The end of each year provides the opportunity to reflect on what transpired and what was accomplished. Global health saw plenty of victories and setbacks in 2013.
Drug-resistant TB, slowing donor funding, new outbreaks of polio and a devastating typhoon showed how easily progress can stall. Amid these challenges emerged a changing global health landscape. The old way of doing things is now, more than ever, on its way out. In the next five years, the range of actors that are engaging and making a difference in addressing global health issues will continue to broaden and expand, even as the underlying health challenges narrow, and as The Lancet recently described, converge.
Below are 10 of the most memorable moments in global health in 2013. Go to psiimpact.com to share your thoughts and read expert commentary about each of the moments on our list. 1. Typhoon HaiyanWe include Haiyan not only for the unimaginable devastation it caused but as a reminder that when the media attention wanes and the world moves on, the health needs of the people affected will still be great.
We will continue to serve these communities' immediate needs, as well as long-term needs including child and maternal health; nutrition; water, sanitation and hygiene; and mental health services. -- Nancy A. Aossey, President & CEO of International Medical Corps
2. Malala Yousafzai's Ripple Effect on Family PlanningThe impact of Malala Yousafzai's efforts on education is obvious, less so is the impact she will have on the reproductive health of girls and women. If Malala has her way, girls will not only be better educated, they will have healthier families, build stronger communities and contribute to more robust economies.
"I raise up my voice, not so that I can be heard but so that those without a voice can be heard."-- Malala Yousafzai
3. Polio Movement Celebrates Successes, Faces SetbacksThe world is watching how the polio community will overcome conflict and violence to eradicate polio by 2018.
The cost of not achieving polio eradication is basically that you burn the investment of the last decade-and-a-half completely, and you go back to the state we had before. I don't think mankind or humanity wants that. -- Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Aga Khan University
4. Global Leaders Show Unprecedented Support for Maternal and Child HealthIn September, The World Bank, UNICEF, USAID, Norway committed $1.15 billion over the next three years to advance progress toward Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5, and to get essential services and medicines to women and children who need them most.
This year certainly marks a significant step in the march toward ending maternal and child deaths, a journey undertaken by several partners over recent years. -- Ray Chambers, UN Special Envoy for the Financing of the MDGs and Malaria
5. Women Philanthropists Align for Health and Rights of Girls and WomenWomen philanthropists are catalysts for new, innovative ways to deliver life-saving health products that will improve the lives of girls and women throughout the world. They are engaged and here to stay.
"Women are leading the way to build and support the next generation of strong, trailblazing girls and women." -- Kate Roberts, Senior Vice President, PSI
6. Gender-based Violence Movement Sees Tipping PointWorld leaders made commitments to eliminate gender-based violence, signaling a tipping point in the fight. Momentum is behind the movement. This is an issue to watch in 2014.
I believe we will look back upon [2013] as a turning point when the world finally woke up, --Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director, UN Women
7. Under Mark Dybul's Leadership, the Global Fund Is Back and Better Than EverAn impressive level of financial commitment from existing and new donor governments sends a strong signal.
With its strong financial commitment to the Fourth Global Fund replenishment, the U.S. showed critical leadership and steadfast responsibility to investing wisely in programs that will continue to save lives and provide real results for the American people. -- Liz Schrayer, Executive Director of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition
8. Global USAID-Walmart Partnership Solidifies Long-Developing TrendPublic-private partnerships are not new. It is the magnitude of USAID's partnership with Walmart that made us stand up and take notice.
Our global partnership is emblematic of USAID's new model of development and our commitment to work with private sector companies to end extreme poverty around the world. -- Rajiv Shah, USAID Administrator
9. Drug Resistance Threatens TB Progress, New Drugs Show PromiseBy many measures the world is making great progress against TB -- the rate of new cases has fallen worldwide and new drugs are in development -- yet drug resistance seriously threatens that progress.
We are sitting and watching a ticking bomb. At the current rate of progress, we will not eliminate TB as a public health threat until 2170." -- Dr. Lucica Ditiu, Executive Secretary of the Stop TB Partnership
10. Women Deliver Conference Secures Bold Commitments for Girls and WomenMore than 5,000 people gathered at Women Deliver in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to promote the health of girls and women, adding momentum to what economists, government donors, philanthropists conclude: when you invest in the health of girls and women, you lift communities, countries and economies.
Together, we can and will ensure that one day, women across all geographic, socioeconomic and cultural lines will have access to the care they need, and no woman will die while giving life." - Jill Sheffield, President and Founder, Women Deliver