OF NOTE THIS WEEK

In advance of the upcoming Millennium Development Goal (MDG) summit to be held next week at the United Nations, the World Bank released the report, Unfinished Business: Mobilizing New Efforts to Achieve the 2015 MDGs, to highlight remaining gaps in efforts and to accelerate progress towards the MDGs. While developing countries were making progress towards overcoming poverty, the food, fuel and financial crisis proved a setback. "As we take stock of the MDGs so far, we see that the crisis only made things worse, with too many of the world's people hungry, poor, or vulnerable to poverty, with too few jobs and too little access to services and economic opportunity", World Bank President Robert Zoellick, said.

The report describes advancement on the MDG health goals as “not promising”. Maternal mortality rates have fallen, yet under-5 mortality and HIV/AIDS-related indicators remain a challenge, where the epidemic was noted to impede progress, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa. To help countries achieve the MDG health goals, the World Bank will invest more than $600 million dollars, focused on 35 countries mainly in East Asia, South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, Environment News Service reports. In addition to health, the World Bank said it will mobilize "significant new funding" for education and agriculture, Xinhua reports.

NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE DONORS

• A joint report from WHO, UNICEF, UNFPA, and The World Bank shows maternal deaths worldwide drop by a third
• In advance of the MDG summit, UNAIDS will feature a series of articles on HIV/AIDS-related activities and what is happening on the ground to meet the MDG on HIV
• The World Bank releases a report on mobilizing new efforts to achieve the MDGs

OTHER NEWS AND HIGHLIGHTS

• Global Fund to fight disease get results (St. Petersburg Times)
• HIV/AIDS Status in Uganda as of December 2005 (Daily Monitor)
• Uganda: U.S. Committed to Addressing HIV/AIDS Needs (All Africa)
• Africa: Drug-resistant HIV treat looming (PlusNews)
• Governments Failing to Take the Threat of HIV Seriously (IPS)
• Government to Offer free circumcision (Daily Monitor)
• Study: HIV-1 Drug Resistance Mutations Are Present in Six Percent of Persons Initiating Antiretroviral Therapy in Lusaka, Zambia (JAIDS)

RECENT CGD HEALTH POLICY BLOGS

• Three Early Moves for Michelle Bachelet's UN "Start-Up" for Women By Nandini Oomman
• Why Won't AIDS Donors Confirm Their Best New Hope for Avoiding Future Treatment Costs By Mead Over
• Maternal Mortality: We Already Know What Works...Or Do We? By Nandini Oomman

HIV/AIDS MONITOR RECOMMENDATIONS AND POLICY IMPACT

• The HIV/AIDS Monitor has been tracking the policy changes among PEPFAR, the Global Fund and the World Bank MAP related to the recommendations that have come out of our research. Explore these changes using our interactive flash tool.