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Seeking safety in the city
21 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Every year, hundreds of thousands of people are forced from their homes by violence or natural disasters. But the face of displacement is changing: While the popular view of displacement is one of sprawling rural camps, displaced people are now just as likely to be living in urban areas, often hidden from view.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98074/Seeking-safety-in-the-city
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The making of the Hyogo2 disaster prevention framework
17 May 2013
(IRIN
),
A month after the Indian Ocean tsunami struck in December 2004, affecting millions, 168 countries signed on to a 10-year plan to make the world safer from natural hazards. Yet the plan, the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) 2005-2015, focused primarily on “what to do to prevent disasters, but not enough on how to implement it,” says Neil McFarlane, chief coordinator and head of all regional programmes at the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR).
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98058/The-making-of-the-Hyogo2-disaster-prevention-framework
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Humanitarian intervention in violence-hit slums - from whether to how
15 May 2013
(IRIN
),
In a move that experts say could open the door to a more robust aid response to chronic violence in urban areas, the European Commission’s humanitarian aid arm, ECHO, has approved 2 million euro in funding for interventions in cases of violence outside of conventional war in Central America and Mexico until the end of 2014. If large-scale aid work in so-called 'other situations of violence' is the way of the future, there are certain things humanitarian workers will have to keep in mind.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98038/Humanitarian-intervention-in-violence-hit-slums-from-whether-to-how
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The price of fear
15 May 2013
(IRIN
),
In slums where killings, rape, kidnappings and other criminal violence are commonplace, say researchers, lives and livelihoods are hampered by a force that is tough to measure: Fear.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98039/The-price-of-fear
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Tracking vaccine scares
14 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Vaccine scares have emerged as a major challenge to global efforts to eliminate preventable diseases, with rumours and conspiracy theories proliferating faster than health authorities can respond to them. Now researchers, led by Heidi Larson of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, are developing a tool to identify the first signs of these negative reports.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98030/Tracking-vaccine-scares
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Analysis: Helping local aid workers build meaningful careers
13 May 2013
(IRIN
),
There has been much talk of decentralizing the northern-centric humanitarian aid sector to give more power to southern staff, but how much has changed over recent years?
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98025/Analysis-Helping-local-aid-workers-build-meaningful-careers
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Analysis: Getting governments to cough up for DRR
9 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Investing in preparation for potential disasters is a “no brainer”, Elizabeth Longworth, director of the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNISDR), told a recent disaster risk reduction (DRR) conference in Aqaba, Jordan.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98003/Analysis-Getting-governments-to-cough-up-for-DRR
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Semi-synthetic artemisinin promises to boost global malaria gains
9 May 2013
(IRIN
),
The UN World Health Organization has accepted the first semi-synthetic version of artemisinin, the key ingredient for malaria treatment globally, for use in the manufacture of drugs, boosting hopes that more people will have access to life-saving medication.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98006/Semi-synthetic-artemisinin-promises-to-boost-global-malaria-gains
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Analysis: Sending the right message on mHealth
8 May 2013
(IRIN
),
We’ve read the stories: From bedridden patients sending text messages to their health workers, to young people receiving HIV prevention messages via SMS, the mobile phone seems to have morphed from communications device to essential life-saver. But is the evidence there yet that mHealth is an effective health delivery intervention for the developing world?
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98001/Analysis-Sending-the-right-message-on-mHealth
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“Super-fly” threatens “Rambo” cassava, food security
7 May 2013
(IRIN
),
A tiny, rapidly breeding cyanide-munching insect, dubbed a “super-fly” by scientists, is threatening the food security of millions of Africans.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97986/Super-fly-threatens-Rambo-cassava-food-security
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Analysis: The plight of LGBTI asylum seekers, refugees
7 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Refugees and asylum seekers face a host of challenges when crossing borders, but the obstacles are particularly pronounced for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or intersex (LGBTI) persons, say experts.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97989/Analysis-The-plight-of-LGBTI-asylum-seekers-refugees
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Mapping the world’s trachoma hotspots
1 May 2013
(IRIN
),
When Iyabo Dolarin’s trachoma mapping team conducts surveys in Nigeria’s Kaduna State, they begin with a ritual: They go to the centre of the community and spin a bottle on the ground to determine which household will first be checked for signs of this painful and disabling disease.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97948/Mapping-the-world-s-trachoma-hotspots
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Can disaster risk reduction lessons be learned from China?
29 April 2013
(IRIN
),
China, which annually faces almost every disaster possible - including earthquakes, floods, cyclones and landslides - is doing something right in the field of disaster risk reduction (DRR), experts say.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97938/Can-disaster-risk-reduction-lessons-be-learned-from-China
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Arab cities aim to build resilience to natural disasters
29 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Prevention may be better than a cure, but for the authorities in Arab cities and towns, natural disasters up to now have been largely about coping with them after they have taken place.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97941/Arab-cities-aim-to-build-resilience-to-natural-disasters
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Smart science in the fight against malaria
26 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Malaria continues to be one of the world’s deadliest diseases, annually infecting more than 200 million people and killing more than 660,000, most of them African children, according to the UN World Health Organization.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97924/Smart-science-in-the-fight-against-malaria
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Europe’s undocumented migrants struggle to access healthcare
25 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Europe's financial crisis and rising xenophobia are complicating access to medical treatment for undocumented migrants, according to a new report by the international NGO Médecins du Monde (MdM).
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97922/Europe-s-undocumented-migrants-struggle-to-access-healthcare
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Culture of disbelief works against asylum seekers
24 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Most asylum seekers arrive in host countries with no evidence to prove they have fled persecution. This means the success of their applications for refugee status depends largely on whether their stories are believed. But the credibility of asylum seekers is increasingly being called into question, particularly in countries that receive large numbers of asylum claims.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97906/Culture-of-disbelief-works-against-asylum-seekers
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A unified approach to climate change and hunger
24 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Studies out of Ethiopia, India, Kenya and Niger show that children born during natural hazards, like droughts or floods, are more likely to be malnourished. Yet as the climate changes, it is poor countries - already struggling with hunger and food insecurity - that are increasingly likely to face these natural hazards.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97913/A-unified-approach-to-climate-change-and-hunger
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Lifeline to “climate refugees”?
17 April 2013
(IRIN
),
The international community has steadfastly dodged the issue of recognition and protection for “climate refugees” - people forced to relocate to another country as a result of the risks and hazards of a changing climate. Now, the first global initiative to address humanitarian options is underway, with discussions focusing on the Pacific Ocean states to take place soon.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97862/Lifeline-to-climate-refugees
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UN makes “aggressive” push to reduce child mortality
15 April 2013
(IRIN
),
The UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched their Global Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea, which aims to end preventable child deaths from these conditions by 2025. The launch was supported by the publication of a series of articles in the medical journal The Lancet showing that the tools to accomplish this goal already exist, and that the targets should be achievable at a reasonable cost.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97849/UN-makes-aggressive-push-to-reduce-child-mortality
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