Malaria vaccine is a medical breakthrough The first-ever malaria vaccine, which was shown to cut the risk of infection by half among children in sub-Saharan Africa, is listed among the top 10 medical breakthroughs of 2011 by TIME magazine. Results from the ongoing trial of the vaccine, which involves 15,460 children through 2014, will help […]
Silence never won rights. They are not handed down from above; they are forced by pressures from below. – Roger Nash Baldwin Today we celebrate International Human Rights Day, marking the 63rd anniversary of the signing of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Today is one that continues to inspire people across the globe, transcending cultures and borders, as they stand united for […]
This year, for most of us, our wallets are not as fat as they once were. Charitable giving may seem like a daunting task or just plain impossible, as you search your pockets and come up empty handed. For those of you who find a few pennies to spare, and want to ensure that you […]
Women and children are hit the hardest by hunger worldwide. Why? In developing countries women face unique barriers to critical resources like income, land, education and the ability to borrow money. The global population has now hit a astonishing 7 billion-plus mouths to feed, and women and children account for more than 60% of those […]
On World AIDS Day, UN officials say end to epidemic is within reach In his annual World AIDS day message, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “Momentum is on our side. Let us use it to end AIDS — once and for all.” U.S. President Barack Obama announced plans to redirect $50 million in already […]
Did you know that there is an estimated 14,500 to 17,500 foreign nationals trafficked into the United States each year? Shockingly, the number of U.S. citizens trafficked within the country is even higher! “Is it really that bad?” is the question usually asked- the answer is undeniably, “Yes!” According to the 2009 Domestic Minor Sex Trafficking […]
Summary of the Past Year 2011 has surely been a year of trial and tribulations for children across the globe struggling for freedom and their basic human rights. I wish I could write and say that 2011 was the year that we abolished child trafficking, child marriage, prevented children dying from preventable childhood diseases and […]
Zero New HIV Infections. Zero Discrimination and Zero AIDS Related Deaths. In 1988, the UN General Assembly expressed deep concern over the pandemic proportions of the AIDS virus. Following the World Health Organization (WHO) declaration of 1 December 1988 as World AIDS Day, the General Assembly drafted resolution 43/15. According to the 2011 World AIDS Day Report, […]
Efforts to combat trafficking are diverse and growing. Businesses, NGOs, academics, politicians, governments and individuals all have a role to play. So, instead of spending Thanksgiving weekend watching the Macy’s Parade, eating turkey and shopping (my usual Thanksgiving activities), I was in Amsterdam and London for meetings on fighting human trafficking. Human trafficking, or modern […]
Thousands gathered in Senegal yesterday for the opening of the second International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP), the largest meeting of its kind, which will run until December 2, 2011. The objective of the groundbreaking meeting is to push forward an agenda for broad family planning access and support across the globe. The outcome of the […]
Polio climbs in Nigeria, spreads to neighboring countries Polio is spreading throughout Nigeria at a time when the success of polio eradication in Africa rests on Nigeria stopping the virus, according to the World Health Organization. Observers in the country’s Kano State, which has recorded 16 new polio cases and accounts for nearly half of […]
Now that you have managed to make it through the Thanksgiving holiday, your mind has begun to drift away from thoughts of turkey and stuffing, not to mention pumpkin pie, to thoughts of holiday giving. Today the Christmas shopping season officially begins, as Black Friday consumes shoppers across the country. It’s the American way to look for […]
Today Americans are sitting down for what is, for most, the biggest meal of the year, spending the day with family and friends to celebrate Thanksgiving. The day is one where we are able to escape the chaos that has become our everyday lives and take a moment to gather around tables covered in bountiful […]
The Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) recently published a working paper, Maternal Health in Afghanistan. The paper is co-authored by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, fellow and deputy director of CFR’s Women and Foreign Policy program, and Isobel Coleman, Senior Fellow and Director of the Civil Society, Markets, and Democracy Initiative, Director of the Women and Foreign Policy Program. […]
It’s been quite a year for human rights. Almost as soon as the year began, popular revolts shook the foundations of authoritarian regimes in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya. Using the power of social media, people organized in opposition to autocratic rule across the Arab world. In Tunisia and Egypt, these movements overturned (or at least […]