Policy Integration for REDD+: Insights from Mexico

This paper investigates how the horizontal and vertical policy integration for REDD+ has been conceptualized and unfolded in Mexico during the REDD+ readiness and early implementation phase (2008–2019). We used the document analysis and interviews with key actors to identify changes that REDD+ induced in forestry and agriculture sectors’ policy making and programs at the national level and in two REDD+ states, Campeche and Jalisco. The policy integration for REDD+ in Mexico is conceptualized as compatibility-within-a-framework, i.e., promotes coordination and compromises among the objectives of land-use policies endorsing sustainable rural development. The state environmental agencies play an active role in involving the agricultural authorities in formal and informal interactions. This resulted in the design (Campeche) and even implementation (Jalisco) of REDD+-aligned programs and instruments. The progress at the subnational level is hampered by the national agriculture and forestry agencies’ policy inertia and lack of resources. To support the subnational REDD+ policy integration advancement, more resources and powers should be made available to the state environmental authorities which would help them directly reach more international funding and include other important REDD+ actors and establish mutually accountable relationships with them.

Sex omission and male bias are still widespread in cell experiments

Integrating sex as an important biological variable is imperative to enhance the accuracy and reproducibility of cell-based studies, which provide basic information for subsequent preclinical and clinical study designs. Recently, international funding agencies and renowned journals have been attempting to integrate sex as a variable in every research step. To understand what progress has been made in reporting of cell sex in the articles published in AJP-Cell Physiology since the analysis in 2013, we examined the sex notation of the cells in relevant articles published in the same journal in 2018. Of the 107 articles reporting cell experiments, 53 reported the sex of the cells, 18 used both male and female cells, 23 used male cells only, and 12 used female cells only. Sex omission was more frequent when cell lines were used than when primary cells were used. In the articles describing experiments performed using rodent primary cells, more than half of the studies used only male cells. Our results showed an overall improvement in sex reporting for cells in AJP-Cell Physiology articles from 2013 (25%) to 2018 (50%). However, sex omission and male bias were often found still. Furthermore, the obtained results were rarely analyzed by sex even when both male and female cells were used in the experiments. To boost sex-considerate research implementation in basic biomedical studies, cooperative efforts of the research community, funders, and publishers are urged.

Trends in Peer Review

Peer review is primarily discussed in the literature with respect to its deficits, e.g. bias or inefficiency. In contrast, our synthesis asks why peer review is used ubiquitously and why it works despite such deficits. Historically, one answer lies in peer review not just providing expertise-based decisions on scientific resources (publication space, funding, jobs), but also providing an organized procedure to give these decisions legitimacy outside of science, e.g. in politics. The current situation is marked by a landscape of national and international funding and review activities that not only complement each other, but overlap, mirror, or rival each other. The current challenge rests in adapting peer review to different funding programmes within this landscape and without adding unnecessary burden on researchers and research organisations. To capture these aspects of scientific self-governance, we suggest an alternative conception of grant peer review that allows for thinking about peer review procedures as made up of different elements. Our key findings from such a conception are the following:- Peer review procedures have become more complex and formalized, as a result of being adapted to the different settings in publishing, funding, and hiring, on the national and international level. - The diversity and ubiquity of peer review rests upon its adaptability and scalability in reaching the ‘right’ decisions, i.e. based on scientific exellence, as well as in producing legitimate decisions, i.e. accepted by multiple stakeholders.- Peer review can be partitioned into eight elemental practices: four essential practices – postulating, consultative, decisive, and administrative – and another four – debating, presenting, observing, and moderating – that provide further combinatorial possibilities.- Through context-specific combinations of these elemental practices into a procedure, peer review generates legitimacy for judgements on scientific quality, inside and outside of science.- Peer review should not be seen as a 'measurement device' for scientific quality. Its diversity attests to the fact that issues of quality and legitimacy are intertwined and should be addressed openly.- Peer review procedures can act as laboratories for deliberation where the robustness and validity of research are equally relevant issues as participation, representation, accountability, or legibility; in effect, allowing for experiments and innovations in science policy.

