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	2016 Right Livelihood Awards upholding fundamental Human Rights by Ole von Uexkull Right Livelihood Award Foundation   Sep 2016   The Laureates of this year’s Right Livelihood Award, widely referred to as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’, have been announced in Stockholm, Sweden. This years’ Laureates are:   Syria Civil Defence (The White Helmets), ‘for their outstanding bravery, compassion and humanitarian engagement in rescuing civilians from the destruction of the Syrian civil war’.   Popularly known as the White Helmets, Syria Civil Defence is a group of 3,000 volunteers, men and women, from local communities who have since 2013 risked their lives to save over 60,000 people — regardless of religious or political affiliation — from underneath the rubble of buildings destroyed during the Syrian civil war.   Bakers, tailors, salespersons, teachers – they are now trained fire-fighters, search and rescue workers, and medics. A lifeline and a rare source of hope for the besieged civilian population, Syria Civil Defence also support the reconstruction of damaged public infrastructure and educate children and adults on preventative safety measures to take during an aerial attack.   Their deep commitment to humanitarian action has drawn international attention to the plight of civilians who have become victims of indiscriminate bombing in Syria, and they have been outspoken in calling for an end to the hostilities in the country.   It is the first time that a Right Livelihood Award goes to a Laureate from Syria.   Egypt’s Mozn Hassan and Nazra for Feminist Studies, ‘for asserting the equality and rights of women in circumstances where they are subject to ongoing violence, abuse and discrimination’.   Mozn Hassan is an Egyptian feminist and human rights defender. Nazra for Feminist Studies, the organisation she founded in 2007, has documented human rights violations and coordinated the response to the alarming number of sexual assaults on women participating in public protests during and after the Egyptian revolution of 2011, ensuring that survivors received medical, psychological and legal support.   Additionally, Nazra engaged in coalitions of women’s groups who successfully lobbied for the inclusion of women’s rights in Egypt’s 2014 Constitution and ensured the passage of amendments to the Egyptian Penal Code to include sexual harassment and expand the definition of sexual crimes.   Believing that feminism and gender are political and social issues affecting freedom and development in all societies, Hassan and Nazra mentor young women in politics, including candidates for parliamentary, municipal and union elections from across Egypt’s political spectrum. They also organise an annual Feminist School that introduces young men and women to gender issues.   Russia’s Svetlana Gannushkina, ‘for her decades-long commitment to promoting human rights and justice for refugees and forced migrants, and tolerance among different ethnic groups’.   Svetlana Gannushkina is one of the most accomplished leaders of the human rights movement in Russia today. Through the organisation that she founded and heads – the Civic Assistance Committee – she has provided free legal support, humanitarian aid and education to over 50,000 migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons since 1990.   Her personal courage and successful advocacy in the Russian courts and the European Court of Human Rights has prevented the forced repatriation of migrants from Russia to Central Asian countries where they would have almost certainly been subject to imprisonment and torture.   As a member of the Russian Presidential Human Rights Council from 2002-2012, Gannushkina successfully advocated for the law on refugees to be amended allowing for over two million persons to be granted Russian citizenship.   Passionate about the transformative power of education, Gannushkina has brought repeated challenges to the Russian Supreme Court to grant all children in Russia, including migrants and refugees, the right to attend public schools. She has been outspoken in drawing public attention to human rights violations in the conflict regions, notably the Caucasus.   Cumhuriyet, a leading independent newspaper in Turkey, ‘for their fearless investigative journalism and commitment to freedom of expression in the face of oppression, censorship, imprisonment and death threats’.   Cumhuriyet is the most important independent public interest newspaper in contemporary Turkey. Since 1924, it has been committed to upholding the principle of freedom of the press against all odds; its staff have taken immense personal risks and have suffered assassinations and imprisonment to remain outspoken in reporting on issues of human rights, gender equality, secularism and protection of the environment.   Cumhuriyet’s stellar investigative journalism has brought several truths to public scrutiny. At a time when the freedom of expression in Turkey is under increasing threat, Cumhuriyet proves that the voice of democracy will not be silenced. http://bit.ly/2eZNjnU   The award announcement was made at the Swedish Foreign Office International Media Centre by Ole von Uexkull, Executive Director of the Right Livelihood Award Foundation, following the decision by an international Jury that considered 125 nominations from 50 countries.   Ole von Uexkull commented: “This year’s Right Livelihood Award Laureates confront some of the most pressing global issues head-on — be it war, freedom of speech, women’s rights or the plight of migrants. With the 2016 award, we do not only celebrate their courage, compassion and commitment; we also celebrate the success of their work, against all odds, and the real difference they are making in the world today”.   http://rightlivelihoodaward2016.org/ Visit the related web page
