US Servas | Key Person Workshop Report

UN Reports |

Spring 2005

Spring 2005
US Servas UN Report
By Sharon Wallenberg, Main UN Rep

United States Servas Involvement in Achieving the UN MDGs

Millennium Development Goals # 4 Reduce Child Mortality
Millennium Development Goal # 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases

United States Servas member, Susan Schechter, from Bayville, New York is helping achieve MDG # 4 and # 6. She is planning to spend two months this summer working in Kenya at an AIDS orphanage outside Nairobi, Kenya. The project is organized by Adelphi University. We are looking forward to a report from Susan this autumn on her experiences.

On May 15, 2005 the International Day of Families will be observed worldwide to promote family solidarity. The international theme for 2005 is “HIV/AIDS and Family Well-being”. HIV/AIDS disproportionately increases the vulnerability of families living in poverty and in largely affected developing countries. In many parts of the world, orphaned children are at greatest risk of HIV/AIDS. “Skip generation” families are emerging in which the parent generation has vanished because of HIV/AIDS and the grandparents are left to attend to the orphaned generation. As of 2003, 15 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS; eight out of ten of these children lived in Sub-Saharan Africa. Besides the fact that AIDS-related deaths create a population of orphans, AIDS hinders development and in the most affected countries and it thwarts economic, health and social progress by reducing life expectancy, increasing poverty and contributing to food shortages.

In recognition of the need for more effective policy and knowledge sharing on best practices, the Division for Social Policy and Development of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will publish a report entitled “AIDS and the Family: Policy Options for a Crisis in Family Capital”. There report includes information on the prevention of HIV among family members, the spread of HIV/AIDS within the family and delaying the onset of infection and progression to AIDS or death due to AIDS complication. It also underscores the need for social, political and material support within the family in regards to the prevention of stigmatization, support for orphans and education to prevent the spread of the disease. It underscores civil society’s need to assist families to strengthen family capital by building upon existing concern for orphans’ families.

Children are also dying due to HIV/AIDS. On April 27, 2005, outgoing Executive Director of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Carol Bellamy reported that global child mortality had dropped by 16 percent in the last 15 years. If AIDS-devastated sub-Saharan Africa data were excluded from this total, the rate of decrease would be 34 per cent. UNICEF’s achievements indicate that while it has made progress toward attaining MDGs 4 and 6 that support diminishing child mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, the staggering number of deaths that occur due to AIDS indicates that there is a considerable need for more effective family policy in order to decrease child mortality through the efforts of the UN, governments and civil society. For further information, go to: The UN's Website

Millennium Development Goal # 5 Improve Maternal Health

United States Servas member, Sharon Wallenberg from Sea Cliff, New York has participated in achieving MDG # 5 in cooperation with MaterCare International. Sharon helped MCI, a new DPI NGO, become acquainted with the UN activities, and choose Representatives. In addition, Sharon applied for ECOSOC accreditation for MCI, and insured their participation in the 2004 UN NGO Annual Conference to give a presentation in a Mid Day Workshop.

MCI is an organization of Catholic Health Professionals (obstetricians, neonatologists, general practitioners, midwives and others) from every part of the world, which encourages and provides opportunities for integrating professional knowledge, skills and experience with practical applications in the developing world.

Malnutrition and lack of basic health care result in countless infant mortalities and maternal morbidities. One of the most common maternal morbidities is obstetric fistula, a condition resulting from prolonged labor. If the baby is not delivered in a timely fashion, it generally does not survive. The pressure of the baby’s head against the mother’s body in prolonged labor usually results in the cutting off of blood supply, and death of tissue involved. This tissue can no longer perform its function. Often a hole or fissure is created. This generally causes loss of control of urine, and often feces, by the mother.

MCI is involved in surgically correcting obstetric fistula in the Ghana Birth Trauma Center in Africa and other facilities in third world areas. In addition, MCI teaches local Doctors, Nurses and Tradition Birth Attendants (TBAs) to recognize signs of high-risk pregnancies and how to cope with them.

Millennium Development Goal # 7 Halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation.

