Global Posts
Conversations in Development: Vaccines–A Matter of Justice
For me, Dr. Marc LaForce is a hero. The founder and former director of the Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), a partnership between PATH and the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr. LaForce is the mastermind behind developing the world’s first vaccine especially for Africa, one that comes in at a price of around 50 cents a dose.
The “Less Happy” Story: Malaria Increases in Uganda
While malaria cases are declining globally, they remain high and on the increase in rural Uganda, suggesting that more aggressive methods of controlling the disease in high-transmission areas of sub-Saharan Africa are urgently needed.
Your Italian Leather Shoes Are Killing the Rainforest
Could your Italian leather shoes be to blame for deforestation in the Amazon? The answer is yes. A new report found that stretches of forest the size of a football (soccer) field were illegally cleared every 120 seconds between 2000 and 2012 to supply consumers in Europe with palm oil, beef, soy and leather.
New President: Hope for Indonesia’s Besieged Indigenous Peoples?
Imagine living in a world where your home could at any time become a national park, or a giant plantation—and you have no say. And if you should stand up to this injustice, you’d likely go to jail. This is the reality of many of the forest peoples of the archipelago of Indonesia.
Seed Index Sprouts New Hope for Farmers
What does seed mean for farmers? It represents the chance to feed a family and have a surplus to send children to school, buy uniforms, and buy medicine when they’re sick. And yet, farmers in many parts of Africa do not have access to the kinds of seeds that could thrive on the land.
Energized by New Voices in Development
One of my favorite weeks every year is the initial gathering of the Aspen Institute New Voices Fellows in Johannesburg. The New Voices Fellowship is a year-long training and mentoring program aimed at elevating voices of experts from the developing … Continue reading Energized by New Voices in Development
Expanding Farmlands Create Perfect Storm for Plague in East Africa
A new study published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene found the push to boost food production that is accelerating the conversion of natural lands into croplands in Tanzania may be significantly increasing the risk of plague. Researchers discovered that where maize production has been introduced, the number of rodents infested with plague-carrying fleas that can cause human infections nearly doubled compared to numbers in neighboring forest areas.
Opening the Door to Cheaper HIV Drugs for Children
The UN-backed Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) announced today they’ve struck a licensing agreement with Merck—a first-time partner for MPP—for use of their pediatric HIV drug in the low- and middle-income countries with the highest burden of disease. Ninety-eight percent of children with HIV in the developing world live in these countries, which include India, South Africa and Nigeria.
Shedding a Light and Engaging on Land Rights
In an opinion piece that appeared in the Reuters Sustainability online portal, Nestlé Executive Vice President José Lopez writes that Indigenous land rights must be addressed before any economic development project proceeds.
Can a List Save the World’s Forests?
Did you know that more than 50 percent of products on grocery store shelves contain ingredients—from palm oil to soy—that likely contributed to the destruction of rainforests? Fortunately, dozens of companies—from Kellogg’s to Mars, Inc.—have recently made pledges to remove forest destruction from the supply chains of their products.
