There is growing concern about the concept that exposure to environmental chemicals may be contributing to the obesity epidemic. However, there is no consensus on the obesogenic effects of emerging contaminants from a toxicological and environmental perspective. The potential human exposure and experimental evidence for obesogenic effects of emerging contaminants need to be systematically discussed. The main objective of this review is to provide recommendations for further subsequent policy development following a critical analysis of the literature for humans and experimental animals exposed to emerging contaminants. This article reviews human exposure to emerging contaminants (with a focus on antimicrobials, preservatives, water and oil repellents, flame retardants, antibiotics and bisphenols) and the impact of emerging contaminants on obesity. These emerging contaminants have been widely detected in human biological samples. Epidemiological studies provide evidence linking exposure to emerging contaminants to the risks of obesity in humans. Studies based on animal models and adipose cells show the obesogenic effects of emerging contaminants and identify modes of action by which contaminants may induce changes in body fat accumulation and lipid metabolic homeostasis. Some knowledge gaps in this area and future directions for further investigation are discussed.

Oxfam is committed to working with communities before, during and after crises. In Somaliland, we have been piloting approaches that aim to achieve greater synergy between our humanitarian, development and peacebuilding programming and influencing. This innovative ‘triple nexus’ work recognises that communities' needs and ambitions are not met along the false silos created by aid agencies. It asks the international development and humanitarian sector to walk the talk on locally led programming to better meet the holistic needs and aspirations of communities. This case study clearly shows the impact of programming which simultaneously meets immediate needs and development gaps while also addressing the drivers of crisis (such as conflict and climate change) to achieve durable solutions in protracted crises.

People in northern Kenya have suffered numerous severe economic and non-economic losses and damages due to repeated climate-related droughts and flooding. This briefing note provides an overview and lessons learned from a locally-led project funded by the Scottish government and recently implemented by Oxfam, Strategies for Northern Development and Merti Integrated Development Programme in northern Kenya. It provides support to local communities to address the losses and damages they have suffered. With the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage becoming operational and climate finance leading the agenda at COP29, this briefing shows the importance of ensuring access to funding and decision-making for communities and local organizations, that can design responses to loss and damage that are effective and suited to their needs.

Digital technologies have the potential to either ameliorate or worsen the dynamics underlying poverty and inequality, depending on how those technologies are designed, developed, deployed, and used, as well as on the degree to which the businesses, and business models behind them, respect the rights of users and workers. This paper recommends changes in corporate and government policies and practices to ensure that the information and communication technology (ICT) industry respects human rights and does not exacerbate poverty and economic inequality across five pillars: access and equity, digital civic space, data use and privacy, automation and the future of work, and governance.

This report aims to highlight the humanitarian consequences of the dysfunction at the UN Security Council and humanitarian finance mechanisms. A few powerful states are obstructing peace processes and undermining international laws which should be equally binding for all people. There are 23 protracted crises examined in this report, with case studies on the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Occupied Palestinian Territory, Syria and Ukraine. The growth of humanitarian needs, gaps in humanitarian funding, and the impacts of veto and penholding power are explored. Ahead of the Summit of the Future in 2024, Oxfam urges the UN member states to use this opportunity to take decisive and bold action to rebuild a more equal, inclusive, efficient, and responsive system. This will ensure that they fulfil their roles in reducing and resolving crises to avoid the spiralling humanitarian consequences of protracted conflict.

This document is an update of the 2014 Guidance and was developed by the UNEG Working Group on Gender Equality, Disability Inclusion and Human Rights. The original Guidance (2014) was produced as an in-depth guidance handbook to serve as a field guide to improve human rights and gender equality responsive evaluation throughout the UN system. It aimed at increasing knowledge on the application of these two approaches in evaluation processes but also at raising awareness on their specific relevance and significance for UN work. It complemented UNEG's Handbook "Integrating Human Rights and Gender Equality in Evaluation: Towards UNEG Guidance," which outlined practical steps on how to prepare, conduct and use HR & GE responsive evaluations. This updated version (2024) is intended to guide evaluations and evaluation managers to undertake evaluations that are responsive to the needs of all individuals and communities by embracing the principle of "Leave No One Behind". It also considers now approaches in the incorporation of human rights principles, gender equality and the inclusion of other groups in vulnerable situtations in evaluations. Consequently, this updated Guidance document reflects evolving practice, needs and leassons.