United States Servas member, Sharon Wallenberg, from Sea Cliff, New York has participated in achieving MDG # 7 with her involvement in a water project in Nakuru, Kenya. The project is funded with European donations and run by local Africans. One of them is the cousin of a visiting priest to Sharon’s parish. The connection was made through the priest.

The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have been monitoring and reporting on water supply and sanitation coverage since 1990 through the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). The drinking water and sanitation estimates produced by JMP are the official reference data for the United Nations system to measure progress towards the achievement of MDG # 7. The JMP is a joint programme of WHO and UNICEF, under the aegis of UN-Water, and thereby contributes to the overall UN system coherence and coordination.

Although the proportion of population without access to basic sanitation facilities decreased from 51 per cent in 1990 to 42 percent in 2002, the latest JMP report also showed that the absolute number of people without access was still about 2.6 billion. The JMP estimates that at the current pace, the MDG sanitation target will be missed by half a billion people. This would leave 2.4 billion people still without sanitation in 2015.

The same JMP report shows that while the world as a whole is on track for reaching the MDG target for access to drinking water, forty countries are not. This will still leave 760 million people without access in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa will not meet the drinking water target if commitments to invest and act do not increase substantially.

These figures are powerful tools to advocate globally for new policies, strategies and financial resources to dramatically accelerate progress. In addition to allowing for comparisons between countries and regions, the JMP data highlight the urban and rural divide and provide information on different levels of water and sanitation services.

During the International Decade for Action – Water for Life, 2005-2015, the JKMP will contribute to the achievement of key outcomes by measuring progress towards the MDG drinking water and sanitation target. Indicators for MDG # 7 Proportion of population using improved drinking water sources, urban and rural; Proportion of population using improved sanitation facilities, urban and rural. Improved sanitation facilities are those more likely to ensure privacy and hygienic use. Improved drinking water technologies are those more likely to provide safe drinking water than those characterized as unimproved.

Defining access through “improved” drinking water sources and “improved” sanitation facilities:
Improved drinking water sources:
Household connection
Public standpipe
Borehole
Protected dug well
Protected spring
Rainwater collection

Unimproved drinking water sources:
Unprotected well
Unprotected spring
Rivers or ponds
Vendor-provided water
Bottled water
Tanker truck water

Improved sanitation facilities:
Connection to a public sewer
Connection to a septic tank
Pour-flush latrine
Simple pit latrine
Ventilated improved pit latrine

Unimproved sanitation facilities:
Public or shared latrines
Open pit latrine
Bucket latrine

In 2003, JMP established a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The JMP TAG provides a platform for interagency cooperation on sector monitoring, and is comprised of experts from research institutions, major international partners and survey programmes. These agencies include the Water and Sanitation Programme/ World Bank, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, WSSCC, ORC-Macro, Hygiene Improvement Project/USAID. UK Department for International Development and the Swiss Development Cooperation are valued donors.

The latest JMP report, Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: A Mid-Term Assessment of Progress, was issued in August 2004. It provides country, global and regional coverage estimates, trends over the period 1990-2002 and an assessment of progress towards meeting MDG #7. See the Report.

JMP estimates are also published in many major development reports (eg. Human Development Report, State of the Worlds Children, World Health Report, World Water Development Report). The JMP web site (www.wssinfo.org) displays country specific information, including details about the source data used and how it was analyzed to reach 1990 and 2002 estimates. JMP information can also be accessed through:
Unicef
WHO
Child Info

WHO and UNICEF are working to expand the scope of monitoring to include indicators of reliability, safety and use through a pilot project on rapid water quality testing in six countries. The JMP seeks to strengthen national sector monitoring capacities for turning statistical analysis into policy, planning and resource allocation by promoting the use of the JMP methodology and country estimates by sector decision makers and UN agencies.

Key JMP commitments are to:
Provide up-to-date, high-quality national, regional and global drinking water and sanitation coverage data readily accessible by all interested users
Promote the harmonization of terminology and definitions for sector indicators and their inclusion into major household survey programmes and national population censuses
Methodological development of indicators for incremental expansion of the core set of question/response categories of major household survey instruments.

For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.


