In The News

Progress on Global Access to HIV Antiretroviral Therapy

July 1, 2005
The number of people receiving combination antiretroviral therapy (ART) for HIV/AIDS is increasing in every region of the world, tripling in the last 12 months in both sub-Saharan Africa and Asia – the two areas most affected by the disease. According to this newly released report by the WHO and UNAIDS, however, it is unlikely that the "3 by 5" goal of treating three million HIV-...

A Report from the Ground Zero of China’s AIDS Crisis

Pierre Haski June 30, 2005
The international community has praised the Chinese government for its recent change of heart toward the AIDS crisis. Whereas central authorities considered the epidemic a foreign issue just five years ago, Chinese leaders today acknowledge the severity of the problem and are participating in international programs aimed at the prevention and treatment of the disease. Journalist Pierre Haski...

Lifting Africa's Debt Sentence

Doug Saunders June 13, 2005
A summit of financial ministers from the G-8 announced on Saturday that 18 of the world's poorest nations, most of which are in sub-Saharan Africa, will be relieved of their debt burdens. The beneficiaries – deemed to have satisfactory governments and economic structures – were selected via an intensive vetting system. The agreement has sparked opposition on both sides of the African aid...

"In Larger Freedom": Decision Time at the UN

Kofi Annan May 31, 2005
The wide range of threats afflicting different regions today complicates international collaboration. In an interconnected world, however, these threats are often more closely related than we realize. Extreme poverty and civil conflict in one country, for example, encourage terrorist groups to strike in another; the outbreak of disease in a region with poor health care may spread to wealthier...

Drug Deal

Kelly Hearn May 26, 2005
In coming weeks, the US Congress may ratify the Dominican Republic-Central American Free Trade Agreement (DR-CAFTA), creating a new free trade area. One of the often-overlooked but controversial aspects of the agreement is its intellectual property protections. According to journalist Kelly Hearn, the new protections could halt production of the generic medications that AIDS patients depend on...

‘Developing Countries Should Have a Bigger Say in the World Bank and IMF’

May 20, 2005
In a recent interview with YaleGlobal editor Nayan Chanda, Kemal Dervis, former Minister of Economic Affairs in Turkey and author of the book A Better Globalization, talks about reforming the United Nations Security Council and the role of international financial institutions. Excerpts of the interview follow.

More Creative Thinking Needed On Drug R&D

Priya Shetty May 4, 2005
Countries worldwide are investing more and more in research and development on diseases and drugs to fight them. But few of these projects are aimed at illnesses afflicting the world's poorest regions – illnesses which account for widespread death and devastation. A major reason for this neglect is the patent system, which prioritizes duplication over innovation; new global intellectual...