PUBLICATIONS FROM INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS ON PUBLIC HEALTH
Edited by
Anna Maria Rossi
FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS (FAO)
Enhancing animal welfare and farmer income through strategic animal feeding Some case studies. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2013, 96 p. (FAO Animal Production and Health Papers; 175) ISBN 978 92 5107 452 7 FAO number: I3164/E US $ 35.00. Animal welfare includes the combination of both physical and mental well-being. A properly balanced diet and water supplied in adequate amounts avoid physical and psychological suffering from hunger and thirst; furthermore correct nutrition is crucial for optimal performance and to sustain optimal fitness. So far little attention has been paid to understand the linkages between animal nutrition and animal welfare. Farmers find it difficult to adopt practices that promote animal welfare without having sound information on the impact of such practices on animal productivity and their income. This AGA Paper presents a series of case studies to document existing practices that enhance animal welfare as well as farmers' incomes. It is hoped that the information contained will encourage researchers and agencies working in the area of animal welfare to initiate studies to capture the impact of any intervention on farmers' incomes an area that has been neglected to date. It is also envisaged that these studies could pave the way for developing guidelines and policy options to promote sustainable animal feeding that enhances animal welfare, animal productivity, animal product quality and profitability.
Resilient livelihoods disaster risk reduction for food and nutrition security 2nd edition. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2013, 104 p. ISBN 978 92 5107 624 8 FAO number: I3270/E US $ 25.00. Through its disaster risk reduction (DRR) activities, FAO seeks to protect livelihoods from shocks, to make food production systems more resilient and more capable of absorbing the impact of, and recovering from, disruptive events. Disaster risk reduction protects development investments in the agriculture, livestock, fisheries/ aquaculture and forestry sectors, helping the world's most vulnerable people become food secure. Disaster risk reduction is vital for ensuring one of the most basic human rights, the right to food and freedom from hunger. Furthermore, disaster risk reduction creates a multiplier effect that accelerates the achievement of the Millennium Development Goal 1: the eradication of extreme poverty and hunger.
Milk and dairy products in human nutrition. Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. 2013, 404 p. ISBN 978 92 5107 863 1 FAO number: I3396/E US $ 55.00. With rising incomes and increased production, milk and dairy products have become an important part of the diet in some parts of the world where little or no milk was consumed in the 1970s. They also present livelihood opportunities for farm families, processors and other stakeholders in dairy value chains. Consumption of milk and dairy products is growing fastest in Asia and the Latin America and Caribbean region. Globally, too many poor people are still not able to afford a better diet and greater efforts, including agricultural growth, diversification and public investment, are needed to ensure that poor and undernourished people can acquire food that is adequate in quantity (dietary energy) and in quality (diversity, nutrient content and food safety). Consumers, industry and governments need up-to-date information on how milk and dairy products can contribute to human nutrition and how dairy-industry development can best contribute to increasing food security and alleviating poverty. The book presents information on the nutritional value of milk and dairy products and evaluates current scientific knowledge on the benefits and risks of consuming milk and dairy products in the context of global changes in diets. It highlights positive effects that connect dairy agriculture, nutrition and health at the local, national and global levels, and identifies gaps in current knowledge in these areas. It reviews global trends in milk production and consumption, discusses challenges for sustainable and inclusive dairy-industry development and food safety, reviews programmatic experiences and lessons learned about food-based solutions to problems of malnutrition and provides concrete options for governments, international organizations and the private sector. Each chapter provides a comprehensive set of references allowing the reader to probe the topics further.
INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL FOR SCIENCE (ICSU)
Raivio K, Faustman E, Fukui H, et al. Review of CODATA, the Committee on Data for Science and Technology. Report to the ICSU Committee on Scientific Planning and Review. Paris: International Council for Science (ICSU). February 2014. In 2012, and in accordance with the ICSU Strategic Plan II, 2012-2017, the ICSU Committee on Scientific Plan 203ning and Review (CSPR) commissioned a review of the performance and future strategic remit of CODATA, the Committee on Data for Science and Technology. The ad-hoc Review appointed by CSPR for the purpose carried out its work between July 2012 and mid-2013. This Report of the Review Panel is based upon written documentation, responses of members of the ICSU and CODATA families to questionnaires, and interviews of current Officers and Executive Committee of CODATA as well as leading individuals from the data and information community.
Future Earth initial design: Report of the Transition Team. Paris: International Council for Science (ICSU). 2013. ISBN 978 09 3035 792 4. This report sets out the initial design of Future Earth, comprising a research framework and governance structure, preliminary reflections on communication and engagement, capacity-building and education strategies, and implementation guidelines. It was developed by the Future Earth Transition Team, a group of more than 30 researchers and experts from many countries and representative of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities, as well as from international organisations, research funders and business. The transition to Future Earth has been a complex, difficult and inspiring task trying to capture the urgency, seriousness and breadth of the future of our planet and its inhabitants, engaging a broad international community of scientists, and building on the decades of research and collaboration that have already made important contributions to our understanding. With tasks that include solving some of the most urgent challenges facing our society, the Transition Team struggled with identifying priorities, themes and governance structures. This report reflects both consensus and compromise, and responds to inputs from many different constituencies. It is the start of what should be a step change in international collaboration in the service of all people on our planet a major new effort to further raise our understanding of the dynamics of the Earth system, provide new knowledge and solutions for human prosperity and global sustainability, and identify transformations that create a better future for humankind.