This guide has been written to provide practical guidance and tools to evaluators and evaluation managers, to integrate humanitarian principles (HPs) into standard evaluations of humanitarian action, and thus to strengthen the attention paid to HPs in evaluations of international humanitarian action, particularly in situations of armed conflict. The UNEG Humanitarian Evaluation Working Group is piloting this guidance. They group is very eager to hear from evaluation managers and practitioners who are using it in their work. If you are using it and are able to provide some feedback on your experience, please email the coordinators of the UNEG Humanitarian Evaluation Working Group, Laura Olsen (laura.olsen@un.org) and Sara Holst (sara.holst@fao.org).

The complications and symptoms of hypoparathyroidism remain incompletely defined. Measuring serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and calcium levels early after total thyroidectomy may predict the development of chronic hypoparathyroidism. The study aimed (i) to identify symptoms and complications associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism and determine the prevalence of those symptoms and complications (Part I), and (ii) to examine the utility of early postoperative measurements of PTH and calcium in predicting chronic hypoparathyroidism (Part II). We searched Medline, Medline In-Process, EMBASE, and Cochrane CENTRAL to identify complications and symptoms associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism. We used two predefined criteria (at least three studies reported the complication and symptom and had statistically significantly greater pooled relative estimates). To estimate prevalence, we used the median and interquartile range (IQR) of the studies reporting complications and symptoms. For testing the predictive values of early postoperative measurements of PTH and calcium, we used a bivariate model to perform diagnostic test meta-analysis. In Part I, the 93 eligible studies enrolled a total of 18,973 patients and reported on 170 complications and symptoms. We identified nine most common complications or symptoms probably associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism. The complications or symptoms and the prevalence are as follows: nephrocalcinosis/nephrolithiasis (median prevalence among all studies 15%), renal insufficiency (12%), cataract (17%), seizures (11%), arrhythmia (7%), ischemic heart disease (7%), depression (9%), infection (11%), and all-cause mortality (6%). In Part II, 18 studies with 4325 patients proved eligible. For PTH measurement, regarding the posttest probability, PTH values above 10 pg/mL 12-24 hours postsurgery virtually exclude chronic hypoparathyroidism irrespective of pretest probability (100%). When PTH values are below 10 pg/mL, posttest probabilities range from 3% to 64%. Nine complications and symptoms are probably associated with chronic hypoparathyroidism. A PTH value above a threshold of 10 pg/mL 12-24 hours after total thyroidectomy is a strong predictor that the patients will not develop chronic hypoparathyroidism. Patients with PTH values below the threshold need careful monitoring as some will develop chronic hypoparathyroidism. (c) 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

This policy brief draws on a qualitative study that uses a gender perspective to investigate the notion of resilience among a cohort of young women and young men who grew up in poverty in 5 rural and urban communities in Ethiopia, and who are part of the broader Young Lives longitudinal study of 3000 children and young people in the country. It asks why some children seem to fare well as they transistion to adulthood, despite the challenges and obstacles they had faced, whilst others do less well. This is one of a set of eight briefs summarising key findings and policy implications from eight working papers based on the research for the Young Lives fifth wave qualitative survey in 2019. The research, and the working paper and this brief were funded by UNICEF Ethiopia. This is an output of the Young Lives at Work programme

