the aid library

Migration health: 2019 activities overview - Leave no migrant behind

International Organization for Migration IOM (2020) C1

Every year, nearly 250 million people move across borders temporarily or permanently for a job opportunity, studying, to flee a crisis back home, or for other reasons. Another 750 million move for similar reasons within the borders of their countrie ... more

Visceral leishmaniasis: a global overview

Wamai, R.; Khan, J.; McGloin, J.; Ziaggi, G. (2020) CC

J Glob Health Sci. 2020 Jun;2(1):e3. A group of enzootic and zoonotic protozoan infections, the leishmaniases constitute among the most severely neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) and are found in all continents except Oceania. Representing the most ... more

Pathways to progress: a multi-level approach to strengthening health systems

Samuels, F., Amaya, A.B., Rodríguez Pose, R. and Balabanova, D. Overseas Development Institute (2014) C1

Findings on maternal and child health in Nepal, Mozambique and Rwanda, and neglected tropical diseases in Cambodia and Sierra Leone | This report synthesises findings from five country case studies from the health dimension of this project, which f ... more

WHO mid-term programmatic and financial report for 2016-2017 including audited financial statements for 2016

World Health Organisation (WHO) (2017) C_WHO

In an ambitious new era for health development under the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, WHO and its partners have a solid foundation of success on which to build. Health plays a fundamental role in development and is the central focus ... more

A Roadmap to combat postpartum haemorrhage between 2023 and 2030

World Health Organization WHO (2023) C_WHO

WHO today released its first roadmap to tackle postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) – defined as excessive bleeding after childbirth - which affects millions of women annually and is the world’s leading cause ... of maternal deaths. Despite being preventable and treatable, PPH results in around 70 000 deaths every year. For those who survive, it can cause disabilities and psychological trauma that last for years. “Severe bleeding in childbirth is one of the most common causes of maternal mortality, yet it is highly preventable and treatable,” said Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General. “This new roadmap charts a path forward to a world in which more women have a safe birth and a healthy future with their families.” The Roadmap aims to help countries address stark differences in survival outcomes from PPH, which reflect major inequities in access to essential health services. Over 85% of deaths from PPH happen in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Risk factors include anaemia, placental abnormalities, and other complications in pregnancy such as infections and pre-eclampsia. Many risk factors can be managed if there is quality antenatal care, including access to ultrasound, alongside effective monitoring in the hours after birth. If bleeding starts, it also needs to be detected and treated extremely quickly. Too often, however, health facilities lack necessary healthcare workers or resources, including lifesaving commodities such as oxytocin, tranexamic acid or blood for transfusions. “Addressing postpartum haemorrhage needs a multipronged approach focusing on both prevention and response - preventing risk factors and providing immediate access to treatments when needed - alongside broader efforts to strengthen women’s rights,” said Dr Pascale Allotey, WHO Director for Sexual and Reproductive Health and HRP, the UN’s special programme on research development and training in human reproduction. “Every woman, no matter where she lives, should have access to timely, high quality maternity care, with trained health workers, essential equipment and shelves stocked with appropriate and effective commodities – this is crucial for treating postpartum bleeding and reducing maternal deaths.” more

Africa’s Health Financing in a New Era

Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) (2025) CC

Africa’s health sector is facing an unprecedented financing crisis, driven by a sharp decline of 70% in Official Development Assistance (ODA) from 2021 to 2025 and deep-rooted structural vulnerabilities. This collapse is placing immense pressure o ... n Africa’s already fragile health systems as ODA is seen as the backbone of critical health programs: pandemic preparedness, maternal and child health services, disease control programs are all at risk, threatening Sustainable Development Goal 3 and Universal Health Coverage. Compounding this is Africa’s spiraling debt, with countries expected to service USD 81 billion by 2025—surpassing anticipated external financing inflows—further eroding fiscal space for health investments. Level of domestic resources is low. TThe Abuja Declaration of 2001, a pivotal commitment made by African Union (AU) member states, aimed to reverse this trend by pledging to allocate at least 15% of national budgets to the health sector. However, more than two decades later, only three countries—Rwanda, Botswana, and Cabo Verde—have consistently met or exceeded this target (WHO, 2023). In contrast, over 30 AU member states remain well below the 10% benchmark, with some allocating as little as 5–7% of their national budgets to health. In addition, only 16 (29%) of African countries currently have updated versions of National Health Development Plan (NHDP) supported by a National Health Financing Plan (NHFP). These two documents play a critical role in driving internal resource mobilisation. At the same time, public health emergencies are surging, rising 41%—from 152 in 2022 to 213 in 2024—exposing severe under-resourcing of health infrastructure and workforce. Recurring outbreaks (Mpox, Ebola, cholera, measles, Marburg…) alongside effects of climate change and humanitarian crises in Eastern DRC, the Sahel, and Sudan, are overwhelming systems stretched by chronic underfunding. The situation is worsened by Africa’s heavy dependency with over 90% of vaccines, medicines, and diagnostics being externally sourced—leaving countries vulnerable to global supply chain shocks. Health worker shortages persist, with only 2.3 professionals per 1,000 people (below the WHO’s recommended 4.45), and fewer than 30% of systems are digitized, undermining disease surveillance and early warning. Without decisive action, Africa CDC projects the continent could reverse two decades of health progress, face 2 to 4 million additional preventable deaths annually, and a heightened risk of a pandemic emerging from within. Furthermore, 39 million more Africans could be pushed into poverty by 2030 due to intertwined health and economic shocks. This is not just a sectoral crisis—it is an existential threat to Africa’s political, social, and economic resilience, and global stability. In response, African leaders, under Africa CDC’s stewardship, are advancing a comprehensive three-pillar strategy centered on domestic resource mobilization, innovative financing, and blended finance. more

