and promote appropriate newborn care. The Guide was developed by the Mobilising Access to Maternal Health Services in Zambia (MAMaZ) programme and district health management team partners in six districts It sets out a process for engaging with rural communities to increase awareness of and social approval to act on maternal and newborn health. It contains detailed guidance on how to train SMAG volunteers in two key areas of their portfolio – maternal and newborn health care – and is intended to complement other maternal health and newborn care training resources. The training approach used here aims to build the knowledge and training capacity of the Mama SMAGs in such a way that they do not have to rely on having a paper version of the Community Discussion Guide, mainly because they may have poor literacy. The approach forces trainers to internalise the Guide’s content and techniques and avoids reliance on the production of training manuals in a context where paper and printing capacity may be in short supply and where the dissemination of manuals can be challenging logistically.
The data.unops.org hub has now been officially launched, making publicly available information about procurement from United Nations organisations. Data includes the value of goods and services procured by each organisation, details on amounts procured from developing countries and countries with economies in transition, and profiles of all countries of supply. There are graphs indicating how much UNOPS is delivering on behalf of its partners including the United Nations, governments, multilateral institutions, foundations and the private sector. The data is inter-connected where possible, enabling users to explore information about UNOPS operations from multiple perspectives such as by country, by partner or by sector.
This guide outlines the current state of paediatric tuberculosis (TB) care, looking at current practices, new developments and research needs in paediatric TB diagnosis, treatment and prevention. It is intended to act as a guide to treatment programmes for implementation of the best standard of care currently available to children with TB, and to raise awareness of the need to continue to push for improvements in the management of childhood TB.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has announced the launch of the “Patent Opposition Database,” an online resource to help patient groups or others to oppose wrongful patent applications as a way to ensure access remains open for affordable generic drugs. A patent opposition is a legal challenge aimed at blocking the granting of an unwarranted patent, MSF said. The database was launched on the tenth anniversary of a landmark decision by the central intellectual property court in Thailand to overturn a patent on a key HIV drug based on opposition filed by patients. India and Brazil also have used this process. It provides interested parties with all the information they need to know about patents, medicines and how to build an opposition to cases where pharmaceutical companies are trying to push through patents that will negatively impact on public health.
The Africa Portal’s Community of Practice blog signals important policy research topics and trends in Africa. Contributors include top researchers and practitioners conducting on-the-ground, field-based research in Africa. The blog aims to share their work and document the challenges and learning that emerge from efforts to inform African policymaking.