Population Council

06/22/2026

Faith leaders can play a crucial role in guidance, counselling, and conflict resolution.

Launched at the "Gender and Faith in the Delivery of Health" Symposium on May 8th, the Faith Leaders’ Messaging Guide will inform faith leaders advocacy efforts for faith-spaces and referral pathways for adolescents to access health services.

The Population Council-Zambia, Zambia Interfaith Networking Group (ZINGO), and Faith Mother Bodies with support from UNFPA developed the Faith Leaders’ Messaging Guide.

Check out the practical guide here: https://bit.ly/4xKqt8L

06/20/2026

More than 117 million people are forcibly displaced worldwide.

Health in a World of Crises and Impunity, the CHH–Lancet Commission’s report, lays out the evidence: 70–90% of excess deaths in many crises come from broken health services.

These findings show that health systems in humanitarian settings are not meeting the needs of those living in crisis. The people living through conflict and disaster face an unprecedented crisis.

The report highlights four core interdependent recommendations for system change:
➡️: Invert the power
➡️: End impunity
➡️: Fix the money
➡️: Uphold health for all as a non-negotiable right

Learn more this : https://bit.ly/3SjfFOP

Photographs are from the Population Councils work in humanitarian settings.

06/19/2026

The Population Council congratulates Population and Development Review Editorial Committee member Ridhi Kashyap for receiving the 2026 Early Achievement Award at the Population Association of America’s annual conference.

Ridhi Kashyap is a Professor of Demography and Computational Social Science and the Director of Graduate Studies at the University of Oxford. Ridhi’s research spans digital and computational demography, computational social science, gender, sustainable development, mortality and population health, family, and migration.

Established in 2009, the PAA Early Achievement Award recognizes the career of a promising scholar who is a member of PAA. The award is given biennially to scholars who have made distinguished contributions to population research in the first ten years after receipt of their PhD.

Learn more:

14 May 2026

06/18/2026

This week, the Regional Launch of the CHH-Lancet Commission on Health, Conflict, and Forced Displacement took place in Nairobi, Kenya.

Chi-Chi Undie, Technical Director and Senior Associate at the Population Council and Co-chair of the Commission, presented the findings from the commission report and led a panel with Barlet Colly Jaji, Monica Camacho, Dr. Koiti Emmily, Joe Mbalu, and Orit Abrahim. Commissioner Mercy Mwasaru and Martin Manteaw provided keynote speeches.

The panel discussed how the current systems function in crisis settings under immense strain, challenged by insecurity, inaccessibility, and growing burdens of disease. Panelists highlighted how those closest to the problem are excluded from the solutions and that disruption to essential services is often the greatest harm.

“The question we should be asking is, 'Where does the shoe fit?' and what can each of us do about it to transform the humanitarian system for better health?” said keynote speaker Mr. Martin Manteaw, Head, Strategic Planning and Management Service, UNHCR Regional Bureau for Eastern and Southern Africa.

Read the report: https://bit.ly/3SjfFOP

06/18/2026

Last week at the first-ever Evidence to Impact Symposium, over 300 researchers, government representatives, adolescents, young people, and program implementers, examined the challenges adolescents face and offered evidence-based solutions to improve their health and wellbeing. Some highlights from Council researchers:

➡️ Karen Austrian kicked off the Symposium with opening remarks, highlighting the importance of gathering across disciplines and strengthening partnerships to create real change for adolescents.

➡️ Fatima Zahra, PhD chaired a session on how the digital environment, AI tools and services, and the digital divide intersect with adolescent health. Speakers Caroline Wangeci, Mutinta Masowe, Ivan Masete, Paul Potsane, and James Adede considered how the rapidly shifting technology available to adolescents can be a resource to protecting their health and wellbeing if used intentionally and safely.

➡️Meredith Kozak led a session with Ruth Nanjekho, Mwende Mutinda, Phylis Mavindu, and Karen Kiogora on how aggregate measures of gender and education outcomes tell an important story — but rarely the whole one. This powerful discussion highlighted what it takes to close gender gaps in education and support all children on their educational journeys.

This community will continue to work across sectors to design evidence-based programs and policy that create better opportunities for adolescents. In the words of Karen Austrian, "It takes all of us."



Photo Credit: Amos Ndungu (www.ndumos.com)

06/16/2026

More than 40% of children in Uganda’s refugee settlements and 25% of children in Ethiopia’s refugee camps experienced one or more instances of sexual, physical, and emotional violence.

These findings are from the first-ever Humanitarian Violence Against Children and Youth Surveys (HVACS) conducted by the Baobab Research Programme Consortium (Baobab RPC),

In Uganda, Baobab piloted a sexual violence screening intervention in schools that significantly improved the identification and care of child survivors of sexual violence. The Office of the Prime Minister’s Department of Refugees and the Ministry of Gender, Labour, and Social Development (MGLSD) integrated Baobab's sexual violence screening intervention into its National Training Manual for Para Social Workers and into its first-ever National Para Social Workers Handbook.

This , learn more about Baobab RPC and pioneering programs in refugee settlements in Uganda and Ethiopia to ensure all children get the care and support they need: https://bit.ly/3ZBfQpr

06/15/2026

How do the longer-term reproductive and family consequences of pandemics differ from their immediate effects?

This Studies in Family Planning special issue seeks to explore the impact of COVID-19, Zika, mpox, and other health crises on reproduction, family life, and SRHR. We seek a diverse collection of empirical studies that span geographic regions and address reproductive, family, and SRHR consequences of pandemics/epidemics, whether arising from single events or from exposure to multiple health crises over time.

📆 Deadline: September 15, 2026

Find more details on how to submit your abstracts here: https://bit.ly/4dJviaR

06/12/2026

On Tuesday, June 16, regional leaders, practitioners, and advocates will discuss practical approaches to humanitarian health responses at the Nairobi Launch of the Health in a World of Crises and Impunity report.

This event explores the report’s findings and their implications for East and Southern Africa, a region at the frontlines of conflict, displacement, and humanitarian response. Attendees will hear from Chi-Chi Undie, co-chair of the Commission, and a panel of experts on recommendations to rethink how humanitarian health responses are designed, governed, and delivered.

Register to join us for the Nairobi launch of the report: https://bit.ly/43v1AAb

06/11/2026

The Evidence to Impact Symposium is a space where research meets policy, youth voices meet decision-makers, and evidence drives real change.

Check out some of the sessions Council researchers are leading:

➡️Pathways into and out of Child Domestic Work (CDW) in East Africa: Vulnerability, Exploitation, and the Quest for Economic Opportunities

➡️ Adolescent Domestic Workers at Risk: Interrogating the Systemic Vulnerabilities of Domestic Workers Across Intermediaries, Employers, and Families in Ethiopia

➡️ What the Data Hides: Uncovering and Responding to Gender Disparities in Education

➡️ AGI-K session: From Research to Government Program: 10 Years of the Adolescent Girls Initiative – Kenya, a Multi-Sectoral Program for Young Adolescent Girls

Learn more: https://bit.ly/4xjFZs3

06/10/2026

Another great day of dialogue at the Evidence to Impact Symposium! We’re intentionally bringing together evidence, practice, and policy—because impact happens when research informs decisions and implementation.

Check out the exciting sessions and research that researchers, implementers, policymakers, and partners across regions are showcasing at the Symposium.

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https://bit.ly/4xjFZs3



African Population and Health Research Center
African Institute for Development Policy (AFIDEP) Restless Development