This working paper explores the meanings and experiences of resilience, and its gender dimensions, among a cohort of Ethiopian children exposed to poverty and adversity across the early life course. It asks why some girls and some boys seem to fare well as they transition to adulthood, despite the challenges and obstacles they had faced, while others do less well. Qualitative analysis revealed how children’s lives did not follow linear paths, and were easily derailed by unplanned events and shocks, including: climatic shocks, societal influences, school transitions and relations, household changes; and child health and social development. It also identifed significant resilience factors, including: supportive and facilitative relationships (especially elder siblings); enabling and protective systems and environments; government and NGO support; young people’s inner resources and pro-social skills; and second chances. A combination of well-timed, mutually reinforcing factors within holistic support systems, rather than a single factor, appeared to make the most difference This working paper and the accompanying policy brief are part of a set of 8 working papers and 8 policy briefs on gendered transitions into young adulthood in Ethiopia. This is an output of the Young Lives at Work programme

This policy brief summarises key findings from the fifth call in the Young Lives phone survey, conducted between October and December 2021, and is informed by the previous COVID-19 calls, as well as longitudinal data collected since 2001 through regular in-person surveys. The brief builds on previous policy recommendations from our phone survey, highlights how the pandemic, alongside climate change and conflict, is continuing to have an adverse impact on the lives of young people in low- and middle-income countries, and presents emerging policy recommendations in response to this impact.

We examine the situation of adolescents during the COVID-19 pandemic in 4 low- and middle-income countries using data from a large-scale phone survey conducted in 2020. The survey was part of Young Lives, a 20-year longitudinal study of two cohorts of young people born in 1994 and 2001 in Ethiopia, India (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana), Peru and Vietnam. We focus on the Younger (19-year-old) Cohort, describing their experiences along multiple dimensions, and assessing how their lives have changed since an earlier survey in 2016. We also compare these young people with an Older Cohort (surveyed at the same age in 2013), using a cross-cohort comparison in the spirit of a difference-in-differences approach. Compared to 2016, and compared with the Older Cohort, the increase in the probability of a loss of household livelihood (income or employment) is both large and significant in all countries. However, a 2020 downturn in self-reported well-being is significant in Ethiopia, India and Peru, but not in Vietnam, the country which experienced particular success in controlling the pandemic during 2020.

The United Nations Disability Inclusion Strategy (UNDIS) provides the foundation for sustainable and transformative progress on disability inclusion through all pillars of the work of the United Nations. The Strategy consists of a system-wide policy and an accountability framework organized in 15 performance indicators. The indicator 10 of the UNDIS accountability framework assesses the extent to which an entity considers disability inclusion in all phases of the evaluation process and in every type of evaluation that it does. As part of the it's work plan in 2021, the UNEG Gender Equality, Disability and Human Rights Working Group commissioned the development of this guidance on the integration of disability inclusion in evaluations and reporting on the UNDIS evaluation indicator. The preparation of this guidance note was informed and enriched by consultations with a number of individuals and organizations, including organizations of persons with disabilities. The main expected users of the guidance are evaluation commissioners and managers, as well as external consultants conducting evaluations. On 10th March 2022, the UNEG Gender, Human Rights and Disability Inclusion Working Group organized an Evaluation Practice Exchange session to launch the UNEG Guidelines for Disability Inclusion in Evaluations and Reporting on the UNDIS. The session featured: An introduction and overview of the guidance; Remarks from the Executive Office of the Secretary General UNDIS Secretariat; and A panel discussion with UN evaluators on utility and application of the guidance in evaluations. The recording of the session can found on the UNEG YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/dG7l5yilo2g.

This policy brief examines the social and economic impacts of COVID-19 in Ethiopia so far, and suggests policy responses required to augment household welfare recovery and sustain poverty reduction.

Palestine refugees, of whom there are nearly 6 million, primarily live in the countries surrounding the land that is now recognised by most UN member states as the State of Palestine. Palestine refugees are largely excluded from labour markets, due to blockades and national laws, and subsequently have high rates of poverty. Most depend on services and support delivered by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and its governmental and non-governmental partners for survival. Palestinian adolescents, whether they live in the Gaza Strip or the West Bank, in Jordan or in Lebanon, face myriad threats to their well-being. These include age- and gender-based violence and exploitation in the home, at school and in the community. With the world’s attention elsewhere, however, most of those threats remain largely invisible. This report draws on data collected by the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) research programme to begin addressing evidence gaps and exploring the protection risks facing Palestinian adolescents.” This is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme

