09 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: Through a public-private partnership with the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) and Hewlett-Packard, 15 universities in sub-Saharan Africa will gain IT equipment and funding that will enable them to bridge “the digital divide between North and South,” according to Liliana Simionescue, a UNESCO assistant program specialist. The project is an expansion of the Brain Gain Initiative, which pairs universities with international experts to focus on educational and research projects, with the aid of advanced grid and cloud computing technologies. The end goal, according to UNESCO, is to “build capacity for sustainable development through advances in science and technology with a goal of reaching 100 universities by the end of 2011.” This expansion of the Initiative, announced this week, will “facilitate international, scientific cooperation for sub-Saharan Africa as a whole and for Senegal, in particular,” Simionescue told MediaGlobal. “Thanks to this link, scientists at the University of Dakar now have access to considerable information [and] technology resources.” “Our hope was that the IT equipment and funding would serve to help them connect to networked resources in Africa and beyond…to facilitate exchange, mentoring, and collaboration with the African Diaspora, to create an infrastructure for highly skilled people to address high priority local issues, and thereby complement existing efforts to stem the loss of skilled manpower from participating African countries,” Simionescue continued. Universities in Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya, Kuwait, Lebanon, Morocco, Senegal, Tunisia, and Uganda will benefit from the IT equipment, including services for grid-enabling and cloud computing technologies, and the training and support provided by HP. Students and professors alike will be able to utilize the computing power to engage in “cutting edge university projects all over the world,” and connect with leading researchers who conduct research from home. “The migration of highly-skilled human resource is a problem affecting developing countries in their capacity for development. It is increasingly recognized that diasporas may have an active role to play in the development process of their countries of origin—not only as a source of funds, but also as a rich source of skills and know-how,” Simionescue concluded. The Brain Gain Initiative was first launched in 2003, in South-East Europe, in response to the “great loss of life, but also of intellectual capacity,” in the conflict-ridden region. Though now focusing on Africa and the Middle East, the program could further expand to different regions in the coming years, Simionescue noted. Amy Lieberman

‘Ugly Betty’ and ‘Nothing but Nets’ team up to eradicate malaria in Africa

09 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: ABC’s “Ugly Betty” will team with the UN Foundation’s “Nothing but Nets” to spread the word about the devastating impact of malaria in Africa. Though malaria has been virtually eliminated in developed countries, the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates it to be one of the main causes of child mortality in Africa. According to WHO, the disease causes approximately one million child deaths per year (roughly 2,700 each day), 90 percent of which are children under five. In addition to the cost of lives, African economies continue to suffer greatly from the damage done to their workforces. Cast member Tony Plana and other stars of “Ugly Betty” admit that they had previously learned nothing about the disease from the media, but they have now become very active in malaria prevention and hope to make others no longer see it as a “distant issue.” Plana explained that “Ugly Betty” joined the UN because the show is a good fit with the organization, telling MediaGlobal, “We are the UN of television because we represent inclusion. We have already connected with a set of issues and [these issues] help us focus on global awareness.” On the ground, the three-year-old “Nothing but Nets” campaign supports the UN’s pledge of “stopping and reversing the incidence of malaria by 2015.” The group partners with the UN and a diverse set of organizations such as NBA Cares, the United Methodist Church, and Malaria No More to work in ten African countries. It aims to expand into eleven others. “Nothing but Nets” also works with health organizations to distribute nets along with other critical medicines as well as with the UN Refugee Agency to provide vital health assistance for refugees. Since there are no cures or vaccines for malaria, “Nothing but Nets” has concentrated on prevention, relying on proven and cost-effective ways of stopping the spread of the disease. This is done chiefly through purchasing and distributing pesticide-treated nets—more than 2.8 million of which have already been distributed—as well as following up with education. The cost of this is only US $10 per net distributed. Cast members hope to do their part by using their “global outreach” to raise awareness and mobilize a broad range of people to get involved through the very cheap and easy process of donating. Focusing on anti-malarial nets, “Ugly Betty’s” two-hour season premier—which was partially shot at UN headquarters—will be broadcast on ABC on Friday, 16 October. Henoch Derbew

Financial markets in developing countries get a much-needed boost

09 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: In response to concerns over the finances of the developing world, the International Finance Corporation (IFC) announced the Debt and Asset Recovery Program, or DARP, this week to help soften the blow to financial institutions and businesses. IFC, the private-market arm of the World Bank Group, will inject US $1.55 billion into the program, and hopes to garner an additional US $5 billion from other sources. The program will allow struggling individuals, businesses, and banks to address underperforming loans and weak credit, the same variables that triggered last year’s financial crisis in developed nations. Kenroy Dowers, IFC manager in global financial markets, told MediaGlobal, “A full recovery will not happen without a way to manage troubled assets, including non-performing bank loans. Countries that can’t will face a more sluggish private sector recovery, higher interest rates, and, alongside this, higher unemployment and poverty.” As the recovery continues in international financial markets, IFC will work tirelessly to make sure developing markets do not enter into another tailspin. The best way to prevent this is to ensure that troubled assets are contained and not able to further damage financial sectors and banks’ balance sheets. Hyung Ahn, IFC senior investment officer for global financial markets, told MediaGlobal, “We need to continue to be innovative and anticipate market needs especially during these times of rapidly evolving market dynamics to help bolster and expand the recovery.” IFC will also be cooperating with local businesses to make sure they can remain viable and contribute to local economies by assisting them with finances. This will be of heightened importance, because, as Dowers notes, “For the individual business person or small- to medium-sized firm, we have to be overly concerned as the period to regain full access to credit may not return quickly and also the strain due to low exports, high financial costs, and low overall demand take a toll on the fortunes of small and medium enterprises.” Ryan Dicovitsky

