World Health Day, held annually on April 7th, commemorates the founding of the World Health Organization (WHO), the health arm of the United Nations and leader in directing the global health discourse. The focus of this year’s celebration is aging. According to the WHO, the world’s elderly population (age 60+) will approximately triple—from 600 million to 2 billion, 80% of which will be in low- and middle-income countries. Although the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) do not solely focus on the elderly, the inclusion of this population is critical for achievement of the MDGs. The increased presence of non-communicable diseases as... Continue reading

Today is a celebration of women and the fight for equality. Today is International Women’s Day. In the three decades since USAID issued its gender policy, tremendous changes have occurred in how women’s roles are viewed in society and within development programs. As stated at the policy launch by Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator, “instead of seeing women simply as beneficiaries of programs…we see women, and all of our partners see women, as the change agents that bring about that new era of entrepreneurship, of leadership of the peace processes and of basic access to fundamental human rights.” The updated policy... Continue reading