USAID releases plan to address global malnutrition
The Global Malnutrition Prevention and Treatment Act, endorsed by Global Health Council, was signed into law in October 2022, codifying U.S. leadership on nutrition globally. USAID has released its implementation plan of the law, which presents USAID’s priority technical areas in nutrition, the approach USAID will take to coordinate and collaborate internally and with priority countries, other federal agencies, and partners to achieve nutrition goals, and the mechanisms by which USAID will hold itself accountable for the achievement of goals by tracking progress against targets through annual reporting. It also provides a shared basis for continued, technically sound, collaborative action.
Congress returns to Washington in September with little time left to finalize FY24 appropriations
With Congress out for recess during the month of August, there is no congressional news to report. Both the House and Senate will return to Washington following the Labor Day holiday, with the Senate returning on September 5 and the House returning on September 12. This leaves only a handful of working days for Congress to pass all twelve appropriations bills before the fiscal year ends on September 30. For a recap on where things stand with FY24 global health appropriations, please take a look back at our appropriations recap from July 24.
UNGA78 and UN High Level Meetings on TB, UHC, and PPPR to convene in September
The 78th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA78) will take place from September 18-26, 2023. During UNGA78, world leaders will discuss a number of conflicts with implications for global health, including climate change and the ongoing refugee crisis. Three High-Level Meetings focused on Tuberculosis, Universal Health Coverage, and Pandemic Prevention, Preparedness and Response will also take place alongside UNGA78.
In preparation for the annual convening, GHC will host a UNGA 101 webinar on September 7 to provide additional details on how best to engage during that week. Registration for the webinar is open and can be accessed here. Additionally, our community calendar, which provides a list of UNGA78 side events, can be accessed here.
USAID publishes position paper on child wasting
The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has published a Position Paper on Child Wasting summarizing the agency’s approach to its wasting programming and highlighting areas for increased future investment. The Position Paper notes that USAID and the U.S. government have demonstrated their commitment to addressing child wasting globally as the U.S. announced its intention to invest up to $11 billion over three years to combat global malnutrition during the 2021 Nutrition for Growth Summit.
WHO and G20 launch global initiative on digital health
On August 19, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the G20 India presidency announced a new Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) at the Health Minister’s Meeting of the G20 Summit hosted by the Government of India. The new GIDH initiative is a WHO-managed network of stakeholders organized to facilitate the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020-2025 and other WHO norms and standards for Digital Health System Transformation.
