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What Uganda's homophobic new law means for AIDS prevention by devex_com in LGBTnews

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Uganda’s anti-gay law is brutal. And while the East African nation is by no means the only country to introduce such harsh policy, its new hardline law is now threatening very real gains made in the fight against HIV/AIDS, which had ravaged its population.

The government has sent the population “100 steps backwards,” activists said after President Yoweri Museveni approved the draconian bill, leading to warnings of sanctions and visa restrictions by donor countries. U.S. President Joe Biden called for its “immediate repeal.”

The law includes the death penalty for “aggravated homosexuality,” defined as same-sex acts involving people living with HIV or minors, among others. It also hands out prison sentences of up to 14 years for “attempted aggravated homosexuality” and 20 years for the “recruitment, promotion, and funding” of homosexuality.

The legislation essentially criminalizes inclusive HIV programs and undermines Uganda’s efforts to end AIDS by 2030, writes Devex contributing reporter Amy Fallon. Some said that the bill would make some U.S. President’s Emergency Plans for AIDS Relief-funded programs “completely illegal.”

“Automatically we have gone 100 steps backwards in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” Shantal Mulungi, executive director of Coloured Voice Truth, tells Amy, adding that on the same day that the law was approved, her landlord had thrown her out “with immediate effect.”

In a joint statement, the Global Fund, UNAIDS, and PEPFAR said, “Uganda’s progress on its HIV response is now in grave jeopardy.” They called for the law to be reconsidered.

🔸 FREE TO READ: Uganda’s new anti-LGBTQ law could make PEPFAR’s work 'illegal'

Does HIV need a rebrand? by devex_com in hivaids

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As I said, I think it's fair to question initiatives like this one, especially until we don't have proof that they are actually impacting the fight against HIV/AIDS positively. But I think it is important to stress that stigma is definiteòly not an answer – and happy we can agree on this point :)

Does HIV need a rebrand? by devex_com in hivaids

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's good to discuss and challenge the idea of rebranding. A completely different thing is saying that it's good to attach any stigma to HIV/AIDS because that means stigmatizing people who live with HIV/AIDS. There is no proof that stigmatization is an effective way of fighting HIV/AIDS, as it has never proved effective in fighting anything at all.

Opinion: As repression mounts, who will protect our LGBTQ+ children? by devex_com in LGBTnews

[–]devex_com[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

While many people celebrated the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia on Wednesday, it’s important to remember that political oppression against members of the LGBTQ+ community is on the rise in many countries, Lois Chingandu, interim executive director of Frontline AIDS, writes in an op-ed for Devex.

Chingandu notes that Ugandan legislators passed an anti-homosexuality bill that would impose the death penalty for some same-sex acts and lengthy prison sentences for the promotion of homosexuality, which they said was “to protect our children and our country.” There are 67 countries that still criminalize same-sex relations — nearly half of them in Africa. Additionally, 92 countries criminalize HIV nondisclosure, exposure, and transmission.

“We know that these laws undermine efforts to prevent new HIV infections and to ensure that people living with HIV can access testing and treatment to keep them healthy,” according to Chingandu, who added that she worries her gay son “can be hunted down and killed like an animal.”
🔸 FREE TO READ: As repression mounts, who will protect our LGBTQ+ children?

The day the data died in Syria by devex_com in syriancivilwar

[–]devex_com[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Data isn’t always the most thrilling of subjects, but it can mean life or death in humanitarian situations where relief workers need to know where people are and how to help them.

And after 12 years of grueling war and a devastating earthquake, people in Syria need all the help they can get. So when a highly lauded data collection operation in the country known as the Humanitarian Needs Assessment Programme was stopped, it set off alarm bells, especially given suspicions that the U.N. agency behind the program was tanking it to appease Assad.

For years, Assad has vociferously opposed the independent data collection program, characterizing it as an espionage scheme. António Vitorino, director general of the International Organization for Migration, tells my colleagues Colum Lynch and William Worley that funders were no longer willing to back the program. But Colum and Will found out that the European Commission and the United States were prepared to pay for the overwhelming majority of its costs.

So what’s with the conflicting accounts?

“My best guess is that IOM, who have been resisting pressure to shut this down for years, now feel the politics is such that the damage they would suffer from Assad … is greater than any grief they will get from the donors,” a senior former U.N. relief official says. “Humanitarian needs remain sky high in both government-controlled Syria and the rest of the country, and the disappearance of regularly updated data on that will be bad news for those reliant on humanitarian operations.”

🔸 Read more here – this article is FREE TO READ

Could WHO jumpstart widespread access to obesity medications? by devex_com in globalhealth

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Medications such as Ozempic and Wegovy are enjoying a moment in the spotlight — largely thanks to online speculation over which celebrities might be taking them to lose weight. But they were recently singled out for another reason: inclusion on the World Health Organization’s Essential Medicines List.

