News

Early hearing screening improves child development

Early hearing screening improves child development By Lynne Peeples NEW YORK | Tue Oct 19, 2010 5:04pm EDT (Reuters Health) – Screening for hearing problems within the first weeks of life benefits children, especially when interventions quickly follow the detection of any impairments, suggests a new study of more than a half million Dutch children. [...]

Call for applications: 8th Orientation Workshop on “Maternal and Newborn Health Programming”

Geneva, Switzerland, 29 November to 3 December 2010 Call for applications The Workshop is part of a series of capacity-building workshops organized by the Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health (MCH) on a regular basis. The course objectives are to familiarize participants with WHO guidance on interventions and related health system issues for [...]

Call to Action to Global Leaders at the United Nations Secretary General’s Meeting: 22 September 2010

In 2000, global leaders made a promise to reduce poverty throughout the developing world by committing to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Of all the MDGs, goals 4 and 5, to improve the health of women and children, are most off track. As the final push to the MDG deadline begins, donor and developing country [...]

MDG Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Progress Chart 2010

The MDG Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Progress Chart 2010 was launched in New York on 20 September 2010. The chart presents an assessment of the situation of women in a number of indicators used to monitor progress towards the MDGs, The presented data were compiled by the Inter-Agency and Expert Group on MDG indicators led [...]

UN Summit on MDGs

With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, UN Secretary-GeneralBan Ki-moon has called on world leaders to attend a summit in New York on 20-22 September to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. Coming amid mixed progress and new crises that threaten the global effort to halve extreme poverty, “the [...]

Trends in maternal mortality: 1990 to 2008

Millennium development goal (MDG) 5 Target 5A calls for the reduction of maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by three quarters between 1990 and 2015. It has been a challenge to assess the extent of progress due to the lack of reliable and accurate maternal mortality data – particularly in developing-country settings where maternal mortality is high. [...]

Mental Health and Development: Integrating Mental Health into All Development Efforts including MDGs

[NEW YORK/ GENEVA, 16 September 2010] – People with mental and psychosocial disabilities are among the most marginalised groups in developing countries. Even though development actors have pledged to focus their work on the most vulnerable in a community, many programmes continue to ignore and exclude this vulnerable group. New report on mental health and [...]

‘Progress for Children’ report sheds new light on achieving Millennium Development Goals

UNICEF, Chris Niles NEW YORK, USA, 7 September 2010 – Addressing the needs of the poorest of the poor is the key to meeting ambitious development goals and reducing global injustice, according to a UNICEF’s latest ‘Progress for Children’ report. The report was released today, during the first day of a UNICEF Executive Board session at [...]

Human Rights and MDGs in Practice

Governments that pursue development hand-in-hand with human rights stand a better chance of reaching the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). A new publication by the United Nations Human Rights office (OHCHR) shows what this entails in practice. With only five years left until the 2015 deadline to achieve the MDGs, preparations are in full gear for [...]

Youth contest fosters dialogue on armed conflict

Geneva (ICRC), 23-08-2010 – In an effort to give young people a stronger voice concerning today’s most pressing humanitarian issues – from mass displacement caused by war to the lifelong and devastating impact of landmines – the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is launching a global “young reporter” competition, aimed at enabling people between [...]