Global Health News

Transformational Diplomacy - Sharing the Vision

Ambassador Randall L. Tobias, Director of U.S. Foreign Assistance and USAID Administrator, spoke to the Society for International Development on August 14, about the new approach to U.S. foreign assistance.

"Our foreign policy is now recognizing what has been best practice in the development arena for at least a decade. As President Bush has said, true development requires far-reaching, fundamental changes in governance and institutions, human capacity and economic structure, so that countries can sustain further economic and social progress without permanently depending on foreign aid."

Read the Full Transcript

Opportunities for Africa's Newborns

Sub-Saharan Africa remains the most dangerous region in the world for a baby to be born, with 1.16 million babies dying each year in the first 28 days of life. According to a new report published November 22, however, six low-income African countries have made significant progress in reducing deaths among newborns. The report, Opportunities for Africa’s Newborns, brings together new data and analysis from the Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health. The Partnership receives extensive support from USAID to strengthen and scale up newborn care within national plans and programs.

Read the Full Report

Saving the Lives of Mothers

Source: ARC

On September 28, The Lancet published a landmark series of papers on reducing maternal mortality in developing countries. On October 5, USAID Senior Reproductive Health Advisor, Mary Ellen Stanton, joined the papers’ authors for a U.S. launch in Washington, D.C.

Speakers at the event addressed preventable pregnancy-related causes of maternal deaths and provided evidence for solutions that can be taken to scale. Every year, about 60 million mothers in developing countries give birth at home without skilled assistance, and nearly 500,000 die from pregnancy- or childbirth-related causes.  USAID is promoting the use of skilled birth attendants to provide lifesaving obstetric care, improve antenatal delivery care, and ensure access to postnatal services.

Related Links and Resources on the U.S. Launch of The Lancet’s Maternal Survival Series

USAID Assistant Administrator Kent Hill Testifies on HIV Prevention Efforts

On September 6, Dr. Kent Hill, USAID Assistant Administrator for Global Health, testified on HIV prevention efforts under the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief before the House Committee on Government Reform Subcommittee on National Security, Emerging Threats and International Relations. Dr. Hill testified with Ambassador Mark Dybul, the U.S. Global AIDS Coordinator, and spoke about in-country interventions to prevent the sexual transmission of HIV and USAID’s role as a key implementer of Emergency Plan programs. Dr. Hill addressed the fundamental importance of prevention in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic, a particularly timely discussion three weeks after the 16th International AIDS Conference in Toronto. Dr. Hill described the Conference as “an opportunity to spotlight the HIV/AIDS epidemic on a global stage … and engage conference participants in robust, frank dialogue about the critical interventions needed to accelerate the prevention of HIV. Against the backdrop of the conference, I returned to Washington with three overarching themes dominant in my thinking:” Read the full transcript

Learn More About the ABCs of HIV Prevention
News and Information on USAID's HIV/AIDS Work
Understanding USAID Support of the Emergency Plan

USAID Announces $100 Million Award to Reduce Impact of Neglected Tropical Diseases in Developing Nations

On August 23, USAID announced a $100 million award to the nonprofit research organization RTI International to reduce the impact of neglected tropical diseases in developing nations. The RTI project will treat more than 40 million people in five years and is one of the first large-scale efforts to integrate existing disease-specific treatment programs to care for millions of the world’s poorest people. It will build on the success of those programs, bring them to national scale, and enhance their effectiveness and efficiency by integrating treatment and monitoring and evaluation programs.

“This significant investment will improve the lives of millions of people afflicted with disabling conditions through effective, low-cost, mass drug administration and associated education programs,” said Richard Greene, Director of the Office of Health, Infectious Disease and Nutrition at USAID. Read the full press release

Learn More About USAID's Work to Control Neglected Tropical Diseases [PDF, 448KB]
News and Information on USAID's Infectious Diseases Work

16 Days of Activism: Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

From November 25 through December 10, 2006, the Office of Population and Reproductive Health (PRH), in coordination with other USAID offices, will commemorate the 16th annual 16 Days of Activism campaign organized by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership.  Beginning on the International Day of Eliminating Violence Against Women and ending on International Human Rights Day, 16 Days of Activism raises awareness about the violence that women and girls face in our global communities and the intersection of violence and public health obstacles, such as unmet need for family planning, HIV/AIDS, maternal morbidity, poverty, vulnerability in armed conflict, harmful traditional practices, and other challenges to human rights.

PRH will be organizing a series of events including a presentation on addressing gender-based violence (GBV) in refugee settings and a demonstration of a Gender-Based Violence Advocacy Kit.  PRH will also be highlighting its recently released guidelines, Addressing Gender-Based Violence Through USAID’s Health Programs [PDF, 1MB], which offer technical leadership and specific recommendations for activities.

More Information on USAID's Series of Events for the 16 Days of Activism

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If you have questions or comments, please contact Chris Thomas at ChThomas@usaid.gov.

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