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The making of the Hyogo2 disaster prevention treaty
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-treaty
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Microcredit helps small businesses buck the system in Madagascar
16 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Justine Sija, 60, begins her day at 4am, when she buys catch from local fishermen to hawk on the streets of St Augustin Village, in Madagascar’s southern Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The work is hard, but in the last year, access to microcredit has boosted both her business and her hope for the future.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98050/Microcredit-helps-small-businesses-buck-the-system-in-Madagascar
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Circumcision plans go awry in Swaziland
13 May 2013
(IRIN
),
It was an ambitious plan to circumcise the majority of men in Swaziland, an effort to reduce the risk of HIV transmission in a country with the world's highest HIV prevalence. How could it have gone wrong?
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/98023/Circumcision-plans-go-awry-in-Swaziland
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Analysis: Towards increased services for Syrian survivors of sexual violence
8 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Turkey's camps for Syrian refugees are, by many measures, a model of humanitarian assistance. But one important detail appears to have been overlooked: According to aid workers, nowhere in Turkey's 17 refugee camps can survivors of sexual violence find the level of specialized psychosocial support experts say they so desperately need.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97953/Analysis-Towards-increased-services-for-Syrian-survivors-of-sexual-violence
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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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Countering the radicalization of Kenya's youth
6 May 2013
(IRIN
),
Unemployment, poverty and political marginalization are contributing to the Islamic radicalization of Kenya's youth, a situation experts say must be addressed through economic empowerment and inclusive policies.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97982/Countering-the-radicalization-of-Kenya-s-youth
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Women yet to regain their place
6 May 2013
(IRIN
),
In the 1980s, Iraqi women enjoyed more basic rights than their counterparts in the region; today, despite steps taken after decades of conflict and sanctions, Iraqi women do not have equal educational or employment opportunities, and many are subjected to gender-based violence.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97976/Women-yet-to-regain-their-place
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Little support, no justice for Mali rape survivors
6 May 2013
(IRIN
),
During the rebel takeover of northern Mali in April 2012, many women said they were subjected to rape or sexual assault. Since then, little or no support has come through for these women, say aid workers.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97983/Little-support-no-justice-for-Mali-rape-survivors
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Floods highlight disaster management challenges in Kenya
24 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Assistance to thousands of flood-affected families in Kenya has been curtailed by lack of a national disaster management body, poor coordination, poor rural infrastructure and other challenges.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97916/Floods-highlight-disaster-management-challenges-in-Kenya
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Iraq 10 years on: the humanitarian impact
23 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Ten years after the toppling of Iraq’s former leader Saddam Hussein, human development statistics – flawed as they are – paint a complex portrait of a country that has seen improvement over the last decade, but is still largely struggling.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97897/Iraq-10-years-on-the-humanitarian-impact
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For women, urbanization is a mixed bag
17 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Countries across Africa are experiencing unprecedented urban growth, presenting women with greater economic and social opportunities as well as greater risks to their safety and welfare.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97868/For-women-urbanization-is-a-mixed-bag
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Far from home, but closer to school in Pakistan
17 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Ten-year-old Aliya and eight-year-old Asma arrived at Jalozai refugee camp two weeks ago, after escaping a recent surge in hostilities between government forces and militants near the border with Afghanistan.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97863/Far-from-home-but-closer-to-school-in-Pakistan
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Subsidies and GM crops back on food policy menu
9 April 2013
(IRIN
),
Food has become expensive and seems set to stay that way, so growing more of it has become both a necessity and an attractive investment. But the trend has also put contentious issues like agricultural subsidies and genetically modified (GM) crops on the menu once again.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97809/Subsidies-and-GM-crops-back-on-food-policy-menu
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In Iraq’s disputed territories, a health services vacuum
2 April 2013
(IRIN
),
The status of Iraq’s disputed territories was supposed to be resolved by a referendum in 2007. More than five years later, the vote has not taken place. Meanwhile, residents have been caught in between, with neither the central government in Baghdad nor the Kurdish Regional Government in Erbil willing to provide basic services. Those in need of healthcare have few options.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97771/In-Iraq-s-disputed-territories-a-health-services-vacuum
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Boost for healthcare in DRC
31 March 2013
(IRIN
),
The British government has announced a major new programme aimed at providing essential healthcare to six million people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The five-year, US$270.7 million project will focus on rebuilding health facilities, training health workers, and supplying drugs and equipment.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97761/Boost-for-healthcare-in-DRC
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Gender relations are changing along with climate
25 March 2013
(IRIN
),
A changing climate will inevitably have an impact on gender relations in conservative rural communities, but not enough is being done to boost the resilience of women - already disadvantaged by traditions of inequality.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97727/Gender-relations-are-changing-along-with-climate
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Drive for quality in global education post-2015
21 March 2013
(IRIN
),
Education experts gathered in the Senegalese capital Dakar this week to discuss what priorities should look like once the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) expire in 2015. The conclusion: more focus on quality and how to measure it; on equity and access for hard-to-reach children; and on what should happen during the first three years of secondary school.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97695/Drive-for-quality-in-global-education-post-2015
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Boosting support for IDPs outside DRC’s formal camps
21 March 2013
(IRIN
),
Humanitarian agencies in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s (DRC) North Kivu Province are working to increase their support for hundreds of thousands of displaced people living outside formal camps with little humanitarian support, often relying on the kindness of sometimes equally vulnerable host communities.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97702/Boosting-support-for-IDPs-outside-DRC-s-formal-camps
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In Brief: Bride trafficking to China could rise
19 March 2013
(IRIN
),
Bride trafficking to China from Southeast Asian countries which do not border on that country looks set to grow, says the UN, with the first reported cases from Cambodia in 2012.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97677/In-Brief-Bride-trafficking-to-China-could-rise
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Analysis: Nepal’s maternal mortality decline paradox
18 March 2013
(IRIN
),
While health experts applaud Nepal’s declining maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in recent years, they say this gain is unsustainable if the country does not address its lack of qualified health staff, especially midwives, to keep women in childbirth alive.
http://www.irinnews.org/Report/97667/Analysis-Nepal-s-maternal-mortality-decline-paradox
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