U.S. proposes continued support for TB prevention, but proposes 28% cut to foreign aid budget

American President Donald Trump’s first budget proposes 28% cuts to foreign aid through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the State Department, and the United Nations.

The draft budget, released on 16 March 2017, proposes continued support for the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR); the Global Fund for AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria; and to Gavi (the Vaccine Alliance). The aim to continue malaria and tuberculosis (TB) prevention programs comes a week before World Tuberculosis Day celebrated on 24 March each year.

Tuberculosis is now the fifth most common cause of death globally, said the World Health Organization (WHO) on 13 October 2016 – below heart disease, stroke, lower respiratory infections, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. The WHO said that TB, an airborne disease, had an estimated 10.4 million new cases in 2015 and killed 1.8 million of them. For the second year in a row TB is the world’s top infectious disease killer, surpassing HIV/AIDS. In 2015, about 1.1 million people died from HIV/AIDS, with 400,000 of them co-infections of TB and HIV/AIDS.

The 2018 budget requests $25.6 billion in funding for the Department of State and USAID, which is a $10.1 billion reduction from the previous year. The draft budget includes language indicating a closer relationship between the two departments, saying the budget "recognizes the need for State and USAID to pursue greater efficiencies through reorganization and consolidation in order to enable effective diplomacy and development."

The draft budget does allow for “significant funding of humanitarian assistance, including food aid, disaster, and refugee program funding,” but no specific figures are provided. The draft budget proposes eliminating the Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance account. The draft budget also includes capping contributions to U.N. peacekeeping to no more than 25%.

The U.S. draft budget proposes abolishing a number of independent agencies, including the U.S. African Development Foundation; the U.S. Trade and Development Agency; the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC); and the United States Institute of Peace (USIP).

There is yet to be a debate in Congress about the level of the cuts to foreign aid, which may mean that the budget is unlikely to pass in its proposed form. Senior Republicans, such as Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, and Senator Marco Rubio, a Republican from Florida, may oppose severe cuts to the foreign aid budget. Secretary-General António Guterres has called the proposed budget "complex and lengthy."

The draft budget, which is called “America First: A Budget Blueprint to Make America Great Again” has asked for a $54 billion increase in defense spending. This budget is an outline of his policy priorities and are recommendations for Congress, which ultimately makes decisions about government spending. This proposed budget would take effect on 1 October 2017, only after approval by Congress.

https://www.devex.com/news/trump-s-america-first-budget-slashes-foreign-aid-multilateral-funding-89850?

MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).

Pir-E-Kamil - The Perfect Mentor by Umera Ahmed: book review

The Perfect Mentor pbuh (2011) is set in Lahore and Islamabad in Pakistan. The novel commences with Imama Mubeen in medical university. She wants to be an eye specialist. Her parents have arranged for her to marry her first cousin Asjad. Salar Sikander, her neighbour, is 18 years old with an IQ of 150+ and a photographic memory. He has long hair tied in a ponytail. He imbibes alcohol, treats women disrespectfully and is generally a “weird chap” and a rude, belligerent teenager. In the past three years he has tried to commit suicide three times. He tries again. Imama and her brother, Waseem, answer the servant’s call to help Salar. They stop the bleeding from his wrist and save his life. Imama and Asjad have been engaged for three years, because she wants to finish her studies first. Imama is really delaying her marriage to Asjad because she loves Jalal Ansar. She proposes to him and he says yes. But he knows his parents won’t agree, nor will Imama’s parents. ...

Sister cities discussed: Canberra and Islamabad

Two months ago, in March 2015, Australia and Pakistan agreed to explore ways to deepen ties. The relationship between Australia and Pakistan has been strong for decades, and the two countries continue to keep dialogues open. The annual bilateral discussions were held in Australia in March to continue engagements on a wide range of matters of mutual interest. The Pakistan delegation discussed points of interest will include sports, agriculture, economic growth, trade, border protection, business, and education. The possible twinning of the cities of Canberra, the capital of Australia, and Islamabad, the capital of Pakistan, were also on the agenda (i.e. called twin towns or sister cities). Sister City relationships are twinning arrangements that build friendships as well as government, business, culture, and community linkages. Canberra currently has international Sister City relationships with Beijing in China and Nara in Japan. One example of existing...

The acacia thorn trees of Kenya

There are nearly 800 species of acacia trees in the world, and most don’t have thorns. The famous "whistling thorn tree" and the Umbrella Thorn tree of Kenya are species of acacia that do have thorns, or spines. Giraffes and other herbivores normally eat thorny acacia foliage, but leave the whistling thorn alone. Usually spines are no deterrent to giraffes. Their long tongues are adapted to strip the leaves from the branches despite the thorns. The thorny acacia like dry and hot conditions. The thorns typically occur in pairs and are 5-8 centimetres (2-3 inches) long. Spines can be straight or curved depending on the species. MARTINA NICOLLS is an international aid and development consultant, and the author of:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom (2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Suda...

FEAST OR FAMINE

Search This Blog