Author Archives: Alanna Shaikh 
Chad and Niger Face Starvation
Almost half the population of Niger faces food insecurity, while in Chad two million people face a food shortage. 200,000 children in Niger need treatment for malnutrition. Drought and locusts have eroded the livelihoods of villagers in both Niger and Chad, leaving them unable to pay for food. Women are now foraging in anthills for seeds and gleaning the sides of roads for fallen grain.
Oil Spills Are a Grim Routine in the Niger Delta
The New York Times reminded us today that while the oil spill in the Gulf is an acute shock to Americans, oil spills have become a way of life in the Niger delta. The area has “has endured the equivalent of the Exxon Valdez spill every year for 50 years by some estimates. The oil pours out nearly every week, and some swamps are long since lifeless.” Much of the Niger delta is dead as a result.
New Study on Microbocides to Fight HIV Infection
A new microbicide study has begun in South Africa, testing a vaginal ring that releases microbicides to protect women from HIV infection. The ring is replaced once a month and requires no special effort on the part of the user or her partner. I heard Zeda Rosenberg, head of the International Partnership for Microbicides, talk about this ring at the Women Deliver conference. This is the 15th product tested by the partnership, and it’s the one that Dr.
Worsening Ethnic Violence in Southern Kyrgyzstan
We’re heading into the fifth day of ethnic violence in Southern Kyrgyzstan, and it just keeps getting worse. There are said to be as many as 100,000 ethnic Uzbek refugees fleeing Kyrgyzstan for the Uzbek border. Uzbekistan’s border guards are alternating between helping them cross and sending them back. The city of Osh is in flames in many areas, and the remaining ethnic Uzbeks are starting to use the word genocide to describe their situation. The global media is starting to call this a war.
A New Approach to AIDS prevention
Note: This post summarizes a panel I attended at Women Deliver.
A few weeks ago, I wrote here about our desperate need for new approaches to preventing the spread of AIDS. At the Women Deliver conference, I learned about a new way of looking at HIV prevention that may hold the key to reducing the number of new infections.
Kyrgyzstan, One Month Later
Last week saw ongoing violence in Kyrgyzstan between supporters of ousted president Kurmanbek Bakiyev and supporters of the new Otunbayaeva administration. Two people were killed; at least twenty were wounded.
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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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