USAID Impact Photo Credit: Nancy Leahy/USAID

Archives for Asia

Lancet Series Puts Spotlight on Global Tuberculosis Efforts

Posted by  on Friday, May 28th 2010     

On May 19th, ‘The Lancet’ released a special series on tuberculosis, which includes a series of papers and comments highlighting the need for new tools, the threat posed by drug-resistant strains, results of current control efforts and other issues about TB worldwide http://www.thelancet.com/series/tuberculosis. While treatment strategies saved six million lives and 36 million cases of the disease were successfully treated between 1995 and 2008, TB remains a severe global public health threat. TB remains second only to HIV among infectious killers worldwide today and is the third leading cause of death among women aged 15-44.

The Lancet series also focused on the broader issues that contribute to the spread of the disease. The

Read the rest of this entry »

A Postcard from Dhaka

Posted by  on Thursday, May 27th 2010     

USAID Administrator Rajiv Shah’s visit to Bangladesh.

USAID Administrator, Dr. Rajiv Shah, visited Bangladesh May 25-26th to participate in the opening of the Bangladesh Food Security Investment Forum, hosted by the Government of Bangladesh and launched by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. During his visit, he met with bilateral and multilateral development partners from the UN, FAO and DFID, as well as with the Prime Minister to discuss development issues and mutual cooperation.  After addressing a press conference where he highlighted President Obama’s new Feed the Future initiative, Dr. Shah met with USAID staff working in the region.

Investing in food security with the Bangladeshi government, private sector, NGOs

Posted by  on Wednesday, May 26th 2010     
Rajiv Shah - Bangladesh Food Security Investment Forum - May 2010

Dr. Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator, speaks at the Bangladesh Food Security Investment Forum in Dhaka on May 26, 2010

I’m in Bangladesh today to participate in the Food Security Investment Forum. What a crowd! The Prime Minister, Her Excellency Sheikh Hasina, who has shown a strong commitment to food security, spoke this morning, as well as luminaries such as Dr. David Nabarro, Dr. Shenggen Fan, and Dr. John Mellor.

We’ve all come together in Bangladesh because this country represents a situation that we need to address now. The rising population, decreasing availability of land for agricultural production, and the growing adverse consequences due to climate change means we need to think dramatically differently about what it takes to feed the future generations in this country.

Read the rest of this entry »

This Week at USAID – May 24, 2010

Posted by  on Monday, May 24th 2010     

Currently in Beijing, Administrator Shah is taking part in development-specific talks led by Secretary Clinton at the U.S.-China Strategic and Economic Dialogue.

Later this week, Administrator Shah will be in Dhaka to participate in the Food Security Investment Forum hosted by the Government of Bangladesh.  This forum is a country-specific element of Feed the Future, the U.S. Government’s global hunger and food security initiative.

Development as a discipline in China

Posted by  on Monday, May 24th 2010     

I’m in Beijing to take part in the Strategic and Economic Dialogue along with other Obama Administration leaders.

First stop: China Agricultural University where the Agriculture Cadres Training College is preparing the next generation of development professionals.

This is the only university In China to have a discipline in development; it offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. The visit here was very exciting — there were great questions about Africa and partnerships — and the students were extremely engaging.

Collaborating to Conserve Forests in Southeast Asia

Posted by  on Thursday, May 13th 2010     
Deforestation in Vietnam

Regional forestry officials met to discuss a common vision to reduce deforestation as part of an activity funded by USAID.

At a U.S.-funded workshop on May 6, representatives from government agencies and non-governmental organizations in Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam convened to forge a strategy for preserving the forests of the Lower Mekong. These forests are home to more than 25 million people in Vietnam alone, and are threatened by deforestation and degradation.

Participants at the workshop, which was funded in part by the USAID Asia Regional Biodiversity Conservation Program, discussed current efforts to develop national programs to reduce emissions from deforestation. At the Copenhagen negotiations in December 2009, the United States Government committed $1 billion to support forest conservation efforts.

Read the rest of this entry »

USAID Administrator co-chairs discussions with Afghan ministers

Posted by  on Tuesday, May 11th 2010     
USAID Adminstrator co-chairs conference with Afghan Ministers

USAID Administrator co-chairs discussions with Afghan Ministers

This week President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan and members of his cabinet are participating in U.S. – Afghanistan Bilateral Discussions in Washington, DC. These discussions are another step in the advancement of a very broad strategic partnership between our two countries. (Our guests have a full agenda this week including a meeting with President Obama, a full day at the State Department and meetings on Capitol Hill, with Think Tanks and the media.)

As part of this effort, USAID Administrator Dr. Rajiv Shah co-chaired two discussions with Afghan Ministers – the first, on human resource development where the focus was on health and education, and, secondly, a roundtable discussion with

Read the rest of this entry »

Afghanistan: Midwives Graduate from Hirat Institute of Health Sciences

Posted by  on Thursday, April 22nd 2010     

U.S. Embassy Coordinating Director for Development and Economic Affairs Ambassador E. Anthony Wayne and Acting Minister of Public Health Dr. Suraya Dalil joined Hirat Governor Yusuf Nuristani and regional Afghan health officials and members of the international donor community at a graduation ceremony for 40 midwives yesterday from the Hirat Institute of Health Sciences.

Afghanistan has the second highest maternal mortality rate in the world. About every 30 minutes a mother dies giving birth in Afghanistan, and 77 percent of these deaths are due to factors that could be avoided with proper health care. The neonatal mortality rate is also high in Afghanistan, with 60 newborns out of every 1,000 dying in the first month of life. “The Ministry of Public Health will be working to ensure that public health services are available to all Afghans, and maternal child care is one of our biggest concerns,” said Acting Minister of Public Health (MoPH) Dr. Suraya Dalil.

Read More

Kabul Education University Graduates First Class of Master’s Degree Students

Posted by  on Tuesday, March 30th 2010     

A group of 22 Kabul Education University (KEU) students walked across the university’s stage today in front of a packed auditorium at the university campus to become the first KEU students to receive an Afghan Master’s in Education diploma.

The ceremony marked the beginning of a successful U.S. Government-funded post-graduate program at the university, which will enable KEU students to earn a Master’s in Education Degree from KEU without leaving Afghanistan.

Read more…

Page 14 of 14:« First« 11 12 13 14