International development

NEAR EAST FOUNDATION LAUNCHES SIRAJ FINANCIAL SERVICES TO EXPAND MICRO AND SMALL ENTERPRISE FINANCING IN NORTHERN SYRIA

Retrieved on: 
Friday, February 16, 2024

BRUSSELS, Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Near East Foundation (NEF) today announced the establishment of Siraj Financial Services (SFS), a new social enterprise operating in Northern Syria.

Key Points: 
  • BRUSSELS, Feb. 16, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Near East Foundation (NEF) today announced the establishment of Siraj Financial Services (SFS), a new social enterprise operating in Northern Syria.
  • Near East Foundation announces the establishment of a new social enterprise operating in Northern Syria.
  • SFS, operating as a non-banking financial institution (NBFI), will upscale and commercialize NEF's successful micro and small enterprise (MSE) financing program, which has been operating in the region since 2021.
  • To date, Siraj Financial Services has dispersed 3,500 loans totaling $4 million to Syrian MSEs.

Duane R. Anderson, MD, FAAOS, Receives American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons' Humanitarian Award

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024

The Humanitarian Award honors members of the AAOS who have distinguished themselves through outstanding musculoskeletal-related humanitarian activities in the United States or abroad.

Key Points: 
  • The Humanitarian Award honors members of the AAOS who have distinguished themselves through outstanding musculoskeletal-related humanitarian activities in the United States or abroad.
  • In 2005, Dr. Anderson departed from a successful orthopaedic practice in Idaho to relocate to Soddo, Ethiopia.
  • There he serves as the chief of orthopaedic surgery at Soddo Christian Hospital, a setting where the demand for orthopaedic care is great.
  • I want to thank AAOS again for the award, and God and my dear wife for helping me the last 18 years."

Nasdaq and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine Sign Collaborative Agreement to Facilitate Entrepreneurism and Capital Formation

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024

As a part of the agreement, Nasdaq and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine will identify areas of collaboration that can advance the restoration and recovery of Ukraine’s economy throughout the country’s reconstruction process.

Key Points: 
  • As a part of the agreement, Nasdaq and the Ministry of Economy of Ukraine will identify areas of collaboration that can advance the restoration and recovery of Ukraine’s economy throughout the country’s reconstruction process.
  • This will include identifying ways in which both parties can provide technical assistance for the forthcoming international finance center in Ukraine, promote entrepreneurism among Ukrainian citizens, and facilitate capital formation for Ukrainian companies.
  • “Nasdaq has a long history of working closely with finance centers across the global economy to enable capital formation, spur innovation, and unlock economic progress.
  • "This new partnership between Nasdaq and the Government of Ukraine demonstrates that Ukraine is open for business, even as they continue to fight for their freedom.

Breastfeeding benefits mothers as much as babies, but public health messaging often only tells half of the story

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, February 8, 2024

Global and U.S. health authorities agree, however, that human milk provides the optimal nutrition for infants.

Key Points: 
  • Global and U.S. health authorities agree, however, that human milk provides the optimal nutrition for infants.
  • The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics recommend exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life.
  • Human milk can be given to infants directly through breastfeeding or by pumping or expressing human milk into a cup or bottle.
  • We are women’s health scholars with combined professional expertise in maternal obstetrics nursing and public health.

Lesser-known benefits of breastfeeding for infants

  • Second, the protection from SIDS was the same for infants who were exclusively breastfed compared to infants who may have received formula in addition to any breastfeeding.
  • In addition, breastfeeding can significantly protect premature infants – those born before 37 weeks of pregnancy – from developing a condition called necrotizing enterocolitis, an inflammation of the intestines that can be fatal.
  • While this condition is rare in full-term infants, it occurs in 5% to 15% of preterm infants.

Benefits for mom, too

  • Breastfeeding also provides important benefits for the mother, such as reducing risks of diabetes and breast and ovarian cancers.
  • These cancers cannot be treated with hormonal therapy and often grow faster than the more commonly diagnosed hormone receptor-positive breast cancers.
  • A 2021 study also found that the longer a woman breastfed, the lower her risk for postpartum depression.

Closing racial gaps

  • Despite the benefits of breastfeeding to both infants and mothers, few U.S. families are able to sustain breastfeeding over time.
  • Black infant-mother pairs not only have the lowest breastfeeding rates in South Carolina, but they also have the lowest rates nationally, compared to other U.S. racial and ethnic groups.
  • Black infants are also more likely to die from SIDS and to be born prematurely.
  • The Southeast U.S. is where the widest racial gaps in breastfeeding exist.

Removing barriers to breastfeeding

  • Reducing barriers is critical to closing racial and geographic gaps in breastfeeding and allowing U.S. mothers and their infants the opportunity to benefit from the life-saving qualities of human milk.
  • Studies show that addressing work-related barriers by making investments in paid family leave, for example, could increase exclusive breastfeeding rates by 15%.
  • Workplaces that support breastfeeding breaks and provide safe and clean spaces for expressing and storing human milk are also important in promoting breastfeeding.
  • Societal investments in breastfeeding-friendly workplace policies will not only yield cost savings and extend breastfeeding rates, but they will shift the burden of breastfeeding from simply being an individual choice to being a public health priority.


Tisha Felder receives funding from the Patient Centered Research Outcomes Institute (PCORI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). Joynelle Jackson receives funding from Patient Centered Research Outcomes Institute (PCORI).