	Early childhood development: the foundation of sustainable development by The Lancet Early Childhood Development Series   Momentum for improving early childhood development has grown since The Lancet published the landmark Series, Child Development in Developing Countries in 2007, followed by Child Development in Developing Countries 2 in 2011. As shown in this new Series, Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale, 1, 2, 3 between 2000 and 2015 the number of scientific publications on topics central to early childhood development increased substantially, about a third of countries had adopted multisectoral policies on early childhood development, and there has been an increase in funding for early childhood development.   Yet, few countries have institutionalised mechanisms to implement these policies, services remain fragmented and of variable quality, and programmes at scale are rare and poorly evaluated. Compelling new evidence in two areas strengthens our resolve to act to reach pregnant women and young children with holistic early childhood development services .   Key messages from the Advancing Early Childhood Development Series   The burden and cost of inaction is high   Although around 6 million under-5 child deaths occur each year, about 250 million children in low-income and middle-income countries suffer suboptimal development due to poverty and stunting alone.   A poor start in life limits children''s abilities to benefit from education leading to lower productivity and social tensions in the long term.   Consequences affect not only present but also future generations. For individuals, it predicts a loss of about a quarter of average adult income per year while countries may forfeit up to two times their current gross domestic product expenditure on health.   Many countries already feel the drag on their economies of poor human development, more so if they risk losing the dividend gained by improved child survival.   Early means early   Child development starts at conception and the development of the young child''s brain is dependent on good nutrition and on certain types of experiences. Most families provide these experiences for their young children, but many cannot because of stresses and conditions that interfere with their ability to parent.   The influence of some of these factors starts during the preconception period. Families must be supported to provide nurturing care; they need material and financial resources, and the knowledge, time, and skilled assistance when required. Families can be supported through the adoption of national policies, affordable quality childcare, and provision of population-based services.   A start can be made through health   Expanding existing maternal and child health services to include interventions that promote nurturing care is an important entry point for multisectoral collaborations that support families and reach very young children.   Essential among these are strengthened maternal, infant, and young child nutrition, for growth and health; child protection, for violence prevention and family support; social protection, for family financial stability and capacity to access services; and education, for quality early learning opportunities.   Scale up what we know works   The Series shows that it is possible to move from small-scale civil society initiatives to nationwide programmes that are effective and sustainable. Government leadership and political prioritisation are a prerequisite. Governments may choose different pathways for achieving early childhood development goals and targets, from introducing transformative whole-of-government initiatives to enhancing existing services progressively.   First, new research in early human development shows that epigenetic, immunological, physiological, and psychological adaptations to the environment occur from conception, and that these adaptations affect development throughout the life course.   This knowledge calls for an approach targeting caregivers and children with effective interventions during sensitive times across the life course, with the period from conception to age 2–3 years being of particular importance.   Second, evidence on long-term outcomes from low-income and middle-income countries shows that a programme to increase cognitive development of stunted children in Jamaica 25 years ago resulted in a significant, 25% increase in average adult earnings.   Conversely, long-term follow-up of children from birth shows that growth failure in the first 2 years of life has harmful effects on adult health and human capital, including chronic disease, and lower educational attainment and adult earning.   Moreover, deficits and disadvantages persist into the subsequent generation, producing a vicious inter-generational cycle of lost human capital and perpetuation of poverty.   These findings shine light on the transformative potential of early childhood development programmes in low-income and middle-income countries. Only by breaking this cycle will the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) be achieved.   