Extreme weather in the Pacific in keeping with climate change projections

07 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: The United Nations launched a flash appeal for US $74 million yesterday for aid in the Philippines, where flooding has left 336,000 people displaced, 300 killed and 40 missing, as well as 40,000 destroyed homes. It is the largest single flash appeal the UN has ever called for the country. UN Humanitarian Chief John Holmes said that the he has already authorized an allocation of US $7 million to aid this campaign, and that member nations have come forward with approximately US $10 million. Additional funding may be required for devastated parts of Indonesia. The official death toll now stands at 608, with 434 people missing, but Holmes noted that is an “incomplete figure, which is likely to rise further as all the bodies buried under the rubble have not been recovered.” There are 237 reported deaths in Samoa, as well as 310 injured persons. Nine are said to be dead in Tonga, and additional deaths have been cited in the American Samoa. The Samoan government expects that damage may cost US $150 million. “One of the issues raised by this is not about earthquakes but the extreme weather-related events, and how far they are being affected by climate change,” Holmes told MediaGlobal at a press conference. “You can’t link one event to climate change, but the trend looks pretty clear, from what scientists have told us to look out for, and the reality on the ground seems to be following that.” One of the consequences, Holmes said, is the need to focus on disaster risk and reduction measures, as well as preparedness, and “not just on recovery after the event.” Food and clean water, as well as access to sanitation, medical care, and emergency shelters are needed in all affected regions, including Bhutan, which last week was hit by an earthquake measuring 6.3 on the Richter scale, killing 12, injuring 35, and destroying more than 1,000 homes. Holmes said that all affected regions are particularly vulnerable at this time, but that humanitarian workers have struggled to gain access to the Padang region of Indonesia and provide the city with fuel generators and other “heavy equipment.” Given the disappearance of roads and landslides, there is a “particular need in that area,” Holmes concluded. Amy Lieberman

UNIDO and Mexico collaborate on renewable energy and development

07 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: A broad range of more than 1,000 policy makers, government officials, and businesspeople attended the Global Renewable Energy Forum in León, Mexico from 7 October to 9 October to discuss the concerns and prospects for the use of renewable energy. Organized by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) and the Mexican Ministry of Energy, the forum hoped to move global leaders away from carbon-intensive industries and spur investment in renewable energy, which had fallen in 2009. The architects of the forum additionally hoped to address how renewable energy could be used to tackle global energy poverty, which UNIDO Director-General Kandeh Yumkella described as “unacceptable.” According to UNIDO, 1.6 billion people currently have no access to electricity while the world’s 20 largest cities use 75 percent of global energy. In addition to energy inequity, a shift to more sustainable development from renewable energy becomes especially important for the developing world where, as Yumkella explained, dependency on price-volatile exports such as fossil fuels continues to damage economies. Observers both at the forum and in the field were excited about the scope of the forum and possible future steps to make renewable energy a tool against climate change as well as poverty. Sandia National Laboratory’s Renewable Energy Expert Michael Ross told MediaGlobal that a forum like this “is the right step forward.” He however explained that several key details on how to accomplish this must be worked out such as whether or not “the appropriate technology exists at a fair cost to provide the amount or type of energy needed.” Ross added that there should also be a proper allocation of money and further technological development for rural off-grid applications. He also said that aid groups must coordinate more efficiently rather than doing separate, smaller projects. At the forum, the Mexican government proposed a “green fund” to help with the cost of switching to renewable energies to address some of the participants’ financial concerns. The Director-General hoped that similar ideas would contribute to the momentum needed at Copenhagen. He also urged more focused collaboration to utilize the money and technology that already exists to scale-up renewable energies for “benefits to development, equity, peace, and security,” explaining that the alternative of “business as usual means we go out of business.” Henoch Derbew

Babies free from HIV goal in Africa’s Millennium Villages

05 October 2009 [MEDIAGLOBAL]: A partnership between the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the Millennium Villages Project (MVP) in Africa has been forged in order to put an end to HIV transmission between mothers and their children. Five hundred thousand people in the 14 Millennium Villages in Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda are being targeted by the project in the hope of creating “mother-to-child transmission-free zones.” Richard Leonard, a UNAIDS communications adviser, referred MediaGlobal to a press release that stated, “The majority of children born with HIV each year are in sub-Saharan Africa, where services to prevent mother-to-child transmission in the region remain uneven. Less than half of pregnant women living with HIV receive antiretroviral prophylaxis—essential to preventing newborns from contracting the virus.” Quoting Michel Sidibé, executive director of UNAIDS, Leonard explained via the release, “In the whole of Western Europe, there were fewer than 100 mother-to-child transmissions in 2007, whereas in sub-Saharan Africa, there were some 370,000. We have a major opportunity now to eliminate mother-to-child transmission of HIV in Africa and save thousands of lives each year.” Professor Jeffrey Sachs, director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University, was quoted as having said, “In high-income countries, transmission of HIV to children has fallen from 25 percent to between 1 percent and 5 percent in recent years as HIV testing and counseling of pregnant women, the use of antiretroviral drugs during and after delivery, and safe infant feeding has become common practice. Recent evidence from Africa suggests that practical, locally appropriate, and cost-effective clinical regimens can reduce HIV transmission from mothers to their children from current rates, which are at around 30 percent to 35 percent, to as low as 1 percent to 2 percent.” UNAIDS and MVP will work with local, national, and international partners to create healthcare models that will, ideally, prove successful in Africa. Free services, trained community health workers, networks of staffed clinics, access to communication and emergency transport, and local hospital referrals are among the health systems the partnership will work towards developing. Alison Walkley

Editor: Nosh Nalavala

Assistant Editor: Christina L. Madden

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