AFGH was invited by the Spanish Presidency of the Council to give a presentation outlining what AFGH view priorities for Global Health. The presentation was one of two given to the working group, the other being from the Assistant Director-General of the WHO - Susanne Weber-Mosdorf. The presentations were then used as the basis for the first debate the council working group has had on the topic under the Spanish presidency of the Council. Their discussions are due to lead to Council Conclusions on the topic being adopted at the May development meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council.

Action for Global Health organises a Cross Europe Conference on “Delivering the Right to health with the health MDGs” taking place in the European Parliament, Brussels, on March 2^nd. The event will look at what the EU needs to do to ensure progress towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the realization of the right to health.

What will happen to the current health aid architecture? The need to strengthen health systems and the agenda of aid effectiveness arise challenges in the coordination of global health initiatives. Civil Society organizations have something to say about a possible platform WB, GAVI and the FM to strengthen health systems.

At the Executive Board meeting of the World Health Assembly - the governing body of the WHO - Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) called to highlight the need for Member States to make additional pledges to increase funding for health-related MDGs, ahead of the forthcoming MDG plenary and Global Fund replenishment conferences. MSF urged WHO to play a leading role in ensuring that health needs are addressed in ongoing discussions on innovative finance mechanisms such as financial transaction taxes.

AfGH Spain, together with other Spanish NGO's networks, delivers the Letter on Global Health addressing the three next EU Presidencies and signed by more than 450 international NGO's to the Spanish State Secretary for the EU, Mr Diego López Garrido. Last Friday, 15th January, taking the opportunity of the launch of the Spanish EU Presidency Agenda in Madrid, AfGH Spain delivered the Letter "Making progress on global health in the Spanish, Belgian and Hungarian Presidency of the European Union: civil society recommendations" to Mr Lopez Garrido, State Secretary of Spain for EU.

At a briefing given by DG Development on the “Spring Package for Development” a Commission official disclosed the additional intention of the Commission to adopt a Communication and staff working paper outlining the economic implications of Financial Transaction Taxes. The briefing outlined what the Commission intends to inlcude and achieve with this package, how it relates to other items of the Commission work and the role of the Spanish and Belgian Presidencies as well as the new structures under the Lisbon Treaty.

The Bulgarian nominee for the Commission, Rumiana Jeleva, has resigned potentially delaying the approval of the European Commission by the European Parliament. The new Bulgarian nominee to the Commission has been named as Ms Kristalina Georgieva, currently Vice-President of the World Bank.

AfGH partner Plan staff reported widespread panic when the 7.0 magnitude quake and 2 strong aftershocks struck. It is the most powerful earthquake to have hit the island of Hispaniola in 200 years.

The aid implemented by the European Commission through United Nations organisations amounted to over 1 billion euro in 2008. The European Court of Auditors has examined whether decisions to channel aid through the UN have been the result of a transparent and objective selection process and whether monitoring arrangements provide adequate information on the achievement of objectives and the robustness of financial procedures.