UN Reports \| Spring 2005 Spring 2005 US Servas UN Report By Sharon Wallenberg, Main UN Rep United States Servas Involvement in Achieving the UN MDGs Millennium Development Goals # 4 Reduce Child Mortality Millennium Development Goal # 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and other diseases United States Servas member, Susan Schechter, from Bayville, New York is helping achieve MDG # 4 and # 6. She is planning to spend two months this summer working in Kenya at an AIDS orphanage outside Nairobi, Kenya. The project is organized by Adelphi University. We are looking forward to a report from Susan this autumn on her experiences. On May 15, 2005 the International Day of Families will be observed worldwide to promote family solidarity. The international theme for 2005 is “HIV/AIDS and Family Well-being”. HIV/AIDS disproportionately increases the vulnerability of families living in poverty and in largely affected developing countries. In many parts of the world, orphaned children are at greatest risk of HIV/AIDS. “Skip generation” families are emerging in which the parent generation has vanished because of HIV/AIDS and the grandparents are left to attend to the orphaned generation. As of 2003, 15 million children have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS; eight out of ten of these children lived in Sub-Saharan Africa. Besides the fact that AIDS-related deaths create a population of orphans, AIDS hinders development and in the most affected countries and it thwarts economic, health and social progress by reducing life expectancy, increasing poverty and contributing to food shortages. In recognition of the need for more effective policy and knowledge sharing on best practices, the Division for Social Policy and Development of the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA) will publish a report entitled “AIDS and the Family: Policy Options for a Crisis in Family Capital”. There report includes information on the prevention of HIV among family members, the spread of HIV/AIDS within the family and delaying the onset of infection and progression to AIDS or death due to AIDS complication. It also underscores the need for social, political and material support within the family in regards to the prevention of stigmatization, support for orphans and education to prevent the spread of the disease. It underscores civil society’s need to assist families to strengthen family capital by building upon existing concern for orphans’ families. Children are also dying due to HIV/AIDS. On April 27, 2005, outgoing Executive Director of the United Nations Children Fund (UNICEF) Carol Bellamy reported that global child mortality had dropped by 16 percent in the last 15 years. If AIDS-devastated sub-Saharan Africa data were excluded from this total, the rate of decrease would be 34 per cent. UNICEF’s achievements indicate that while it has made progress toward attaining MDGs 4 and 6 that support diminishing child mortality and the spread of HIV/AIDS and malaria, the staggering number of deaths that occur due to AIDS indicates that there is a considerable need for more effective family policy in order to decrease child mortality through the efforts of the UN, governments and civil society. For further information, go to: The UN's Website Millennium Development Goal # 5 Improve Maternal Health United States Servas member, Sharon Wallenberg from Sea Cliff, New York has participated in achieving MDG # 5 in cooperation with MaterCare International. Sharon helped MCI, a new DPI NGO, become acquainted with the UN activities, and choose Representatives. In addition, Sharon applied for ECOSOC accreditation for MCI, and insured their participation in the 2004 UN NGO Annual Conference to give a presentation in a Mid Day Workshop. MCI is an organization of Catholic Health Professionals (obstetricians, neonatologists, general practitioners, midwives and others) from every part of the world, which encourages and provides opportunities for integrating professional knowledge, skills and experience with practical applications in the developing world. Malnutrition and lack of basic health care result in countless infant mortalities and maternal morbidities. One of the most common maternal morbidities is obstetric fistula, a condition resulting from prolonged labor. If the baby is not delivered in a timely fashion, it generally does not survive. The pressure of the baby’s head against the mother’s body in prolonged labor usually results in the cutting off of blood supply, and death of tissue involved. This tissue can no longer perform its function. Often a hole or fissure is created. This generally causes loss of control of urine, and often feces, by the mother. MCI is involved in surgically correcting obstetric fistula in the Ghana Birth Trauma Center in Africa and other facilities in third world areas. In addition, MCI teaches local Doctors, Nurses and Tradition Birth Attendants (TBAs) to recognize signs of high-risk pregnancies and how to cope with them. Millennium Development Goal # 7 Halving, by 2015, the proportion of people without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation. United States Servas member, Sharon Wallenberg, from Sea Cliff, New York has participated in achieving MDG # 7 with her involvement in a water project in Nakuru, Kenya. The project is funded with European donations and run