As is the case globally, lives and livelihoods in Nepal have been heavily impacted by covid-19. This report discusses the impact of covid-19 and the measures taken to address it on adolescent girls and women working in the adult entertainment sector. It focuses on covid-19’s effects on food security, shelter, health and employment for girls working in this sector. It also explores coping mechanisms and ends by recommending measures and policies that could be adopted during and after the pandemic to support the livelihoods and broader well-being of women and girls working in this sector. This work is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme

Although the influx of Syrian refugees in Jordan initially attracted considerable international humanitarian support, funding has declined recently, and labour market restrictions have tightened. Adolescents in Azraq refugee camp face particular challenges due to its unique characteristics, including strong surveillance and security measures and a remote desert location, which affords only limited mobility and income-generating opportunities. Instead of offering protection and security for displaced Syrians, the camp has become a ‘violent space’. This article explores the experiences of younger (10–12 years) and older (15–17 years) adolescent girls and boys in Azraq camp. It provides insights into their gendered experiences in four capability domains—education, voice and agency, bodily integrity and freedom from violence, and psychosocial wellbeing—highlighting key vulnerabilities that need to be addressed to deliver the Leave No One Behind agenda. The findings suggest that when planning programmes and services, the government, international community and civil society actors working with adolescent refugees in Azraq need to take into consideration spatial dimensions of vulnerability. Such efforts should ensure that programmes are designed and implemented in an inclusive and accessible way so that male and female adolescents in specific camp settings can overcome the constraints that they uniquely face. This work is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme

This paper draws on the results of telephone surveys conducted to assess the impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the young people of two longitudinal cohorts (aged 19 and 26 years old at the time) of the four countries that participate in the Young Lives research programme: Ethiopia, India, Peru and Vietnam. We first review the pandemic experiences of these four countries, which differed significantly, and report on the responses of the individual young people to the pandemic and the measures taken by governments. Our main focus is on how the pandemic and policy responses impacted on the education, work and food security experiences of the young people. Unsurprisingly the results show significant adverse effects in each of these areas, though again with differences by country. The effects are mostly more severe for poorer individuals. We stress the challenges that COVID-19 is creating for meeting the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, in particular in making it more difficult to ensure that no one is left behind This is an output of the Young Lives at Work programme

The population of Jordan has increased rapidly over the past 10 years, with the country taking in more than a million Syrian refugees, of whom nearly half are below the age of 18 years. The Government of Jordan, supported by the international community, has made substantial efforts to provide basic services for its refugees, but the COVID-19 pandemic has put additional pressure on the country’s limited resources. Given that young people account for a relatively large proportion of the population, especially the refugee population, it is critical that we understand what impacts the pandemic is having on adolescent girls and boys in order to ensure that the national response by government, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and development partners including the United Nations (UN) are adolescent-friendly and equitable. This research brief draws on the findings of a questionnaire-based telephone survey involving nearly 3000 adolescent boys and girls, conducted as part of the Region-wide Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) longitudinal research programme which is co-funded by the United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean. This work is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme

Child marriage among Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, is driven by economic strain and deep-seated gender norms. Mounting evidence shows the harmful effects of child marriage, and SDG 5.3 underpins a global impetus to eliminate it. Our mixed-methods research across refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf Upazilas included quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews (IDIs) with married and unmarried girls and their parents, and focus group discussions (FGDs) with parents of married and unmarried girls, boys, and community members to understand Rohingya perspectives on child marriage, the role of norms in displacement, and how married girls’ capabilities are impacted by their marital status. We find that married girls face increased gender-based violence (GBV) risks, including intimate partner violence (IPV), and greater mental distress. While norms are shifting for older Rohingya women, married girls are excluded from social participation or personal growth beyond the household. We argue that involving married girls in community activities and vocational training designed according to local market needs may empower married girls. This work is an output of the Gender and Adolescence: Global Evidence (GAGE) programme