In this episode of Take as Directed, J. Stephen Morrison sits down with Jason Stearns, Director of the Congo Research Group at the Center for International Cooperation at New York University. Jason is among America’s premier experts on Congolese politics and economics. In this episode, he shares his astute insights into the opaque networks in eastern Congo which are deliberately and violently targeting health providers, paralyzing the international and local response to the Ebola outbreak. This is the second of a pair of episodes that examines what steps are now essential to end violence and win community trust and confidence in eastern Congo.

Unpacking the DRC Ebola Crisis with Jason Stearns

The Africa Program and the Middle East Program analyze broad political, economic, and security trends in Sub-Saharan Africa and North Africa, respectively. The Global Health Policy Center, the Human Rights Initiative, the Prosperity and Development Project, and the Global Food Security Program&nbsp;each conduct work on Africa through the lens of their respective thematic areas.

Find the latest research from our scholars and CSIS events on this region below.

Please join us for a conversation on Sustainable Development Goal #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure, which seeks to increase connectivity and productivity of developing countries’ industries and build resilient infrastructure systems to bolster economic growth.
 
Of the 4 billion people who lack access to the internet globally, more than 90% of them are in developing countries. Industrialization in lower- and lower-middle-income countries trails behind developed countries, while critical infrastructure and access to mobile connectivity, electricity, and sanitation remain limited. Developing countries’ industries often lack the necessary infrastructure and innovation opportunities to achieve sustainable economic growth. The result is an increasing disconnect between rural and urban areas, lack of innovation, and stagnating productivity levels.

Closing the infrastructure gap and building government capacity in developing countries would create a favorable environment for innovation and entrepreneurship and improve economic growth. Resilient and quality infrastructure systems will catalyze rapid economic development and increase the standard of living of a country’s population. Increasing official and private investment in infrastructure in developing countries, while also providing technical assistance, can help boost industrial and labor productivity.
 
To that end, this event will seek to answer questions about how developed countries can help lower- and lower-middle-income countries build their industries and workforce better? Furthermore, the event will also look at forms of sustainable infrastructure investments that are necessary for regions like Sub-Saharan Africa to further its efforts to industrialize and modernize its economy.

This event is part of the "Chevron Forum for Development" series focused on SDGs and made possible with general support from Chevron. So far, we have hosted events focused on SDG #7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG #16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, SDG #17: Partnerships for the Goals, SDG #11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, and SDG #4: Quality Education. Our most recent event was SDG #1: No Poverty.

Sustainable Development Goal #9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure

The film industry is booming across the African continent. In Nigeria, Nollywood generates an annual $600 million for the national economy and indirectly employs more than 1 million people. With African filmmakers expanding from DVDs to theaters and streaming services, there is an opportunity for African governments and the international community to support and invest in the continent’s growing creative sector.
Join the CSIS Africa Program for a screening of “Lionheart”, the first Netflix original film produced in Nigeria, followed by a panel discussion and reception. As the inaugural event in the CSIS Africa Program’s “Creatives Series”, the evening will explore Nigeria’s burgeoning creative industries, its investment potential, and how the United States and international community can harness Nollywood’s soft power.
This event is made possible by the support of Chevron.

Netflix’s “Lionheart” and the Future of the Nigerian Creative Sector

In 12 short months, the initial UNAIDS Fast Track milestones toward gaining control of the HIV pandemic come due. As we start HIV’s pivotal 2020 year, there is cause for both optimism that progress is being made in important areas and concern that critical obstacles remain. The world is not on track to reach the 2020 Fast Track milestones by the end of the year. The time is now to take stock of the state of the epidemic, understand how different countries and cities are making progress, and correct policy and program implementation issues hindering the HIV response.
 On Monday, February 3, 10:30am-12:15pm, the CSIS Global Health Policy Center will host a public event to explore the state of the HIV epidemic: where we are now, what we know works, and what can be accomplished in 2020. The event will include a panel discussion featuring Regan Hofmann, Director, a.i., U.S. Liaison Office, UNAIDS; Jennifer Kates, Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy, Kaiser Family Foundation; and Greg Millett, Vice President and Director of Public Policy, amfAR. Sara M. Allinder, Executive Director and Senior Fellow of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center, will moderate. Following the panel, we will screen a sneak peak of the CSIS Global Health Policy Center's upcoming documentary, The Pandemic Paradox: HIV on the Edge, which explores the long arc of the HIV pandemic against the backdrop of continued high levels of new infections and annual deaths.   The discussion will serve as a scene setter for CSIS’s planned April 2020 conference on what needs to be part of a plan to get back on the path toward ending HIV as a public health threat by 2030, which will include the official launch of The Pandemic Paradox: HIV on the Edge.  
 Panel Discussion
  Regan Hofmann Director, a.i., U.S. Liaison Office UNAIDS   Jennifer Kates Senior Vice President and Director of Global Health & HIV Policy Kaiser Family Foundation   Greg Millett Vice President and Director of Public Policy amfAR   Moderated by
 Sara M. Allinder Executive Director and Senior Fellow CSIS Global Health Policy Center
 Closing
 Preview of the upcoming documentary, The Pandemic Paradox: HIV on the Edge
 This event is made possible by the generous support of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Success or Regress? The State of HIV in 2020

Please join us on Tuesday, December 3 for a public event focused on Sustainable Development Goal #1, which aims to decrease poverty and ensure social protections for the poor and vulnerable, increase access to basic needs and services, and support people harmed by natural disasters and other extreme events.
 Predictions suggest that 6 percent of the world population will still live in extreme poverty in 2030. People who live in extreme poverty face deprivation from social goods and services, and often live in areas where poverty is exacerbated by conflict or natural disasters. Through Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) #1, the United Nations seeks to end extreme poverty, measured as people living under $1.25 a day, by ensuring all people have access to economic resources, reducing the poor’s vulnerability to climate disasters and other shocks, and implementing national social protection systems and measures for all. Despite many countries including social protections within their government spending, these programs need to be brought to scale. Although the number of people living in poverty has decreased since 2015, the rate of poverty reduction is slowing and ultimately means the world will miss the United Nations target of less than 3 percent.
 This event is part of the "Chevron Forum for Development" series focused on the SDGs and made possible with general support from Chevron. So far, we have hosted events focused on SDG#7: Affordable and Clean Energy, SDG#16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions, SDG#17: Partnerships for the Goals, and SDG#11: Sustainable Cities and Communities. Our most recent event was focused on SDG#4: Quality Education. 

Sustainable Development Goal #1: No Poverty

With the conclusion of the first-ever Russia-Africa Summit in Sochi, how should the U.S. respond to Russia’s return to Africa? What are Putin’s goals for the region? Host Judd Devermont talks Russian engagement with Simon Allison (Mail & Guardian), Andrea Kendall-Taylor (Center for a New American Security) and Karen Monaghan (retired CIA officer). Guests also discuss the latest on CAR’s conflict and Guinea-Bissau’s pivotal upcoming presidential elections.
 Background reading:

Russian Theater: How to Respond to Moscow’s Return to the African Stage - Commentary by Judd Devermont


Unpacking the DRC Ebola Crisis with Jason Stearns

Download our free app to listen on your phone