Reaching the every newborn national 2020 milestones: country progress, plans and moving forward

World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF (2017) C_WHO

To complement the Global Strategy progress reporting, this report provides a detailed look at country leadership and action toward the Every Newborn National Milestones by 2020. Countries have taken the initiative to show the way forward and have demonstrated significant progress. As part ... more

Healthier, fairer, safer: the global health journey 2007–2017

Donaldson, Liam World Health Organization (WHO) (2017) C_WHO

The report reflects on the trends, achievements and challenges in global health over the past decade during which Dr Margaret Chan has been Director-General of WHO. It discusses the role of WHO in d ... more

Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale

Perry, H.; L. Crigler, et al. Maternal and Child Health Integrated Program (MCHIP) (2014)

A Reference Guide for Program Managers and Policy Makers. Recently, a renewed interest in large-scale community health worker (CHW) programs has been seen globally. This renewal provides an opportune moment to take stock of issues and challenges suc ... more

Measuring medicine prices, availability, affordability and price components

World Health Organization; hai global (2008) C_WHO

2nd edition - Published in 2003, the first WHO/HAI medicine prices manual Medicine Prices – A New Approach to Measurement Draft for field-testing provides a draft methodology and tools to conduct national medicine prices and availability surveys. This second edition ... more

Involving male partners in maternity care in Burkina Faso: a randomized controlled trial

Daniele M.A., Ganaba R., Sarrassat S. et. al. Research (2018) C2

Bull World Health Organ 2018;96:450–461 | doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.2471/BLT.17.206466 The aim of our study was to determine whether an intervention designed to involve the male partners of preg ... more

Ghana Annual Report 2019

World Health Organization WHO; Regional Office for Africa (2020) C_WHO

The WHO country office for Ghana, began the year 2019 with a 4-day staff retreat at the Busua Beach Resort in the Western Region from 04 to 08 March 2019. The theme for the retreat was ‘Impacting the Health and Lives of the people ... more

Developing and Strengthening Community Health Worker Programs at Scale, A Reference Guide for Program Managers and Policy Makers

USAID, MCHIP (2013) CC

Recently, a renewed interest in large-scale community health worker (CHW) programs has been seen globally. This renewal provides an opportune moment to take stock of issues and challenges such programs face and what can be done to make them as effec ... more

Tracking Official Development Assistance for Reproductive Health in Conflict-Affected Countries

Patel P.; Roberts B.; Gury S. et al. PLOS Medecine (2009) CC

Reproductive health needs are particularly acute in countries affected by armed conflict. Reliable information on aid investment for reproductive health in these countries is essential for improving the efficiency and effectiveness of aid. The pur ... more

ment

UNAIDS; STRIVE (2018) C2

1-13 December 2018 | Geneva, Switzerland UNAIDS Programme Coordinating Board Issue date: 23 November 2018 UNAIDS/PCB (43)/18.32

HIV and social protection assessment tool

UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIVAIDS); Unicef; World Health Organization; et al. (2017) C2

UNAIDS 2017 / Reference Generating evidence for policy and action on HIV and social protection

Confronting discrimination

UNAIDS (2017) C2

Overcoming HIV-related stigma and discrimination in health- care settings and beyond UNAIDS 2017 | REFERENCE

Market and technology landscape HIV rapid diagnostic tests for self-testing

O. Ajose; C. Pérez Casas; H. Ingold; et al. Unitaid (Innovation in Global Health); World Health Organization (WHO) (2018) C2

4th edition

Health, rights and drugs - Harm reduction, decriminalization, and zero discrimination for people who use drugs

UNAIDS (Joint United Nations Programme on HIVAIDS) (2019) C2

As a new chapter in the response to the world drug problem begins, UNAIDS calls on countries to adopt the recommendations contained within this report, and to rapidly transform those commitments into laws, policies, services and support that allow people who use drugs to live healthy and dignified l ... more

Strengthening the Health Workforce for Improved Services

USAID, CapacityPlus & PEPFAR (2015) C2

Results and Lessons Learned from CapacityPlus 2009-2015