Author Archives: Alanna Shaikh 
Jordan Cracking Down On Internet Freedom
Jordan used to be one of the freest countries in the Middle East. That’s changing fast. The government is pushing to expand control over the internet, and it has begun arresting people or making defamatory remarks about the king. It looks like the government of Jordan is expanding its efforts at control in several ways. Tighter censorship over what goes into the country, more monitoring of what is posted online, and prosecuting individual cases for their activities on the internet.
The Top Four Innovations in Emergency Response
Innovation is the word of the year in international relief and development. Here are four recent innovations we’ve seen in disaster response–and their potential downsides.
1. Plumpy’nut
Channel 16
Crowdsourcing continues to gain attention and resources. Channel 16, a new effort from a coalition of NGOs, aims to be a fully crowdsourced multimedia resource on humanitarian disasters. It will include photos, video, and personal accounts, and serve as a rapid response news source with links to how people can help in a humanitarian emergency. You can see the Pakistan page here.
African Nations Supporting More Science Funding
Scidev.net has posted an interesting piece of analysis on African funding for science and research. They note that increasingly, African governments are replacing international aid to science with their own domestic funding. It’s a good trend – if it’s for real – and if governments maintain their funding levels.
Extreme Weather Starving Chad and Niger
Ten million people are at risk for starvation in Chad and Niger. 400,000 children are at risk in Niger alone. Years of crop-destroying drought are being followed by flash floods. The drought has been causing hunger for years, destroying crops and livestock. Now, the floods have wiped out what’s left.
Why Are So Many Donors Ignoring Pakistan?
Twenty percent of Pakistan is under water, and it’s getting way, way less attention – and more importantly – financial support – that the earthquake in Haiti generated. It’s true that in terms of initial casualties, the situation in Haiti was far worse, but the long-term impact of the Pakistani floods is going to dwarf the catastrophe in Haiti. That fact is apparently being ignored, by both the media and donors.
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The SC; HRC; DPRK; South Sudan
The SC: The Security Council today held its last consultations under the Council Presidency of ROK. Tomorrow, Russia will take over the rotating Presidency of the Security Council for March under Ambassador Vitaly Churkin.
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The SG; Mali; Middle East; Palestine
The SG: At the Fifth Global Forum of the UN Alliance of Civilizations in Vienna, Austria today, the SG emphasized the role of youth in ensuring a “prosperous, equitable and peaceful future.”
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The SG; DRC; HRC; Palestinian Prisoner
The SG: In Ethiopia over the weekend, the SG is now in the United Arab Emirates. Today he met with Sheikh Mohammad bin Rashed Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE, where the two discussed developments in the region, including Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Egypt and Jordan, and in the Middle East Peace Process.
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