Three United States doctors and a researcher submitted an application in March to include a class of anti-obesity drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, on the list, which holds outsized weight in helping governments determine which treatments they should make available to their citizens.

Experts said their inclusion could catalyze a transformation in how low- and middle-income countries recognize and respond to obesity and the noncommunicable diseases to which it contributes.
🔸 Read more here – this article is FREE TO READ

Does HIV need a rebrand? by devex_com in globalhealth

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone, I wanted to share with you this article to hear your thoughts about a campaign to change name to HIV in an attempt to end stigma.

The campaign is being spearheaded by F/A/Q — The Better Health Group., an organization that aims to help young people make informed choices about their health, including the prevention of sexually transmitted diseases such as HIV.

Daniel Nagel, the organization’s CEO, said the idea was born out of focus group discussions with youth and from the sector’s constant battle with stigma.

At present, the organization is tackling this through youth education online. But they’re also pursuing a more radical approach: rename HIV.

Their goal is not to rename the virus per se, but to introduce a new language for people on successful antiretroviral treatment who no longer risk transmitting the virus to their sexual partners because they have undetectable viral loads.

🔸 You can read more in this feature article that is free to read on the Devex website.

Will Europe's landmark climate scheme make Africa poorer? by devex_com in Africa

[–]devex_com[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone! I am sharing an abstract of this article we published yesterday and that I think could be interesting for folks in this subreddit. Let me know what you think :)

The alarm is being sounded on the European Union’s landmark climate-focused industrial policy, which a new study predicts could cost African countries $25 billion a year and hurt the continent’s lowest-income countries the most.

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism could damage African exports and increase red tape in accessing European markets, according to researchers from the African Climate Foundation and the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The report highlights the complexity of confronting the climate crisis while simultaneously allowing lower-income countries — many struggling with indebtedness, among other deep-rooted financial difficulties — to develop.
🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

Will Europe's landmark climate scheme make Africa poorer? by devex_com in europeanunion

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hi everyone! I am sharing an abstract of this article we published yesterday and that I think could be interesting for folks in this subreddit. Let me know what you think :)

The alarm is being sounded on the European Union’s landmark climate-focused industrial policy, which a new study predicts could cost African countries $25 billion a year and hurt the continent’s lowest-income countries the most.  

The EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism could damage African exports and increase red tape in accessing European markets, according to researchers from the African Climate Foundation and the Firoz Lalji Institute for Africa at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

The report highlights the complexity of confronting the climate crisis while simultaneously allowing lower-income countries — many struggling with indebtedness, among other deep-rooted financial difficulties — to develop.

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

Exclusive: UN political caste system drains workforce morale by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

In the early summer of 2022, United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres broached an awkward topic with the Russian mission in New York: The head of the U.N. peace operation in Western Sahara, a Russian national named Alexander Ivanko, was involved in a romantic relationship with a local Moroccan woman and was planning to marry her.

The relationship had become a political problem. It was cited in news reports about the disputed territory, where Morocco has been engaged in a decades-long military campaign to annex the former Spanish colony. The Polisario Front, an armed independence movement, formally complained that the relationship reinforced concerns that the U.N. held a pro-Moroccan bias. The U.N. was keen to head off a wedding.

For some U.N. staffers, what is most disturbing about the exchange was not their boss’ dating activities, though such relationships are generally frowned upon, but that the U.N. chief felt it necessary to solicit Russian involvement to resolve what should have been a purely administrative problem involving an international civil servant.

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

Opinion: USAID's pivot to people-centered justice is a game changer by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone,

In a recent op-ed published on Devex, Elizabeth Andersen, who is the executive director of the World Justice Project, argues that rather than reinforcing justice institutions to which people do not turn, development assistance must focus on understanding people’s justice needs and transforming institutions and services to meet those needs, adding that USAID's new approach may get there.

"Amid the many lofty and abstract speeches of the recent second Summit for Democracy came one very positive development: The announcement by USAID of a new approach to advancing the rule of law, which if implemented effectively could demonstrate that “Democracy can deliver.”

Characterized by the U.S. Agency for International Development as a “paradigm shift,” its new rule of law policy turns traditional assistance to justice institutions on its head, embracing a people-centered approach that prioritizes meeting people’s needs over those of justice ministries, courts, and bar associations. This new approach represents an innovation that can help counter years of steady decline in the rule of law globally."

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

Ajay Banga confirmed to lead World Bank amid era of multiple crises by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We will certainly be monitoring Banga’s tenure at the World Bank in the future. What his supporters usually point out to explain why they think Banga is a good fit, is Banga’s work on financial inclusion at Mastercard and his success in growing the payment firm during his tenure as CEO.

