EUROPEAN UNION: Foreign RH Aid Sparks Debate
Euractiv.com on 4 February reported that according to health advocates, conservatives who oppose using EU development aid to finance family planning have succeeding in reducing support for reproductive health services in poorer nations. The EU’s role in supporting reproductive health and birth control and financing the UN Population Fund (UNFPA) escalated a decade ago when George W. Bush set out to revamp American aid priorities, shifting money away from ideologically divisive reproductive and women’s health programmes to the more popular fight against malaria and AIDS. Read in English: Euractiv.com
LAO PDR: Luxembourg Provides Grant For Maternal and Child Health in Laos
Xinhua reported on 4 March that the Government of Luxembourg on Friday provided an 8.1 million Euro grant to support maternal and child health work carried out by Laos' Ministry of Health with support from four UN agencies, according to a UN press release. The grant was delivered through a Memorandum of Understanding between the Lao Government and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, signed in Vientiane by Lao Minister of Health Ponmek Dalaloy and the Luxembourg Minister for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs, Marie-Josee Jacobs. The funds will be utilized for a five year joint programme by UNFPA, UNICEF, the World Food Programme and the World Health Organization to support the Lao Ministry of Health's National Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health Services Strategy. Read: Xinhua