Dear friends,

We are pleased to announce a legal victory in court this month. A U.S. appellate court ruled that the federal government cannot force U.S. organizations engaged in international HIV efforts to pledge their opposition to sex work. The Open Society Foundations have argued that such a gag rule would cause organizations to abandon life-saving programs.

This week's update also looks at the deepening digital divide in developing countries between men and women when it comes to mobile technology.

Thank you for reading and please join us on Facebook and Twitter.

Paul Silva
psilva@sorosny.org
Follow me on Twitter: @PauloNYC

U.S. Court Overrules "Anti-Prostitution" Pledge

An appellate court affirmed that the federal government cannot require U.S. organizations to take a pledge opposing sex work as a condition of accepting funding for HIV programs. The ruling is not only a victory for free speech but can have significant impact on efforts to reduce the spread of HIV. Join the discussion on the Open Society blog.

Are Mobile Phones Bridging the Digital Divide or Deepening It?

Despite recent developments in mobile technology, including innovations in health care, two recent articles highlight the fact that the digital divide is very much still with us. In fact, new kinds of divides may be opening up. Read more. 

We're Hiring

• Senior Program Officer—International Palliative Care Initiative (Application Deadline: August 15, 2011)
• Program Officer—Mental Health Initiative (Application Deadline: August 26, 2011)
• Program Officer—Access to Essential Medicines Initiative (Application Deadline: August 26, 2011)

What We're Reading

• HIV/AIDS: Treatment As Prevention; The Tough Road Ahead – PlusNews
• Untangling the Web of Antiretroviral Price Reductions – Médecins Sans Frontières
• AIDS at 30: Nations at the Crossroads – UNAIDS
• War on Drugs: Report of the Global Commission on Drug Policy – Global Commission on Drug Policy

From Our Twitter Feeds

• Did you know that July 28 is World Hepatitis Day? Find out what's happening in your community: http://t.co/l0Gznoh #hepatitisday via @PauloNYC
• Should the #GlobalFund pay for schistosomiasis treatment to prevent #HIV? http://t.co/yj6p8KU via @skowalski
• Indonesia's Mentally Ill Face Neglect, Mistreatment http://t.co/FuF5r1h #mentalhealth via @OSMHI
• Ugandans protest delayed maternal mortality case. Ugandan women 18x more likely to die in childbirth than n rich cntrys via @CareNotTorture
• An "urgent need for a balanced, budgeted, feasible and measurable #drug strategy" in #Georgia, says new report. http://bit.ly/na7Thb via @BupeBabe

Follow health-related tweets from the Open Society Foundations: @OpenSociety/health-team.