Armed conflicts have repercussions on people's health (wounds, population displacements), on health systems (deterioration due to lack of human and financial resources, attacks on health facilities) and on access to health services (insecurity). These repercussions may be immediate or take effect gradually, over the years.

In health emergencies as in periods of stability, restoring access to primary health-care services is a priority in so far as many health problems can be dealt with by means of preventive care and conventional therapy. Depending on the context, the ICRC must

This 28 page briefing note discusses Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration (DDR): defining what it can and can not do and the preconditions necessary for its success.

Nicole Ball (from the Center on International Policy, Washington DC) and Luc van de Goor (Clingendael Institute) address some of the problems that practitioners will encounter in dealing with DDR program design and implementation. The document provides a concise overview of some of the main lessons learned, as well as some guidance questions.

The paper upholds that DDR must be seen

The Millennium Declaration, related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and the outcome of the 2005 Millennium world Summit represent the collective commitment of the international community to a better future for all. For children this
means that their rights and principles to health, education, protection and equality are protected, respected and fulfilled.Within the UN, UNICEF is mandated to advocate for the protection of the rights of the child, to help meet their basic needs and to expand their opportunities to reach their full potential.With less than a decade

The problem of fragile, failing and failed states is a critical issue on today's international scene, and the question of preventing violence is especially acute for many countries. New ways need to be found to tackle this violence, if such countries are to have true hopes of stability and then also of coherence and well-being. This was the primary concern of the multi-year, practical, learning effort entitled the International Peace and Prosperity Project (IPPP) in Guinea-Bissau.

The IPPP features the mobilization of

The process of disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration (DDR) as part of the reform of security sector institutions in the context of peace operations, either under the auspices of the United Nations or otherwise, is a relatively new and challenging field. Although the international community has succeeded in some instances, it has not been consistent. This is partly due to inherent difficulties in engaging with sometimes sensitive and controversial institutions, political processes and personalities in conflict or post-conflict settings. The authors begin

It is now accepted that HIV/AIDS is a long-wave event, with accumulative and systemic impacts. It follows from this that longitudinal studies are needed, to establish the effects on individuals, households and communities and their complex interactions over time. But what kinds of longitudinal studies illuminate these issues the best?

This Briefing Paper provides one kind of answer. It draws on longitudinal research carried out in Zambia in 1993 and 2005 using methods derived from the anthropological and ethnographic

ACT celebrated its 10th anniversary in August 2005. This decade of working together as an alliance of more than 100 churches and related agencies, assisting people in need in humanitarian crises, culminated in an extraordinary and unprecedented year of disaster response in 2005.

The annual report titled "Global Action" reports on ACT's work during 2005-2006. Global action means not only worldwide presence through all members and being an alliance that saves lives and supports communities in emergencies, but

The report demonstrates how educating girls and women is one huge step towards turning around the AIDS epidemic in Africa.

Early in the epidemic - before 1995 - more highly educated women were more vulnerable to HIV than women who were less well educated. They were more highly educated and had better economic prospects, which influenced their lifestyle choices. They were usually more mobile and tended to have a number of sexual partners. But at that stage, there was also a general information vacuum about HIV and AIDS in Africa. As the epidemic has evolved, however, the relationship

The context for aid delivery has changed significantly over the past decade. Amongst these changes are donors' shift towards strengthening the role of the state, their new emphasis on promoting national ownership of the development process with broad participation (including by poor people themselves), and the rise of "partnership" and "accountability" as key principles underpinning these policies. At the same time, many NGOs have moved away from pure service delivery towards supporting poor people's capacity to claim their rights and hold