Multilateralism: Time to rethink and react differently

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Kenneth Frazier the CEO of Merck is the epitome of a humanitarian

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Mr Kenneth Frazier-CEO Merck Today is 19 August and it is World Humanitarian Day. At a time when the pursuit of profit seems to override any other corporate mission, Kenya’s fragile, unstable and hard to reach North-Eastern counties is about the last place any company would consider spending any amount of resources.   Consider this. In 2014, one of the North Eastern counties called, Mandera, had a maternal mortality ratio of 3,795 deaths per 100,000 live births, surpassing that of wartime Sierra Leone.  It is inhabited by a nomadic community, riven by internecine conflicts, pockets of extremism and  cross border terrorism .  Widespread illiteracy and cultural practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage ensured women and girls would remain trapped in poverty and desperation. Only the bravest and optimistic of humanitarian agencies maintained a presence, amid shrinking budgets for international development. In 2014, UN agen...
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Reuters: Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights is key to achieving the SDGs

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Reuters: The Global Epidemic of Violence Against Children

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The images from the recent gas attack in Syria, where over 80 people, including babies in diapers, can be seen painfully gasping for air before dying, are heartbreaking. These are a graphic illustration of our collective failure to protect children from cruel and inhuman treatment. President Donald Trump correctly called it an “affront to humanity”. The United Nations Secretary General,  Mr Antonio Guterres  has described Syria as one of the worst conflicts of our time. But what happened in Syria was not a one-off. Everyday millions of children around the world are caught up in crises and disasters, many of man’s own making. My take:  http://news.trust.org/item/20170407183304-3k2ea/
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