The Impact of Religious and Cultural Beliefs Towards Immunization in Pakistan

Pakistan is one of the only two countries in the world where poliomyelitis virus is still not eradicated. Efforts from government such as Expanded Programme on Immunizations (EPI), which has received ample international funding, have not been successful as some sub-sections of population have a negative attitude towards vaccinations. These people generally belong to areas with a lack of education as well as strong influence of religious leaders, who are known to perpetuate misconceptions that the purpose of vaccinations is to sterilize future generations, they are not made from halal products, or are an agenda by Western intelligence agencies to gather information. Also, there are other cultural and social barriers, such as lack of female vaccinators and concerns about their handling. The stance of local people is compared with Muslim leaders and laws of other Islamic countries. Furthermore, a global vaccine confidence survey is discussed to evaluate Pakistan’s position in the broader context.

Factors Related to HIV AIDS Fund Expenditure 2010-2018 (NASA 2019 Data Analysis)

The prevalence rate of HIV/AIDS and various achievement targets are still challenges in HIV/AIDS intervention in Indonesia. Indonesia is required to map out the current resources and their allocation in dealing with HIV AIDS. The objective of this study is to know the distribution and the factors that related with the HIV/AIDS expenditure in the year 2010-2018. This study uses a correlation study design derived from the 2019 National AIDS Spending Assesment (NASA) report and other data sources. The results of the study show that the total expenditure on HIV/AIDS programs in 2017 was 143,053,754 USD and decreased to 107,680,959 USD in 2018. Of the total expenditure, about 60% each came from public funding, an increase of 30% over 10 years. There is a strong relationship between HIV expenditure and the variables of reported HIV cases, ARV coverage, GDP growth and health budget. Total domestic expenditure on HIV and the total health budget had the strongest relationship (R=0.885) with a contribution of 78.3% effect on the health budget (p=0.001). The availability of domestic funds is still limited and is dominated by the allocation of treatment. The high level of dependence on international funding especially on prevention means that the architecture of HIV/AIDS funding needs to be reorganized to protect the sustainability of HIV funding.

Scaling-Up the Recognition of Indigenous and Community Land Rights: Opportunities, Costs and Climate Implications

A growing body of evidence suggests that recognition of the collective tenure rights of Indigenous Peoples, local communities, and Afro-descendants is a powerful and cost-effective strategy for addressing the climate and biodiversity crises. In spite of this, international funding for rights recognition pales in comparison to donor mobilization around alternative solutions to these crises.

Haiti election schedule ushers in year of tensions

Significance This will be a hectic electoral year, with a referendum on a new, as yet unknown, constitution scheduled for April and then presidential, legislative and local elections later in the year. Tensions will be high ahead of these polls, especially given opposition concerns that President Jovenel Moise will seek re-election and to entrench himself in power. Impacts Major investments will be paused in 2021 as businesses wait for electoral tensions to pass. Given Haiti’s weak economy, international funding may be needed to allow all the elections to be held. Any sustained increase in violence could lead the UN to consider a temporary pre-election peacekeeping or monitoring deployment.

An analysis of funding patterns in development assistance for mental health: who, when, what, and where

Background Mental health has recently gained increasing attention on global health and development agendas, including calls for an increase in international funding. Few studies have previously characterized official development assistance for mental health (DAMH) in a nuanced and differentiated manner in order to support future funding efforts. Methods Data from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development Creditor Reporting System were obtained through keyword searches. Projects were manually reviewed and categorized into projects dedicated entirely to mental health and projects that mention mental health (as one of many aims). Analysis of donor, recipient, and sector characteristics within and between categories was undertaken cumulatively and yearly. Findings Between the two categories of official DAMH defined, characteristics differed in terms of largest donors, largest recipient countries and territories, and sector classification. However, across both categories there were clear and consistent findings: the top donors accounted for over 80% of all funding identified; the top recipients were predominantly conflict-affected countries and territories, or were receiving nations for conflict-affect refugees; and sector classification demonstrated shifting international development priorities and political drivers. Conclusion Across DAMH, significant amounts of funding are directed toward conflict settings and relevant emergency response by a small majority of donors. Our analysis demonstrated that, within minimal international assistance for mental health overall, patterns of donor, recipient, and sector characteristics favor emergency conflict-affected settings. Calls for increased funding should be grounded in understanding of funding drivers and directed toward both emergency and general health settings.