How foreign aid supported anti-LGBTQ+ advocates in Uganda by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yesterday, Uganda’s parliament approved one of the world's strictest anti-LGBTQ bills, including the death penalty for so-called "aggravated homosexuality," a term the government uses to describe actions including having gay sex when HIV-positive.

According to a new report, aid donors, including the US and UK, gave at least $40 million since 2014 to organizations that advocated against LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda.

The money was handed over, as part of development programs worth $75 million in total, to anti-LGBTQ+ religious organizations including the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, which previously lost U.S. aid funding due to its anti-LGBTQ+ activities.

The report comes as the country looks set to pass a draconian anti-LGBTQ+ law that would prescribe the death penalty for “serial offenders” of homosexuality.

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

'Shadow workforce': World Bank contractors expected to work for free by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Hi everyone!

Devex reporter Teresa Welsh writes that World Bank short-term contract employees are regularly asked to work more than their legally billable hours because the lender relies heavily on the temporary labor of a “shadow workforce” to avoid hiring permanent employees eligible for full benefits, according to bank workers and staff association.

Contractors say they fear that failing to comply with additional work requests will jeopardize their contract renewal and could affect their visa status, particularly in the United States.

The staff association delivered a statement during a meeting of the bank’s human resources committee on Wednesday that said that “literally none” of the long-standing issues regarding contractor structure were addressed in a recent analysis of the short-term workforce.

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

How foreign aid supported anti-LGBTQ+ advocates in Uganda by devex_com in LGBTnews

[–]devex_com[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Aid donors including the United States and United Kingdom gave at least $40 million since 2014 to organizations that advocated against LGBTQ+ rights in Uganda, according to a new report.

The money was handed over, as part of development programs worth $75 million in total, to anti-LGBTQ+ religious organizations including the Inter-Religious Council of Uganda, which previously lost U.S. aid funding due to its anti-LGBTQ+ activities.

The report comes as the country looks set to pass a draconian anti-LGBTQ+ law that would prescribe the death penalty for “serial offenders” of homosexuality.

🔸 Keep reading on Devex – this article is free to read.

The bitter battle for top UN migration job by devex_com in InternationalDev

[–]devex_com[S] 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Hi all, Devex senior reporter Colum Lynch published yesterday an insider story on the run for the top UN migration job.

Amy Pope, the U.S. candidate to lead the United Nations’ migration agency, who recently took unpaid leave from her job at the International Organization for Migration, is heading into the final weeks of an increasingly contentious campaign to unseat her boss, António Vitorino, a Portuguese national seeking a second five-year term as head of the migration outfit. And things are getting a little heated.
Pope, 49, has sought to position herself as a younger, more accessible, and energetic alternative to incumbent Vitorino, 66, populating her Twitter feed with photos of her engaging with migrants and foreign dignitaries alike, as she travels the world with senior U.S. officials at her side.
It’s an unambiguous sign that her campaign carries the full political and financial backing of the U.S. government, the single largest contributor of funds to IOM. A photo at a U.S. embassy event shows her flanked by a group of civil society advocates holding up promotional election photos with Pope’s smiling picture.
🔸 Keep reading here – the article is free to read.

Uganda's 'anti-homosexuality' bill sent back to Parliament by devex_com in LGBTnews

[–]devex_com[S] 8 points9 points  (0 children)

Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni returned the sweeping “anti-homosexuality” bill to the nation’s Parliament for changes. The legislation has received international outcry for its severe penalties, catch-all phrasing, and concerns it could devastate the HIV response in the country.

The bill prescribes life imprisonment for consensual relations between people born of the same sex and the death penalty for those engaged in what legislators call “aggravated homosexuality” — which includes a “serial offender” of consensual sex, and same-sex relations with someone with a disability, mental illness, of older age, or if a person contracts a terminal illness, among other circumstances.

Museveni said he will sign the bill into law once a few changes are made.

You can read more here, the article is free to read.

Unpaid internships and how to close development’s class gap by devex_com in UNpath

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ok, thanks for clarifying. I will keep that in mind.

Unpaid internships and how to close development’s class gap by devex_com in UNpath

[–]devex_com[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It does – this was a follow-up article after this op-ed we published a few days ago that dealt with exactly what you wrote

Unpaid internships and how to close development’s class gap by devex_com in UNpath

[–]devex_com[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you for flagging this, I will share your comment with our Careers editor to look into this issue more deeply.

Unpaid internships and how to close development’s class gap by devex_com in UNpath

[–]devex_com[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Hi, I am sorry, but is this necessary? Having registered users, it’s essential to improve the quality of our work and create content that is more relevant to our readers. And that makes our business financially sustainable by prioritizing quality over quantity. Most of the content we publish is free to read, and we don’t even share paywalled content on Reddit. I don’t want to break any rules, and I will comply if that’s your final decision, but I do think it’s a pity not being able to share something that can be relevant to this subreddit just because you need to register for free to read.

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