CGD Policy Blogs

Reuters reported today that World Bank's Executive Board yesterday postponed a decision on a proposed new Health, Nutrition and Population (HNP) strategy in a tussle over words with potentially far-reaching impact. According to the report, the U.S. executive director wanted to amend the strategy to recommend “age appropriate access to sexual and reproductive healthcare" -- language that the Europeans said could restrict younger women's access to contraception and other reproductive services in poor countries.

Thomas Friedman’s op-ed (subscription required), "'Patient' Capital for an Africa that Can't Wait," in last Friday’s (April 20) New York Times calls for a new kind of venture capital for Africa that accepts lower (but still positive) returns on risk capital over a longe

Since its inception, the Millennium Challenge Corporation Board has governed with only 2 of the mandated 4 non-governmental members -- appointments that, per the MCA authorizing legislation, are nominated by the majority and minority leaders of the House and Senate.

As new funders, like UNITAID, buy more new drugs on behalf of the poorest countries, weak links in the supply chain are more visible than they have ever been - and the stakes are higher. Among the signs of a supply chain under pressure: procurement bottlenecks, high mark-ups by intermediaries, uninterpretable signals to suppliers about effective demand and stock-outs. And the result: reduced access to life-saving drugs, high out-of-pocket spending, rapid emergence of drug resistance and other negative consequences for individuals, families and communities.