Women's rights activists around the world received some good news earlier this month when the bi-partisan International Violence Against Women Act was re-introduced into both houses of Congress.  The bill, if passed, would be the first comprehensive approach by the United States to address gender violence through its foreign assistance programs.  The bill would authorize $245 million over five years to prevent and respond to such violence and would include the following components:

• Immediate...

Even before humanitarian aid hit the ground in Port-au-Prince, international pundits and policymakers alike were discussing what long term role, if any, the United States and the United Nations should play in Haiti's post-earthquake reconstruction.  While Haitian President Rene Preval insists that the international community has not and will not usurp the power of the national government, the international consensus seems to be that the Haitian government's capacity has been significantly...

This week, UN Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes briefed the D.C. press corps on the humanitarian situation in Haiti, including U.S.-U.N. collaboration on security and emergency relief.  You can listen to the entire interview below.  It's also worth checking out an interview Holmes gave with the Wall Street Journal on these issues earlier this week.  Look for analysis of the briefing and interview on this blog tomorrow.

News outlets are reporting that the pace of emergency aid into Haiti has picked up, but the logistical challenges remain daunting both because of the overwhelming need and the destruction of vital infrastructure in and around Port-au-Prince. As the New York Times reports:

But with Haitian officials relying so heavily on the United States, the United Nations and many different aid groups, coordination was posing a critical challenge. An airport hobbled by only one suitable runway, a ruined port...

With all of the developments coming out of Haiti, here are some of the best places to keep up on the news and analysis of the situation:

• Twitter proves itself again: The social networking site has become a hub for breaking news on the situation in Haiti.
• Joel Davis at the Foreign Policy Association chronicles the U.S. response to the crisis.  The rest of the FPA blogging team is also busy churning out good analysis on Haiti. You can find a summary of their posts here.
• Logistical challenges to...

In the past two days, the international community has geared up to help Haiti after a devastating earthquake hit the island nation on Tuesday.  Emergency relief is trickling into the country, despite the logistical problems caused by the damage to the Port-au-Prince airport, and this morning, the Obama administration pledged a first installment of $100 million to the relief effort.  The United States is also sending about 3,500 American troops to help the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Haiti (MINU...

Last week, Secretary of State Clinton gave a major policy speech on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), one of the foundational events of the international reproductive rights movement.  The conference resulted in the Cairo Programme of Action, in which delegate countries pledged to reach certain goals on universal education, reduction of infant and child mortality, reduction of maternal mortality, and access to reproductive...

The new decade got off to a good start earlier this week when the United States finally lifted a ban barring HIV-positive persons from entering the United States.  This is a long overdue step and an important one for combating stigma and discrimination against people living with the virus. 

Under the Regan administration, the U.S. Public Health Service added AIDS to its list of "dangerous and contagious" diseases.  Then, in 1987, Congress passed what is known as the "Helms amendment", which...

In December, AFP reported that December 31st would mark the close of Kimia II - the U.N.-backed military operation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) that has recently come under fire for humanitarian and human rights abuses.  At first, this appears to be a victory for human rights advocates who have documented widespread abuses against civilians by the Congolese military and have called for the end of the offensive against the rebel group FDLR.  However, the end of Kimia II...

In January, the Sudanese Minister of Finance, Awad al-Jaz, will visit D.C. to try to convince the United States to help Sudan secure a debt-relief package.  That's right, the dictatorial government of Sudan, widely acknowledged as responsible for genocide and mass killings in Darfur and South Sudan, is asking the Obama administration for a favor.  As the Save Darfur Coalition's Sean Brooks writes in Foreign Policy, Sudan's debt provides a prime opportunity for the U.S. government to put serious...