David Miliband warns rise of ‘alternative facts’ threatens global vaccination drive | Global development

The emergence of “alternative facts” and the end of automatic compliance with doctors poses risks to global efforts to vaccinate weak children, David Miliband He warned.

The former UK Foreign Minister, who is now running the International Salvation Committee (IRC), was speaking hours ago Donald Trump inauguration ceremony As the forty -seventh president of the United States.

Miliband said that the changes in how the United States dealt with the rest of the world will not only impede efforts to provide health services and humanitarian aid to the most vulnerable groups, but it can also have an impact on the size of conflict and other disasters in the world.

Trump’s choice of the US Secretary of Health, Robert F Kennedy JuniorOver and over again Spread conspiracy theories About vaccination. Trump has repeated some of that information, including Which suggests that Kennedy We will achieve in the widespread legend that connects autism and vaccines.

Meliband said that any increase in the anti -vaccine feelings may make the work of the International Salvation Committee more difficult. “The environmental system has moved from a very respectable system of medical opinion – which has its own challenges – to a system where you can get your facts, or you can get your alternative facts, and this is a very dangerous situation.”

He said that the skeptics of vaccines often unite the authorities “to prove negatives – and you cannot.”

The International Rescue Committee runs the project to access every child in the humanitarian situation (Reach), which works to provide vaccines for children who live in fragile or affected areas where the government is partial or not present.

Miliband was talking to the Guardian newspaper at the International Rescue Committee office in London, after he recently returned from a visit to the Rich project in Ethiopia. The International Salvation Committee announced this month that 8 million vaccine doses are given to children under the age of five who live in difficult areas in Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan and Somalia.

He said that he asked the female relatives from the Eritrean border whether they were satisfied with the vaccines, and he answered him, “Of course.” Women also rejected questions about whether people in society said that vaccines may be dangerous, saying they “saw the benefit.”

But he said that he was “amazed by the fact that rumors about who does what, and what various NGOs do, can apply around us.” […] So that the environmental system can be used in dangerous ways. ”

He added: “I think that the lesson learned from these very difficult circumstances is that you must be very transparent, and you should be very local, and it should be very clear that the offer and not just the news is necessary.” Very important to earn arguments. So, show that you are employing local people, that you have transparency about your data, and that you are clear about your practices. And you have to appear the benefits.

Miliband refrained from judging the possible effect of the appointment of RFK Junior before his appointment Confirmation.

“We do not know how he will put himself in the face of the experience and prevention of diseases control centers in the United States [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] And others. “I think we have to allow him to speak for himself,” said Miliband. “It is clear that there is a lot of history. He has said a lot of things and did a lot of things in the past five years. But I think we have to give him the opportunity to start his kiosk […] But it is clear that the counterattacks of American decisions, regardless of American culture, are universal, not only local.

The next American administration also announced the country Withdrawal from the World Health Organization financingIt is expected that Re -submitting “global muzzle” The rule, which limits the possibility of obtaining reproductive health care.

If the United States withdraws from its historical role as a major financier of global health and humanitarian work, this means that fewer people get vaccinated. This means that less people get a malnutrition treatment. This certainly means that fewer women and girls get sexual reproductive health support. It is clear that this is related to the treatment of symptoms – then you have a question about how the position of American foreign policy contributes to or limit other conflicts and disasters around the world. Therefore, you have an American effect on the side of the supply and on the demand side.

As an organization based in the United States, the International Salvation Committee was previously not affected by the “global muzzle” that prevents foreign organizations that receive American health funding from providing invitation or abortion services, even with funds from other sources. There are concerns – based on the project of the 2025 project rules, whose authors include some of the new Trump officials – of the possibility of expanding the base to include local organizations.

Also in this regard, Miliband said he was thinking about “waiting and anticipating”, but added: “We will always adhere to the law.”

While many aid sector have started to do so Talking about the transformation The authority came out from the hands of international NGOs to local organizations, as Miliband faced himself Checking his salary at IRCHe said, who is now receiving a million dollars (810 thousand pounds) annually, that this is considered a “false choice.” In Ethiopia, he said 948 out of 950 employees of the International Salvation Committee were Ethiopians.

He said: “International NGOs bring experience, experience, research results, comparative practices and systems infrastructure.” He described partnerships between the International Salvation Committee and local NGOs as “intermarriage between experiences.”

He said: “There is an international NGO experience, and there is the experience of the local population and local NGOs.” Of course, you must have the principle of dependency. You want to decide things and do them at the lowest possible level for legitimacy, security and efficiency.

“But I do not think that if I told a local non -governmental organization:” Go, you alone, here is x dollar, go and search for 50 thousand children who do not get a dose … “It is very difficult to do this without exercising the infrastructure and support provided by the organizations other than International government. ”