European Parliament Votes to Support Proposal for the Regulation of New Genomic Techniques

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 7, 2024

The European Parliament completes a landmark vote in favour of the European Commission proposal to introduce a new regulation for plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed.

Key Points: 
  • The European Parliament completes a landmark vote in favour of the European Commission proposal to introduce a new regulation for plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed.
  • Cibus applauds the EU Parliament supporting a science-based approach developed following many years of discussion and engagement with stakeholders and expert groups.
  • The EU Parliament met 5-8 February in Strasbourg and, following a debate on Tuesday Feb 6th, the Parliament voted in favour of the NGT legislation the following day.
  • MEP and rapporteur Jessica Polfjärd said of the vote, “Historic step forward: the European Parliament supports my proposal for sustainable use of new genomic techniques (NGT).

United States Medical Federal Procurement Report 2023: $300 Million In Federal Contracting Assistance Programs Help Diverse Businesses Compete For Government Contracts - ResearchAndMarkets.com

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 31, 2024

Twenty percent of Department of Defense (DOD) and 44% of civilian department medical supply purchase contracts were awarded to small businesses.

Key Points: 
  • Twenty percent of Department of Defense (DOD) and 44% of civilian department medical supply purchase contracts were awarded to small businesses.
  • Defense departments' top "set-aside" contracts went to small disadvantaged businesses (8(A)) and service- disabled veteran-owned small businesses (SDVOSB) in FY 2022.
  • The federal government seeks to award at least 23% of all contracts to small businesses every year through small business set-asides.
  • A portion of the set-asides are reserved for small businesses that also meet specific socio-economic criteria including women-owned small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, SDVOSB, and HUBZone small businesses in historically underutilized business zones.

The Institute for Global Affairs Announces Five New Nonresident Fellows

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, January 31, 2024

NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Institute for Global Affairs (IGA), formerly the Eurasia Group Foundation, today welcomed the five scholars selected to its 2024 nonresident fellowship.

Key Points: 
  • The international relations experts in its 2024 cohort of nonresident fellows will conduct research on different aspects of U.S. foreign policy.
  • NEW YORK, Jan. 31, 2024 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- The Institute for Global Affairs (IGA), formerly the Eurasia Group Foundation, today welcomed the five scholars selected to its 2024 nonresident fellowship.
  • During this annual program, fellows will also be provided an opportunity to translate their academic research to popular audiences through op-eds and multimedia projects.
  • She is also a two-time nonresident research fellow at the Modern War Institute at West Point.

European Parliament’s Environment Committee Votes to Support New Proposal for the Regulation of New Genomic Techniques

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 25, 2024

The Environment Committee of the European Parliament votes in favour of the European Commission proposal to introduce a new regulation on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed.

Key Points: 
  • The Environment Committee of the European Parliament votes in favour of the European Commission proposal to introduce a new regulation on plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) and their food and feed.
  • The Committee’s report indicates that NGTs have the ability to enhance agriculture by making crops more resilient and sustainable whilst providing unprecedented opportunities for European agriculture and food production.
  • The legislation is part of a package of EU proposals to ensure resilient and sustainable use of the EU's natural resources.
  • After the vote, MEP and rapporteur Jessica Polfjärd said, “This proposal is critical for strengthening Europe's food safety in a sustainable manner.

Dupixent® (dupilumab) FDA Approved as First and Only Treatment Indicated for Children Aged 1 Year and Older with Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE)

Retrieved on: 
Thursday, January 25, 2024

TARRYTOWN, N.Y. and PARIS, Jan. 25, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ: REGN) and Sanofi today announced that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Dupixent® (dupilumab) for the treatment of pediatric patients aged 1 to 11 years, weighing at least 15 kg, with eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE). Dupixent is now the first and only medicine approved in the U.S. specifically indicated to treat these patients. This approval expands the initial FDA approval for EoE in May 2022 for patients aged 12 years and older, weighing at least 40 kg. The FDA evaluated Dupixent for this expanded indication under Priority Review, which is reserved for medicines that represent potentially significant improvements in efficacy or safety in treating serious conditions.

Key Points: 
  • Dupixent is now the first and only medicine approved in the U.S. specifically indicated to treat these patients.
  • This approval expands the initial FDA approval for EoE in May 2022 for patients aged 12 years and older, weighing at least 40 kg.
  • Approximately 21,000 children under the age of 12 in the U.S. are currently being treated for EoE with unapproved therapies.
  • “With this approval, Dupixent becomes the first and only treatment option for EoE patients aged 1 and older, weighing at least 15 kg.

OPEC Fund delivers record results in 2023 with US$1.7 billion in development funding

Retrieved on: 
Monday, January 29, 2024

The organization was established 48 years ago and the 2023 results represent a record in new commitments.

Key Points: 
  • The organization was established 48 years ago and the 2023 results represent a record in new commitments.
  • OPEC Fund Director-General Dr. Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said: "In 2023, the OPEC Fund increased its impact through the delivery of development support in a challenging global environment.
  • We were also able to leverage our partnerships to mobilize development support by working with multilateral development banks and development finance institutions such as the Arab Coordination Group.
  • The issuance of the OPEC Fund's benchmark SDG bond raised US$1 billion for sustainable development projects.