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InterAction published a brief in response to proposed budget cuts that urged congress and the Obama administration to keep global health spending at current levels. InterAction's Danielle Heiberg stated that the goal of the brief was to raise awareness towards the benefits and advancements of foreign aid, as well as the potential consequences of a lack of funding.  

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon said at an InterAction-organized press conference that the U.N. was analyzing accusations of chemical warfare in Syria, but access was limited due to the government's restrictions. 

This week's update includes a note about a Supreme Court case on Monday, summaries of three USAID hearings on the Hill, and a list of recommended articles.

Sexual violence, a particularly egregious form of gender-based violence, is often deployed as a weapon of war. It has been recognized in international law as a war crime, an instrument of torture, a form of genocide and a crime against humanity. To effectively tackle sexual and gender-based violence in war, long-term investments are needed in a broad range of prevention efforts as well as integrated response during and following conflict. Conflict situations often exacerbate existing social and economic factors that contribute to sexual violence. Thus, it is critical that efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence during war are comprehensive and multisectoral.Prosecution and accountability efforts must be combined with immediate service provisions for survivors, as well as initiatives to address the root causes of violence and promote women and girls’ empowerment. Access to justice should include a broad variety of strengthening systems and ensure survivors can safely access legal recourse and receive justice. UN Security Council Resolution 1325 provides a holistic framework for looking at sexual and gender-based violence in addition to other social, economic and political factors that characterize women’s experience of war. To these ends, all G8 nations must:Pledge to promote gender equality and address the root causes of sexual violence in their state-building and conflict-resolution efforts.Commit to providing robust and integrated response services in each country and region in which they operate.Develop, review and implement a National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security, which should be included in its annual accountability report.