The past two to three decades have seen great improvements in child survival. As a result of global efforts to achieve the Millennium Development Goals, under-5 child mortality dropped by 53% between 1990 and 2015.   Yet, this Series shows that the burden of risk for poor developmental outcomes remains extremely high, affecting an estimated 250 million children (43%) younger than 5 years in low-income and middle-income countries, and rising to over two-thirds of children in sub-Saharan Africa.   These estimates are based on just two known risks for which we have global data: extreme poverty and stunting. Adding other risks to young children''s development, such as low levels of maternal schooling and physical maltreatment, substantially raises exposure to risks for poor development outcomes in many parts of the world.   Nurturing interactions are crucial to mitigating these risks. A young child''s developing brain is activated and patterned by the nurturing care of trusted adults.   Nurturing interactions comprise attentive responses to young children''s efforts to connect to and learn about their world, and involve efforts to present children with age-appropriate learning experiences in a safe and mutually enjoyable way.   Nurturing care takes place in the context of families and through service providers across many sectors—eg, health, nutrition, education, child and social protection, that provide the essential care for children to survive and to thrive.   Nurturing care can break down under conditions of extreme poverty, family and societal conflict, discrimination, and other forms of individual and social stress.   Policies to support families, such as paid parental leave, time at work for breastfeeding, and the provision of free pre-primary education, can relieve pressures on families and enable them to care for their young children in ways that promote development.   Services that deliver effective and feasible interventions for children and their caregivers are also essential.   This Series shows that the cost of two such interventions, Care for Child Development and Thinking Healthy, added to an integrated maternal and child health and nutrition package of services is affordable; it would cost an additional US$0·5 per person per year (equivalent to 10% of the estimated existing costs) to scale up these interventions.   Ideally, early childhood development services must be provided holistically across all relevant sectors to enable young children to thrive. Some countries have adopted multisectoral policies and are beginning to implement them. Other countries are expanding one set of services, such as social protection or pre-primary education, creating a wedge for the introduction of other services.   Ultimately, action is required across health and nutrition, education, and social and child protection.   In all settings, however, the health sector has unique advantages that allows it to support early childhood development immediately. It has extensive contact with pregnant women and with young children and their families, and enables the implementation of interventions that promote physical and cognitive development during the first 1000 days of a child''s life.   Many existing maternal and child health and nutrition services have been shown to benefit not only child survival and health but also child development, including cognition, and additional evidence-based early childhood development interventions can feasibly and affordably be integrated into existing services.   UN agencies, the World Bank Group, and others have signalled their willingness to move forward on this front. The UN Secretary-General''s Global Strategy for Women''s, Children''s and Adolescents'' Health 2016–2030 and its objectives of survive, thrive, and transform provide a roadmap, including for multisectoral action with monitoring by an Independent Accountability Panel.   Similarly, the Global Partnership for Education 2020 embraces early childcare as a core SDG 4 component to achieving equitable lifelong learning opportunities for all.   A global Early Child Development Action Network aims to advance progress and complement these strategies, together with other global initiatives, including Scaling Up Nutrition and the Global Partnership to End Violence Against Children.   As lead authors of this Series, we call upon all stakeholders to step up strategic and equitable investments in early childhood development.   The SDGs provide the vision and the multisectoral framework, while the findings of this Series map pathways for action towards ensuring that every child can realise their right to development and to achieve their full human potential.   We have the knowledge, the resources, and the opportunities. We must act now to lay the foundation for a lifetime of health and wellbeing—for the benefit of today''s children, tomorrow''s adults, and for future generations.   (Authors: Bernadette Daelmans, Gary L Darmstadt, Joan Lombardi, Maureen M Black, Pia R Britto, Stephen Lye, Tarun Dua, Zulfiqar A Bhutta, Linda M Richter on behalf of the Lancet Early Childhood Development Series Steering Committee)   * Advancing Early Childhood Development: from Science to Scale; October 2016: http://www.thelancet.com/series/ECD2016   * Karen Brown from the DART Center for Journalism & Trauma at Columbia University reports: http://dartcenter.org/resources/lancet-publishes-groundbreaking-series-early-childhood-development Visit the related web page
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