Ideas to Action:

Independent research for global prosperity

June 2006

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Global Health Policy Research Network Update
June 2006

In this issue:

Evaluation Gap Launch & Call to Action
On May 31st, CGD hosted an event to launch the final report of the Evaluation Gap Working Group, When Will We Ever Learn? Improving Lives through Impact Evaluation, which outlines key recommendations for what the international community must do to close the "evaluation gap": take individual action to reinforce existing efforts, and make a major advance through a collective endeavor. Now, you can endorse those principles of actions as a signatory of the Call for an International Initiative to Foster Independent Impact Evaluation of Social Sector Programs and Policies.

Global Health Indicators Consultation Report Available for Comment
Many funders of international development programs use indicators as proxies for good public policies and the ability of countries to use aid well. As an input to these efforts, the Global Health Indicators Working Group examined potential measures of a government's commitment to health with the goal of identifying and recommending a set of indicators for consideration by the Millennium Challenge Corporation and other donors as they assess country eligibility for investment. The consultation draft of the Working Group report, Measuring Commitment to Health (pdf), is now available online for input from the broader health and development community. Comments should be sent to Jessica Wolf (jwolf@cgdev.org) by July 1st.

Vaccines for Development Brief & Translations
CGD has recently published Vaccines for Development, a new brief that summarizes advance market commitments and other innovative policy measures in the context of the existing challenges to improved immunization coverage. The brief has been translated into French, German, Russian and Japanese to help inform the discussion of AMCs at the G8 Summit in St. Petersburg later this summer.

Millions Saved: Call for Updates
As a result of widespread acclaim, Millions Saved: Proven Successes in Global Health will be updated and expanded as part of a new undergraduate global health textbook project. We invite you to submit any updated information on the existing 17 case studies to Jessica Gottlieb (jgottlieb@cgdev.org) by June 15th.

New Research on Health Impact of Macroeconomic Policies
CGD welcomes Visiting Fellow David Goldsbrough, who will be launching a new GHPRN Working Group to examine the relationship between IMF-supported macroeconomic policies and scaling-up of health expenditures, making practical recommendations for improvements in both IMF program design and the effectiveness of health spending.

HIV/AIDS Monitor: Tracking Aid Effectiveness
CGD has recently launched the new HIV/AIDS Monitor to inform and strengthen donor assistance by providing comparative and timely analyses of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, the World Bank Multi-country AIDS Program, and the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief from both global and country-level perspectives. Under the guidance of Senior Program Associate Nandini Oomman, the HIV/AIDS Monitor will track performance of the three initiatives, conduct timely and policy-relevant analyses on practices and approaches, and facilitate a wider discussion about aid effectiveness. This work complements CGD’s existing work on health and development assistance under the GHPRN and will address a broader set of questions about the effectiveness of distinct aid delivery strategies.

Global Health Policy Blog
For ongoing news, updates and commentary about our own work and our partners' activities, I encourage you to visit our new Global Health Policy blog, which discusses issues facing the donor community on everything from HIV/AIDS financing to pharmaceutical R&D to broader health systems concerns. Comments are warmly welcomed, and suggestions for new posts can be sent to globalhealthpolicy@cgdev.org.

Thanks and regards,

Ruth Levine
Director of Programs and Senior Fellow
Center for Global Development