UNITED NATIONS EDUCATIONAL, SCIENTIFIC AND CULTURAL ORGANIZATION (UNESCO)
Charting the course of education and HIV. Paris: UNESCO. 2014, 188 p. (Education on the Move series) ISBN 978 92 3 00 1226 7 Euro 22,00. More than three decades after the identification of the virus, HIV continues to affect millions of people worldwide. Much progress has been made and infection rates are down in a number of countries. From the beginning the education sector has played a central role in responding to HIV, though its role and the contribution of school-based HIV education has been the subject of much debate. This book explores the major debates and provides an overview of how the role of the education sector and approaches to HIV education have evolved, what has been learned, emerging challenges and opportunities, and proposes a way forward for the education sector to contribute to the prevention of new infections, treatment and care, and reduce stigma and discrimination. The Education on the Move series seeks to bring research knowledge produced by various academic disciplines and within various organizations to those who can shape educational policies and drive reforms. As such, it also intends to contribute to on-going reflections on the international education agenda.
WWAP (United Nations World Water Assessment Programme). The United Nations World Water Development Report 2014: water and energy. Paris: UNESCO. 2014. ISBN 978 92 3 90 4259 3. Water and energy are inextricably linked. Water is essential for the production, distribution and use of energy. Energy is crucial for the extraction and delivery of safe drinking water and for the very safety of water itself. People everywhere but especially the most vulnerable and marginalized face great risks when access to either is limited or compromised. This World Water Development Report provides detailed analysis of these connections and their implications for the world's pursuit of sustainable development and the Millennium Development Goals. It addresses a wide range of key issues, including agriculture, cities, industry, infrastructure and the environment. Its message is clear: the ‘waterenergy nexus' is about substantially more than hydropower and biofuels. Water and energy can drive economic growth and improvements in human health. They are enablers for poverty reduction, job creation, women's empowerment and human well-being in general. The report is aimed at policy-makers and the water and energy communities, including scientists across the world.
Prevention education in Eastern Europe and Central Asia: a review of policies and practices. Moscow: UNESCO Office. 2013, 102 p. Document code: RU/2013/ED/RP/1. This review of the current status of policies and practices related to prevention education within ten countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia (EECA Region) provides a summary of current progress and future needs for strengthening prevention education in educational establishments. It consists of a regional overview (Chapters 16) and ten individual country assessments (Appendices 211). The aim is to provide decision makers, education authorities and experts, development partners, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders with information for discussion about the current situation related to prevention education in order to improve its quality and to support a more systematic and coordinated strategy for scaling it up across the EECA Region, and ensuring that it meets agreed quality standards. It urges decision-makers to meet the challenges of responding to these identified needs and to ensure universal access to comprehensive prevention education for all adolescents and young people, including key populations in countries across the Region.
WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION (WHO)
World malaria report 2013. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2013, 284 p. ISBN 978 92 415 6469 4.
The World malaria report 2013 summarizes information received from malaria-endemic countries and other sources, and updates the analyses presented in the 2012 report. It highlights the progress made towards global malaria targets set for 2015, and describes current challenges for global malaria control and elimination. This report documents remarkable progress in the global fight against malaria, and includes updated burden estimates for the 2000-2012 period. It shows that increased political commitment and the expansion of global malaria investments since 2000 have led to major gains against this preventable disease, saving an estimated 3.3 million lives. According to the latest estimates, malaria mortality rates were reduced by about 42% globally and by 49% in the WHO African Region between 2000 and 2012. During the same period, malaria incidence rates declined by 25% around the world, and by 31% in the African Region. These substantial reductions occurred as a result of a major scale-up of vector control interventions, diagnostic testing, and treatment with artemisinin-based combination therapies, or ACTs. Progress against malaria provides good evidence of the tangible benefits of population-wide access to life-saving interventions. Parasite resistance to artemisinin the core compound in the world's most effective antimalarial medicines and mosquito resistance to insecticides remain major concerns. If not addressed with appropriate urgency, they could threaten the remarkable progress made since 2000.
Global tuberculosis report 2013. Geneva: World Health Organizatio n. 2013. ISBN 978 92 415 6465 6. This is the eighteenth global report on tuberculosis (TB) published by WHO in a series that started in 1997. It provides a comprehensive and up-to-date assessment of the TB epidemic and progress in implementing and financing TB prevention, care and control at global, regional and country levels using data reported by 197 countries and territories that account for over 99% of the world's TB cases. TB remains a major global health problem: in 2012, an estimated 8.6 million people developed it and 1.3 million died from the disease (including 320,000 deaths among HIV-positive people). The number of TB deaths is unacceptably large given that most are preventable if people can access health care for a diagnosis and the right treatment is provided. Nearly 20 years after the WHO declaration of TB as a global public health emergency, major progress has been made towards 2015 global targets set within the context of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Two years ahead of the deadline, the Global tuberculosis report 2013 and accompanying supplement Countdown to 2015 assess progress towards the 2015 targets and the top priority actions needed to achieve and/or move beyond them.
eHealth and innovation in women's and children's health: A baseline review. Geneva: World Health Organization. 2014, 164 p. ISBN 978 92 415 6471 7. Information and communication technologies (ICTs) play an increasingly critical role in providing health services, including for women's and children's health. This joint publication by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) reports the results of the first survey to study the impact of eHealth on women's and children's health in developing countries. It highlights many encouraging findings including the development of national eHealth policies, the monitoring of key indicators, and the implementation of electronic information systems. Recommendations for the way forward are proposed. Never before has there been such a high response rate for a Global Observatory for eHealth (GOe) survey. This is a clear reflection that countries are now recognizing the importance of innovation through ICTs to advancing women's and children's health.rable populations around the world, in a wide variety of innovative ways.