Health News

Dear friends,

This week’s update features recommendations for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and discusses drug policy reform in Portugal and transgender health and rights in the Netherlands. Read the stories below and join the discussion on Twitter and Facebook.

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

The Global Fund at a Crossroads

The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria is one of the most innovative, transparent, and effective aid organizations currently in operation. The decisions the Global Fund makes in the coming months will determine whether it continues to be responsive to the needs of affected communities or it becomes irrelevant. Learn how the Global Fund can improve its effectiveness.

Drug Policy in Portugal

A new report by the Open Society Foundations documents the benefits of decriminalizing drug use, including reduced drug dependence and HIV infection rates. Portugal’s drug law reforms illustrate that doctors and social workers are better equipped to deal with drug dependence than police officers and criminal court judges. Read the report.

A Victory for Transgender Health and Rights in the Netherlands

Thanks to ongoing advocacy by transgender rights activists, lawmakers in the Netherlands have agreed to stop forcing transgender people to submit to surgery as a precondition for changing their gender in identification documents. Read the blog.

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