by local Africans. One of them is the cousin of a visiting priest to Sharon’s parish. The connection was made through the priest. The World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations Childrens Fund (UNICEF) have been monitoring and reporting on water supply and sanitation coverage since 1990 through the Joint Monitoring Programme (JMP). The drinking water and sanitation estimates produced by JMP are the official reference data for the United Nations system to measure progress towards the achievement of MDG # 7. The JMP is a joint programme of WHO and UNICEF, under the aegis of UN-Water, and thereby contributes to the overall UN system coherence and coordination. Although the proportion of population without access to basic sanitation facilities decreased from 51 per cent in 1990 to 42 percent in 2002, the latest JMP report also showed that the absolute number of people without access was still about 2.6 billion. The JMP estimates that at the current pace, the MDG sanitation target will be missed by half a billion people. This would leave 2.4 billion people still without sanitation in 2015. The same JMP report shows that while the world as a whole is on track for reaching the MDG target for access to drinking water, forty countries are not. This will still leave 760 million people without access in 2015. Sub-Saharan Africa will not meet the drinking water target if commitments to invest and act do not increase substantially. These figures are powerful tools to advocate globally for new policies, strategies and financial resources to dramatically accelerate progress. In addition to allowing for comparisons between countries and regions, the JMP data highlight the urban and rural divide and provide information on different levels of water and sanitation services. During the International Decade for Action – Water for Life, 2005-2015, the JKMP will contribute to the achievement of key outcomes by measuring progress towards the MDG drinking water and sanitation target. Indicators for MDG # 7 Proportion of population using improved drinking water sources, urban and rural; Proportion of population using improved sanitation facilities, urban and rural. Improved sanitation facilities are those more likely to ensure privacy and hygienic use. Improved drinking water technologies are those more likely to provide safe drinking water than those characterized as unimproved. Defining access through “improved” drinking water sources and “improved” sanitation facilities: Improved drinking water sources: Household connection Public standpipe Borehole Protected dug well Protected spring Rainwater collection Unimproved drinking water sources: Unprotected well Unprotected spring Rivers or ponds Vendor-provided water Bottled water Tanker truck water Improved sanitation facilities: Connection to a public sewer Connection to a septic tank Pour-flush latrine Simple pit latrine Ventilated improved pit latrine Unimproved sanitation facilities: Public or shared latrines Open pit latrine Bucket latrine In 2003, JMP established a Technical Advisory Group (TAG). The JMP TAG provides a platform for interagency cooperation on sector monitoring, and is comprised of experts from research institutions, major international partners and survey programmes. These agencies include the Water and Sanitation Programme/ World Bank, UN-HABITAT, UNEP, WSSCC, ORC-Macro, Hygiene Improvement Project/USAID. UK Department for International Development and the Swiss Development Cooperation are valued donors. The latest JMP report, Meeting the MDG Drinking Water and Sanitation Target: A Mid-Term Assessment of Progress, was issued in August 2004. It provides country, global and regional coverage estimates, trends over the period 1990-2002 and an assessment of progress towards meeting MDG #7. See the Report. JMP estimates are also published in many major development reports (eg. Human Development Report, State of the Worlds Children, World Health Report, World Water Development Report). The JMP web site (www.wssinfo.org) displays country specific information, including details about the source data used and how it was analyzed to reach 1990 and 2002 estimates. JMP information can also be accessed through: Unicef WHO Child Info WHO and UNICEF are working to expand the scope of monitoring to include indicators of reliability, safety and use through a pilot project on rapid water quality testing in six countries. The JMP seeks to strengthen national sector monitoring capacities for turning statistical analysis into policy, planning and resource allocation by promoting the use of the JMP methodology and country estimates by sector decision makers and UN agencies. Key JMP commitments are to: Provide up-to-date, high-quality national, regional and global drinking water and sanitation coverage data readily accessible by all interested users Promote the harmonization of terminology and definitions for sector indicators and their inclusion into major household survey programmes and national population censuses Methodological development of indicators for incremental expansion of the core set of question/response categories of major household survey instruments. For more information about US Servas' UN activities or to get involved, contact the main US Servas UN Rep, Sharon Wallenberg at sharonw77@hotmail.com.
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