The relationship between drug control policy and human development is complex and multifaceted; both share a common objective to reduce drug-related harms. Yet policies aimed at prohibiting and punishing the cultivation, sale and use of certain drugs have played a disproportionate role in shaping the international approach to drug control and country responses, irrespective of countries’...

This week, world leaders will agree to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that will replace the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and shape the next 15 years of international development. The goals are very ambitious, aiming to end poverty, improve human rights and achieve environmental sustainability (among other things) by 2030. As readers of this blog will be well aware, the SDGs are...

Nathalie Abejero     Cambodia has made headlines with its successful fight against HIV. According to UNAIDS, between 2005 and 2013, new HIV infections dropped by 67% and more than two-thirds of the 75,000 persons living with HIV have access to ARVs. This success draws in large part on two decades’ worth of sustained funding from international donors to support HIV prevention,...

“When I was 30 years-old, I was surprised to learn that I was pregnant,” said Prem Paika, who lives in Chiang Mai, Thailand. “My partner, who I had been with for the past eight years, thought he was infertile, so we did not use any birth control.” Ms Paika was also concerned because she and her partner had been diagnosed with HIV five years earlier. She had been taking antiretroviral...

TAIZ, YEMEN, 10 September 2015 (IRIN) - There has been plenty of analysis about the war in Yemen. One minute the pro-Iranian Houthi rebels have the upper hand, the next it is the Saudi Arabian-led coalition. Perhaps the ousted president will return, or maybe al-Qaeda will fill the vacuum. Amid the endless opinion and speculation, one thing is certain: the only real winners so far are the...

While it may seem that conflict is constantly bubbling up around the globe, there are scores of people working to keep tensions from boiling over on a daily basis. From creating paths for hostile governments to compromise over natural resources to implementing technology to gather data in conflict zones, there are real strides being made to maintain peace in conflict and “post-conflict”...

In 2012, it was estimated that about 45.0% of the population of the Eastern Mediterranean Region countries was living in areas with risk of local malaria transmission. In that year, countries in the Region  reported 1240900 confirmed malaria cases which is 17.6% of the total reported malaria cases in the Region. The Eastern Mediterranean Region spans three different eco-epidemiological  zones...

Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100;000 people) in Middle East and North Africa Incidence of tuberculosis (per 100;000 people) in Middle East and North Africa was last measured at 40 in 2013, according to the World Bank. Incidence of tuberculosis is the estimated number of new pulmonary, smear positive, and extra-pulmonary tuberculosis cases.This page has the latest values, historical data,...